Without giving too much away, a teenage boy called Richard is sent to live with his Uncle and Aunty when his parents die in tragic circumstances. He's always lived in the city but now he's living in a small town where nothing really goes on. He tries to act like a tough guy, which makes him unliked, but underneath he's a warm hearted kid!. He hangs out with two boys who as far as the adults are concerned, simply disappear, but Richard knows better. He tries to explain to the adults and police but they don't believe him at all!.The trouble all centre's around a deserted house in the woods....
Richard is the protagonist throughout the story and tells you the reader what's happening. He's a witty boy and tells you in great detail his thoughts, fears and this carries on to the end.
This is creepy and the horror is well described. If you have a sensitive nature, maybe read it with a friend!!!. However, I loved it!. The writer very cleverly makes you really think about what's real or not. Definitely deserves 5/5.
I received this free arc book for an honest review.
#Netgalley, #randomhouseuk, #jonesbo_author.

Richard Elauved is a 14 year old outcast who feels that he’s been exiled to the small town of Ballantyne to live with his relatives, Frank and Jenny, after the death of his parents. He’s paired up with Tom, whose stammer marks him out as a fellow outcast. The reader meets them as Richard tries to find out if a stolen model of Luke Skywalker can swim in the local river. As they wander around afterwards, Richard sees a phone box and decides that they are going to make prank phone calls to random numbers in the phone directory inside the box. Tom obediently makes a call to an arbitrary number and then it all starts to get a bit weird… the phone receiver eats Tom’s ear and then, inexorably, all of him until there’s nothing left. Richard is soon under suspicion especially when another of the outcast schoolkids seems to vanish when out with him. But no one would believe what happened next…..
This is a book told in three parts and it’s a strange novel in that it twists realities until the reader is unsure of what to believe. And Richard is not the most reliable of narrators. Events and characters are presented in different versions and then it seemed,ultimately, to be a variation of ‘it was all a dream.’ ‘The Night House’ has the feel of a YA novel and I did wonder if I was the right audience for it.
Jo Nesbo is one of my favourite authors, although his latest Harry Hole novel was pretty gruesome and a chunk of it was included in my review copy at the end of ‘The Night House.’ This seems a strange piece of marketing as I felt that they were for two different audiences. But I did feel that the horror market would be a logical next step for Nesbo.
The narrative felt disjointed as the reader is introduced to the characters in one scenario, then again in another and then again in a further scenario as if the author could not make up his mind what to do with them. Despite all this, there was a real atmosphere; the town, the library with its towering piles of books and the caste system of the school. However, as I said earlier, I felt that I wasn’t the right audience to really appreciate the book.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

The Night House by Jo Nesbø (out 28 Sept)
If you’re looking for a light horror read for Halloween, this could be it.
Teenager and outcast Richard is in trouble when a classmate goes missing. After all, who would believe the boy had been sucked into a phone booth, never to be seen again?
It only takes a couple of pages for the action to start and we hit the ground running… literally. Page after page has ideas borrowed and twisted from every ‘80s horror book and movie going. At times it doesn’t feel original because of the nostalgia, but it’s fun and keeps you guessing.
Thanks to @netgalley for an arc to review in my own words. @harvillsecker
#bookreview #bookrecommendations #book #horror #fiction #horrorbooks #horrorfiction #jonesbo #spinechiller

DNF at 51%

I really wanted to love this book and at the start I thought I might but honestly as it went on it just started feeling like hard work to read. I managed to push through part 1 but gave up on part 2.

I will say that I absolutely adore the cover.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a fan of Jo Nesbø's crime novels, so I was excited to be approved for an advanced reader copy of this, which is his attempt at a horror novel.

In my opinion, it was a fairly good attempt. Somehow, it already felt familiar to me, in the sense that it felt like Nesbø's writing.

I felt that Nesbø brought the characters to life quite well. I could picture the characters in the setting, as well as feeling aware of the sights, sensations and sounds that were described. I wouldn't say I found this book frightening exactly, but I did find it quite chilling, and psychologically absorbing. Once I started turning the pages, I didn't want to stop until I'd finished.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

3.5 of 5 stars (rounded up to 4)
https://lynns-books.com/2023/09/14/the-night-house-by-jo-nesbo/
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Where Do I Even Begin

This book. I mean, what the heck.

Anyway, I find myself in the very unusual predicament of, even now, not knowing exactly how I really feel. This book is so unexpectedly unusual. The description mentions multi layered and also throws out the almost randomly innocent throwaway remark ‘Richard may not be the most reliable narrator’ – well, keep that in mind.

So, the book starts off with an almost 80s cheesy horror feel – Goosebumps style. It’s got this kind of ‘pesky’ kids vibe. A young boy (Richard) sent to live in the country with relatives after a tragedy, picked on at school he becomes something of a bully himself almost as a defence mechanism, and then, a fellow student goes missing in unusual circumstances and the last person he hung out with was Richard. Already under the beady eye of the local law this is then followed by another very unusual disappearance. Richard knows what happened to both kids but nobody believes him. Then with another student he starts trying to find clues as to what is actually going on and this leads him to a strange abandoned house deep in the woods, a possible haunting, and an urban myth about a local boy.

We then move on. Richard is older, he returns for a class reunion, now a successful author with a bunch of weird memories and a deep need to apologise to his former classmates for his behaviour. Well, from here – things get very strange. Psychedelic even. His former classmates don’t seem to have the same memories as Richard, different explanations are passed around and as a reader you’re trying to weigh up what’s what but with an underlying feeling of ‘something is rotten in the state of Denmark’. You feel like you’re reading, and waiting, for something to happen. And, of course, it does. That gut feeling eh.

Then we move on again, and take my word for it when I say this was an unexpected twist. I won’t elaborate.

So, this leaves me with a whole bunch of mixed up feelings. On the one hand, I was kind of enjoying the cheesy 80s horror, but as it happens nothing was as it seemed. That’s not necessarily a complaint to be honest. I enjoyed the writing, the descriptions are good. For each different element of the story I was literally there, I could easily picture everything. The dialogue is relatable, and this is a fairly short book that can be devoured in one sitting. I admit at first I had a kind of ‘down’ moment with the ending, I felt almost cheated (what’s that all about – I don’t know – what expectations was I harbouring about the ending even), but now, in the cool light of day and having had the chance to mull considerably, well, I confess that the book still has its hooks in me and I have returned twice now to reread certain elements. How do you measure success? I kind of think if a book makes me keep thinking about it then really it’s work here is complete.

I think, with this book, (and without wanting to blurt out spoilers) it very much depends on your expectations going into the read. My advice, forget those expectations, go with the flow. This isn’t a chunkster, it’s an easy read, it defies expectations and is well written. A mind bendy-psychological-soft horror with a very unexpected twist.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

My rating 3.5 of 5 stars

This was not at all what I expected. I don’t normally read horror fiction but I like this author so got to be worth a punt! Narrated by 14 year old Richard Elauved who is living with his aunt and uncle in the town of Ballantyne after the death of his parents in a house fire. Quite a short book, with an unreliable narrator, and split into three sections, part one when Richard is aged 14, then moving on 15 years.

Briefly, Richard is treated as a bit of a pariah at school and when a boy goes missing Richard falls under suspicion despite him telling everyone the boy Tom was eaten by a telephone in the Mirror Gorest! Then another boy Fatso goes missing and despite Richard telling another shocking story nobody believes him. Too young to be charged he is sent to an institution for a year. From there he runs away with two others and ends up back in Ballantyne. His only real solace is his relationship with Karen who is another outcast and encourages him to find out the truth.

Is it all real or is Richard simply imagining everything? This is a fairly scary horror story, how I imagine Stephen Kings books would be (I’ve never read them). Part one was by far the most terrifying but overall it’s an entertaining read and I will never use a meat mincer again! As a horror newbie I found this an enjoyable read although i felt this book was probably aimed at the YA more so than the adult reading market. A good read.

I almost have no words. As a Jo Nesbo fan of Harry Hole I know that he is a fabulous writer. This however, is just another level. It has been going through my mind all day since I finished the book last night and I just don't even know where someone would even get this idea from - let alone be able to write it so brilliantly!! I honestly feel. mind blown.

But anyway I'm racing ahead here - I'll be honest I started reading and my brain was like 'what on earth am I reading' whilst simultaneously going 'I need to find out where this is going, I'm intrigued'. (***I probably should add a disclaimer here that I am a nightmare and don't read blurbs for books. I literally see an author, cover or title that looks good and I'm like - let's read it! So I hadn't a clue what I was in for).

So we get to the end of part one - and I have been gripped throughout and then sat wondering to myself why there is a part two as there isn't really anything else to come surely?

Part two is just brilliant, I thought it wasn't needed and then it beautifully follows on from part one and everything makes sense and it's great, until things get slightly weird and then I'm back to being confused. Gripped, confused but absolutely loving it.

I then see part three and I'm like - I can't cope - what are we in for next? It was just incredible, absolutely, mind-blowingly brilliant. It honestly just shows what a talented writer Jo Nesbo is and that final paragraph was just perfect.

I really liked it, it was like reading a Stephen King old novel, with the first part being just the kids, and all the scary and spooky parts. I also liked all the layers of the story.
It was a great change of pace for the author in the horror genre.

The story starts with Richard and the events surrounding him being connected to the disappearance of two of his classmates. When questioned by the police, he told the truth; one was sucked into a telephone and the other transformed into a bug that flew away. There was only one person who believed him was his friend Karen.
Richard has recently moved to the area after a horrific event that ended in the loss of his parents and he doesn't really fit in and he is unable to process this trauma. Skip forward 15 years and Richard comes back for a reunion. He thought the events of his childhood were just part of a story that he used to process his trauma but could he have been wrong?
I enjoy reading the Harry Hole series and I can appreciate Jo Nesbø as an amazing author but I just didn't love this book. Some parts of the book were quite engaging and I did not see all the twists coming. My opinions of Richard changed as the book progressed; from being a bully to someone I was rooting for, to someone I sympathised with but the ending let the book down (from a horror perspective). There is a lot of emphasis on mental illness, which is not what I would expect in this type of book.
This book is best aimed at YA who maybe want to try 'horror' for the first time.
It was an OK read but just a bit too tame for me, give it a go and see what you think!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a fan of horror writing, but the thing is that horror writing - getting the elements absolutely right - needs to be particularly good, or it can easily fall into cliche, or, worse, kitsch. Now, I also know the difficulties of writing a novel, and that when you do, and when it's published, some people are going to love it, and others, not so. Writing fiction is a difficult job, I know that. For that reason, and because I know Nesbø can write a decent crime novel, I'm going to say that, for me, this novel didn't work as well as it has for others. I'm not going to give you the plot here. Read another review if you want that. I'm going to say that the structure was ambitious; the events in the story were, OK, horrific at times; the characters and the relationship between characters were unsettling. But I think to compare this to a King novel is not right. In the UK in the 1960s and 70s, there was a series of comedy films called the 'Carry On' films, and reading this put me in mind of one of those. Carry on, Nurse; Carry on, Teacher. They were entertaining, but you didn't need to take them seriously. There was one called Carry on screaming. This novel reminded me of that. I hope Nesbø will write more crime novels, and I think NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Night House Jo Nesbo

3 stars

I love Jo Nesbo and have read almost every book that he has written but horror is not one of my favourite forms of writing and it didn’t really grab my attention.

It started with the obviously troubled young man Richard Elauved being the last person to see his two friends. Richard tells the police that Tom was eaten by a telephone and Jack had turned into an insect which Richard stamps on. The police are not very impressed with Richard’s explanations of how his friend disappeared but as he is only 14 they cannot bring any charges.

The story then jumps to 20 years later and Richard has become a famous author writing about his childhood experiences and is attending a school reunion which turns into a nightmare when all his classmates try to attack him.

Finally we discover Richard in an institution where he has been given shock treatment but I think it was at this point in the book that I got confused as to what is real and what imagination is and think I may have missed the point of the whole book. I think this is a book that will really evoke totally different reviews, for me it left me feeling rather cold.


Karen Deborah
Reviewer for Net galley

Richard is a teenager living with foster parents after a tragedy led to the death of his parents. Something of an outsider amongst his peers, Richard tends to hang out with others who don’t quite fit in. The events that occur are far from the norm, and Richard has quite a vivid imagination. Or does he?

This is the first book I have read by this author, and it would appear from other reviews that Nesbo has certainly beaten a different path with this offering. Horror and supernatural are my genres of choice, so thought this would be one for me.

Told in three parts, each story has familiar characters and events, though not necessarily in the way the reader would imagine.

For me, Part One was the more interesting, though told with a YA perspective. The other parts, though imaginative, fell very flat and I lost interest in the way the plot was going.

I’m not sure this was a successful venture, there is a lot of competition within the horror/supernatural fraternity and this story didn’t quite hold my attention enough, though I’m sure Nesbo fans will appreciate the diversity.

2.5*

Thank you NetGalley.

A really twisty psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. A young boy with issues in his past is out with a friend when disaster strikes (in a very odd way) and he is blamed for his friend's disappearance. Only his friend, Karen, believes his innocence and encourages him to find the truth. Its hard to say any more without giving away a very complex plot which leaves you questioning what is real and what is imagination.

Its a great read.

Thank you to NetGalley and for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! What a Halloween rollercoaster ride.
Having read Jo Nesbo’s previous books I was curious when I saw this paranormal/horror book with such a gripping cover. I have to say I was not disappointed. The first chapter got my attention and I had to finish the book in a day.
I have to say the first part was definitely my favourite but I really loved the book overall and how thrilling and gripping it was. I am not the biggest of fans of paranormal so it will be a week or so of light on during the night but it is totally worth it!

Will highly recommend to fans of horror and paranormal who like to have thrilling and spine shivering reads! A great book to be read for Halloween too!

A big thanks to NetGalley, Random House UK, Vintage, Harvill Secker and Jo Nesbo for giving me the privilege to read “The Night House” prior to its publishing day.

Jo Nesbo, is better known for his crime thrillers, in particular the ‘Harry Hole’ series but in this book turns to the supernatural. I have to be honest in that although I enjoy Jo Nesbo’s crime books I was a little apprehensive reading an horror story which is not my genre of choice. ‘The Night House.’ had it’s moments for me as it weaves between reality and the paranormal but I would be lying if I said it totally gripped me.

Fourteen-year-old Richard Elauved finds himself in a spine chilling predicament following the tragic death of his parents in a house fire. He now lives with his aunt and uncle in a faraway town of Ballantyne. Richard generally struggles to bond with the locals and his anger and grief make him an easy target of suspicion when his classmate, Tom, mysteriously disappears. It is not helped by Richard’s explanation of the disappearance which is offbeat and impossible to believe. Richard insists that Tom was pulled into a telephone box by an unknown force and sucked up into the telephone. Richard’s only ally is Karen who like him is an outsider and encourages Richard to uncover the truth behind Tom’s disappearance.

The story was interesting even though by my own admission not my type of book, but look forward to reading more of the genre I feel at home with. The book is well written as you would expect from an author such as Jo Nesbo with good characters it was just not my thing.

I would imagine this novel will be far more appreciated by readers who prefer horror and supernatural.

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

Holy moly what a ride BUT this is definitely not one you can call a joy ride. This was more like one of those huge roller coasters but one that just goes up and down!!

From now on the sound of ringing phones (the old-fashioned type) and the buzzing sound that bugs make will definitely freak me out!

This book is so unlike any other Jo Nesbo that I've read before that I think if you didn't know, you will never in a million years guess it was written by him.
In the end, it leaves you with many questions. What was true and what was fantasy......

It is a brilliant and very cleverly written old-fashioned horror (or is it?!) story within a story.
Not recommended for reading at bedtime if you are a scary cat!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Vintage for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

Having really enjoyed previous books from Jo Nesbo I was intrigued to read The Night House. It was very different from his other novels however, and for me it didn't stack up as well.
The story is written in three parts. In the first, the fourteen year old protagonist is witness to some horrific events.
The second part fills in some of the holes from the first part and the writing style changes a little as well as being a considerable plot twist.
The final section changed direction again but didn't really grip me and didn't really strike me as a believable explanation of the previous events.
So, all in all, although the writing is good, the plot let this book down and for me I wasn't nearly as invested in it as I have been with the excellent Harry Hole books from this author.
With thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Vintage for an arc copy in return for an honest review.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have not read anything from this author for a while and forgot how much I used to enjoy them. This was a great page turner with a good storyline. I enjoyed it

This book was different to say the least but unfortunately it wasn't for me.

Having it written in 3 parts , each having a different explanation was interesting but it did feel a little disjointed .

Part 1 I loved! I was glued to it and it was an interesting horror / mystery tale. If it was just this part a short story I would give it 5☆.

Part 2 was an interesting plot twist however I didn't enjoy it as much as it had so many plot twists and I was confused for most of the time because of where it went. The beginning part was a good plot twist that I enjoyed. The ending not so much. This part I would give 2☆

Part 3 was another interesting direction the book went in . This part I would give 3☆.

Overall it was an ok book I just found myself driffting away from reading it as I got into reading part 2 and part 3.