I nearly didn't pick this to read as the title Return to... made it feel like the second in a sequel. Well, its not and its a standalone so don't make that mistake!

A griping thriller with not just a missing child but someone who returns to the house from where the child goes missing with secrets of her own. Lots to like about this with more red herrings than you could ever find in that Cornish sea. Oh yeah, it's set in Cornwall but the village is fictional. Never mind, the house and its shadowy history make its presence felt.

A good mystery with plenty of atmosphere!

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

A good thriller. Some good dynamics. Loved Rebecca and Ava's relationships. I could've done without Kate's POV chapters. They just didn't read right to me, and her conversations with her wife didn't come across authentic. That might just be me. Overall a great read.

After reading the blurb I was drawn to this book and just felt I had to read it, well I certainly wasn’t disappointed, I devoured this book in two days, It was set in Cornwall a place I would love to visit and had an eerie atmospheric feel to it. I loved it

Wow, such a great read that I couldn’t wait to get back to , I was thinking about it while at work and once home, everything was forgotten while I kept reading, my advice is don’t start it unless you have time to keep reading. It’s engaging and I must say I had no idea how it would finish.

This was a very interesting mystery novel with a gothic feel to it. The protagonist’s return to her home town sets in motion an unpredictable chain of events, each more terrifying than the next. Highly recommended!

This is a first for me from this author and although I have a few of her books I’m annoyed at myself for waiting so long to read one.

Once I started, I found it really hard to put down. The setting was written well and set in Cornwall with the house sat on a hillside overlooking the sea it gave a slightly creepy edge to the story.

Her writing is beautiful and she managed to evoke various emotions when I read it. Psychological thrillers are my favourite genre to read and this has been a pleasure to experience such a well written story.

With its complex storyline that describes a coerced relationship in a discreet way that doesn’t overshadow the story until you’ve really got a feel for the characters was really well written.

If you like psychological thrillers you really need to add this one to your reading list.

Fabulous novel!

I loved this gripping, atmospheric story and found it hard to put down. It has everything I like in a psychological suspense novel, including likeable characters I can root for - I loved the relationships between the police officer and her wife, and Rebecca and her stepdaughter, Ava, and it was an interesting twist that Rebecca has coeliac disease (something I've recently been tested for!) Blackwater House itself is like a character with its haunted vibe, in the wild, Cornish setting. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep me reading as well as an unexpected ending. Great storytelling. I can't wait to read more from this author.

A brilliant suspense read that'll challenge perceptions. Being Cornish, I'm always sceptical when a non-Cornish writer choses my home county but Patis has done the research and it felt authentically Cornish- no mean feat.
I love how this could have easily been "child goes missing, frantic search, resolution" but it wasn't. The backstory is fascinating and Rebecca's character is superbly complex.
Hot topics are also woven in- celiac disease, and a lesbian police officer. Hats off, more of this please!
Superb.

When I read the description of this I had to read it. So glad I did because I really enjoyed it! I loved Rebecca's character and her relationship with Ava, I found the whole story really intriguing so I really couldn't put the book down. I also didn't see many of the twists coming! A great modern, psychological thriller. Would highly recommend.

My advice for this book?

Don't read it.

Don't read it until you've cleaned your house.
Don't read it until you've sent your husband to Wicks' with a packed lunch
Don't read it until you've locked your kids in a room with every Disney movie ever made. And some food because you're not a monster.

Because you will not be able to put this book down.

I got to the 40% mark and thought, I should pace myself. This is a good book and I want to take my time and really enjoy it, maybe spread it over a long weekend.

NOPE!

Two hours later and it was gone. Like the large bar of Dairy Milk that had been beside me. Did I go through a wormhole? Where did the time go? It remains a mystery. But I got nothing done over that weekend and I could not be happier about it.

Without wanting to give spoilers, I will say this. Any time you think you know where this book is going, you don't. Shut up. Just wait. I only managed to half-predict one plot element and I think that was about 10% before the end.

Points for some bonus positive lesbian representation! The police woman investigating has an adorable dog and a doubly-adorable wife. Chefs kiss. Perfection.

My one criticism is that the Netgalley version I read had really bad formatting. Like it had been transferred into two file types and then shaken vigorously. This was my first Netgalley book, so not sure if it always does that, but either way, I am sure the finished version won't look like that so I'm not taking a star off. Fight me.

I still enjoyed it, even with the strange paragraphing and random line cuts. That's how you know it's good.

I was given access to a netgalley version of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Return to Blackwater House by Vikki Patis

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.
A really atmospheric read , full of suspense and twisty turns with an unexpected ending.
I loved the character Rebecca , a woman coming back to a place that held bad memories for her.