Mysterious, creepy, sad and compelling a really eclectic mix of emotions all rolled into this excellent read.
The plot revolves around two adult couples and their relationship but spills over into their teenage children. The narrative is split over different time zones and from different people’s perspectives which gives us a well rounded and interesting perspective. The overarching premise of the book regarding what is hidden in one of the attics is expertly built up, hinted at and ultimately revealed and definitely not something that I would ever guessed yet fits into the plot seamlessly and is a missing part in a confusing jigsaw.
The way that grief is dealt with was sensitive and rang true with me in its descriptions so thank you for the poignant and accurate observations. Also the topics of secrets and lies within a family and feeing an outsider as a teenager and exploring who you are and all those uncertainties.
This book has so much to give and is brilliantly entertaining too.

What a freaking tense, heart throbbing, dark reading keeps you on your toes! You barely breathe! You can cut the atmosphere with a knife!

The book opens with awakening of Stephanie in her mid thirties at hospital bed! As series of explosions around the area threaten the people’s lives, Stephanie suffers from short term amnesia. She has no idea why she’s here but slowly her memory comes back and she starts remembering what happened at her neighbor’s house!

We return back to be introduced Stephanie’s family life: happily married with older husband Pete coming from upper class and raising their 15 years old Danny. They just move to their new house located outside of London to build a new life.

Stephanie’s gets disturbing vibes from their neighbors: upright, socially distanced Richard teaches at college and his pretentious, prosperous, condescending wife Janet introduce themselves. Luckily their son Jonathan is more relatable, befriending Danny! Danny also builds a secret crush for Jonathan’s older sister Mimi.

But later an incident affects both of the boys’ lives. They reject to talk about it. Danny starts acting weird, angry, resented. Before Stephanie finds out the source of his anger, another tragedy strikes the family.

Now in the middle of the explosions, Stephanie rings the bell, taking her steps into lion’s den a.k. a. her neighbor’s house. She lost her son and she is determined to find out what her neighbors are hiding from her!

Well, the ending twist was extremely disturbing! The characters could be a little layered. I easily connected with Stephanie by knowing her past and background. They explain her motivations. I cannot say the same about neighbors from hell!

The parts I mostly enjoyed: Danny’s POV, his blooming, complex relationship with Jonathan and their puberty, self exploration! Especially the last chapter of the book made me cry! I didn’t expect a twisty, disturbing, tense thriller could break my heart into pieces at the same time but it did! I loved those boys’ heart wrenching story a lot!

Overall: it’s still well written, captivating, riveting psychological thriller! If your stomach can absorb more darkness, this is absolutely great find for your thriller cravings!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

For Stephanie, life in an affluent neighborhood after a family tragedy turns into self-searching, and at the same time, an investigation into her husband and son's past actions and behavior. And what do the neighbors have to do with all this, since the two sons were friends at first, but then they suddenly drifted apart? Why?

As Stephanie begins to unravel the mysteries, the neighbor's family also begins to behave more sinisterly and weirdly.

The novel is tense and dynamic from beginning to end, with many twists and turns, the characters are also full of emotions and thoughts, although not all of them are as well described and researched as they could be so that the reader can better understand their actions, instincts, and creepiness.

The love between young adults is described realistically, but at the same time with a sense of tenderness and understanding of teenagers.

Overall, a good read for an evening.

The locked attic

Thank you for the advanced copy for an honest opinion.

This was an easy read meaning time just flew by, couldn’t put it down and wanted to figure out exactly what had happened

It’s about a woman Stephanie, who then loses her husband and son in a crash.

At about 80% I was like WHAT???

And the ending, was quite moving

The Locked Attic by B.P. Walter, published by Harper Collins UK, is a full length, stand-lone murder mystery.
Stephanie wakes up in the hospital without recognition, no clue what happened. She's in for a wild ride, in the wake there's a deceased son, secrets deep in the closet.
This is a nailbiting, suspenseful story, written in diary style kept me the story in suspense from the start, til the last page. Twisty and full of unexpected turns, a great read, 5 stars.

Another creepy, awesome book! The plot involves two couples and their children living across the street from each other outside of London. Stephanie and Pete are pleased when neighbors, Janet and Richard welcome them to the neighborhood as their son, Danny becomes friendly with Jonathan (but has a crush on daughter Mimi. As the book opens, Stephanie is in the hospital after a series of explosions and has no memory of what transpired. But as the novel alternates between past and present, Walter exposes all the secrets and lies, including blackmail and hatred that envelops them all! Wildly entertaining, the book is fast-paced and addictive as it speeds toward the conclusion and we discover why the attic is locked! A truly propulsive read!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

This book was the best, if it was a cake I would say it was just mouth watering to be honest,, I stayed up all night last night reading it as I could not put it down, did not want it to end as it was so good…remember if you think their is someone in an attic always check a second time, just to be sure ..