Alice, along with her daughter Martha and husband Jamie, seem to have the perfect life. A loving marriage, a beautiful home in a safe and privileged neighbourhood in London. And the dream careers.

Until it’s not. A home break in, in which Alice kills Ezra, the teenage intruder, turns Alice’s life upside down. Her husband, friends and even the police say it was an unfortunate event but Alice can’t stop asking herself; Why was Ezra Jones in my home?

The novel follows Alice, as she begins to unravel the truths behind the break in. But as Alice gets closer to finding out the truth, someone is trying to make sure she stops. Going after her perfect life first, but how long before Alice will be next?

I loved Katherine’s writing style; not only was it captivating and easy to read but the multiple POVS and use of different forms of writing i.e, newspapers, online comments and first person letters, made for a unique and interesting read. The use of social media comments was also a great social commentary on the real-life effects of online news websites, and how social class can negatively influence public opinion. I also felt that the order of story-telling (through 3 acts: Afterwards, The day of, and Autumn), rather than the typical chronological order, allowed for a more interesting read that left me wanting more. Alongside each new pov which cleverly left small breadcrumbs that made me unable to put the book down. It was so interesting to slowly see each new puzzle piece being put in place for that final reveal.

Both Alice, and the secondary characters, were all written well and none of them felt like surface-level filler characters, which can be typical in a character-heavy story. Especially Jade, who was a stand out for me, she was written in such a unique and eerie way that felt me feeling uneasy when reading; I love when thriller books make you nervous.

Addictive and fast paced (in the last 50%) made this an enjoyable read, with a well thought out plot twist that I did not see coming. This book gave off such British TV thriller/drama vibes which I absolutely loved, the concept had me hooked from the start and was a very easy read! I can’t wait to read more from Katherine Faulkner.

Loved it! Such an easy read with twists and turns and I never guessed who it would be at the end.
Well written from different points of views, which I don’t usually like but it felt easy and natural when I was reading this book.

Why did Ezra break into Alice and Jamie’s home? What led him there, who is calling Alice and why are some of her possessions going missing? So many questions and so many pages, I really felt it could have been much shorter… we took a while to get there!.. That being said I was invested if not irritated along the way. I just could not warm to Alice at all, I mean why can’t she see what’s right in front of her face, she was very draining! I guessed a few of the twists early on, I really felt another was coming in the last chapter but that didn’t transpire how I thought!

A slow burner, not a page turner but definitely a good ride to go on and I would recommend this book.

Too familiar. It had high potential but felt boring. I expected more from the author and will hope that future books bring this.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for sending me an ARC of The Break In.

I have read everything by Katherine Faulkner and love her story telling and writing style. This one did not disappoint!

I was concerned that it would be too long for the story to be based around a simple burglary. Boy was I wrong! This is anything BUT a simple burglary!

We are plunged straight into the action from page one, with the break in already over, and we have to wait until the mid section of the book to get a clear overview of what happened. This for me built the tension up.

Overall, a great thriller, cannot wait for the next one Katherine!

A seemingly idyllic playdate turns into a waking nightmare for Alice when an intruder invades her home and ends up dead. As she struggles to piece her life back together, a heavy guilt draws her to the deceased man's family.

There, she unearths unsettling clues pointing to a conspiracy far grander than a botched burglary, forcing her to confront a terrifying question: who can she truly trust?

This was a fast paced read. The twists are sharp and, although far fetched in parts, make for a fun and entertaining thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This begins with Alice killing an intruder in her home, defending herself, her children, and her home. Alice really struggles with this, as she obviously didnt want to kill him, she was just doing her best to defend her life. For a long time after this, Alice struggles with normal life, and is certain that this was no normal burglary, but she and her home were targeted for a reason. But no one believes her. She is determined to find out what she can, and get to the bottom of this so she can move on with her life.

This was another brilliant domestic thriller from this author. This author always writes books that make you question what you would do in that situation, and how you would cope after. The characters were nicely written, but majority of them were highly unlikable, which in turn made the story as good as it was. The story itself was very explosive, where we read from multiple perspectives, and each page contained the perfect amount of tension and twists. Highly recommended.

So far fetched that it was dreary to me, a little stretched imagination is fine & this is just fiction… but the birth partner took it way too far for me.
It got hectic and frantic - and I was glad to finish.

A good plot, with interesting psychological hooks, but for me, the book didn’t take off till almost halfway through reading it. I found the first half unnecessarily overlong in the build-up, and the angst somewhat repetitive. I persevered and am glad I did. The intrigue is well-developed and the conflict and tension cranks up to keep the pages turning. The female main character irritated me at times – but then, books are intended to evoke a reaction. I have always understood that fiction has to be more believable than fact and the nagging question for me was, would someone behave like that in real life? Other characters lend authenticity, which ensures reader engagement. Overall, it is a good read.

I don’t read many thrillers but I do enjoy them now and again and this one ticked all the boxes. It is very cleverly written and kept me guessing all the way through with many characters & a totally unpredictable plot. I really felt for Alice and Martha & could tell those characters were written from the heart. I think I suspected everyone at some point or another, Inspector Barnes included!! Often thrillers end on a cliche or just wind up abruptly but this had a good ending -although you could feel it coming. Recommended. Thank you NetGalley.

Ooh this was a twisty little thriller that was a lot of fun to read!

It starts in the aftermath of a home invasion where MC Alice is coming to terms with murdering the teenager who broke into her home, waiting to see if she will be charged or not. Alice receives an anonymous phonecall that leads her to believe it wasn't just a random break in and she starts digging into things.

I really enjoyed this book. There was lots going on and it was very addictive reading. Aswell as Alice, we have a few other POVs which help explain the story. It's hard to tell who is telling the truth and figure out what is going on but I did guess some of it before the end 🙌

I'd not read anything by this author before although I do have Greenwich Park on my tbr so will be reading that soon!

A most interesting tale of a mother protecting her children when a break-in goes wrong. Actually that's the first bit and it is a bit slow. About halfway through the novel the afterburners kick in an we are launched in to near vertical flight! Things are not what they seem and everyone who you thought was a bystander to the break-in seems to have a degree of interest. Was Alice (the mother) weirdly coerced in to slaying the the young man who threatened them? You will have to read the novel to find out but I can tell you nobody walks away from this squeaky clean and a number don't walk away at all!
I enjoyed the novel especially when it really got going. However, I will take one star off because I spotted the real murderer early on.

I may have had too high of expectations for this book; for the right reader I'm sure it's fine but for me it just didn't hit in the way I was hoping. The blurb made it seem exactly my kind of thing but the execution unfortunately wasn't it for me.

This took me longer than it should have to finally get through, it felt very slow paced & drawn out for the most part & by halfway I couldn't wait to be done with it. I wasn't too keen on the general writing style but I did enjoy the multi POVs throughout & the writer is pretty good at building suspense when necessary. The plot could have been so good had it not been for the clichéd 'paranoid wife with suspicious husband' trope— I wouldn't have minded so much if this had been done well but it just felt like a bit of an eye roll moment once this part of the story escalated.

I'm not sure if the characters were written to be so unlikeable but I didn't like any of them. I also unfortunately didn't enjoy the final twist & the ending didn't improve my feelings. Overall, a fairly forgettable book for me but I may be open to seeing what future work this writer releases.

Thank you to the publisher & Netgalley for the free eARC!

Ezra Jones (18) broke into Alice Rathbone’s house. Grabbing a knife he headed for the children’s room, so Alice killed him – accidentally! She hit him with a stool, a heavy metal stool, as attested to by her two friends, who were with her when he smashed in the kitchen door, and whose children were with Alice’s daughter, Martha (4) in the adjacent room, under the care of Becca, Martha’s nanny. Alice is on bail pending CPS ruling on self-defence versus manslaughter; which is resolved in favour of the former. However, she can’t forgive herself, constantly replaying the incident and eventually focussing on why Ezra broke in and what he meant when he slurred “Whereisshe?” Who is the “she” or possibly ”he”. In an attempt to resolve the mess in her head, she breaks her bail condition by making contact, incognito, with Ezra’s mother, Rose, and sister, Jade. She also recruits her friend Stella, an investigative journalist and one of the other mothers during the break-in. As information slowly seeps in, she comes to realise that there are wheels within wheels here, and that, ultimately, the only person you can trust is yourself.
This story is firmly in the psychological thriller genre, and is a good example in many ways. It is told primarily through the events as seen by the five women named above. This inevitably means repetition of some scenes, which mainly provide new twists or clarification of old twists. It does make the unrolling of the plot slower than some might like, but gives more to play with for those who are trying to solve the mystery. I mostly was a few pages ahead of Alice, but the final big twists caught me out; but then they caught Alice out too! All of which sounds quite positive, but I have concerns with the details, especially the lack of information from the police. This lack is necessary to the plot, but I think it wouldn’t happen IRL. A similar concern applies to the press, who would easily have found out certain facts, which they don’t. This really stretched my suspension of disbelief, so I’m knocking off a star.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

Just brilliant a real page turner, a good paced read which builds and builds
You just know who and why yet why.
When you kill someone without killing them them you cannot rely on anyone.

Will definitely look out for more by Katherine Faulkner

Alice is having drinks in the kitchen with her friends, their children are in the other room watching a film with the nanny. A face appears at the window and suddenly a stranger is in the house clutching a knife and looking towards the room the children are in! How far would you go to protect your child? Alice means to stop him but ends up killing him! Obviously there's an investigation and Alice is cleared, but she can't help but feel there's more to it than just some random stranger entering her house..... As she tries to investigate further just who can she trust and how Many more secrets will she begin to.uncover? With her life falling apart and unable to leave it alone, just how much is she willing to risk to find the truth?

Many thanks to the publishers and netgalley for letting me read this novel, highly recommend.

On 17 July 2023 Alice Rathbone, 42, married with one child, art restorer, killed someone. It was an intruder armed with a knife who invaded her home and, terrified, she killed him with a kitchen stool. Now she has to face the aftermath with criminal charges hanging over her head. She has begun receiving anonymous calls and her little girl, Martha, asks her why she doesn’t smile anymore. And at the dead of night a black clad person is seen throwing a phone into a nearby canal. Are they connected?
Then Alice makes a decision that will change her life again and not for the better. She decides to visit the burglar’s family home as she is convinced by something he said on the fateful night that it wasn’t a random attack. This will have unforeseen repercussions as her life begins to fall apart still further and she will no longer know who to trust. And the past slowly begins to engulf the present determined to destroy all before it.
The book is 3 parts: after the breakin, the day it happened, then back to the present time so the reader sees the whole sequence of events as it is told from multiple viewpoints. Alice’ feelings always seem to be discounted by those around her as she needs ‘to get over it’. I didn’t feel that several of the characters were likable apart from Linda, the burglar Ezra’s, mother as her family is destroyed by illness and murder.
This was such a serpentine twisty plot which held me gripped right until the very end. Alice is a woman who has lived a fairly privileged life and the burglar brings another world of have nots with into it. Alice’s decisions seem confused in the aftershock of the burglary and the author depicts her confused state of mind very convincingly. Especially when possessions appear to go missing and are found where they shouldn’t be as she is led down a rabbithole. She becomes more and more involved with the burglar’s family as het truth about that night is slowly revealed and how it intertwines with her own.
Stelle, a friend and journalist, whom Alice knows through their mutual children seems to want to help her but she may have her own reasons and not necessarily in Alices’ own interests. I thought that the book was especially good on how women are portrayed in the media. When the papers report on the break-in and the murder it’s followed by a stream of comments from complete strangers who make unwanted judgements on Alice.
Alice was a sympathetic character who knew that she was getting in too deep but could not see a way out and ultimately face betrayal from the one person she thought that she could trust and another from someone she thought of as a friend. This was a real rollercoaster of a thriller which kept me guessing up to the end. I loved the author’s first book, ‘Greenwich Park’, and this was easily as good as that one. A really terrific read and I will seek out the author’s second book, ‘the Other Mothers’.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

Alice is having drinks with friends in her kitchen. Their children are playing in another room. Then a face appears at the window and a man is suddenly inside with a knife. Alice picks up a chair and hits him with it and he falls down dead.
She is arrested but eventually released with no charge.
But something niggles with her about the day and she cant let it to.
This will threaten everything she holds dear and secrets and lies will be revealed before the final twist.

This is the first book I’ve read by Katherine Faulkner and it definitely won’t be my last. I was hooked from the very beginning and never would’ve guessed what was happening. Really well written and keeps you in suspense throughout.
Very enjoyable read.

The Break In by Katharine Faulkner ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thoroughly enjoyed this thriller. It twists and turns, it’s very cleverly plotted. Great characters. Alice & Jamie live a happy life, until a break in at their home turns their lives upside down. Publication date 19 June 2025. Thank you to netgalley & the publisher for this ARC.