I have read multiple books by this author and in those he seemed to favor a lot of innocent characters who get caught up in a game of cat and mouse, being at the wrong place at the wrong time, or stumbling into unfortunate circumstances they had no control over but are now entangled in. This book was none of those things and I found myself loathing both the main characters.

20 years ago, Robert and his brother Kieran, murdered a young girl in a treehouse by making her drink poison (this is not a spoiler, since this is the first chapter). Robert has never been able to put it behind him, while his brother Kieran claims not to care but spends his life at 36 living at home to "help care for dad" and partying his life away drinking and using drugs and generally not acting like a grownup.

When a new TV series released in the UK bears eerie similarities to their long-ago crime, Robert starts to completely lose it as he knows they are going to get caught. Apparently, there was a witness to their madness and that person is now profiting off the TV series from it.

I won't go into further details so as not to spoil the plot, but Robert is a wanker and a weenie. He is so completely unlikeable I couldn't muster even an ounce of sympathy for him. Kieran is immediately distasteful since he does not have a job and seems to put his money up his nose. He acts like the crime is in the past and NBD but then why is he continuing to act like an overgrown child?

I usually find BP Walter to be quite the creator of suspense with characters you can empathize with, or at least even one character you might actually like. This one fell completely short of those attributes. I'll try again with the next book.

Thank you to One More Chapter and Netgalley for this ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins UK One More Chapter for this ARC

The Treehouse by B P Walter is an interesting mix of ritualistic sacrifice, brotherly bond and dysfunctional families that makes for a gritty but relatable thriller. We experience the majority of the story through dual POV of the brothers both at the time of the initial murder and in the future when an eerily similar TV series is released.

The characters are various levels of unforgivable with even the victim being no saint. The story touches on classism, occult worship and how easily one can influence young people with seemingly innocent beginnings.

I did feel the book dragged and I considered giving up but I generally will not give up with an ARC and the ending was suitably unexpected. The Epilogue very much mirrored other authors such as Freida McFadden with a final twist and I have always enjoyed that. You could see subtle nods to the author's politics in the book which isn't something I'm a huge fan of but it was subtle enough to be ignored. My only other gripe was none of the Cornish characters sounded Cornish, at all. I feel if you set a book somewhere with a very distinctive dialect you must reflect that dialect in the characters and this was not done unfortunately.

Overall enjoyable read and I definitely think that it would appeal to males or fans of the darker side of thrillers.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Twenty years ago teenage brothers Kieran and Ryan killed a woman in a treehouse. Now there is a documentary on tv that seems way too close to what actually happened which causes at least one brother to panic.

This book started out ok with the low grade hysteria over the tv show but then it went back to the past for most of the rest of the book covering what actually happened back then and it got so boring for me. As far as I am concerned what happened in the past wasn’t all that interesting. I found that when I put this book down I had no interest in picking it back up and feared I would spend the rest of my life reading it. I finally had to start skimming at 63%. There were some surprising reveals at the end but it was too late. One hit and two misses with this author. Time to move on.

Two decades ago, the Palmer family’s summer getaway ended in tragedy. Since then, silence has held their secrets tight.

But when a new true-crime TV series begins to mirror that harrowing night, the past refuses to stay buried. Now, with old wounds reopened and uncomfortable truths resurfacing, one thing becomes clear - every family member has something to hide.

And someone will go to any lengths to make sure the truth never comes out ..

The story begins with an eerie stillness, allowing unease to settle in before the tension spikes. The build-up is slow but deliberate, feeding you slivers of truth and doubt until you’re completely consumed. Just when you think you’ve got the timeline straight, Walter twists the knife. Relentless and shocking with twists to the end.

This is a deeply character-driven thriller. Kieran - the bold, wealthy brother - appears untouchable, while Robert is more fragile, desperate to preserve the life he’s built. Their mother, June, is formidable, with sharp edges and secrets of her own. Each family member is flawed, selfish, and painfully human. You probably won’t love them - but you’ll be hooked.

Dark, disturbing, and disturbingly believable, The Treehouse is a masterclass in slow-burning psychological suspense. Walter creates a suffocating atmosphere where memory is fragmented, guilt festers, and truth is more dangerous than lies. It asks: can one moment define a life? And can a family ever recover from the choices made to survive it?

If you like thrillers that explore the rot beneath polished family veneers - this is definitely one you’ll want to pick up :)

A huge thanks to NetGalley, BP Walter, and One More Chapter. Out 3rd July.

if you arent or haven't read this author yet then get on it. the skill of B. P. Walter is just stellar. and this one was giving all the same excellent vibes from the get go, even before the get go as the blurb had me urging to flip open the cover. and it didn't disappoint with every second making me more urgent to be faster and reading so i could turn pages quicker. the plot and pacing is on point to give you guessing moments, pondering moments and atmospheric weight building all the way through.
this book gives us the tale of two brothers and both then and now events. something happened between the pair along time ago, all centring around the tree house whilst the family are on holiday. and then we flick to the present day when one brother looks up to see a trailer on the tv for a new TV show. but how can this be? this tv seems to be the tale of what happened, what he and his brother did. but how could this be possible and who is it that knows their story? and why wait until this moment to tell it?
we then get told the story mainly between our two brothers who couldn't be more different. they both have issues but both show it or themselves very differently. and seem to be coping in differing ways with one looking confident and driven and one barely ever far away from spiralling. but both intrigue you in equal measure especially their interactions with each other. there is also moments from the mother who is something else entirely. this family has some dynamics going on that i never wish to encounter lol.
i loved how much as you read on your suspense and grip on the holding of the book gets tighter. how it starts with a excellent premise and beginning but then we are driven more and more into that thrill part of the genre. and this ones thrills big style making us more and more on edge throughout the builds.
i certainly hope Rob ,Keiren or June never become characters i have to be part of in my own life! this family was a joy to read about for all the psychological reasons we look for in books done well. and Walter knows his characters and storytelling out the park once again.

I’ve read a few books by this author and thought I knew what to expect ….genuinely finding that his books are getting darker.

Two brothers have a dark secret. A shred secret from one fateful summer. holiday stay. A holiday home with a treehouse in the garden. Although actually this secret may just be about to be exposed as a new drama is being broadcast on TV - which starts with the exact same happenings as on that day in their childhood…..

This book had me hooked and kept me guessing as more secrets and layers of the story were unveiled.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review.

Two young boys commit a horrifying crime in their tree house while on vacation. Or do they? As grown men, the two brothers has dealt with the ramifications of the summer night in different ways until a new hit series hits social media with eerie parallels to the night in question. Was somebody listening? What do they know and how will the Palmer family deal with the fall out? In a series of flashbacks to that fateful summer, we learn the motivations and dark aspirations that compel the brothers into the unthinkable world of sacrifice and betrayal. But could these sinister desires be a family affair.

This isn’t a thriller and the fact that there is both animal and human sacrifices it just wasn’t for me. I would have liked to know before I started reading the triggers above. I would suggest those definitely be added.

The Treehouse by B.P. Walter is a novel that I couldn't wait to get my hands on as a longtime fan of this author. While I did enjoy the writing style, as I expected, I found the ritualistic elements to be a bit dark for my taste, though the story was compelling enough to keep me reading.

Told in dual timelines, the haunting secrets of a family resurface when a television documentary revisits the sins of its past. I particularly enjoy a dual storyline, and the past and present are woven with perfection here. While this is not my favourite of the author's work, I look forward to whatever he has in store for us next.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for an ARC.

I did not realize there was going to be animal and human sacrifice when starting this. That isn't for me & I chose to DNF.

Told in a dual timeline two brothers past comes back to haunt them.

We've all got secrets, we've all got pasts - Kieran and Robert have got plenty to worry about when twenty years later theirs appears to be the focus of a new tv drama series, step by step, exactly as it happened.

An unsettling and disturbing start immediately grabbed my attention, the scene setting impeccable as the horror of two brothers actions played out before me. There was a real sense of atmosphere about this dark, chilling, character driven read that in a dual timeline moves between past and present.

The writing was good but midway through it seemed to get stuck in the past and lost me a bit. A couple of additional twists towards the end redeemed it somewhat but I didn't enjoy it as much as some of the authors novels.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, One More Chapter and B P Walter for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Firstly, I have to compliment B P Walter on his writing style. The way that the book was structured was very clever and there were plenty of plot twists.

However, when I requested this book and read the promotional description, I was not expecting it to have the content that it did. It was extremely dark and made me feel very uncomfortable as there were no trigger alerts of what was to come - a lot of the plot was about the occult. The blurb made it sound as if the book was going to be based on more of the TV show side of things and its involvement in the murder story, rather than the quite disturbing content that I found within. As someone that doesn’t read horror but enjoys thrillers, this was definitely on the border of horror rather than psychological thriller to me. It was very chilling.

Overall, it just wasn’t really my cup of tea, unfortunately. This doesn’t mean that it’s badly written - it just wasn’t the sort of book that I would’ve picked up myself and was advertised as something it didn’t feel matched to. It’s not for the faint hearted and I would definitely check the trigger warnings for this one.

DNF @ 31%

I thought the premise was interesting but this book just wasn't for me.

At 30% there has been a partial answer to the mystery. I assume that there's going to be more to it or a big plot twist to the why but honestly I was satisfied with the answer (though premature) provided. I didn't feel the need/desire to keep reading. Already I wasn't super invested in the story. It was moving too slowly for my liking and I couldn't connect with either Robert and Kiernan. Kiernan was too much of a manchild that I didn't enjoy reading from his pov and Robert was just too annoying.

I don't usually read a lot of adult thrillers (mostly ya) so I was not the target audience (I think I misunderstood this book when I requested it and that's my bad). I do think this book would appeal to regular thriller readers and fans of family dramas and shows like the White Lotus.

After reading the blurb, I was really looking forward to diving into this book—it sounded full of suspense and intrigue. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. While I did finish it, I would describe it as just okay.

The characters were well-developed, and Walter did a great job weaving their flaws into the storyline, adding depth to the narrative. However, the book’s structure ultimately let it down. A large portion of the story is set in the past, and I found myself skimming through much of it, as it lacked the tension and fast pace I usually look for in a thriller.

The premise itself had a lot of potential, and the themes were certainly compelling, but the pacing slowed everything down and dulled what could have been a gripping read. It’s a book that was readable, and at times thoughtful, but overall, it didn’t deliver the level of suspense I was hoping for.

Rating: 3.8/5

B. P. Walter has become one of my "must read" authors over the past few years. His novels are always distinct from his previous publications, but you can be assured that neither the title nor the accompanying synopsis will adequately prepare you for the content of the book. For that same reason,. I am always averse to divulge too much of the plot of any of his stories, because it would potentially derive from their impact and the subsequent reading experience.

As with B.P. Walter's previous work, you can expect dark themes, which some readers may feel uncomfortable with. The setting works well and the writer manages to create an atmospheric sense of foreboding throughout the piece. The characterisation is, once again, well handled by the author, but in true noir fashion each character is flawed to varying degrees and not necessarily entirely likeable.

Aside from "Scuttle", which was deliberately positioned as a horror novel and published under the moniker of Barnaby Walter rather than B.P. Walter, I would also say that this book also encroaches on the horror / occult genres more than most of this author's previous offerings under the "B.P." name have. The one possible exception being "Notes on a Murder", which also tilted towards the horror classification.

I wouldn't rate "The Treehouse" as my favourite novel from the B.P. Walter portfolio, but it is still very good and I will definitely be back for his next offering.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

Robert lleva una vida tranquila en Londres, con una carrera en ascenso y una rutina cuidadosamente construida. Pero todo cambia cuando, una noche, ve en televisión una serie que despierta un recuerdo que creía enterrado. Lo que aparece en la pantalla es inquietantemente familiar. Demasiado.

Mientras el pasado irrumpe en su presente, Robert se ve obligado a enfrentarse a preguntas que ha evitado durante años. ¿Qué sucede cuando los secretos que creíste haber dejado atrás regresan para acecharte? ¿Y si alguien más los conoce... y está decidido a sacarlos a la luz?


--

Lo de Kieran era obvio, pero la última confesión no la vi venir.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest.

I read The Treehouse based on the blurb. I was intrigued to discover what exactly the secret tragedy was that occurred on the Palmer’s family holiday twenty years earlier.

The story moves along from the perspective of two brothers, Kieran and Rob, and moving between the present and the events of the holiday twenty years earlier. There are twists and turns, which I really didn’t see coming at all.

The book took me out of my comfort zone for sure. From the blurb, I didn’t anticipate it to be quite as dark as it was, and I certainly didn’t expect the occult to feature so heavily. I was rather uncomfortable with this.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, for making this e-ARC available to me in exchange for a fair and honest review.

4 ⭐️ The Treehouse by: B P Walter is Publishing July 3, 2025 with HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter

Wow, that was a first. I knew by the description it would be a story out of comfort zone or usual reads you could say. But my gosh what a web this goes on. The deep emotions and into the minds of the characters. I have no idea how the author came to so clearly develop them nor the intense build up as we go along. Past and present, the hidden shadows we don’t expect. Honestly, as twisted as it is and you feel like what is it I am reading. The vivid picture painted is so detailed and even though you want to look away you keep going because you want to know the truth of why it happened. If you like murder thriller, mystery type books with a bit of cult or even tv shows/movies it’s worth a read. Or if you’re not and wanting to try something new give it a go.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the opportunity to read before publishing and shares my honest thoughts.

DISCLAIMER #1: This book NEEDS to have trigger warnings. And while I'm not a squeamish reader, I know there are others out there who are and I pride myself in being honest in my reviews. That being said; *SPOILER ALERT* this book deals with both animal AND human sacrifices. Something that I would have liked to know before I started reading.

Now that I've gotten that unpleasant bit out of the way, let's dive into the story shall we?

At first I was intrigued, the fact that someone else apparently knew what had happened that night caught my attention. But it quickly became clear that absolutely none of these characters were going to be someone I would root for, or even care about. Robert goes back and forth between trying to be assertive, and having to have his every move planned out for him. I understand the panic at thinking that your past has finally come back to bite him, but the way he so quickly spiraled because of it was laughable. No wonder he found himself in a potentially even bigger mess almost immediately.
But then the mystery gets wrapped up surprisingly quickly, and then we’re thrown back to 2004 to watch how these two teenage boys ended up doing something so awful. And we stay there… for a long time. This was another thing that bothered me about this one; I wish the structure had been different, I feel as though a stronger back-and-forth between past and present would’ve kept the pacing tighter and the suspense alive. Instead, it felt like we were stuck in 2004 for what seemed like the majority of the book. And once we got back to the present day? It was a race to the finish line at a break neck speed. I feel like there was the potential for the parents secrets to be discussed a bit more, but no. They simply sat their children down and spilled the beans, and then the story moved on without giving the reader time to really digest what had been revealed.

Also, the whole Dark Core subplot stretched credibility a bit too far for me. The idea that this creepy movement could operate in the shadows, despite sacrificing rabbits and posting it all over the internet, without the media catching on? I could practically hear the headlines writing themselves.

In the end, I loved the concept of The Treehouse and some of its elements, but the execution just didn’t land for me the way I wanted it to.

DISCLAIMER #2: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

The Treehouse was marketed as a psychological thriller, and I’m not sure it fit the bill. It was definitely a mystery, but I did not feel any suspense that I would expect for a thriller.

The Treehouse begins with one of a pair of brothers watching a thriller tv series. He becomes agitated by the series and messages his brother, and it’s not long before we learn that the events in the television series closely mirror something that happened to these brothers (or possibly because of these brothers?) when they were adolescents. They begin trying to research the show to find out who is behind it, since they are positive there are no witnesses of that night.

In my opinion, the book started out poorly. We did not have a chance to care about the characters before we are thrust into a dilemma. The controversy surrounding the tv series was not enough of a hook to get me to care, and I didn’t yet know enough about the brothers to wonder about their past.

The conceit was interesting and I will check out other books by this author. However the execution of this novel fell short and I wouldn’t recommend it.