To me, this novel seemed to be a book of two parts. The first part was quite a slow-paced women’s fiction/mystery. The second part turned into a dark thriller with some disturbing scenes.

Mila Shepherd is engaged to Luke, who lives in England, yet now they are living apart due to the fact that her sister has recently died, leaving a sixteen year old daughter. She is living in Brittany, France at her sister’s home, the Sea House, with her orphaned teenage niece, Ani, who she adores. Ani’s mother, Mila’s sister, was recently killed alongside her husband, and the circumstances surrounding their deaths is forefront on Mila’s mind.

Mila works as a private investigator with her work partner, Carter Jackson. They are tasked with finding a woman named Astrid Oake in order to deliver a package as part of their late client’s last wishes. With little to go on, their task is frustrating and unfruitful.

As Mila’s personal life implodes, she is on track to finding Astrid Oake in Yorkshire, England. Life threatening danger result, and long-held secrets are exposed.

“The Sea House” is the third novel in a series featuring the Touissants Detective Agency. I have not read the previous two books in the series, but can attest that this one reads well as a stand-alone.

The settings were vividly rendered, making the reader even more immersed in the story.

Family secrets, emotional turmoil, familial love, bereavement, and a devastating discovery mark this novel as one that will be enjoyed by many readers.

A well done story: compelling, solid, and entertaining. The author delivers a story featuring fleshed out characters and a fascinating setting.
The mix of mystery and paranormal works
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Superb series of books filled with such engaging characters and compelling stories. Hopefully won't have to wait too long for the next one!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

When Elisabeth Quemener dies she leaves a parcel to be opened by Astrid Oake only. Elisabeth's fanily has never even hear dof Astrid Oake and they hire Touissants detective agency to help them track down this mysterious beneficiary. Mila and Carter accept the case, but Mila finds Elisabeth's story haunting and she feels there is something more to the story than there appears. Will they find Astrid and carry out the terms of Elisabeth's wishes and what other secrets are hidden.

This was a good read. The scenery was great and the characters were well written. I did not realize this was the third book in a series, so I will have to go back and read the first two books.

Loved it!!! Glad to be back in Morranez with the Touissants Detective Agency. Mila, Ceci and Carte need to track down Astrid Oakes, so they can deliver her parcel as part of Elisabeth Quemener's will. No one seems to know Astrid or her whereabouts. Astrid's story was scary and crazy. It's unimaginable what she has gone through. Everyone needs a friend like Elisabeth. The gift she made for Astrid was genius. It's a good thing no one opened up the package before Astrid. This was a good lesson for Mila. When you decide to break into someone's house, make sure you let people know your whereabouts. The family are waiting for the DNA results to see if the bones found in the cave belonged to Charlie. With the results come even more questions. I wasn't shocked with what they discovered. I figured that was the secret Sophie was keeping and Carter knew about it. Since the first book, I always thought Carter and Sophie were having an affair. Carter is definitely keeping secrets. Why were Sophie and Charlie on the water during the storm? Did it have to do with drug smuggling? Were the Girards involved? Lydia is still as dreadful as ever. At least Patrick was at the house to make Christmas more bearable. I'm not really sure about Luke and Mila. Luke never visits Mila in France. How can they build a life together when they don't even live in the same country? Mila allows Ani to get away with everything. She's a tennager and needs boundaries. Mila acts more like a friend than a mother. I love the relationship Mila has with Ceci. It makes up for the way Lydia treats Mila.

Definitely recommend the book. Loved the characters, writing style and story. It was a great mystery that kept me guessing. There better be another book to tie up all the loose ends and questions surrounding Charlie and Sophie. Were Sophie and Charlie doing something illegal? Will Mila and Carter eventually end up together? Still love Berthaud the cat. I look forward to reading more books by the author. Loved the cover of the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Boldwood Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have read the others in the series and enjoyed and this instalment did not disappoint. I enjoy the way the back stories among the characters continues and develops through the books while engaging with the story within the story. While some parts don't seem entirely authentic this doesn't prevent the overall pleasure of the read!

Third instalment in this series, although I read as a stand-alone book. Lots of twists and turns in this fast paced thriller. Great plot with some interesting characters. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy

This was my second book by this author and the third book in this series. So, somehow I missed the second book and will definitely be looking for it so that I can catch up with that part of the story. The premise of this book was very intriguing and it did not disappoint! It started off slowly as we got reacquainted with the recurring characters and got to know the new characters. Then it started to build, and once it did, it really got going! I did not want to stop reading! There were several surprises and it ended fairly well. I say fairly well because it ended very suddenly. I do not mind a cliffhanger ending when it is part of a series, but this was a bit too sudden. Regardless, I look forward to the continuation of the background story that started this series off!

This is the 3rd book in a series. I did not know this when I chose to read it. While I did find I was missing some history, it did not stop me from enjoying this one.

Mia is tasked with finding a person to fulfill the wishes of a recently deceased woman.

Lots of mystery and twists and turns in this one.

I will look for the first two books in order to better understand the main characters and their journey so far.

Thanks to netgalley and Boldwood Books for the arc.

The SeaHouse is the third book in the Toussaints, Detective Agency by Louise Douglas, once again, Miss Douglas has given us a doozy! Mila is still in Brittany, raising Anna the best she can and working for CC at the detective agency. And CC has a new case for her. She has to find Astrid Oak, to give her the inheritance left to her by Elizabeth Quinemer. it just looks like a small wrapped parcel and the lawyer says it isn’t worth much and it should only be opened by Astrid. When Mila goes to Miss Quinemer’s home it becomes obvious Mila that the older lady was afraid of something, but what could it be. She finds a picture like the one the lawyer showed her Elizabeth, Astrid and a small girl who Mila believes to be Elizabeth’s daughter, Manon. as if looking for a woman who hasn’t been seen in years, isn’t enough on Mila’s plate. She also learned new unsettling news about Charlie. They found his body and it looks as if he’s been murdered. Unfortunately, however, that isn’t the unsettling news. It is sad but not the thing that could change Mila’s life. In the meantime, she starts getting threatening text messages and even sees an older man with a limp watching her house.It isn’t long before she learns Astrid had a twin brother Anderson, this is what brings her to suffix, England. she finds many people who knew her but it doesn’t help her get any closer to the elusive Astrid. Will Mila fine the missing lady and deliver her inheritance? This book was just wow! I can’t believe this is the third book that means I missed the second, but I will definitely correct that mistake after posting this review. I find these books are so good and although the author can be a bit long on describing scenes and situations, it’s just a tad bit long and not a tad bit too long. Because as far as the story goes, it’s worth getting through to get to the next page. I was not at all prepared for where this book was going and thought the ending of at least Astrid was a Homerun… I was not expecting that at all! not to mention the bombshell with Charlie just makes me ready for Mila to focus on that case because that one almost made me fall off my bed. this is a great series for anyone who likes mysteries and or thrillers because this is always a tad bit of both. What a great story. #NetGalley,#BoldWoodBooks, #Toussaint’sDetectiveAgency, #LouiseDouglas, #TheSeaHouse,.

This book took me through more twists and turns than I expected. I was totally caught up in it and enjoyed it very much. It was very different from what I had thought it was be in some really wonderful ways.

Mila Shepard is in the business of finding people, but her latest job at Toussaints Detective Agency is a struggle even for her. She's been entrusted with a woman's last wish: the late Elisabeth Quemener has bequeathed a package to her old friend Astrid Oake. But there's no sign of who or where Astrid is, or even that she exists. Every time a new lead pops up, it just raises more questions. Meanwhile, Mila is struggling with a mystery closer to home, as more information surfaces about her niece Ani's late parents.

Mila's investigation uncovers decades of injustice: an apparent murder/suicide, school and hospital cover-ups, and dubious cybersecurity. Even when she gets to the truth, there's still more to uncover—much of it strangely echoing the strife in the life of the now-sixteen-year-old Ani.

If The Sea House is your first Mila Shepard book, you can still slide easily into the central mystery. It reads easily as a stand-alone, while still hinting at an overarching story beyond the bounds of the book that can be appreciated to some degree. The story of the week is, at least for a new reader, far more compelling than Mila's story. That isn't to say Mila's story isn't compelling or is too difficult to follow. All the relevant information is there, but it does become evident as the story goes on that we're missing out on some characterization for these recurring characters. That said, Astrid's story speaks for itself. As a solvable mystery, the pieces fit together cleanly; as a novel, it's compelling and tragic. And even once the mystery itself is solved, there are little loose ends that get tucked in neatly—even some the reader may have forgotten.

I read the second book in this series without realising that it was a sequel. This time around I chose to read this particular one especially because of the way the previous one ended. I am not sure if there is to be another, and if there is one if I would actually want to pick it up.

That last claim is not because this book was not good, if anything, each subsequent book is better than the last. I just feel like I am satisfied with the tangent the personal lives have taken and I do not feel the tenterhooks feeling I had when the last reveal occurred at the end of the other book.

Mila should be concentrating on finding a missing lady who has to be given a particular bequethal. The secrecy around the beneficiary becomes extremely convoluted as Mila starts to scratch at the surface.

On the personal side, things are getting more and more complicated. The body discovered in the last book opens a new can of worms. This plotline is not entirely complete, even with this book, but it has reached a point where it would be okay to leave it.

I liked the case in this book. I did suspect part of the twist, but on the whole, it was quite dramatic and unexpected. It is complex and actually believable even with the dramatic events. I would recommend this series, but especially this book to fans of mystery books with longer personal storylines.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience of this and the other books in the series.

°book review°
 
The Sea House by Louise Douglas
 
Unexpected! This book was unraveling secrets left, right, and center, and the same with the twists and turns.
 
Elisabeth Quemener dies, leaving a parcel with instructions to be opened by Astrid Oake. The trouble is, no one knows who Astrid Oake is.
 
Elisabeth's family turns to Touissants detective agency for help, and Mila Shepherd and Carter Jackson try to track Astrid down, but their only clue is a photo of two young women holding a child. As the story unfolds, Mila feels the walls of her home, The Sea House, closing in on her, and she is determined to carry out Elisabeth's final wishes.
 
There were different storylines added in the mix that were causing Mila some trouble and exhaustion. It was about the past and present, a story of loss, redemption, and family drama—a story that delves into the impact of tragic events that can be traumatic.
 
Things were not what they seemed; I was shocked and left gasping the way the story took turn. I was waiting to know what happens next. The prologue set the base of the story, keeping the mysterious and dreadful air from the start. The start, no matter how slow, the later half picked up the pace and covered up.
 
Douglas creates an atmosphere that is gripping and emotional. This bequest and legacy will unravel secrets. It was brilliantly written and clever, and the detailed and vivid descriptions made it more intriguing, authentic, and mysterious. It was a bit dark and creepy.
 
I think there was one mystery left unsolved, or maybe it is to come as a subplot in another book. This is Book 3 in the Touissants Detective Agency series and can be read as a standalone. I think to know the characters and their story better, we need to read the first two; however, I enjoyed this.

It was my first by the author, and I can't wait to read more.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Sea House' by Louise Douglas.

This is the third book in Louise's series based in Morranez but each book can be read as a standalone. I have previously read the second book which is called 'The Summer Of Lies' which I would also highly recommend.

WOW!!!! What can I say?!?! One thing I have got to say before getting into my review is clear your schedules as once you've started you won't be able to stop!!

This book is fantastically written with vivid descriptions setting the picture perfectly in the readers mind. The title, description and cover works perfectly with the storyline.

Another absolutely gripping book from this brilliant author. I may only have read one other book by her which is called 'The Secrets Between Us', which I would also HIGHLY RECCOMEND, but from just these two books alone Louise has captivated me with her fantastic writing skills and imagination and I cannot wait to get stuck in to more of her books past and future. In this page turning novel Louise transports the reader to the Brittany seaside town of Morranez although the prologue takes you to Brighton and the year 1988. In the prologue we watch a Mother packing in a rush to get her child away from danger although we do not know who these characters are or what the danger is at the time. Louise then takes us to the year 2023 and Brittany where we meet our protagonist Mila (again for those who have read any of the previous books). Mila Shepherd and Carter Jackson from the Toussaint Detective Agency are contacted by Elizabeth Quemener's family after she has passed away. Elizabeth had left a small parcel behind with instructions that it can only be opened by Astrid Oake but nobody knows who this person is. The family want Mila and Carter to find them but a search of Elizabeth's house reveals that she was very afraid of something and/or someone. Mila and Carter are determined to get to the bottom of the mystery but while they are investigating Mila is also dealing with her own personal problems. Can the Toussaint Detective Agency find Astrid? Did the Mother and Child escape from the danger they were in? Can Mila resolve her problems? Well, grab your copy of this brilliant book to discover the answers to these and more for yourselves and I can promise that you will not regret it! With a storyline ram packed with mystery, secrets, drama, suspense, friendship, twists and turns, family, stunning settings and much more what on Earth are you waiting for?? I don't normally like reading books out of order but the one good thing about doing so is that I can now go back and read the first book in this series by this fantastic author while waiting for her next book to come out in this series!! I love the fact that this book is multi-layered and has several mysteries included in the storyline which kept me guessing constantly. I absolutely loved watching Mila and Carter go about their investigating and they made a fantastic team. The storyline will make you emotional from jumping with joy to anxious, heartbreak and more. I love the fact that there isn't just the one storyline but many storylines weaved together and Louise brings them all together perfectly ensuring the reader does not get confused. It is rammed with twists and shocks that I would have never seen coming in a million years so a HUGE congratulations Louise. It is getting harder to surprise me with every new book I read but I most definitely did not see these coming! Louise's fantastic descriptions really captivate the atmosphere, surroundings and characterisations so you can see everything and everyone around you while your heart is pounding and you are kept in suspense. I was utterly glued to the pages and I could not bring myself to put it down. I was carrying my kindle around with me to read it every chance that I got and by the time the ending came I was left wanting to read more books by this brilliant author. I absolutely fell in love with the location and most of the characters. It is one of those fast paced, easy to read books that you can get completely lost in cuddled up under a blanket in the winter like I was or sprawled on a beach in the sun like I wish I was!!. Wherever you are reading this book Louise will whisk you off to Morranez in the blink of an eye. I genuinely felt I had gone on holiday and was devastated when I came to the end and had to leave Morranez to return to rainy Wales. You need to clear your schedules before starting this book because you will not be able to put it book down!!! An absolutely fantastic read from Louise and I'm looking forward to getting stuck into more of her books soon!


The characters are strong, realistic and I became completely invested in each and every one of them. Louise's fantastic descriptions ensures each of them come to life in front of your eyes and her emotive writing also makes sure that you feel everything that they are feeling. There are a great mix of personalities and I really enjoyed getting to know them all. The main character is Mila who my heart went out to as it felt like everyone wanted her to be somewhere else. I absolutely loved Mila and thought she is such a strong woman as well as a fantastic role model for Ani. I absolutely adore seeing strong female women in books being female myself and Mila was absolutely brilliant. Mila is working with Carter on the case to find Astrid and I really liked his character too, along with several other characters that we meet along the way. I loved watching the interactions between each of the characters and watching how feelings and thoughts changed between them from the start to the end. I wasn't a fan of all of them but where is the fun if you like all of the characters? I won't say anymore about the characters as I don't want to go into too much detail at the risk of spoiling it for other readers but yet again Louise really has done an amazing job at bringing each of the characters to life and regardless of whether I liked them or not they all had a part to play and played it perfectly. I am looking forward to meeting Mila and Carter again in Louise's previous and first book in this series which is called 'The Lost Notebook' along with future books in this series!

Overall a captivating, atmospheric and page turning mystery that will keep you hooked from start to finish!!!

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In a Nutshell: A contemporary mystery filled with secrets. Third book of the series (which I didn’t know when I grabbed this.) One dominant mystery and one more secondary mystery. Realistic characters, interesting themes, slowburn, fair bit of suspense, partially incomplete ending. Not too sure if it is good as a standalone as I haven’t read the earlier two books, but I feel it is better read in series order.

Plot Preview:
Morranez town, Brittany, France. When Elizabeth Quemener dies, she leaves behind a small parcel with the instructions that only Astrid Oake can open it. The problem is that no one knows who Astrid Oake is. When Elizabeth’s family and her solicitor approach the Toussaint Detective Agency for help, Mila Shepherd and her colleague Carter Jackson begin pursuing leads, but most end up blank. An exploration of Elizabeth’s home reveals that she was very afraid of someone/something, but why?
To add to the frustration, Mila is dealing with her personal troubles as well, which seem as insurmountable as the Astrid Oake case. Will Mila and the agency be able to crack both cases?
The story comes to us in Mila’s third person perspective.

I had adored The Room in the Attic by this author, and so went into this book looking forward to a gripping mystery. Well, I did find what I wanted, but I also got a lot of what I had not bargained for.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4224359806
https://roshreviews.blogspot.com/2021/10/the-room-in-attic-louise-douglas.html


Bookish Yays:
😍 The prologue – perfect to set the right mood. Moreover, it is tough to figure out the “who” of the prologue until almost the final section. Love it when prologues work this cleverly!
😍 The Astrid Oake mystery is not the dominant arc for the first one-third and begins in an almost ordinary way, but once it gets going, it is excellent AND chilling. This mystery, darker than I had expected at first, generated a variety of emotions in me – not something I can often claim for this genre.
😍 Quite a few twists and turns along the way, most of which are tough to see coming. Some of the revelations are quite disturbing.
😍 Mila’s relationship with her teenaged niece Ani is beautifully portrayed through its ups and downs. I appreciate how Ani isn’t portrayed as a typical rebellious teen who doesn’t know how to be around adults. It’s so rare to see positive teen portrayal in adult fiction.
😍 A bonafide creepy-as-heck villain, the likes of which I haven’t read in ages.
😍 The investigation process of the Toussaint team (Mila and Carter) felt very true to life. No instant results for the most way, many dead ends, some developments left unpursued as they possibly led nowhere… The process seemed mostly authentic, with hopes as well as frustrations in equal measure. There were a few convenient discoveries, but that’s always present in this genre, so no issues.
😍 Great atmospheric writing, especially once the threads start untangling.
😍 Nice use of the picturesque setting of Brittany and also the location of the finale.
😍 The final third (except for the last chapter) is quite satisfying, even thought I could see a couple of things coming. This section made me elevate my rating.

Bookish Mixed Bags:
😐 I am a series freak and do not like reading books out of series order. This book was marked as a standalone novel, but it actually is the third novel of an ongoing series. (I have since updated the listing. Perks of being a Goodreads Librarian.) A look at the first two blurbs shows that Mila and Carter are present in both of those books. As a part of the story also focusses on Mila’s family, they too would have appeared earlier. I felt like I didn’t get to know these characters as intimately as I would have, had I read all the books. This lack of connection affected my overall experience, even though the continued plot was easy to follow. This point wouldn’t be an issue for those who can jump in between a series without hassles.
😐 Too many parallel plotlines! While there is enough mystery, there is also a lot of family and personal drama, which sometimes detracts from the Astrid Oake mystery. Maybe it would be better to go into this book expecting a family drama in addition to what’s promised in the blurb. All the subplots work well, but there’s too much to keep track of.
😐 The pacing is on the slower side, especially in the first half. The second half picks up the tempo steadily until the quick-paced finale.
😐 While the core mystery connected to Astrid Oake is resolved satisfactorily, there is one more mystery in the novel, which apparently continues from the earlier books and isn’t resolved even by the end of this one. So the ending won't be satisfying to those who prefer completed arcs.
😐 “The Sea House” is actually the name of the house where Mila lives with Ani, and is nothing but an incidental setting for the story. So I didn’t get why it had to be the title of this novel. Moreover, it is too similar to another book by the same author – “The House By The Sea”. I wish the title had been more suited to the plot and a bit more unique.

Bookish Nays:
😢 Mila’s relationship struggles with Luke (which I think continue from the earlier books) felt very ad hoc to me. It didn’t seem convincing that they had been together for thirteen years. (Perhaps my lack of familiarity with them affected my experience.)
😢 There’s a lot of secret keeping (on the lines of “I'll tell later”) from various characters. This bugged me after a point.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised to see two mysteries in the book, almost like a Buy-One-Get-One-Free offer. I enjoyed the Astrid Oake part of the story, and am even curious to know more about the other mystery that has been left dangling. However, Mila’s relationship issues and the fact that this was a continued series stopped me from enjoying this novel more.
I think I would have appreciated this book much better had I known that it was the third of a series, and preferably having read the first two books. I did enjoy this enough to want to read the earlier books in the series, but I am slightly disappointed that I already know some future events of the overarching mystery.
Recommended to those who enjoy darkish slowburn mysteries with a healthy dollop of family drama and don’t mind a cliffhanger ending. Better read in series order.

3.5 stars. (Rounding up because my lower rating is partly due to incorrect expectations.)

The Sea House by Louise Douglas is book 3 in the Tousssaints Detective Agency and it is full of intrigue, old murders, family, friends and villains.
There is a mysterious bequest and the legacy of a lost and tragic love. When Elizabeth dies she leaves a small parcel with the instructions that it can only be opened by Astrid Oake after Elizabeth’s death. Mila is entrusted with the task of tracing the mysterious Astrid Oake. The trail to find Astrid leads back to England before she is able to finally trace Astrid in a story which is quite unbelievable and concerns the death of her parents and even her brother.
In Brittany the body of Charlie is found and even more questions are raised as to why Sophie and Charlie where in the hidden underwater cave and who is Ani’s real father?
A fascinating story by someone skilled in the art of storytelling.
Highly recommended

When Edie's mother-in-law, Anna DeLuca, dies, she is relieved. Edie blames Anna for the accident that destroyed her family. So when her will leaves Edie to Sicily and the long-abandoned Villa della Madonna del Mare, she sees through Anna's games. Suspecting Anna is meddling from beyond the grave to try and reunite her and her ex-husband Joe, Edie is determined to leave Italy as soon as possible. But before she can, the villa starts to shed its mysterious secrets. Who are the girls beside Anna in her childhood photos, and why has one of them been scratched out? Why does someone, or something, want them to leave the past untouched? The villa is a place where old ghosts feel at home, but does their legacy need to be laid to rest before Edie and Joe can move on?

This is quite a complex mystery. Edie and Joe had lost their son Daniel ten years ago. Although I felt sorry for Edie, I did not care for her. Edie blamed the tragedy on her ex-mother-in-law. When Anna passed away, she left the villa to Edie and Joe. Edie has to travel to Italy hoping to get the paperwork sorted and the villa sold. But the villa holds lots of secrets.We get drama, secrets, and some tender moments in this story. The pace is on the slow side. It's also quite eerie with a beautiful setting.

I read this book not knowing this was series, so thats on me. I will say that though some of the internal dynamic was confusing in the beginning, it can be read as a standalone if you only focus on the main mystery.
It was overall an ok read, the mystery conclusion was a bit crazy? Like im not sure if anybody would come up with that solution to that specific problem but alright.
I liked the writing a lot and the characters were really human which I appreciated. The book keeps you hooked throughout and it seemed like there is some overarching mystery. For me the problem was the reasoning of the mystery in this book that made me give it three stars. It just did not make too much sense imo. If you liked the series and the characters so far I can only assume youll like this book too, though.

Thanks to netgalley and Boldwood Books for providing me with an ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review

I'm reviewing this via NetGalley, as part of a tour with Rachel's Random Resources.

Elisabeth Quemener has passed away, and Mila Shepherd has some questions that need to be answered. Elisabeth has bequeathed a mysterious parcel to someone named Astrid Oake, but no one has heard of this person.

Initially, the atmosphere of this book surprised me a little bit. I was expecting a dark, gritty read, but it felt calm and peaceful. I imagined a calm, peaceful place that harboured darker secrets, something sinister.

I found that the more I carried on reading, the more this book surprised me, and I became invested in this complex and clever story. I think there was something about the sense of calm and the unsolved mystery that had me very intrigued, and I found this a page turner.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel's Random Resources, Boldwood Books, and to the author, for the opportunity to read and review this.