I have read two previous books by Walter and enjoyed them both. The Locked Attic has one thing in common with the Woman on the Pier: both books to not really involve the title very much. This threw me off a little. I was expecting a book about an attic, but it is rarely mentioned until the end. This did keep me in suspense wondering what the attic had to do with it.

Stephanie loses her son and husband in an accident. She had noticed prior to his death that her son was acting strangely and could not get him to tell her what was wrong. Now she thinks his best friend may know more than he is saying.

Told in multiple points of view and time slots. The time slots are not told in chronological order. Partly then and now and partly random previous times.

I can't speak much to the characters without giving away spoilers. They are portrayed realistically with one being quite creepy.

A fun what the hell is going on book.

Thanks to netgalley and One More Chapter for the arc.

The Locked Attic is tense, chock full of suspense, disturbing and dark, just what a thriller ought to be. It is also a coming-of-age story. No one is without a secret and they keep coming right until the end. The story is told in several timelines in relation to the explosion (before, after) by a few narrators.

Stephanie, Pete and Danny are comparatively new to a neighbourhood where they were told they would fit in as long as they contribute. There is an explosion which leads to a plethora of happenings including spending time with neighbours. Before the explosion was overwhelming grief and despair. It is impossible to discuss themes without explaining the back and forthing and what happened when.

My favourite aspect was the super thick tension and reveal of one secret after another after another. Though I did not enjoy any of the characters, I do not need that to envelop myself in a really good thriller. However, the attic's role disappointed me as did the ending. The families are so dysfunctional and disturbing, not in a good way. The writing itself is clever so I will explore more by this author.

My sincere thank you HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the early digital copy of this book.

I thoroughly enjoy when I see this Author's name! He has such a fun and unique way of writing a thriller and keeping you on your toes. I felt the twists kept coming at me and I was unable to predict anything come along with this story. Such a great read that I will be recommending to my friends.

The locked attic

B.P. Walter has pretty much become an auto read author for me. I always enjoy their tense and twisty books. I have to say the synopsis of the book, about the attic….well, that was really the least interesting part of the story for me 😄 The rest of the story was brilliant and untangling the deceptions and secrets kept me on the edge of my seat.

Stephanie has lost her husband and son in tragic circumstances and she’s sure her neighbours across the street (especially her sons best friend) know more than they’re letting on. Her son had become erratic and depressed in weeks before he died and Stephanie is desperate to know what was on his mind. When her street is locked down for an emergency, it seems like the perfect opportunity to confront them once and for all.

Every single one of the characters in this book were interesting, even if some of them were entirely unlikeable. My heart ached for Stephanie’s son and for the predicament Stephanie found herself in.

Told in alternating points of view, and differing timelines, The Locked Attic held my interest completely and I would have loved to be able to read it all in one sitting!

This book had me hooked right from the start, it was so well written, so intriguing, I just couldn't put it down. The characters of Stephanie, Danny and Jonathon are really likeable and i felt I had a lot on invested in Stephanie. The chapters switch to periods before and after the explosion (this isn't a spoiler) although the explosion itself isn't explained til later in the book. Likewise, the attic in the title, isn't mentioned until quite late on on the book, which keeps you guessing. I want to go and read other BP Walter books immediately! What an amazing read!

There will be mixed reactions to the book's format. I found this to be an intriguing domestic drama with a mystery attached. It meanders back and forth in various timelines in telling a multi-layered story. This structure added to the suspense and tension for me. There was also a coming-of-age storyline that provoked an emotional reaction. Its overall vibe was unsettling, sinister, and disturbing.

Stephanie, her husband Pete, and their son Danny had moved from London to a quiet, more suburban upscale neighbourhood. Stephanie was hoping to make friends with the mostly older women but was finding it difficult to fit in. Across the street lived the Franklin family consisting of the parents, Richard and Janet, and teenagers Jonathan and Mimi. The family dynamics seemed weird and dysfunctional to Stephanie. Janet was all about control. She dominated others with her opinions and attention-seeking behaviour. Toward Stephanie, she was rude, pretentious, condescending, and demeaning. Her husband, Richard, was quieter and unhappy in his marriage, and rumours hinted that he had a sleazy reputation. There was something not right within the household.

Danny and Jonathan become fast friends. This was because Danny was beginning to notice girls, which would get him closer to Jonathan's sister, Mimi, but the boys soon were happily enjoying each other's companionship. Stephanie and Pete were relieved as Danny would know someone when he must fit into a new school. Jonathan seemed like a nice, shy young man despite bad parenting. Later, on the night of a classmate's party, something happened that left Danny sullen, angry and depressed and avoiding his friend. He refused to confide in his parents about what was bothering him.

Some issues were addressed with sensitivity, such as sexual tensions and guilt, class divisions, snobbery, grief, family dysfunction, voyeurism, blackmail, threats, secrets and lies.

Stephanie's husband and son, Danny, were killed in a car accident, leaving her alone without support in her anguish. Her parents refused to attend the funeral. Still haunting her was why Danny had changed so drastically before his death, and she is determined to get the answer from Jonathan. Later, there was a major explosion at the power facility. People are warned to stay in their homes because of the danger of more explosions. The area is in darkness.

As much as she is uncomfortable around the Franklins, she plans to present herself as not wanting to be alone with her losses and grief. She hopes they will allow her into their home so she can confront Jonathan, demanding to know what happened to make Danny so miserable. There is a physical struggle between the young man and Stephanie. She discovers some shocking truths, but there is a misunderstanding. Her actions were misconstrued, and also a confrontation with Richard. Tensions spin out of control. What was hidden in the locked room in the attic? This added to the portrayal of Richard's mental instability and creepiness and played a part in the mystery.

Stephanie wakes up in the hospital. This is actually at the beginning of the book. She has no idea why she is there but is suffering from injuries. Little by little, fragments of her memory gradually return. She recalls her family is dead and that her injuries occurred at the Franklin house, but they are lying about what happened. The story concluded in a satisfactory manner. I enjoyed the author's previous Dinner Party and found The Locked Attic compelling, riveting, and difficult to put down.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter, for an early edition of The Locked Attic.

I absolutely loved this book. So many twists and turns that I felt like I was on a rollercoaster a definite recommend.
Thanks Netgalley and publisher.

All thoughts and opinions are my own and aren't influenced by anyone else

The story is told from a few different view points and each chapter is a slightly different time period. It centre around a single start point where the main character Stephanie wakes in a hospital bed and pieces together where she is there.

Overall I felt a little disappointed by the end. However overall was a very enjoyable read. The different perspectives and time periods kept things interesting and the reader engaged.

I’m not sure if I’m being too harsh with this rating but I just didn’t think this was good. There were parts I enjoyed but it seemed to meander all over the place. For most of the time reading it I said to myself that the title of this book has nothing to do with this, or these, plots. It could have been something good I think. Thought the ending would redeem it all but I found it to be lackluster and said “that’s it?”

A thriller which was fast paced and kept me engrossed.

I really enjoyed the book lots of twists and turns

A well-structured and compelling domestic thriller, The Locked Attic is a brilliantly layered story about family secrets, coming of age, grief, and loss.

At only 263 pages long, I read this in a matter of hours. The quick pace suits the story really well, and the multiple narratives between the past and Stephanie's present really keep you on your toes.

But what let me down was that, had it not been for the book's title and synopsis, I wouldn't have had any clue about the attic meaning anything. When I read the book's synopsis, I was immediately curious about what was going on here. But as soon as I started reading, the thought of the attic left my mind completely.

What I needed was for the attic to be at the centre of this story, for the characters to be more curious about what's in the attic, and for more of a sinister atmosphere to be built up around it. Because with little mention, the eventual revelation of what's inside the attic felt completely underwhelming to me, when a plot twist like that really should have had more of an impact.

The domestic thriller going on around this, however, is very intriguing. I liked the characters and felt compelled by Stephanie's situation. I especially liked the friendship between Danny and Jonathan and was shocked by the turn of events surrounding them.

For me, The Locked Attic lacked the suspense that a mystery centred around a locked attic should. But there's still a lot that I enjoyed about this book, and I always find Walter's writing very engaging.

Ooo the secrets that keep spilling out with every page turned keeps you addicted.
I could not put this down the mystery in the attic just kept me reading.
A fantastic plot twist!

A good on the edge story that has lots of twists. When Stephanie and her family move into a new quite affluent area the neighbours are keen to introduce themselves but things aren't what they seem. Although I enjoyed this book I felt it lacked something. It had a big build up that seemed to just end without much explanation

A fantastic book by a fantastic author. There us nothing negative I can say about this one. This has been a gem from beginning to end.

The Locked Attic will have you quickly turning the pages as you race to find out what is happening not only in the attic but in the neighbourhood.

The book starts out strong with Stephanie in hospital after an explosion and she has traumatic memory loss.

Who if anyone can she trust.

Secrets and neighbours that I would not want next door or across the street.

Her son has started acting so out of character and it seems his friendship with the boy across the street is inexplicably over .

I wont give anything away but I will say pick up your copy of The Locked Attic and clear your schedule for a gripping read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for a book I wont soon forget.

An addictive read that I couldn’t put down. Twists and turns, settle down and enjoy as the nights are getting colder and darker

I was really enjoying this book and had no idea what was going to happen. I was trying so hard to guess what the storyline was, but I just had no idea. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters and found them all to be a bit annoying, so I didn’t care much about what happened to them. I’ve been left with a few questions and I feel a bit disappointed - for a book that had me so hooked, I feel like the ending was a bit anticlimactic. I was expecting a big twist or revelation, but I was a bit disappointed. I also feel like it didn’t end properly, as nothing was really wrapped up, but it also doesn’t feel like there could be a book two. I really enjoy B P Walter’s books because I find them really easy to read and I blitz through them. I will read more from B P Walter in the future, but unfortunately I just don’t love their books.

I really enjoyed The Dinner Guest and A Version of the Truth, but didn’t get in on with The Woman on the Pier. I was nervous going into this one. I loved the cover, the title and the description. However I sadly couldn’t get into this mostly I think due to my mismatched expectations.
This story follows Stephanie and cuts across several narrative with a now and then type of thing, something I usually love but felt wasn’t executed as well here and strangely wasn’t that pacy for me. We have the day after the explosion (blackout), the day of and two years ago. I felt very confused throughout the first 20% of this. I wasn’t sure what the blackout was. It took about a quarter of the story to set the premise up. Basically a year so ago Stephanie and her family moved to the area and her son became best friend with the neighbours. Until something went wrong and her son became detached and different, but before Stephanie could figure it out he died in a car crash with his dad. Now the day of the blackout Stephanie goes to her neighbour’s house to find out what happened and what’s in the attic...
Like another reviewer said this story felt scattered and disjointed. It lacked pace and meandered. There are twists in the last third, when things kick off and it’s weird and creepy. But I wasn’t invested in the characters enough for there to be payoff. The attic itself doesn’t have much prominence in the story and only comes into play in the last third. The protagonist felt too similar to the one in The Pier, as both deal with grieving widows. On the whole an okay read. 2.5/5.

This book had me intrigued from the first page but unfortunately this turned out to be not what I was expecting and by the end I felt quite disappointed.
I feel like the title, cover and the blurb are all very misleading. This is in no way a thriller. I would describe this as being much more like domestic fiction.
As I was progressing through this I was waiting for some mention or just anything about a locked attic to appear but it never really played much part in the story AT ALL. In fact nothing much happens in this at all.
The pacing was too slow and by the end all I could think was: is this it?!
The writing isn't bad and it did keep me reading (maybe in hope of something happening)
This is the definition of a 3 star book for me. Nothing bad but nothing special.

“There’s something in my neighbours attic”

B.P Walter has become an auto read author for me and I jumped at the chance when I was auto approved on Netgalley for his new book – The Locked Attic.

The Locked Attic follows the story of Stephanie. We find her in hospital suffering from short term amnesia. Several explosions have occurred close to the family home. Stephanie starts to remember what happened at the Franklin’s house – her neighbours living across the road. We get two timelines of before and after the explosion. We learn that Stephanie's husband Pete and Son Danny die tragically in a car accident.

On the day of the explosions Stephanie is on a mission to find out why Danny’s behavior changed and she needs to speak to Jonathan Franklin and find out what he knows. She uses the excuse of not being alone to get in to the Franklin’s house and Janet couldn’t turn her away. Stephanie will stop at nothing to get answers, she knows something is wrong with the house and they are keeping secrets.

This was a great written psychological thriller and I am looking forward to seeing what is next for B.P Walter. I enjoyed the different timelines that shaped the story perfectly especially with all the twists and turns in the book.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for a copy of this book for my honest review.