This was a great psychological thriller set in France. I loved the characters and their stories and there were plenty of twists and turns to keep me turning the pages. It was emotional at times but the storytelling was fluid and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Prologue captured my attention and the story kept my attention right to the end.

This book is the third in the series featuring the Toussaints Detective Agency and although I haven't read the others (I am going back to read them), it didn't matter. In this book the agency is looking to locate Astrid Oake to deliver a mysterious package. The story is definitely gripping and I look forward reading the next in the series.

The Sea House by Louise Douglas is a captivating psychological thriller, set in the fictional town of Morranez in Brittany.
The Sea House is the third book in the Toussaints Detective Agency series. I have read the first book (The Lost Notebook), which introduces Mila Shepherd, the main protagonis, and tells the story of how she ended up in Morranez.
Themes of love and loss, bereavement and coping with grief, continue running through the book. These topics are dealt with sympathetically and sensitively.

The Sea House is a gripping story, full of twists and turns, emotionally-charged and deeply sad at times.

When I see Louise Douglas's name on the book cover, I know it will be a tense psychological read, moving and immersive, and incredibly evocative.

This is a series I really love – the characters, the settings, the relationships, the mysteries at the centre of each book, the running background story, the tension, the many shocks and surprises, just wonderful. The tense prologue to this latest book immediately hooked me in – a mother and child fleeing from a sinister and unknown threat – before the story kicked in with Mila in an off-season Morranez, taking on a new and intriguing case for the Toussaints Detective Agency. Elisabeth Quemener has left a bequest, a small package to be opened only by its intended recipient, Astrid Oake – and, with scant information, they need to track her down. And, while looking for leads, it appears that Elisabeth had secrets of her own – a life lived in fear, an unusual degree of security in her home, and a number of unanswered questions.

As always, the whole investigation is totally engrossing – taking Mila back to the UK, building steadily in tension and suspense before a stunning climax with a particularly unexpected (and ingenious) outcome, edge-of-the-seat writing at its very best. But alongside, we have the unfolding story of her own life – the investigation into the death of her sister and her husband taking a wholly unexpected turn, as she continues to care for their teenage daughter Ani. Their relationship is just so beautifully drawn – Mila has put her own life on hold, driven by her love for her niece and need to be there for her, always questioning whether what she’s doing is right or enough. Ani herself is living the life of a typical teenager, particularly challenging at times – but needing Mila’s fierce protection as uncomfortable truths begin to emerge about her family. And, through it all, Mila is still trying to sustain a relationship with fiancé Luke at home in Bristol – and to keep an eye on her mother, bitter after the end of her marriage, and often struggling.

The different threads of the story are so perfectly entwined – the mounting suspense of the investigation as it steadily unfolds, the emotional impact of some of the discoveries, set against the minutiae of everyday lives – with that wonderfully drawn wintery Breton backdrop, but also moving into more unfamiliar and chilling territory. The storytelling is just superb – left field twists and turns, developments that were disturbing and distinctly uncomfortable at times, but with moments of laughter and lightness too and the perfect emotional touch, everything so perfectly balanced.

Don’t be put off if you haven’t read any of the earlier books – there’s enough background to allow you to hit the ground running, and I do hope you’ll want to read more of this wonderful series. While the mystery of the bequest reaches a wholly satisfying end, I especially liked the fact that a few of the ongoing issues were left open – and I can’t wait to see those storylines developed further. A superb and entirely compelling read, and one I really couldn’t recommend more highly.

The Sea House is the third in a series set in Brittany in the seaside town of Morranez, featuring the Toussaints detective agency. I haven’t read the first two but it didn’t stop me enjoying this book immensely. I now want to go back and read the others to find out more about Mila and Carter, two of the main characters.

The scene was set for a compelling read right from the prologue where a mother is packing quickly to take her child away from danger. We don’t know who these two are although have a good idea as to the danger they are in. Fast forward several years and Mila is trying to track down the recipient of a very unusual bequest. A package must be delivered in person to Astrid Oake and if that is not possible then the package must never be opened.

There are three mysteries in this book really but I don’t want to risk any spoilers by mentioning much detail. Obviously there is the fascinating hunt for Astrid but in the course of that investigation, Mila uncovers more secrets related to Elizabeth, who left the package and curious instructions. There is also a lot going on in Mila’s personal life where it seems that someone very close to her was also keeping a very big secret which comes to light in a tragic way.

I was so gripped by the story that I just flew through the pages. The Sea House is a brilliantly crafted story of family secrets full of suspense. The blurb says it is ‘perfect for fans of Kate Morton, Eve Chase and Lucinda Riley’ and I would absolutely agree. It combines elements of family drama with the tension of a thriller and with an emotional touch that will keep your interest from the beginning to the end. And talking of the end (no of course I won’t give it away!) not every mystery us resolved so I’ll be eagerly awaiting the next in the series!

This book is the third in a series, and I do feel it helps to read them in order. This is a very enjoyable tale about secrets and the search for a woman who hasn’t been seen in a very long time. I loved the main character and her love for Ani!

A page turning thriller/detective mystery that kept me reading. Had I read the previous 2 books in the series, I would have had a better I understanding of the characters in the book but it can be read as a standalone book.

A wonderfully immersive read from Louise Douglas!

When Elisabeth Quemener dies, she leaves a bequest to be handed only to the beneficiary Astrid Oake; the issue is that no-one knows who Astrid Oake is. When Elisabeth's family turn to the Toussaints Detective Agency for help, it's a case that really burrows it's way under Mila's skin and she is absolutely determined to do everything she can to find the missing woman. But at what cost?

I realised very quickly that I had previously read another in this series, and was very happy to catch up. This time around, Mila is finding it hard to spread herself between her niece in France and her fiance in the UK. She feels as if nothing she does is ever enough and finds relief by burying herself in her work. It's not an easy case, and revelations kept me glued all the way to the end. A fabulous read, and one I'm very happy to recommend. 5*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this eCopy to review

I just finished reading The Sea House by Louise Douglas, and it was an absolutely spellbinding experience! From the very beginning, I was drawn into the mysterious and atmospheric world that Douglas so masterfully creates.

The story follows Mila Shepherd, a detective at the Toussaints Detective Agency, as she tries to unravel the secrets behind a mysterious bequest left by Elisabeth Quemener. The intrigue starts with a small parcel meant for someone named Astrid Oake, a person no one seems to know. The only clue is an old photograph of two women and a child, which sets Mila on a path filled with twists and turns.

I was completely captivated by Mila’s determination and the way she navigated through the dark and eerie settings. The tension and suspense were palpable, making it hard to put the book down. The characters were richly developed, and I felt deeply connected to their stories and struggles. The way Douglas weaves together the past and present, revealing secrets bit by bit, was brilliantly done.

The Sea House itself, with its haunting presence, added an extra layer of mystery and emotion to the story. The themes of love, loss, and the impact of the past on the present were explored with great depth and sensitivity. I found myself experiencing a range of emotions, from fear and sadness to hope and joy.

Overall, The Sea House is a beautifully written, atmospheric mystery that kept me guessing until the very end.

I did not realise until I finished this story that it’s the third in the Toussaints Detective Agency series. There’s a family mystery arc across all three books so far, & it’s ongoing. The disappearance of Sophie and Charlie has brought Mila to France to care for their daughter Ani, Mila’s niece. The Agency’s particular mystery for this book is to find Astrid Oake, and her connection to their recently deceased villager, Elisabeth. Her bequest takes Mila to England. There’s a lot of unravelling to be done. The story is suspenseful and complex. It’s confusing and disturbing in places. The ending was interesting, on both counts! A fourth book is on its way.

This was another entertaining read in this series. I had read the previous book but all matters are dealt with in such a way that this book could be read as a stand-alone. Mila is still in Brittany, looking after her niece, Ani, and sometimes struggling to care for a teenager in the best way. She works for a type of detective agency and is looking for a person to pass on a bequest. This led to a number of mysteries to solve, that involves time in England as well as in France. There is also the domestic scene involving Mila and her family, as well as her fiancé, Luke. Although, the main mystery is solved, there are others that are ongoing. The main characters are all very likeable and it was interesting to read about a different culture as well. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed The Lost Notebook and The Summer of Lies and didn’t think the stories could get any better … but oh my! The Sea House is the BEST yet. Maybe it’s because I’m so totally invested in the characters giving the story an added depth but maybe, it’s because of Mila’s investigations and her experiences solo cut to the bone. Or even a blend of them both 🙂

I just want to add here that you don’t need to have read the first two stories, each is a stand-alone. However, if you want to enrich your reading experience, definitely go back and read them if you can.

It was lovely to experience Morranez in a different season with different rituals and a slower pace of life. I thought it was the perfect offset to Mila’s experiences in the UK! Despite the isolation of Mila and Ani’s home in Morannez, the investigation leads Mila into a setting that’s not only isolated but full of darkness and depravity. The total opposite of Mila’s home which is often full of laughing teenagers and always love!

I said before that Mila was a fab role model for Ani and the questions that arise as Ani is growing into a young woman and Mila’s response prove that she is. Another event that comes to light causes a dilemma for Mila and Ceci too. I agreed 100% with Mila’s reasoning. And although Mila feels uncomfortable, she sees it through.

The intrigue of the case started for me in the prologue. Trying to find Astrid Oake leads Mila and Carter to dead ends but Mila doesn’t give up. There are scenes that made me feel very uncomfortable and tense. I thought Mila was crazy going solo knowing what we did about the excessive security. And how it made me feel, well, it made me afraid and scared, I needed a resolution as soon as possible! How it all weaves together is brilliantly creative.

We have some answers in this story BUT as before, it leads to more questions (I thought the same as Mila). I wanted more from the last scene. Louise Douglas, how could you leave the story in that situation? 🙂 Can’t wait to see what happens next.

Louise Douglas gets right inside the mind of her characters. Whether it’s abuse of power or the effects of experiencing that, each story’s injustice is dealt with sensitively and with reality. She writes about loss with feeling and depth.

The Sea House is an intriguing mystery that will have you experiencing all the emotions.

An easy 5 stars from me.

I didn't realize this was book 3 in the series. I read book 1 The Lost Notebook and loved it and this book was no different. It reads as a standalone for the most part and I didn't feel like I missed anything by not reading book 2 first, although I probably will go back and read it now. The beautiful setting of the book adds to the moody and mysterious vibe. The story is so full of twists and turns and I was thinking about the book even when I couldn't be reading. I love the characters Mila and Carter and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I absolutely love this series; set mostly in France and sometimes in the UK, and featuring a range of excellent characters, the books feature a common background thread as well as a new plotline in each one.
Louise Douglas is an excellent writer and I hope this series continues... I was pleased to see that she left the door open at the end so I look forward to reading book 4!
With grateful thanks to NetGalley and Louise Douglas for my advance ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first outing with Louise Douglas and I understand the third in the Toussaints Detective Agency series. Despite this, it did not spoil the read. The story begins with a prologue set in 1988. Already there is a sense of danger as the opening chapter focusses on a young woman sorting out her belongings, fearful of being caught by an unidentified man as she tries to convince her small daughter they are about to go on an adventure.
The next chapter moves to present day Brittany, where central character Mila is working for the Toussaints Detective Agency and becomes involved in finding someone called Astrid Oake who is subject of a bequest from recently deceased Elizabeth Quemener. Mila has moved to France to look after her niece Ani, following the death of her parents. As the search for Astrid draws blanks, Mila receives unsettling news concerning one of Ani’s parents, which draws her into another investigation.

The author writes a compelling weave of mystery suspense filled with believable characters and a great plot. Although the third in the series, I did not find any difficulty having not read the previous novels, but am keen to go back to the beginning to get a fuller picture. Although most of the issues are eventually resolved, there’s definitely enough loose ends to indicate a fourth book will follow. A wonderful read, well worth the four stars I have given it.

Recommended.

I would like to thank Boldwood, the author and Netgalley for an ARC of The Sea House in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a continuation in the series about Mila, Ceci and Carter who run a detective agency in Brittany, with the main investigation in this novel focussing on the search for a woman who has been left a small legacy by a local woman, but who seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth.. Meanwhile, the mystery of why her niece, Anais', mother and father had taken their yacht out into a storm, never to return alive - Sophie, her mother, washed up dead and her father is still missing two years later - continues to unfold when the identity of a body found in a cave is revealed. But that poses another question to which there seems to be no answer.

I didn't realise until I was a little way into it, that this is a follow on from the Lost Notebook, a book I had really enjoyed, and that there is another book, Summer of Lies, in between that book and this (incidentally, at the end of Summer of Lies, it trails a book called the Sea Cave, which doesn't seem to exist, but I wonder if it was an early version of this novel). I love Louise Douglas' writing style; she really draws you in and makes you care about the characters and what happens to them. I really enjoyed the story and there were twists in it I really wasn't expecting, which is always great. I look forward to more in this series.

The Sea House begins with an intriguing prologue taking place in 1988 and I was then completely hooked into the modern day story that followed trying to work out how the prologue fitted into this.
Mila works at a detective agency in the small Breton seaside town of Morranez and is given a very unusual job. A local woman has died but left a bequest to an old friend which must be delivered in person. Noone knows who this mysterious person is so Mila is employed to find her and deliver the bequest.
What follows is an intriguing mystery that starts off as a missing person enquiry and then moves into something else completely. Gradually the links with the prologue become clear although I could never have guessed the turn that the story took towards the end. It becomes quite dark and echoed a couple of stories that have been in the news over the past few years.
Louise Douglas has created a lovely set of characters in this series and the family dynamics and relationships between them all feel very real. I love the Breton setting too. Brittany is one of my favourite places to visit and this book really captured the feel of that part of France.
The enquiry is set against a longer running mystery which has run through all three books of this series and although we don’t find out much more about what happened to Sophie, the revelations in this book are quite shocking and impact all of the main characters.
Although this is the third in the series, it could very easily be read as a stand alone. I do recommend going back and reading the earlier books though as they are excellent.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers Boldwood Books for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Sea House by Louise Douglas is an enthralling, atmospheric mystery that grips you from the very first page and refuses to let go. This novel is a masterclass in suspenseful storytelling, with twists and turns that make it impossible to put down.
The story centres on Anna, who, grieving a recent tragedy, escapes to a small, isolated seaside village, hoping for peace. But her retreat quickly becomes filled with unsettling secrets, eerie encounters, and whispers about the house she’s chosen to stay in a house haunted by its own dark history. Louise Douglas captures the sense of isolation and mystery that permeates the seaside setting, weaving it into Anna’s journey as she unearths long-buried secrets about both the village and the people who once inhabited The Sea House.
Louise Douglas’ writing shines, combining beautiful prose with a slow-burn suspense that builds into a thrilling mystery. Each character feels deeply layered, adding to the tension and intrigue as their motives and histories are slowly revealed. This is not only a mystery but a story that explores themes of loss, healing, and the courage required to face the past.
Having never read a Louise Douglas novel before, I was captivated by the ability to create such an intense, emotionally charged narrative with strong, relatable characters and unexpected plot twists. The knack for weaving together suspense and mystery while also exploring deep emotional landscapes made this an unforgettable read. I’m eagerly looking forward to the next novel.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is almost a book of two halves. At first Mila is investigating the whereabouts of a deceased woman’s friend to deliver a bequest, then the book takes a very different approach and gets very dark, which was unexpected. The descriptions of life in France are enjoyable to read. The third book of a series but can be read as a stand alone. The darker side of the book was not for me so 4 stars.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Sea House by Louise Douglas in return for my honest review.
This is the third book in the series and although it can be read as a standalone I would recommend reading the first two to get a better understanding of the characters past history and also as they are really good books. Louise Douglas writes a really good mystery and this third book is no exception a really enjoyable read with really well crafted characters, I highly recommend reading.

“The Sea House” by Louise Douglas, is the third book in a series, although I only realised this after I started reading. I do think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the previous 2 books to understand the backstory. That being said this book could certainly be enjoyed as a standalone tale.

The story follows detective Mila Shepherd as she is tasked with locating Astrid Oake to deliver a package from the late Elizabeth Quemener. Mila is drawn into a trial that spans generations and geographies, with plot twists that keeps you guessing.

The pace was a little slow in the beginning, but it builds toward a suspenseful ending, while leaving lingering questions for future stories.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for this ARC.