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The People Before
The People Before
Charlotte Northedge | 2022 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I loved this: creepy, tense and claustrophobic.

Pete and Jess buy a big house in rural Suffolk that needs a lot of work. Overwhelmingly so. Jess is clearly uncomfortable with the house. Pete works in London and Jess is left alone a lot with two children who need a lot of attention. And something clearly happened in London prior to their move that no-one is talking about.

This is a slow burner with characters I loved to dislike. Everything that could go wrong, did. Like Jess, I always felt I was left unbalanced about what was going on. What was going to go wrong next?! One thing after another seems to go wrong in this house. What was Pete up to? What had happened in the house before they had got there?

Honestly, I didn’t read the synopsis to this book before I read it, purely because I’d read and enjoyed The House Guest, Charlotte’s previous book. And I wasn’t disappointed. I’m eager to read whatever she writes next!
  
Murder in the Wine Country
Murder in the Wine Country
Janet Finsilver | 2020 | Mystery
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Too Much Going on
Kelly’s boss is bringing in others to get a vision of what he’s accomplished in Redwood Cove in the hopes of replicating it around the country. Part of this is a wine tasting, and Eric is supposed to be assisting with it. However, not too long after Kelly meets him, Eric turns up dead. Could it have to do with the poachers in the area looking for a rare and expensive plant?

This teaser doesn’t even mention a storyline that starts part way into the book and really takes over. I get why it does, but it makes the resulting story feel way more rushed than it should have been. There was enough here for two books. Plus, there’s a sub-plot that is resolved way too easily (and unrealistically). But, as always, I loved the characters and watching their relationships grow. I was smiling as I read about them. Likewise, I enjoyed revisiting the setting. If you are new to the series, don’t start here. Fans will enjoy it even if it is the weakest in the series.