⭐️ 2.5 ⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Firstly, I have to say that I thought North’s writing was very good, unfortunately it was the story and the plotting that let it down for me.

The character-driven plot is slow-paced and seemed to unexpectedly jump from one character to the next and from one timeline to another which lead to a chaotic read and total confusion as to who was who and what was what — most of the time I had no idea what was happening to who and when.

I thought the story improved at around the 50% mark, but at that point I wasn’t invested enough to care about what was happening.

I’m sorry to say that I was underwhelmed by The Half Burnt House and sadly it wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book. This was an excellent read.
Thoroughly recommended

This was a very detailed story with several threads running through. It was very complicated story and totally absorbing. The characters were well described and appeared very real. The conclusion brought all the threads togetjher and left a feeling of completion.

This novel was absolutely excellent right up until the last chapter. When I seen the read percentage was at 99% I was shocked from where the story was.
Two pages to tie the entire thing together and it felt incredibly rushed.

I actually wouldn't recommend this book because of it.

The Half Burnt House

I did find this book quite confusing initially and took me a while to get into but once it got going I couldn't but it down and read last 250 pages in one sitting. This is a struggle to rate for me as first half solid 3 star but second half solid 5 star going to have to meet in middle. Will definitely read more from this Author.

Thank you to Netgalley, Michael Jospeh and Alex North for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest Review

Alex North delivers another gripping, creepy, and complex story. This is a page turner that is a page turner but also requires to be read with attention if you want to understand all the nuances.
There's many layers, there's a cast of complex and emotionally damaged characters with dysfunctional relathionship.
It's like an onione: each layer brings you one step nearer to the truth but it's also like being punched.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

A new novel by Alex North is always a real treat. His latest, The Half Burnt House is another creepy psychological thriller, which follows Katie Shaw, as she desperately tries to find her brother Chris, after not having seen, or spoken to him, for six years. This is after the police accuse her brother of the murder of Alan Hobbes, who is also a man with an intriguing and an upsetting past. The police have seen Chris on CCTV outside Alan’s home which makes him their number one suspect. Katie is desperate to prove his innocence.

I was really intrigued by Chris and Katie’s relationship, especially following revelations about what happened to Chris when he was the victim of a horrific attack. This is definitely a multi layered story that does require concentration, but I found that the pages turned themselves as I was reading, and the plot really held my attention. You can see how desperate Katie is to find out what has happened to her brother. I was eager to see how things would pan out between them if they were to meet up again, and what they would say to each other, so I was rooting for Katie to find him. I really felt a connection to Katie as she searched for the truth and it is clear in Alex North’s writing, how much she does care for her brother, and you can see how guilty she is feeling for not having stayed in contact with him. But I could see why she did choose to cut ties with him at the time, especially as she was spending most of her time looking out for him. I could fully understand Katie wanting to live her own life.

There is also a family connection to the detective investigating Alan’s murder, as well as Chris’s possible involvement in the crime. The police officer investigating, Detective Laurence Page., was also one of the detectives who investigated the attack on Chris, so this was another intriguing aspect to the plot to follow as well. As with all of Alex North’s books, there is a hint of the supernatural, especially with the potential link to a serial killer who claimed to be able to see the future. This is what I always like about Alex North’s books. I’m always really intrigued to see where his plots will go and the supernatural element always adds to the suspense.

Throughout the book Alex North throws in more questions that need to be answered about what has happened to Katie’s brother and who was behind Alan’s murder. The Half Burnt House is an addictive read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I really wanted to give this far more stars. However, 3* doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. I did, it just didn’t live up to The Whisperman that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I own The Shadow Friend which was recognised and recommended by Richard & Judy but I read this one first as it was on Netgalley and I got tempted.
You know what it’s like! I can give I to anything……except Temptation!

So, back to the book.

It’s mostly about a Sister and brother relationship which one had a guilt over a past lack of action, and she seems to be trying to atone that now that her brother has gone missing.

So off she sets, except she’s in more danger than she can ever think.

I personally found the writing superb and I follow his work very well, page after page, however…….this one lacked for me simply because of the themed topic.
“They” (whoever “they” are!) say there’s nothing new under the sun, I felt like that with the story/not the writing.

If you're looking for a complex, intriguing and complicated plot then this could be the book for you. Set in a creepy large half burnt house, this book will require dedicated concentration to follow the vast amount of characters and intricately woven storyline with multiple narratives and timelines.

I found this an undeniably gripping read which I read in no time at all, but boy did I use a lot of brain power with it!

With a large focus on determinism versus free will, themes included seeing into the future, and life being predestined it did feel slightly overwhelming at times, but I can also appreciate how these themes were used to ultimately create an elaborate and tangled plot.

My thanks to Penguin Random House Michael Joseph for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Half Burnt House’ by Alex North.

This is a crime thriller that focuses upon the legacy of a savage attack upon a family. When she was seventeen Katie Shaw had been expected to always look after her younger brother Chris. One afternoon she decided to spend time with her boyfriend instead and Chris was attacked. He survived though was scarred physically and emotionally. As a result Chris’ life often has been difficult and he’s been involved with drugs and often homeless.

Katie is now a wife and mother and has vowed not to repeat the mistakes of her past. Then she receives a call from the police….

They are investigating a murder that had occurred in a half-ruined house that years ago had belonged to a notorious local serial killer. Their prime suspect is Chris. The investigating detective wants Katie’s help in finding him. Yet she is determined to stand by her brother and prove his innocence.

It’s quite clear that Katie is mainly motivated by her guilt over her perceived negligence all those years ago. That’s never a good combination with a police investigation. There were a number of times when I wanted to give her a good talking to.

The narrative moves between different points of view and timelines. Even though his previous novels followed a similar format and the premise was sound, I found it difficult to connect to its plot and characters. It felt rather all over the place.

I did enjoy the plot thread about true crime aficionados as I am aware that some people do become obsessed with this kind of memorabilia.

Overall, ‘The Half Burnt House’ was an okay crime thriller but it just didn’t wow me to the degree of ‘The Shadows’ and ‘The Whisper Man’. However, I do plan on reading North’s future novels.

This is a slow paced read that I had to force myself to pick up and in the end I just gave up. There are a lot of characters to try and keep track of and the many POV's and timelines make it extremely confusing, Unfortunately not for me

The Half Burnt House by Alex North is a strange dark book, full of the dark side but then there is a man called Alan Hobbes, who is a professor of philosophy, who can maybe save everyone. Or can he?
The storyline is very complicated and flits from different time periods but the characters are quite clear cut. There are the two police officers and then the good and evil sides of a family.
At times the story is very bleak and uncomfortable to read and other times there are little rays of light, such as Siena, to soften the sombre tones.
A complex story and a worthwhile read.
Highly recommended

When Katie Shaw gets a call from her mum to say her brother Chris has gone missing again she's not too worried at first. It's something he has made a habit of in recent years. When she gets a call from Detective Lawrence Page the next day though alarm bells start ringing. Detective Page remembers the Shaw family from years ago when Chris was attacked by a madman; so when Chris is seen on CCTV at the home of murdered man Alan Hobbes he knows where to look. It doesn't take long for Page to realise that things are more complicated than they first seem though.

This is the third book I've read by Alex North - I loved the first, wasn't a huge fan of the second, and then this one sits in the middle of the two I think. I really liked a lot about it, there was just one particular aspect that held me back from giving the full 5 stars.

Let's start with the good stuff. I was hooked in to this really quickly. There's a couple of chapters to introduce the characters and explain what happened to Chris as a child, and then we're straight in to the action. Don't underestimate the importance of those early chapters - some of the information they give us underpins the rest of the story.

I thought North did a really good job with his character portrayals, particularly Katie who was our lead. I'm an older sister and am very close to my brother so I could fully understand her protective instincts (and also her frustrations!) I thought the balance of emotions she showed seemed very genuine and real. I didn't agree with all of her decisions but could see why she made them, which helped to build that connection.

The storyline is one that had me gripped. I couldn't for the life of me piece together the various different pieces. There's a lot going on and a lot of different threads to tie together so even as North starts revealing some of the links there's plenty to continue puzzling over. There's quite a strong theme of the battle between good and evil here that runs through the book, and also a bit of an exploration into the concept of determinism - this is explained well in the book so I won't go over it here. That's not a theory that I have come across before but is certainly one that has given me food for thought.

The thing that made me reluctant to go to a 5* rating was that I would have liked North to really delve further into the book written by Jack Lock and his theories. This book was central to the storyline, but I felt like it as glossed over a little bit and I became frustrated that something so important to the plot wasn't fully explained. This became a bigger concern for me as we got towards the end of the book. As things go though this will be something that isn't a big deal for a lot of people, so don't let it put you off. The book is still a great read and one that will keep you turning pages and not wanting to put it down.

Thanks to NetGalley, Michael Joseph and Penguin Random House for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Half Burnt House had a great chance of being a great book but unfortunately fell a little flat for me.
Katie is happily married with a young daughter, her brother is missing, he has a torrid relationship with drugs so feels he is lost somewhere. She sets about finding him as due to an accident in their younger years that affected Chris deeply she feels responsible for it ever happening. Her daughter reports that’s red car was parked outside her nursery and this sparks a thought that someone is back for revenge and she must find Chris at whatever cost.
The book is very slow paced, it didn’t make me want to pick it up after half way but I did. The concept was good but I think I would have written the book with more references to the book that was being passed around as this was a vital part of the story. Unfortunately the characters didn’t make me want them to come out the other side unharmed, this is due to the characters not building any relationship with myself. It’s a shame as overall the plot is decent, just the layout and the building of the characters were lacking.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

The Half Burnt House is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out The Half Burnt House asap.

I liked The Whisper Man and was pleased to receive an arc of The Half Burnt House. However, I found it a difficult read, multiple characters written from their perspective meant the narrative was disjointed.

Really enjoyed this, liked the multiple POVs.

This is my first book that I've read by this author and it won't be my last.

Thanks for my ARC

Wow! I feel 'meant' to have read this thrilling, meaningful, exciting book.

It's got supernatural elements, a great storyline about a sister trying to help her estranged brother and the subject of Determinism, which absolutely had me enthralled.

There are switches in the timelines throughout, but, it's done so well, I pretty much read in one sitting.

Loved it!

Highly recommend and thanks so much to NetGalley and Joseph Penguin Random House for gifting me the opportunity to preview. Congratulations to the author. Fabulous 5* read.

MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5/5)

READ IF YOU LIKE:
👀 Multiple POV
⏳ Interchanging timelines
🧬 Detailed, multilayered stories
💭 THOUGHT PROVOKING PLOTS
🔪 Atmospheric settings
✍🏼 A large cast of characters

☁️ THOUGHTS:
Im really disappointed I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would! I thought THE WHISPER MAN by North was brilliant and had high hopes for his newest release, but in complete honesty: it lost me.

Looking for an intriguing, complex, intricate plot that will get you thinking, based in a creepy ass old house? This is the book for you! The story demands every ounce of full concentration to be able to follow both the storyline + the vast array of characters, of which we are presented with multiple narratives and multiple timelines.

Don’t get me wrong— I read it in less than 24 hours 🙌🏼 so it was an undeniably gripping read! It took me a while but I eventually got to grips with who was who (only because I read it in one sitting) and what was going on (I think) but even for a girl who loves a complex plot, this one just wasn’t for me.

There’s a BIG FOCUS on the free will vs determinism debate, and a lot of religious aspects, and I definitely went in expecting more of a supernatural/thriller feel like THE WHISPER MAN. I did think the way references to a previous book THE ANGEL MAKER were very clever, and I’m still super excited to read North’s backlist— this just wasn’t my favourite and that is a-okay🙌🏼

✨ 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 + 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥/𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲, 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰. 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧.

📍 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴, 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩 + @𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 (𝘐𝘎).

After reading this, I have concluded that the writing of this author is not something that I find appealing. Taking into consideration my personal preferences, I created a review that was fair by giving three stars.

I had a tough time comprehending this read because of the difficulty and confusion I experienced. I found it difficult to keep up with the progression of the plot and establish the purpose of each character. Despite any potential drawbacks, this read may captivate certain readers because of its positive attributes. I can only suggest that you take the time to read this when you can give it your complete and undivided attention.

Sadly, I do not have the understanding to grasp the concepts in this read.