I was unaware that "The House of Mirrors" by Erin Kelly was a sequel - I've not read "The Poison Tree" - and I didn't think I was missing great chunks of back story, so all good here... I will however seek it out now. The book is told from several perspectives and the chapters told by an unknown character (although you work it out later) were told in a funny viewpoint - first person but instead of using "I", "you" is used... probably for the uncomfortable effect. The storyline strands came together at about 60% and I found myself understanding what was going on and this made me relax into the story and enjoy the rest of the book for the thriller that it was. I can see that there could possibly be space for another in the series too.

The is a sequel to The Poison Tree, which I have not read, but I don’t feel that I missed out on anything.
Alice is running a vintage dress shop in London, and has a boyfriend, Gabe, who is a cycle courier and eco activist.
Alice’s father Rex has spent time in prison for a murder, but was supported by her mother Karen. His sister Biba, who was present, along with Karen, at the time of the murder, is missing and presumed dead.
When the past starts to catch up with Karen and Rex, and Alice needs to find out the truth, things begin to spiral out of control.
The story is told from the perspective of Karen, Alice, and other female characters, and as twist follows twist, the question is, how far will anyone go to protect the ones they love.
An excellent read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read this book.

Another excellent novel from Erin Kelly! This sequel to The Poison Tree exceeded all my expectations. Extremely gripping, and fresher than I thought possible given that I already knew the twists! I’d even go as far as to say that this is her best book for years.

What a fabulous unpredictable read this was. Sophisticated psychological thrillers with realistic, unlikeable characters are what Erin Kelly excels at. I had no idea this novel was a sequel - this was revealed in the afterword and didn't say what it was a sequel to! - but from other reviews I found out that it follows The Poison Tree, the author's debut. I read that in 2016 but although I remember enjoying the book, none of its details lodged in my mind. The House of Mirrors therefore works perfectly well as a standalone. Set mostly in London and Suffolk, it's a suspenseful tale of family and dark secrets, with interesting ventures into vintage designer fashion and eco-warriors. Some of it is narrated by Karen Clarke, a cautious middle-aged woman who is hiding something, while the story is also told by her headstrong daughter Alice, who is starting to question the truth of the events which led to her father being imprisoned and her aunt going missing. I thought the epilogue twist was great. I've read nearly all of Erin Kelly's thrillers and I think this is one of the best.

[Review to be posted on my blog, 14th March]

Erin Kelly never fails to deliver and the House of Mirrors is no exception , I wasn’t aware that this was a follow on from a previous book The Poison Tree but to be fair it works fine as a standalone novel there is enough back story given to make perfect sense, the story follows Karen, who is the mother of Alice and she’s married to Rex who was once in prison for killing 2 people, Rex had a sister called Biba who disappeared years ago and is presumed dead, something Rex has always struggled with and now their daughter Alice starts digging around in their past, which is something Karen tries to stop.
Full of plenty of twists and turns to keep up the suspense with an interesting end.

This is one of the best books I've read so far this year. I hadn't read The Poison Tree so I read that first and I was glad I did as I was completely invested in all the characters in this book. I felt the author did a magnificent job showing the now adult Karen and why she the person she is today. All the characters were very realistic in their actions and reactions and I absolutely love how all the threads came together. I really enjoyed the different narrative voices as well. The plot itself kept me engrossed, with no idea how it would all end. Or perhaps not end! A really great read.

The Poison Tree is one of my favourite books of recent years, so I was thrilled to see a follow up from Erin Kelly on NetGalley.. I don’t think there are enough superlatives to describe how good this book is. Rex and Karen are living a quiet life after his release from prison. Their daughteR Alice has just set up her own business selling vintage clothing and is blissfully ignorant of the existence of her Aunt Biba and much of her parents’ histor.y, until fate intervenes…
An amazing book. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC copy and the opportunity to read it.

In Erin Kelly’s new novel “The House of Mirrors”, Alice Clarke opens a vintage store called ‘dead girls dresses’ without
realising that following her estranged grandfathers death, she will stock her missing presumed dead Aunt’s clothes. Trying to find out what happened to her Aunt is not the only mystery within the novel, with Alice questioning her families story about the events of the summer of 1997 when two men were shot dead, and her father served a prison sentence for the crime. Secrets abound throughout the story, accompanied by many twists and turns.

I’m aware that Kelly’s previous novel “Skeleton Key” was very popular and I had high hopes for this one. The twists within the story propelled the plot along well and were unexpected, making this a fun read. However I have to admit to not really caring about any of the characters and perhaps as a result the novel didn’t get under my skin in the way I need it to for it to be a 5* novel. I’m sure many will enjoy it a great deal though.

Karen, mother of Alice and wife of Rex, met aspiring actress Biba years ago. A few months later terrible events occurred where two were left dead and one went to prison. Years later these events come back to the surface and secrets are revealed.

I didn’t realise this was a follow up to the author’s previous novel, The Poison Tree and although I half wished I had read the previous one first, it did not detract from this story at all and I hugely enjoyed it. It read very well as a standalone novel and I felt I understood the backstory and characters well. I have read quite a few books by this author now and I love her style of writing and this proved to be no different. The details are perfectly placed and make the story and interesting bunch of characters come to life.

There is a great mystery amid all the drama and although it started fairly slowly the pacing soon increases and I was desperate to see what happened next! There are plenty of unexpected twists and turns which were done very well. I also really enjoyed the quirkiness of the shop and the way the chapters include items related to these at the beginning. Overall another brilliant book by this author which I will definitely recommend. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this copy in return for an honest review.

I am so glad that I read The Poison Tree before I read The House of Mirrors. Not that this does not read well as a standalone, because it does. There is plenty of recap within the story so that we can understand the complicated dynamic between Karen, Rex, Alice and the extended family that plays out within the book. It is just enough for new readers, and a nice recap for those who may have read the original some time before. I jut think that in knowing Karen and Rex, understanding some of the nuances of their lives and why Karen is so protective - very protective - of Alice really did enhance my enjoyment of this book.

This is, to a degree, a kind of thriller, although probably more of a family or relationship drama to me. There are mystery elements to the book, happenings which certainly serve to keep Karen on edge and the reader, especially of those of us who have read Poison Tree, nodding in smug understanding. At least ... that's what we think. As much as I expected I knew where this was going, be prepared for a surprise or two all is not what it seems. We join the family as Alice is on the cusp of opening her own store, a shop selling vintage dresses and giving them new lives with just the right owners. Alice has a real talent for this, something that she has inherited from a creative spark that runs in the family. But strange things are happening around the shop, and a mysterious woman seems to be stalking Alice for reasons unknown. Unsettling enough, but Alice is keeping a few secrets of her own so she has more reason than enough to be jumpy.

I really did enjoy this trip down memory lane with Rex, Karen and even Biba. It fills in many of the missing years from The Poison Tree, whilst also drawing us into the ever complex familial world. Erin Kelly steers us skilfully through the then and now, but in a way that has an undercurrent of unease, as if at any moment the carefully built life that Karen has established may come crashing down around her. This whole story is built on a bed of lies, and that threat of discovery is ever present. So many questions raised as to who might be stalking Alice and why, and who she can really trust when all is said and done. There are many surprises throughout the book, some more shocking than others. Times when I was left thinking 'she can't possibly have', and wondering if, in fact, she really had.

The story is told from a multitude of perspectives. Alice - the focus of so much attention. There are elements of her character which will resonate with people who have read the first book, and her obsession with true crime podcasts, whilst a touch on the macabre side, is understandable. I liked Alice, but saw in her many traits which were easy to connect to her family, and the way in which the author has portrayed her is authentic and sympathetic. Karen I admire for her strength, if not always her actions, and Rex is still as damaged by his family as ever, but with an enduring need to protect those he loves, no matter what that you have to admire. There's is a complex little family bubble, set to be even more complicated by the addition of a fourth - Alice's fiance, Gabe, environmental campaigner and keeper of his own set of secrets. In fact, it comes to mind that there wasn't anyone really capable of authenticity and truthfulness in the whole book other than Peggy, the dog.

But I loved it. Rich in atmosphere and the kind of beautiful, lyrical narrative that the author is known for and which transports you to the heart of the story, it completely held my attention to the very last page. Answering many of the questions I probably didn't know I had about the missing years in The Poison Tree, it was a welcome extension to the story of the Capels and Clarkes, and whether new to their sordid world or not, I think it will be a big hit amongst Erin Kelly's readers. Definitely recommended.

I wasn’t aware this was a sequel and while it could be read as a stand alone, I didn’t really get “it” so that may have been made easier reading the first.

I enjoyed the quick pace and I found the plot ok but there are historical inaccuracies and I didn’t really understand some of the choices made.

No one writes about London like Erin Kelly and the addition of a long, hot, claustrophobic summer really adds to the atmosphere and tension. This was a truly immersive, addictive read and I rushed through the day to get back to it. I did refer to it internally as Dead Girls Dresses though!

I love Erin Kelly's writing. She has the ability to make characters interesting and quirky and yet very real-seeming, and the worlds of her stories are always places I want to spend time.

The plots aren't always so compelling for me, and this was the case here. I felt that the explanation for what was happening could have been a lot more interesting and scary. Yes, this was a crime novel, and there was often a nice build-up of tension, but then would come an anticlimax. Even so, it was a hugely enjoyable read and I really wanted to know what happened to everyone.

There are a few factual errors, I think. For example, Burke and Hare murdered people in Edinburgh, not London (or was this a deliberate error in the podcast?!). First cousins and half-siblings don't 'share identical profiles' in terms of genetics - first cousins share on average 1/8 of their DNA, but half-siblings share on average 1/4.

I wanted more when the story ended - always confirmation that I've been enjoying it!

Neither a sequel nor a standalone book this stands as a follow on from the Poison Tree but can be read before it or even without it. It is beautifully written and compelling. There are secrets and intrigue throughout and yet it never leans into melodrama. It is hard to say what genre this is but that doesn't matter as it's a book that will appeal to many readers.

4+
Karen and Rex’s daughter Alice is opening a vintage dress shop which she has Instagrammed to perfection apart from a poster which Karen insists she takes down so the past doesn’t catch up with them, particularly Rex. Alice really is Rex’s sister Bibas ghost right down to her avant-garde dress. They don’t talk about the summer of ‘97 especially ‘The Night Of’, the summer that Karen meets Biba as Karen has buried it deep inside. What is the truth of what lurks in the past in that pivotal year of 1997? Not even Rex entirely knows although he serves time for what transpires. Maybe only Biba can tell us that and she’s disappeared, presumed dead. Will the truth ever be known of what happens at the Highgate House of Horrors? A family of secrets, big secrets and Alice is keeping some of her own and when anonymous notes arrive at her shop it seems it’s impossible to shut the door on the past. The story is principally told by Karen and Alice.

We first meet many of these characters in this latest Erin Kelly novel in The Poison Tree which I read in 2018 but don’t have the sharpest recollections of. This is not so much a sequel as it can easily be read as a standalone and my faltering memory is no barrier to this one!

I really enjoy the contrasting points of view of Karen and Alice especially Alice as her desperation to know the truth (and yet also not know) is heard loud and clear and this is the main direction the plot takes. Alice seems straightforward and honest but is she? She’s not above keeping secrets and her investigations give us much of the backstory - maybe. I love the vintage dress angle of the storytelling via Alice which gives the plot even greater technicolour. Karen’s viewpoint is also fascinating, she seems uncertain at times, her memories are ominous but one thing is crystal clear and that is her love of Alice and her desire to protect her. This is visible in her dislike of Gabe, Alice’s partner as she’s not only suspicious but has other concerns too. Is she right? How far can we trust Karen’s narrative? This is a delicious conundrum. It’s fair to say that few of the characters are very likeable but I enjoy that aspect of the plot.

For quite a long time the storytelling is of the slow burner kind, it seems the very definition of one. Then, things begin to change and how. Does it ever ramp up in tempo! Twist after plot twist, excellent moments of suspense and tension, some shocking reveals and incidents and as for that ending - it’s a cracker!

Overall, this is a good multilayered read, a mix of domestic drama though maybe towards the more dramatic end, it’s a tantalising mystery and part psychological thriller with some definite dark moments. The scorching summer adds its own sticky atmosphere to the heated dynamics and richly atmospheric plot. A very accomplished page turner of a read.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I was not aware that this was a sequel when I started reading this book. However this can easily be read as a standalone book. The book itself has many twists and turns which keeps the reader enthralled throughout. A good book and I will now look for other books from this author.

This was a brilliant book with great, reliable characters. So many brilliant twists. A really great insight into this particularly deranged and secretive family xx

I didn’t realise this was a sequel to The Poison Tree, which I haven’t read. I saw some reviews that said it can be read as a standalone book which I agree with.

Loved the twists and turns and the character development was really well written.

The thing I really liked about this book was that it didn't prolong the agony of the big twist! The modern trope is to hint all the way through the book about the TWIST, the motivations behind the characters, then reveal all in the last chapter.
I didn't realise this was a sequel when I started it and I might go back and read the first book The Poison Tree. This book definitely stands on its own though, I loved the multi layered characters, especially Alice with her vintage clothes. There are some despicably selfish characters throughout which are always enjoyable in a good family saga. Family secrets are revealed slowly throughout the book and my goodness some are pretty shocking!
I really enjoyed this book.

I read The Poison Tree back in 2011 and had forgotten most of the plot although I remembered that it was set in a boiling hot summer in Hampstead and one of the main protagonists was named Biba. I found a synopsis online but I rather wish I hadn't as I think this follow-up would work really well as a stand-alone. The more I read the more I remembered of the first book and I think this one is definitely better, I never really understood why Karen would have been happy in that grubby house with a completely unreliable 'friend'.

The House of Mirrors is set in another scorching London summer and is many-layered with just enough twists and surprises to keep you glued to the pages. Biba's third-person narrative is a little confusing at times but adds further mystery and intrigue to the plot. The research for Alice's clothing was really impressive! I remember so many of those labels (showing my age here...). All in all a thoroughly enjoyable read.

My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy in return for an honest review.