A bag of human bones is discovered on the foreshore of the river Thames. Inside the bag are clues that lead the police to murders in the past and to sister and brother and a person they are looking for in Chicago and who might answer some questions.

Their shared history is so big that it’s sometimes as if mere words cannot contain it and that it exists only in the pauses and the silences and the unfinished sentences.

Twenty-six years is long enough for memories to become abstract. People start to doubt their memories, to wonder if maybe things really did happen the way they think they happened. And in the house of horrors that Lucy, Henry, Clemency, and Phin were brought up in, the truth was constantly warped and distorted through the filters of their parents, the people who were supposed to care for them and protect them, and the people who instead allowed them to suffer abuse and depravity.

A dark and gripping, complex network of relationships, begins to unravel. For me was just a bit slow and at times too dark. But I think it just depends on the mood when I read the book.

This is the sequel to Lisa Jewell's chilling The Family Upstairs, a top notch multilayered and intricate psychological thriller with its old and new characters. Jewell weaves her magic with her disturbed and unsettling storytelling, in which there are mysteries and surprising connections are made. In London, a mudlark discovers a washed up bag of bones on the banks of the River Thames. The bones are those of a young woman who had suffered blunt force trauma, DCI Samuel Owusu investigates as forensic evidence leads him to a Chelsea mansion in Cheyne Walk where 3 decades ago, three dead bodies were found in the kitchen. We become reacquainted with the Lamb family, Lucy, with her two children, Marco and Stella, her brother, Henry, and Libby, haunted by the trauma of their past. The novel is relayed through the perspectives of the various characters.

Rachel Rimmer had married the seemingly perfect Michael perhaps rather too quickly, the abusive Michael is Lucy's ex, and he has now been found dead at his home in France and the French police want to talk to her. Lucy is living with her brother, and seeking safety, stability and security after experiencing a challenging set of circumstances and periods of homelessness. The fragile and lonely Henry, with his self-esteem issues, is feeling a tangle of mixed emotions and feelings, not all straight forward, he is obsessed with Phin Thomsen, wanting to know where he is, with rumours of him being in Africa. This is a dark, intense and thrilling read, never less than compelling, which includes trauma, blackmail, abuse, murder, in this superior narrative where the separate threads are expertly woven together and connected.

I would definitely suggest and recommend reading The Family Upstairs before beginning this novel. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

The Family Remains is a sequel to The Family Upstairs. I adore Lisa Jewell, she is a master at the surprise twist and her new novel did not fail to deliver.

Set in London, the characters' stories are interwoven - set 30 years after a murder in the home they have escaped from - a bag of bones turns up in the Thames river - affecting the 3 escapees.

We are introduced to Rachel and her search for love which has catastrophic consequences for her.
It's her story that hooked me the most.

Although it is classed as a standalone sequel - in my opinion, it would be perfect to read after reading the first novel.

This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller!!
Absolutely loved the characters, the plot, the tension - impossible to put it down.
Certainly recommended!
This book is one that most mystery books fans will really enjoy.

Wow, absolutely fantastic! All the questions I was left with after the family upstairs were answered and then some!
Thanks Netgalley!

I loved The Family Upstairs and re read it immediately before stating The Family Remains so I’d have all the characters straight in my head.

The Family Remains picks up about a year after Libby, Henry and Lucy reunited. A bag of bones has surfaced and DI Samuel Owusu is determined to discover their origin. Lucy, along with her children Marco and Stella are living with Henry and getting rather in each other’s way. When Miller Roe, Libby’s journalist boyfriend thinks he might have found the elusive Phinn, living in Botswana, Henry is desperate to get out there and see him. But Phinn vanishes again. Can Henry find him? And can DI Owusu solve the mystery of the bones when nobody is who they say they are?

At the same time as this story, we also get Rachel’s back story as she meets and marries Michael (Lucy’s ex and father of Marco).

I really enjoyed this book. Lisa Jewell writes characters you can’t help but care about and this book was no exception. I actually found Rachel’s story the most moving in this book and felt it was captured really well. I liked the way the two stories fitted together.

I was a little disappointed in the resolution between Henry and Phinn- it seemed to build into nothing- but I did like Henry’s ending. This is a cracking read and I wholeheartedly recommend it! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

This is long awaited follow up to ‘The Family Upstairs’ by author Lisa Jewell.

DCI Samuel Owusu is faced with a very gruesome crime on the banks of the Thames. Bones are discovered and on further investigation it is learnt they are connected to a cold case where three people where murdered thirty years ago. The three murdered bodies were found on a kitchen floor in a Chelsea mansion thirty years ago.

There is also shocking news for Rachel Rimmer, her husband, Michael, has been found dead in the cellar of his house in France. All the evidence suggests he was attacked by an intruder and the French police are requesting that they meet her to answer questions about Michael and his past that she very would rather not answer.

Thirty years ago Lucy Lamb left her London home following the tragedy and now after all that time is returning. While she is proposing to purchase a house to live with her children her brother flees to find the boy from their shared past whose memory haunts their present.

All these mysteries are connected but how?

My biggest problem was trying to remember what exactly happened in the first book but the more I read the more it came back to me and I enjoyed it more. Well written, excellent characters and intriguing plot.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Random House UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I guess The Family Remains would be best read after reading The Family Upstairs but I didn't and maybe it would have been easier on the brain if I had. Although quite confusing, with sisters who are in fact mother and daughter and a brother who is an uncle but pretends to be someone from his youth, it is very well worth persevering with. I was musing how Lisa Jewell came up with such a complex story and I can only think that she started with a framework of something simpler then injected the complexity. Anyway, It's a first class story which, from memory, I cannot think of anything like it. I particularly liked DCI Samuel Owusu who seems such a gentle soul for a copper and has a very cerebral approach to solving a crime. If there was one thread that ran through the story it was the position of natural justice over lawful justice but with the caveat that outcomes would have been very different had the police become involved much earlier. I really enjoyed reading this novel but now wished I had read its predecessor first.

This book had lots to live up to after The Family Upstairs as this is one my favourite books. I was so excited to read it and it certainly didn’t disappoint. If anything, this might even be better!
The characters are well developed, the plot is intriguing and full of suspense. I loved this book and could happily read it all over again.
It’s definitely a 5 star read and one I’d recommend.

This novel had a lot to live up to, and I'm pleased to report that it did not disappoint. It kept me awake late at night and I couldn't get enough of it. Lisa Jewell displays why she is one of the greatest at what she does once again

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After a bag of bones is found in the Thames, a detective traces it back to a house where years back 3 people died in a suicide pact. The children from that house, who are now adults and are sort of getting on with their lives find themselves caught up in yet more drama.

4.5 stars.

I absolutely loved The Family Upstairs and view it as Lisa Jewell's best work, so I was thrilled to read another book with these characters, and while I thoroughly enjoyed it, it wasn't quite as good as its predecessor. I read the previous book 2 or 3 years ago and while you really don't need to have read that book first, I found myself struggling to remember details from that book as I read this one. I also don't feel like the questions they were trying to answer in this one were as interesting as those in the first. But, that does not mean there was anything wrong with this very good book, just that the first one was so good it would be tough to beat. Looking forward to this author's next offering.

A perfect continuation of the series. Well written, compelling and well developed characters. It was gripping, twisty and unpredictable with a fast pace and suspense aplenty.

This is a great book. Full of twists and turns. It is very gripping and I was racing to finish it! I now need to go back and the read the first of the series.

Absolutely loved The Family Upstairs and as soon as I heard there was going to be a sequel I have been so excited to read it, so thank you NetGalley for approving me.

The Family Remains is even better than the first which I was so shocked at, I loved this one so much!

The magnificent Lisa Jewell does it again. A totally wonderful book, written beautifully and with such eloquence.

This is the sequel to The Family Upstairs, the story in which we get to know the Lambs and the Thomsens, with all their dark and wicked secrets. This book follows on, 25 years later, with a grown up Serenity and the continuing struggles of the family. Although it is a sequel, it is perfectly sound as a standalone with much of the previous book’s story explained as the need arises. However, why wouldn’t you read the first book? It’s every bit as amazing as this one!

The reasons of why we hated Michael become more obvious, with Rachel’s story fitting in perfectly. Also loved the addition of Samuel and his colleagues. The older Justin storyline was perfect, a real rounding off, if not exactly what was expected!

Reading this was like a runaway train, I couldn’t put it down, totally exquisite and I thoroughly recommend. Seems very mean to only be able to award 5*, it deserves so much more.

Thank you NetGalley.

I so wanted to know what happened after The Family Upstairs and this didn’t disappoint. I actually read the first book immediately before reading this to refresh my mind. This flowed on really well even though it’s set over 20 years later. Once again Lisa Jewell hasn’t let her readers down.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell

Wow , wow and wow.
I had read The Family Upstairs when it first came out and being an avid reader ( and probably reading hundred of books inbetween ) when I knew this sequel was out I decided to 're read The Family Upstairs again. First off , I enjoyed the re-read , and when reading this book , for me , it added to the glory of it x 100 !
I love all Lisa Jewell books and have read them all . This is up there with the best of them.
Excellent.

The Family Remains is a complex, beautifully written and addictive read which works both as a stand alone story and a sequel to the international best seller The Family Upstairs. All of the pace you require from a crime novel is here, but Jewell is also an expert at creating real characters and situations, and her depiction of a woman snared in a coercive control situation is one of the finest I have read.. Clever, beautifully written and delightfully complex but as always with Lisa Jewell, character is key.

Without having read the first instalment, I was thrown into the world of these 2 families linked by a tragic past. I genuinely loved the story even though placing the characters at first can be a bit challenging, the writing allows you to ease into the families dynamic and takes you on a tense ride which even though being a sequel can really stand alone. I really loved the arc , the characters were interesting with complexity, depth and a real loveability factor.
A book I will definitely remember and so good I don’t want to read the prequel as I feel I this book has delivered everything I needs to know. A must read!

Once again Lisa Jewell had me hooked!

After reading the Family Upstairs, when I heard there was a sequel coming out I could Not wait.

Wondering if the past will catch up with them? This book has you hooked. Not sure where it will take you next.

I’ve never read a better sequel.