This book is twisty and thrilling. This book is well written and the characters are well developed. It tells with some hard issues and does this so well. This is an emotional rollercoaster

A haunting and atmospheric mystery set in a small Cornish village.

Rebecca has everything she's ever wanted - the perfect fiancé, a loving stepdaughter, a career she's proud of, and now the house of her dreams. But when she and her family move to the Cornish village where she grew up, everything she wanted to bury from those years starts to claw at the surface. Then, when her stepdaughter goes missing at a New Year's Eve party, Rebecca must finally face the ghosts of her past - or Ava might never come home safely...

I really enjoyed this atmospheric thriller and it pretty much kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time, never sure who to trust. I love an evocative and claustrophobic setting and this book definitely deliver on that front.

Great plot to get yourself lost in. This book has everything. A real fast paced thriller. Will get your heart racing on more than one occasion. Very well written. Highly recommend this book

A wonderfully dark and atmospheric read, with well-drawn, relatable characters. Deals with some difficult issues with sensitivity. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys twisty psycholgical thrillers.

i so very much enjoyed this story very twisty addictive and emotional. Rebecca is engaged to Daniel he has a daughter Ava who Rebecca loves like her own and will do anything to protect her. Rebecca gets Blackwater house left to her in Cornwall that was her hometown so they move from London back to there. but new years eve Ava goes missing and Daniel is in London. I cant really say much as give story away but why did Rebecca leave her home town and who has secrets its so so good, but you always know with this author its going to be a good one

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!

An evocative setting, a well-plotted story with plenty of twists and turns - this was a delight to read.

I really enjoyed this book. It was well written with a compelling storyline that was twisty and unpredictable and well developed characters that intensidfied the plot.

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

You can run from your past, but you can't hide forever...

Rebecca Bray has moved on from a childhood she desperately wants to forget.

She has everything she's ever wanted - the perfect fiancé, a loving stepdaughter, a career she's proud of, and now the house of her dreams.

But when the family move to the Cornish village where Rebecca grew up, everything she wanted to bury from those years starts to claw at the surface.

Then, when her stepdaughter goes missing at a New Year's Eve party, Rebecca must finally face the ghosts of her past - or Ava might never come home safely...

Having just read The House at Helygen I wasn’t surprised to find I’d chosen a book by the same writer as there were so many similarities. The author gets the Cornish setting just right, pitching as a Gothic and stormy space, full of ghosts from the past. It always makes me think of Rebecca when an author creates an eerie Cornwall atmosphere and possibly the author does too, that’s why her main character is called Rebecca.

The author brings us bang up to date with Rebecca’s childhood in an isolated Cornish village, where her parents were both drug addicts. She had it tough growing up in a drug den where neglect was the norm. The author is addressing something more realistic than the beautiful Cornwall we see on holiday, where seasonal work and high cost housing make for few opportunities for young people. As Rebecca learns to look after herself, it gives her determination to get away and do something different in her life. Her life starts to change when she runs away from her parents and finds Blackwater House and it’s owner, Gwen. Years on and she’s been given an opportunity to return to where she was born. So along with her fiancé and stepdaughter she moves back to Cornwall. She is hoping for a different experience of the Cornish village she grew up in, but it’s not long before she realises this move will not happen without the past catching up with her. On New Year’s Eve Ava is having a sleepover and Rebecca is supervising, when an old friend turns up with a bottle to see in the new year. Rebecca is distracted and forgets to check on Ava and her friends, she doesn’t want to interfere with them enjoying their party, so it is some time before she realises Ava is missing.

Very slow at first, the book speeds up when her stepdaughter Ava goes missing and the search begins. Here the chapters move between the present day crisis of searching for Ava and Rebecca’s past, where there’s a lot more to be revealed that we realised. I enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot, creating an unpredictable storyline. I think the author creates a world that feels grounded and current, with just enough tension to keep the storyline from the past dominating the narrative. The atmosphere is maintained from start to finish and I was engaged with both timelines, even though the past was slightly more suspenseful. I would warn that there are issues that might affect some readers including domestic abuse, sexual violence and miscarriage. However they are an integral part of the story and are handled with care and empathy. I didn’t guess the ending, which was great but I wish it had ended there. I didn’t need the epilogue. This is a suspenseful thriller that is sure to keep you reading.

My first book by this writer. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Tightly plotted, interesting characters and atmospheric writing.

Another fabulous story by this author. I have read and loved every one of her books. Return to Blackwater is dark, creepy, mysterious and full of twists and turns. Brilliant. Five stars xx

Whoop whoop, what a read! Fast paced, intense, and unputdownable! The author wrote it flawlessly, then perfected the character development, further drawing you into the story! Packed full of twisty turns, chills, thrills, and shocks! A must read for those who love twisty, emotional thrillers! Highly, highly recommend!

I have mixed feelings about this one. I really enjoyed the first 75% of the story. I thought the location of Blackwater House was the perfect setting for this thriller. The wildness of the cornish cliffs and sea added an extra element of tension.

The plot gently builds at a good pace with the story told by alternating chapters from the past and the present. The connections to the characters were obvious but I definitely didn't guess until the reveals. And then I was like "oh of course, that makes sense now".

I really didn't enjoy reading the epilogue at all and that spoiled the rest of the book for me. I don't think it adds anything to the story and felt a bit of an add on few chapters to me that just dragged the story out. Others have really enjoyed the whole book though so don't let that put you off.

Trigger warnings : drug abuse, rape, miscarriage, domestic abuse.

I didn't know what to expect from the cover but I really enjoyed how the story pans out.

The new years eve party that goes Wrong.

I picked up Return to Blackwater House on a whim. It sounded like it would be a creepy and thrilling read. I wouldn’t necessarily say it delivered on that, but it was definitely not a bad read to spend an hour on.

The story follows Rebecca, whose stepdaughter goes missing in Cornwall, where, a few years before, they moved to when Rebecca was given an old house in a will. Rebecca’s POV is secretive, hinting at past events and traumas she’d rather keep private. Only, everything that is happening with Ava threatens to unearth them, as the police start digging, including Kate, the second POV character.

This was a fast paced book and, at times, I felt as though that both worked for and against it. For it in the sense that you were drawn in quickly, hooked on the story and unwilling to put it down. Against because there seemed to be little or no build up to the twists that came in the second and third parts. I mean, there were obviously hints to Rebecca’s secret, but when the secret came, it felt very abrupt and untelegraphed despite that.

As a result the end of it all felt rushed. I think it would have been better to shorten the flashbacks in the first part, lengthen the investigation and add some more foreshadowing into it. For all that I just said that the fast pace was good, it did need to slow down at times.

I also think that Rebecca’s POV shouldn’t have been first person. I feel as though it’s harder to effectively hide, and yet hint at being hidden, thoughts when you’re in first person. Especially when that first person is on the way to being omniscient. When done well, it’s excellent, to be sure, but here it just wasn’t quite there. I did also feel like I got more of a sense of Kate as a character because it was in third person, compared to Rebecca, who felt a bit of a cardboard cutout.

However, as I said, it was still a good way to spend an hour or so. I sort of saw the twists coming, but didn’t enough that it never felt like the story was more of the same old thriller thing.

Rebecca Bray has moved on from a childhood she wants to forget. She has the dream fiance. a loving stepdaughter and a career she's proud off. But with a move back to her hometown of Cornwall, everything she wanted to bury starts to surface. And when her stepdaughter goes missing at a New Year's Eve party, Rebecca must finally face the ghosts of her past - or Ava might not come home safely.

This is a cleverly crafted psychological thriller. This is not the usual 'girl goes missing' story, it's much better than that. In the first half of the book the pace is steady, it mainly tells us about the main characters, Blackwater House and Cornwall. The story has a dual timeline, Rebecca's childhood and 2020. It's told from multiple points of view. The second half of the book the pace picks up and Rebecca's dangerous past is revealed. The chapters alternate between the past and present day. This well written novel had me gripped from the first page.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HodderStoughton and the author #VikkiPatis for my ARC of #REturnToBlackwaterHouse in exchange for an honest review.

This was a completely gripping read and very difficult to put down. Rebecca Bray had a terrible childhood and when she returns to the village where she grew up a whole host of memories rear their heads. When her stepdaughter goes missing, Rebecca realises there is much she has to confront from her past.

Brilliantly written with complex characters, a very clever plot and an atmospheric background, this is a must read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Told via the viewpoints of Rebecca and Kate, then finally Ava, this novel contains myriad plot twists as Rebecca’s full backstory gradually comes to light.

The setting was rife with atmosphere – the imposing, isolated house overlooking the Cornish coast. The remote, insular village. The volatile, and often violent Daniel…

This is my first novel from this author and I quite enjoyed it. The winning combination of setting, characterization and twisty plot was very much to my liking. If pressed to pick a favorite character I would have to choose the policewoman, Kate Winters. I would love to see her return in future books.

Themes of traumatic childhoods, vengeance, secrecy, vigilante justice and atonement permeate the novel. Although some of the scenes might appear ‘over the top’, I recommend you just ‘go with it’, and attribute these to artistic license.

Recommended to all those who enjoy a psychological thriller that keeps you on your toes. Wondering who to trust, wondering how it will end…

Return to Blackwater House by Vikki Patis WoW Wow.........What a superb book this was I loved it! I was hooked from the beginning till the end and what an end it was - Just Brilliant!

I highly recommended for all fans of clever psychological thrillers! This book will have you sitting at the edge of your seat! especially as Its full of twists and turns throughout. You will love it!

Big Thank you to the author, Vikki Patis, and the publisher, Hodder & Stoughton, for this opportunity. to read and review this wonderful book.