I liked this, it was a good slow burn with deliciously toxic characters which kept me engaged throughout. Good afternoon read.

I was given a free copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

Had mixed emotions on this one, it was very good in parts. Exciting fast paced then very poor. Sad as it had the makings of being a great book

Creepy! Dark, gothic, atmospheric; the storytelling had me hooked. Interesting folklore, bizarre rituals and great imagery. I felt like I was right there even if I didn’t want to be! Highly recommended for those that enjoy the genre.

An interesting thriller that kept me guessing. I disliked the characters but the denouement was satisfactory and I will read more from this author.

Good book and interesting story but I just didn't like the characters. My other problem was I found it a bit predictable and guessed half way throught.

Even though I didn’t particularly like the characters in this book I found it well written and it intrigued me enough to keep going. I did guess the ending about 3/4 of the way through but continued reading just to see if I was right. The tension is well depicted and the interspersed chapters of a statement by the husband was interesting and reinforced the background

WARNING-this house is haunted.

Going against husband, Rohan's wishes, Abi manages to talk him into buying an old house, a fixer upper, which will keep her busy whilst she prepares for her next exhibition (red flag number one, Rohan hates  old builds, and this got my spidey sense tingling). He comes across as extremely protective in the alternating chapters between him and ABi, hers is a first person narrative placing you right inside Abi's mindset, and his is an unspecified transcript of 'what happened after', intimating that an event, a crisis, a crime has occurred (red flag number two!)

Rohan's traditionally based family are keen to see them settled and happy, and also have children (his sister has already fulfilled her familial obligation of producing a daughter and takes no end of delight in winding him up), his mother is particularly keen on this which irritates Abi no end. Her idea of family meals, family occasions and not letting each other down appears antithetical to Abi's upbringing which may be why she is so tense every time she engages with them (red flag number three).

Abi alternates art with volunteering at a hospice where she offers to paint portraits for those who are spending their last days there, a job which is seen as extremely fulfilling by Abi, but exacts a hugely emotional cost. With Rohan having to go abroad to New York for work which is not negotiable, and her refusing to travel with him, their impasse is broken by an email out of the blue from Grace, an old uni friend of Abi's.

Rohan is happier she won't be left alone, Abi is not exactly thrilled but relishes the chance to catch up with a long time friend, yet naturally wary as Grace has a tendency to sweep in and take over. And yet...Grace's imminent arrival is the motivation that Abi needs to get painting again.

There are so many layers to Abi and Grace's relationship as they push and pull against each other, and Abi begins to  behave in a most un-Abi like way (neglecting her cat, turning up late for work, drinking) and because you, the reader, have seen her through Rohan's eyes, and the love he has to keep her safe, you begin to worry that Grace has something on Abi which is slowly destroying her.

Things go missing, there are strange noises and blackout periods where nothing can be recalled, the cat which goes missing and the alluded to, but not explained 'tragedy' which happened in the house prior to them moving in.

The sense of obligation and responsibility Abi had towards Grace, is , she feels, paid back in inspiration as she begins painting in earnest, and takes putting blood, sweat and tears into her art to a whole new level.

As she explores grief, isolation, loneliness and penance, Abi and Grace begin an incredibly dangerous dance around each other, and you are not entirely sure who is the worst influence on whom.

It is a vortex of toxicity from which Abi cannot escape, and when her mother in law comes to check on her , she is convinced that the house is haunted. And, this reader agrees.

This is a superbly plotted psychological thriller which will pick you up, shake you around, mess with your perceptions and have you jumping at shadows. It crosses the line from thriller to horror and back again with ease as voices whisper possible solutions to this conundrum which is the Grace/Abi/Rohan triangle. It surely couldn't be....or is it?

Read this horror thriller 'The House Of Whispers' to see if you can work it out for yourself....

About the author...

This was a good book and an intriguing story, I started to guess where the ending was going about three quarters of the way through however I wasn’t completely certain. It was well written and I enjoyed the building suspense.

You know that when a narrative begins with an excerpt from a police interview, there’s going to be a good story following it. (Well, that’s from my experience!) Kent’s story definitely did not disappoint and I think this book is great for this time of year: it is haunting and unexpected, whilst also messing with your head. In other words, it’s perfect for these dark days of approaching winter.

Abi seems to have it all: a lovely house, a supportive husband, and the freedom to follow her passion for painting. However, when an old friend from the past asks to visit, Abi finds her life being turned upside down. Whilst grateful for the company when her husband is away working in America, Abi recognises that Grace’s behaviour has not changed since they parted ways at university. Gradually, Abi becomes all-consumed by a new collection of paintings that she is creating yet, this has an alarming impact on her health and living standards. Kent makes a point of showing how much Abi turns to alcohol, as if this helps with her inspiration, but it appears that Abi cannot escape the demons that are pushing her to paint.

The relationship between Grace and Abi is interesting. Watching how self-absorbed Grace was, it made my toes curl and I was desperate to see Abi stand up to her. On the other hand, I wanted to see Grace change herself and recognise how much effort that Abi had gone to, ensuring she had a comfortable place to stay after moving back to the area. Yet, all this disintegrates between the two and, with the added stories of Abi and Grace’s past, readers soon learn that Grace’s behaviour has always been this toxic.

Under the surface, there is more to Abi than her poor friendship with Grace. Nightmares, self-harming and a reliance on alcohol indicate that there is a lot of emotional trauma that Abi has not resolved. As the story progresses, I started to predict how the novel would conclude but, this definitely did not lessen the impact of the closing revelations. By the end of the story, I felt incredibly sorry for Abi and wanted her to find freedom from the demons that continued to haunt her.

Undeniably, the manner that the paintings are described did remind me a bit of Dorian Grey. The release that Abi gets from her art, combined with the ferocious passion that is depicted in her creations, made me connect with Dorian Grey because of the psychological impact it had on Abi. Even though she experiences a degree of catharsis from her work, it still plagues her in a way that total peace is never fulfilled. It was unsettling to watch her fall apart after seeing such a stable character at the beginning of the story. In addition, the way the story develops did make me feel quite chilled, such as the references to the child’s clothes in Abi’s attic, the drawings and even the abandoned toys. There is something about old, left behind toys that is really rather sad. The house is frequently personified and I think this adds to the spookiness of the story.

I really enjoyed this read because I was fascinated by the characters of Grace and Abi: how they interacted with one another and the change that occurs over the story. The whispers of the past between the two are seemingly embodied by the house, with plenty of unexpected developments along the way.

With thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a dark story. It jumps from past to present but the story flowed well. The main character's life revolves around her husband and to a lesser extent his family, voluntary work in a hospice, her art and she is in contact again with a friend from university. Her life starts to unravel when her husband goes to New York for work. The book is very tense, there is a very surprising ending.

A slow burner but still full of mystery and suspense. A good thriller with plenty of not so very nice characters. It did hold my attention with the spooky element but unfortunately it did not grab me. Saying that I am sure other readers will enjoy it more just not for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

Abi and Grace's university friendship has always been consuming and exhausting until they have a huge fallout. Years later Grace slips back into Abi's life and once again, Abi feels under her spell. Rohan becomes increasingly concerned over his wife's changing behaviour and starts to question how much influence her estranged friend has over her.

This is a good standalone thriller. I liked how the protagonist is an unreliable narrator as this definitely made me question what was happening and become more intrigued. I did feel that characters were slightly stereotypical at times.

Kent has done a great job at building the tension, pace and atmosphere throughout the plot, building up to the reveal. I did guess the ending correctly but still enjoyed how this wasn't predictable from the beginning. I also thought the final chapter was particularly thrilling an and unnerving.

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a thriller, this would be perfect to read during the spooky season.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and HQ for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unedited feedback.

Toxic friendship at its very best. You will always want to read ‘just one more chapter’ as the story pulls you in. Not the ending you will be expecting. An excellent read.

This is a story filled with mystery and suspense. It’s very difficult to gauge what exactly is going on and the first half builds very slowly. The tension becomes increasingly palpable as we realise the toxic influences and and how past events have resonated.

It’s difficult to review without giving away too much detail, but the structure of the narrative is clever; there are transcripts of interview which indicate that something has happened, but we don’t know exactly what. I found it all very intriguing and although I didn’t warm particularly to any of the characters, the house is almost a character in itself and was quite threatening in places. The latter part of the book is a real page Turner when all the pieces of the jigsaw, so carefully laid, fall into place. I enjoyed it; well written and totally engaging.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

Slow burning thriller with lots of twists and turns. Characters were well portrayed,if not very likeable. Gradually builds to some major surprises.

An artist and her high-flying businessman husband move into an old house that contains the remnants of a child's belongings. As soon as they move in, the husband has to go away on a trip so an old university friend comes to stay. But all is not well.

The story opens with a brief transcript from an interview with the husband, who comments on the behaviour of his wife. The transcripts are interspersed with the first person point of view from the painter wife, with many (often mundane) retellings of her life at university, her past boyfriend, current husband and his family as well as her fraught attempts to paint. There is an exhibition looming and she becomes totally absorbed in her dark work, which becomes darker to the detriment of her health and everything else.

Given that the house has historical memories and past, possibly disturbing, secrets, the first two thirds of the story show very little spookiness. There is a slow build up instead, telling how the the toxic friendship the two women have impacts the protagonist's life. At around two thirds of the way into the story our heroine has sunk to rock bottom.

By the end of the book the minutiae of the relationship between the two women becomes clear, as does the book title. It all makes sense in a why-didn't-I-see-it kind of way, but I did not and I'm glad for that. An oppressive read about guilt, shame and mental illness.

ajsefton.com/book-reviews

House Of Whispers is a slow burning thriller that even though was a slow burner it held my attention from start to beginning.
Abi is a talented artist but is struggling to get anything together for her next exhibition at her chosen art gallery. A friend she had at university, Grace has contacted her saying she is returning from Australia where she’s been for the last few years and would love to get together. Abis husband is having to spend a few months in New York for work so Abi invites Grace to stay. Things aren’t always as easy as you think they’ll be though as Abi starts to remember how Grace used to be and how controlling she was and wanting everything that was hers.
This was quite a scary book at times with the mention of a face at the window and that’s what kept this book interesting and wanting you to read more along with the toxic relationship these two had plus a multitude of other feelings.
I would like to thank Netgalley and HQ for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this - it starts as a description of a family with some issues and becomes a seriously psychologically scary story.
The ending has several unexpected twists and a couple of twists that I was beginning to suspect in the later parts of the book.
I found it definitely different and compelling, though difficult to review without suggesting spoilers!
Really creepy, I read it in a day!
Thoroughly recommended.

This is a tense and gripping read which I loved! The story slowly develops with Abi, an artist, of a very fragile disposition left behind while her husband travels away to work in New York. We know that Abi is a very sensitive individual who seems to live a rather isolated life, Rohan is very worried about leaving her and there is obviously a reason for this.

The story is interspersed with extracts from interview transcripts, and these let us know that whatever happens has resulted in something very serious but, we don’t yet know what, nor committed by whom… The tone of them is hard to second guess and cleverly could be construed in different ways. This kept me trying to work out what could have happened and I loved the way that these were woven in to set the scene.

From the beginning we know that Abi hides things, and we don’t yet know what to expect from her. When her friend, Grace, wants to come and stay this seems like a good idea as Rohan will be away for work – it would be good to have someone to hang out with, just like they did when they were college roommates. But, they haven’t seen each other for years, and their friendship wasn’t always a healthy and balanced one. If they didn’t keep in touch there must be a reason..

This is a slow-burner with us watching Abi, the intricacies of her life and her relationship with her in-laws, I particularly enjoyed this aspect and was never sure what to make of her mother-in-law, was she really trying to help, or just over-bearing. Abi and Rohan bought a decrepit old house which they were gradually fixing up, the house was steeped in history and stories of the former occupants, possibly haunted, it felt creepy and as though it knew secrets buried within. Abi’s mother-in-law had a theory about the house but Abi seemed compelled to live there and make it a home.

Abi was an artist, I found the parts with Abi painting to be so vividly described I could really see the imagery and felt very nervous that something would damage this work she had gone to such an extent to create.

The fact things took time to develop didn’t put me off, it just made me want to read more to find out what was going to happen. The author creates the tension and intrigue with a perfect balance to always leave us hanging on for more.

The ending of this is so very clever, and I’m still trying to get my head around it so if you’ve read the book then please let me know so that we can discuss! It really is one of those endings that makes you question yourself, go back, read again, and still try to process it. Clever and twisted this is definitely worth the wait!

Expect the unexpected, this is a sharp, dark and mysterious thriller which I still can’t stop thinking about. Highly recommended reading!

House of Whispers


Some secrets aren’t meant to be kept…

When Grace returns to Abi’s life, years after they fell out at university, Abi can’t help but feel uneasy. Years ago, Grace’s friendship was all-consuming and exhausting.
Now happily married, Abi’s built a new life for herself and put those days behind her. And yet as Grace slips back into her life with all the lethal charm she had before, Abi finds herself falling back under her spell…
Abi’s husband, Rohan, can’t help but be concerned as his wife’s behaviour changes. As their happy home threatens to fall apart, he realises that there’s something deeply unnerving about Grace. Just what influence does this woman have over his wife, and why has she come back now?

I seem to have read a few books in the last year that focus on the dynamics of female friendship. From the teenage years of Madam, where the school regime pits the girls against each other, to the middle aged years of The Nearest Thing to Crazy where a woman forms a friendship with a newcomer to the village and regrets it bitterly. This seems like a very rich mine for writers to delve into and this is an interesting addition to these psychological thrillers. Our oldest friends, so the saying goes, remain friends because they know where the bodies are buried. Our ‘besties’ are often the closest person to us in life, and in my experience have held me up when times have been too hard to keep going. When these close relationships go wrong, the mental scars can last a lifetime. Abi and Grace’s relationship seemed to become toxic at university, when Abi suspected Grace of trying to control her life. Soon after university Abi married Rohan and now they are renovating a house together. The house was derelict and as they’ve settled into it and started with their plans, Abi feels the years of history in the old house. The creak on the stair created by decades of weary feet. The sense of owners long gone and the weight of their memories.

When Grace writes to say she’s coming to the U.K. after years working abroad, the timing is serendipitous. Rohan has to work in New York for a while. Abi is going to be creating pieces for an art exhibition. Grace needs a place to stay till she finds her feet, and Abi feels enough water has passed under the bridge, maybe it will be fun to reconnect with her old friend? She’s probably changed in the intervening years and a catch up could be just what she needs to inspire her art. Besides it will be nice to have some company while Rohan is away.

It turns out that Abi is right, she does find her house guest inspiring and I was drawn in to the author’s descriptions of her work which were vivid and full of life. Her output soars and she’s making great headway into the pieces needed for her exhibition. I was interested in the psychology of creativity and the author taps into that long term link between artistic success and the deterioration of the mind. As Abi’s art is elevated, the rest of her life is soon suffering. It seems that maybe Grace has not changed after all. Abi can recognise her controlling behaviour and the passive aggressive way she deals with conflict, but wonders if she can handle it until her work is ready. No artist wants to give up their muse and Abi thinks that because she can recognise the behaviour, she won’t be manipulated. It’s like watching a fly edging ever closer to a spider’s web.

We know there has been a traumatic event in Abi’s past because the author drip feeds us little snippets of the past, in order to increase the tension. What this also does is create a bit of suspicion around our narrator. She values honesty in herself and others, even where it might sound harsh, but is she affording us the same honesty? Should we really trust our narrator. I thought the author cleverly linked the state of the house with Abi’s state of mind. She starts to neglect the house, becoming ever more hyper-focused on her paintings. Her life is starting to fall apart. Her in-laws are very concerned, but are struggling to intervene. As Rohan returns he notices a change in his wife, but puts it down to a fierce burst of creativity. However, as time passes he starts to wonder whether this friendship is healthy for his wife and their marriage. Yet, Grace seems to possess an incredible charm. Will she start to manipulate him too? There are interspersed sections that read like formal interviews with Rohan, but we don’t know if they’re with a lawyer, the police, a psychiatrist..? This had the effect of making me race forward with the book, dying to know how it unfolds. In the end though, it was best to just sit back and let the twists and turns reveal themselves. This was a competent and enjoyable thriller, with a fascinating and dangerous female friendship at the centre,