Return to Blackwater House

I absolutely LOVED "Return to Blackwater House" by Vikki Patis.

The storyline is a good one and I was so glad to find it wasn't another standard 'little girl gone missing' thriller as there are so many stories along those lines nowadays!.
This storyline follows Rebecca and her move back to her original hometown in Cornwall after inheriting Blackwater House from Gwen.
Taking with her to Cornwall to live- her husband Daniel and 14 year old Step daughter Ava whom she has raised from birth.
But on New Years Eve, whilst at her own sleepover- Ava dissapears in the middle of the night. The storyline unwinds from there, whilst also following the family liaison officer Kate's life (who also happened to know Rebecca when she was younger) .

I loved the plot twist in the storyline, I don't think I was quite expecting it to go that way- so it was a pleasant shock. I also loved how the storyline continued to play out after Ava had been found. This made the storyline feel more 'full' rather than rushed and tied up quickly like most thrillers tend to do

Recommended Read. 5 Stars from me! *****

I loved this book from start to finish.

Atmospheric, creepy, and with brilliant twists along the way! I’ve just finished it, I think it will stay with me for a long time. There was also an emotional quality about the ending that I really loved.

Twisty!

This was a great book, written from multiple times and characters that all came together to create a brilliant ending. Rebecca Bray has a turbulent history that unravels itself as the book goes on. I liked her as a character and was routing for her and Ava, the missing step-daughter.

Recommended.

Thanks to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

I loved this! With an evocative setting and cast of carefully drawn complex characters: the brilliantly executed sense of creeping dread absolutely gripped me! Highly recommended for fans of clever psychological thrillers

I could not put this book down! It is written so well, fully developed, diverse, and complex characters, and a mystery that just keeps you guessing right to the end, with unexpected twists and turns along the way.

Rebecca Bray inherits Blackwater House, in the village where she grew up, and moves there with her partner and teenage stepdaughter. When she returns, she keeps seeing glimpses of a past she wants to forget. But then, on New Years Eve, her stepdaughter Ava goes missing.

The book switches between "before" and "after" Ava's disappearance, and viewpoints switch between Rebecca and the family liaison officer assigned to their case, Kate, who remembers Rebecca from childhood.

A fantastically written, haunting thriller. I will definitely be looking up more works by Patis. Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the best book I have read in 2022 so far. Hands down.

I found this book to be thrilling, twisting, truly edge of the seat (of its truest meaning) book; I simply could not put it down until it was finished! It’s a truly harrowing story of generational trauma, revenge, self sacrifice in the search for justice.

I had to sleep on it, in order to be able to sit down, gather my thoughts after finishing the book and write a review that justifies how brilliant this book was and how well written it was. The characters were deep well fleshed out, all going through their own troubles, dealing with their own traumas. It truly shows that no one leaves childhood without trauma in their baggage.
The topics of emotional abuse, childhood neglect, sexual abuse and trauma and very well presented and as a survivor myself, realistic in their presentation and the weight it carries with you for the rest of your life. There is no quick fix, no easy resolution; what true justice carried out after years of pent up anger and revenge even means? How can one make the abusers pay for all the unspeakable (which should be spoken up about!) things done? Will it be satisfying finally acting out the revenge planned for years? What consequences will it have on the person and the people around them? There is no way I have ever read a book which raised so many important questions and still was one of the best (if not the best) mystery thriller. It was realistic enough, it kept me sucked in and feeling every bump on the way along with the main characters.

The mystery was delicious, dosed out in small amounts, trickled down bit by bit, which keeps you guessing and engaged. The writing I found superb, engaging and as mentioned, I simply could not put the book down and when I did, I could not stop thinking about it and couldn’t wait to pull it back out.

I truly find it hard to review a book that has left me with such a lasting impact. Even the mention of Sarah Everard in the acknowledgments, it hit so hard.
The raw authentic and empathetic way the author writes about human feelings and emotions was so real, it made me feel them too, made me tear up reading certain passages of the book. It was an emotional rollercoaster to read this book and I loved every minute of it! It was my first book from Vikki Patis, but it will not be my last, for sure.

Having given 5 stars to books before, so this book deserves undoubtably 5 stars too, but for this book, it is in a league of its own, so I would give it 10 stars if I could.

I could not suggest this book enough to anyone reading this. However, please note trigger warnings of emotional abuse, sexual abuse, child neglect and abandonment, stillbirth, drugs, and of course, murder.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this amazing book!

A dark and twisty page turner with the right creepy level and a cast of interesting characters. I loved the eery setting and the excellent storytelling. The plot is well crafted and full of surprises.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine