For an easy to read, good fun, pacy thriller this fits the bill.
It won't stretch you too much but will keep you entertained and eager to get the end.
The author seems to specialise in this theme of ordinary people trapped in seemingly inexplicable and outrageous situations - although I preferred this to The Interview because it wasn't as unbelievable, it felt a little more tight and domestic.
Also includes a decent sleight of hand that I didn't see coming and which I enjoyed.

Lucy & Sam are trying to sell the house that Sam inherited. They have spent the last couple of years doing it with Lucy doing a lot of it whilst psychologist Sam works. This has suited Lucy as she suffers from claustrophobia & has phobias after a nasty incident at a party. When a prospective buyer is due & the estate agent is held up Lucy steels herself to show the house. She is nervous, but the prospective buyer seems pleasant enough to start with but then things start to make her uncomfortable & then scared. Who is he & what does he want?

This was a real page turner. It kept the reader guessing & then threw away the conclusions. I did find it a little bit over the top which cost it a star, but it is well worth a read. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

What a twisted booked this was! Read this now!! I did not except this to take such a turn of an events! I need more of these books!! Brilliant book!

This was a roller coaster of a read and just kept me entertained and guessing throughout. As always with books by this author it doesnt go where you are expecting. Completely addictive

I was given an advance copy by the publishers and netgalley but the review is entirely my own.

This is a fast paced claustrophobic thriller that kept me hooked. I certainly didn't expect the twist near the end! It did seem a little unbelievable in places but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book.

I've read many of Chris's books and I know I'm in for a good read when he releases a new one.

Lucy has anxiety issues & claustrophobia due to a traumatising incident in her recent past, one that she cannot remember in much detail. She remembers being at a noisy party & escaping to the bathroom, where she was followed in by a man who then locked the door. She now lives with boyfriend, Sam, who is a psychologist at a local university who is conducting research into phobias. Today, Lucy is tidying up as they have someone coming to view the house as they are having to sell due to lack of funds to complete the restoration. Sam leaves for work but just before the estate agent is due to arrive, Lucy receives a text from her saying she has been delayed so could Lucy start the tour?

Lucy is naturally anxious about being alone with a stranger but resolves to push through. Donovan arrives & he is an attractive, slightly older man who seems to love the house. He seems a little intense & something feels a bit off, but they complete most of the tour before Donovan says he wants to see the converted basement. Lucy never sets foot in the basement due to her claustrophobia, so Donovan heads down alone. The estate agent arrives & flirts with Donovan before they head upstairs to view the main bedroom again, Lucy waits downstairs but hears an odd bumping noise & then silence. With neither Donovan or the agent responding to her shouts, she heads upstairs - the estate agent is nowhere to be seen & Donovan is eerily quiet. He then tells her that unless she does exactly what he says, Sam's life is in danger from an accomplice who is attending one of his meetings on campus at this very moment.

This is a dual narrative plotline - Lucy at the house & Sam on campus. Both of them feel there is something slightly odd going on at first but can't work it out. From the very start, the story hits the ground & starts running & the pace never lets up. I just thought I had worked out what was happening when the author revealed a twist that had me reconsidering everything - & it wasn't even the end of the book. This is a great read if you like thrillers that clip along at such a pace you can barely catch your breath. 4.5 stars (rounded down)

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Pan Macmillan, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

He doesn’t want your home, he wants you.

Reluctantly Lucy agrees to show a potential buyer around her house when the estate agent can’t attend but this is something she soon regrets. The gentleman viewing knows far more than he should about Lucy which unnerves her and when she asks him to leave he refuses. Who is he? How does he know so much about her? What does he want?

This book started off really strong for me but I lost interest as it went on. I liked how the dual aspect of Lucy and Sam tied together but it just seemed to be really drawn out. Maybe I’m just too much of a thriller fan and was just looking for something a little bit more. Thanks to @netgalley for the chance to read and review.

Publication Date - 31/08/2023

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#TheHouseHunt
#CMEwan
#NetGalley

Woah! This book is epic!!

I loved this from the start, you could feel the tenseness as Donovan was viewing the house, he came across as such a cocky and sinister character! The mind games that he was playing were so discreet, no wonder Lucy was second guessing.

I don’t want to risk any spoilers but this has the most amazing twists and turns, definitely a one sitting read.

The clever writing and details mean you get to fully know, what you think you know about the characters, I gasped so many times, especially as I understood the smaller details. One of my favourite books of the year!

WOW! Emphasis on the "Psychological" in this Psychological Thriller!

An unaccompanied house viewing with a well dressed, friendly and handsome gentleman should be ok, right? Very quickly, Lucy starts to feel uneasy, alone in her house with potential buyer, Donovan and it turns out, she's right to! As Donovan starts to take control, playing on Lucy's anxious nature, she is desperate for the Estate Agent to arrive, or her boyfriend, Sam, to get back from work, but Donovan has all of that covered!

The level of detail in the plot is brilliant, with every character well developed and a really tight storyline.

A fast paced and compelling read, I finished it in one intense sitting. Loads of twists, but one in particular literally made me gasp out loud! Very clever!

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, C. M. Ewan and Pan Macmillan for an ARC in return for an honest review.

The House Hunt is a mind-blowing psychological thriller which absolutely blew me away with all of its twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I didn't want to put this down, I was on the edge of my seat from the suspense and wanted to see what would happen next. I think this will be a massive hit for anyone who loves thrillers and I really recommend.

I thank Netgalley for the arc review copy and also C.M. Ewan, the author, for arranging an epub digital copy for me through his publisher.

In short, this story is about repressed memories and a house invasion in the guise of a house viewing. This is what the whole story plot is about. It is good that not much was said in the synopsis which intrigued me.

The first 20 percent of the book got me hooked as the author was able to successfully build a sense of foreboding. I just knew something horrifying is going to happen but was just not sure when so it kept me on the edge of my seat and a bit nervous. It was just like watching a slasher movie where you don't know when the killer is going to strike.

But after 30 percent of the book, I started to lose focus. While I appreciate the author's attention to detail and descriptiveness where the main character's thoughts, emotions, and movement processes were concerned, I felt that the fast pacing and the foreboding vibes that the author successfully built up in the first 20 percent of the book was compromised because of that. It became too wordy and a tad repetitive for my liking.

I kind of suspected who the villain was when it was finally revealed so it wasn't really a surprise. However,
a plot twist also came about at the same time which I thought was rather brilliant as I never saw it coming. It changed the whole perception and shifted everything a bit.

In the last 30 percent of the book, I changed my rating from 3.5 stars to 4 stars because it was all about survival and the main character trying to stay alive, dealing with the repressed memories and what actually happened to her which was quite gripping. I was hooked once again. Though the ending didn't end with a romantic note which I was hoping for it ended very nicely, neatly, and sweetly especially the last scene which was a nice touch.

If you like a good psychological thriller with some creepy vibes, I would highly recommend this book.

I have read and enjoyed previous books by this author so I was quite excited to get my mitts on this, his latest. And I wasn't disappointed, although this one did skirt the "bit bonkers" line a tad too much.
We start with a couple selling their house and they have a viewing booked. The boyfriend, Sam, is out at work and Lucy is just about to leg it out (she doesn't do showings) when the estate agent, Bethany, calls to say she is running late and could Lucy please start it off and she will take over in a bit. Lucy really isn't comfortable with this - for "reasons" but they need the house sold and this one could be "the one". So she reluctantly agrees. And, when Donovan rings the bell, she takes a deep breath, puts her best foot forward, smiles her best smile, and takes one for the team...
Meanwhile we follow Sam at work where he is hosting a support group for people who have phobias.
And that's all I am saying as, well, it all swiftly degenerates into the aforementioned bonkers farce.
Although, saying that, it is extremely well plotted, expertly executed, bonkers farce which did keep me guessing the whole way through as to what in heck's name could be the reason for all that is happening! But, stick with it. There is a reason. Quite an interesting one. Which is kinda worth getting to. Well, I thought so. But reading a few of the other reviews, sadly not everyone had as much "fun" as I did! And that's OK!
The characters were all well drawn and played their parts very well indeed, kinda maybe a bit like an over the top amateur production of the Christmas panto overacting at times, but in a funny way! I did connect with Lucy from the off as I also "ran away" when there was a viewing on a house I was trying to sell. Although, tbh, I would have asked them to reschedule rather than step in.
Pacing was good, it's not a short book page count wise, but it really didn't feel like that. I whizzed through it, rolling my eyes all the way!
All in all, I can see this one being a bit of a marmite book. Me I loved it and can't wait to see what's next. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review. I have previously enjoyed C.M. Ewan’s books so I was looking forward to reading the new one. In my opinion it is an excellent psychological thriller which definitely kept me interested throughout. Lots of twists and jaw dropping moments which I love. It was a really engaging read which I seemed to fly through. Highly recommended for fans of a great edge of your seat thriller. 4 stars from me.

From start to finish this was bonkers! 2.5 stars rounded up as I did want to see it resolved.
Our main character has anxiety and has been treated for her phobia of being watched. Her boyfriend, Sam, is a therapist specialising in phobias and seems reluctant to believe her fears. At the start of the book he is heading to a support group, and she is at their home waiting for someone to come and view it.
The estate agent calls to say she’ll be delayed. With reluctance, our main character agrees to show Donovan around.
Upon his arrival things seem okay. She soon becomes worried. When he disappears into the basement and then appears to have drugged the estate agent we fear the worst. We soon realise this is the beginning of the nightmare.
The structuring of the story is important as it did rather blindside me to what was actually happening. However, the plot went beyond preposterous and I kept reading to see just how beyond crazy this would go.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this.

Oh my god!!! I thought A Window Breaks was excellent but this was equally as good. After years of reading psychological thrillers, I've pretty much become immune to that tense, claustrophobic feeling you relish in these types of books, but this ramped up that feeling with bells on. I literally read this over 24 hours and couldn't put it down. It was a 'one more chapter' for about two hours at bedtime... Absolutely superb.

WOW WOW WOW !! The twists in this story had my head spinning. I had no idea where it was leading. What a brilliant book.. Gripping from the start and one that I highly recommend
Many thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC

Really enjoyed this story and it wasn't what I was expecting. It actually surprised me with the twists and turns and I didn't guess what was about to happen. Really engaging, enjoyable read.

This was one of those books where the penny drops and I was blind sided by it, which doesn't happen often. The characters I fluctuated between not minding and hating. The downside for me was that this books was about 100 pages too long, a few of the chapters added nothing to the story and I know it's about a house for sale but some bits were like reading a right move description, not my sort of thing. Overall though I enjoyed the book, once I glossed over the unnecessary bits.

From the very start I was completely engaged with this book. My sympathy was with Lucy and her insecurities and how much she relied on her supportive partner, Sam. I felt the tension from the very start and it increased tenfold as the story unfolded.
So pleased that, yet again, the blurb at the beginning did not give away what was to follow.
I lost so much sleep reading this book but it was so worth it.
Brilliant!
Many thanks to Netgalley/C.M. Ewan/Pan Macmillan for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Well if you are selling your house this is not the book for you (joking). House for sale with the estate agent running late to do the viewing, enters Donovan all kindness and light, but soon things develop very quickly.

Two stories rolled into one with the couple's partner, a lecturer at a college.

Who out of all of them is telling the truth?

Do not expect to be able to put this book down as it really is a gripping tale.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this—a new author to add to my list to follow.