That Lake. This house. His friends. They all know what happened to my boy. I know they do. And you… you have to help me find the truth.

Ten years ago, Lizzie was deeply in love with Thomas Kirkwood and believed they had a future together. But everything changed on the night of their graduation. Amidst a haze of alcohol and drugs, Thomas’s lifeless body was found floating in the Kirkwood family lake. That tragedy shattered Lizzie’s world, and she vowed never to set foot at Kirkwood Manor again.

Now, a decade later, Lizzie—now preferring to go by Elizabeth—receives an unexpected invitation. Ada, Thomas’s grieving mother, is hosting a memorial weekend at Kirkwood Manor, bringing together all of Thomas’s old friends who attended the fateful party. But this is no ordinary gathering; it’s a carefully orchestrated reunion to uncover the truth about Thomas’s death. Ada is determined to catch the killer, and Elizabeth fears she might be at the top of Ada’s list.

This gripping novel combines the allure of a locked-room mystery with the chilling atmosphere of a psychological thriller. The tension is palpable as the narrative unfolds, drawing readers into the secrets and lies that surround Kirkwood Manor. The characters are layered with complex motivations, and the eerie backdrop of the lake serves as a haunting reminder of past events.

The pacing is spot-on, with each chapter unravelling new clues and keeping the reader guessing until the very end. The author expertly weaves past and present, exploring themes of guilt, grief, and the lengths people will go to protect their secrets.

If you enjoy suspenseful, character-driven mysteries with a dark and atmospheric setting, That Lake will not disappoint. With its twist-filled plot and captivating narrative, this is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers. Highly recommended!

3.5/5.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

I really enjoyed this book and I was able to keep track of the multiple points of view, I read this book quite quickly and I look forward to more books by this author.

I’ve read a number of books by L. H. Stacey, so I have come to expect a story that strips away the civilised facade of family life that most people present to the world and takes a peek at the less shiny truth that lies behind. Despite this prior knowledge, this book took me to some unexpectedly dark places.

The book starts with a horrifying event that befell the Gilby family nine years ago in their family home, and we find out that it has had a very negative effect on the daughter of the family, Hattie, who has not been back to the house since. Almost estranged from her brothers and only occasionally visited her hospitalised mother, who has never been the same since that night, a crisis finally brings Hattie back to face her demons – and what demons they turn out to be.

Often is psychological thrillers, there are one or two suspicious characters that you can’t work out whether to trust or not. In this book, everyone is under suspicion. I can’t remember ever reading a book where the characters so threw me off course throughout, so I was never sure who I could trust and who I couldn’t, right from the very first page. Even one person who I thought was going to be the one person I could rely on for an objective view of the situation ended up with a perspective that was twisted so I wasn’t sure she was really objective. Everyone in this book has things to hide or grapple with.

It has become a bit of a standing joke that this type of book has a ‘twist you won’t see coming,’ which always flags up the twist and you see it a mile off. This book does not boast that, but I can honestly say that there were a number of things in the plot that really surprised and shocked me and were really unexpected. This book truly kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end and I raced through it in a short space of time because I needed to know what was going to happen, even though by the end I was deeply disturbed by the story. Even now, several days later, thinking about it is unsettling. That is a powerful testament to the writer.

If you like you domestic thrillers on the darker side, this one is one for you. A great example of the genre, but I do wonder if its why I have had trouble sleeping the last few days!

I usually enjoy a book about people going back home and wondering what they're going to find. The beginning chapters of this book really hooked me, with Imogen and what happened to her and her husband.

However, I soon felt lost about what was happening.

I lost interest and got very confused around halfway through. I felt that the characters weren't well developed and the writing was far too descriptive. Descriptive writing would usually make me want to continue, but it took me out of the story. There were not many visuals, so it was hard to stay immersed in it.

The plot went back-and-forth between the present moment and nine years before. The "nine years before" parts are all from Hattie's point of view. I wanted to get to know the characters more, but I found that I just didn't (not even Hattie).

I think the problem is that, for me, they aren't very well created right from the beginning. I wanted to feel for them and root for them but I couldn't.

This is my first book by L.H. Stacey, and I wanted to really enjoy it, but it just wasn't for me. The parts I did understand were predictable (except the beginning, which was gripping).

I really like thrillers and this was not a thriller as such. It was more like a mystery. Even then, I didn't find it mysterious and it was more confusing than anything.

Book 1 for Thankfully Reading 2024

2 stars

Thanks to Boldwood Books and L.H. Stacey for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.
3 likes

This was my first LH Stacey book but definitely not my last. Exploring families, their homes and money. Fantastic characters that kept me flipping pages long into the night. Dark and disturbing with killer reveals. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thank you NetGalley, LH Stacey and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I really enjoy LH Stacey's novels. This one was no exception I flew through this book perfect for a winter evening

Thanks for the opportunity to review

Another enjoyable popcorn thriller and nail biter. Best one by the author yet imo. With dual time line and multiple POVs which will leave you guessing.

Prior to now I have read several books from this author and have found them all to be enjoyable, but The Family Home is definitely my favourite to date.

It's a fast paced read that's told across dual timeline and narrated from multiple POV. The twists and turns come thick and fast as the past is unveiled; dark secrets are revealed and family lies exposed.

Whilst I found I couldn't form any emotional attachments to the characters, this didn't distract from my enjoyment the book.

I found it a powerful story of loyalty and betrayal that had me hooked immediately, the suspense was killing me, I needed answers and I needed them now!

The Family Home is an interesting thriller. It was engaging right away and moved at a pace that kept me wanting to read. Even though there were some parts that I figured out quickly there were also twists that I did not see coming.

There were some grammar issues that I found distracting but other than that I enjoyed this and look forward to reading other things by this author.

A recommended read from me..easy to follow and excellent writing style.
I will recommend to my friends

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

I just finished reading this book (it actually made me late for work, as I just had to know how it ended) so this review will be a short one!

If you are a psychological thriller fan who is looking for a truly captivating read, rife with secrets and twists, this book was written for you.

The Family Home by L. H. Stacey is a gripping story of a family’s history and it is full of dark secrets that will keep you on the edge of your seat especially as it is full of great twists and turns throughout.

Hattie Gilby has not been back to her family home since the devastating events that took place there all those years ago. These events changed Hattie so much they continue to haunt her today. Then out of the blue, her phone rings and it displays a number she hasn't seen for years..........But this one phone call changes everything.

Now, Hattie is going back to her family home to face her brothers, Adam and Luke........The main thing to go back home is to hear the last words of her dying mother.

Imogen Gilby, hasn’t spoken a word since that night she was beaten almost to death and her husband was murdered. But now it’s time to reveal the truth about what happened that night and the dark secrets that almost destroyed her.

But, Hattie isn’t sure she wants to know the truth. It seems someone close to them will do anything to make sure the secrets stay hidden forever….......But Why?

I really enjoyed this book and I loved the way this author writes.

I highly recommend it. Great Holiday read.

Big Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books for my ARC.

This had me totally hooked from page one! Imogen Gilby hasn’t really spoken much since an incident one night nine years previously that left her needing medical attention and her husband dead. It changed daughter Hattie and she hasn’t been back to the family home since ~ until now. After Hattie gets a phone call from brother Adam she returns to hear the last words of her dying mother and possible the truth about that night. Pacy, dark, twisty and totally riveting I found I couldn’t put this down. The characters, locations and events were brilliantly described and there was absolutely no way of guessing how it was all going to end! Thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the ARC

A good read that uncovers a secret that left a family destroyed, dad killed and mum beaten so badly that she has not fully recovered

Hattie is forced to return to the family home and face her brothers Adam and Luke to hear the last words her dying mother will ever speak..What she is not expecting is to hear the truth of the tragic events that changed the lives off all involved

A thrilling read

The family home by LH Stacy, when the book begins we meet Hattie nine years before her father was murdered and now her mother lives in pretty much a vegetable state or as far as Abby knows she does because she hasn’t been home in nine years. So when she steps outside of work and sees that her cousin Lou and brother Luke have been trying to get in touch with her she fears the worst she calls her cousin Lou who tells her her mom has cancer and is soon going into hospice but before she passes away she has something to tell Hattie and her two younger brothers Adam and Luke. So finally Hattie is going home. This is just the first POV in the next one we meet Sophie she married but separated from Griffin who lives right next-door to Hattie’s childhood family home and where the atrocities happened. Sophie has moved away from her friends and family to be with him and she recently has given birth to baby Noah. She is OK with them being separated but when she sees the chemistry between her husband and new neighbor she isn’t happy about it at all. Hattie also has POV‘s remembering days and years before the tragedy that also include her crush on Fin a.k.a. Griffin. They also show cousin Lou is not always the best influence and also has a Darkside. When it’s time for the big reveal by imaging she opens the little box with all her secrets only to find it empty, so this means imaging isn’t the only one who knows their secret. This is when Hattie tries to figure it out for herself and unbeknownst to Hattie there’s someone on her trail for other reasons but like any good thriller they aren’t the only ones looking for long buried secrets and not exactly the same ones. I love a good book that keeps me up until the wee hours of the night wanting to know the ending and that is definitely The Family Home. I kind of guessed one twist but was ill prepared for all of the Wham! Bam thank you ma’am‘s at the end of this book. Except for a few overly dramatic moments this really came so close to being a five-star read. So freaking good! #NetGalley, #BoldWoodBooks, #LHStacy, #TheFamilyHome,

Wow! This book is dark! It starts off as a fast paced thriller in that you just know there are some secrets in that house. However, the story very quickly becomes very dark and the secrets revealed are truly shocking. Great story and packed full of authentic characters.

Every family and every house has a secret.so the blurb had me hooked. The way of telling the past mixed in between the present hooked me in as I was determined to find put what the big secret meant for today's characters. It was also useful to via the pov see the way the chatacters evolved and their perceptions on events. I loved the way you were taken on the journey with the characters as you and they discovered the truth. I was gripped and drip fed the truth. It was shocking but sadly likely to be a reality. I cared about the chatacters. The pov were limited yo the womsn I would have loved a final pov of the father to tie it all together. It was full of twists and turns. Well developed characters. The plot is about what happened on the night the world changed for ever.
I would highly recommended this to any thriller readers although on some level this has more elements of a mystery.. I waa engrossed. I felt the ending was good but I needed something more. A pwrfect 5 star . Thank you netgallery and publisher and author.

The Family Home by L.H. Stacey

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Nothing is as perfect as it seems…

Hattie Gilby has not been back to her family home since the devastating events that took place there years ago. Events that changed Hattie and which continue to haunt her today. But one phone call changes everything.

Now Hattie is going back to her family home to face her brothers, Adam and Luke and to hear the last words of her dying mother.

Imogen Gilby hasn’t spoken a word since the night she was beaten almost to death and her husband was murdered. But now it’s time to reveal the truth about what happened that night and the secrets that almost destroyed her.

Hattie isn’t sure she wants to know the truth. And it seems someone close to them will do anything to make sure the secrets stay hidden forever…

My Opinion

Well this was a fun thriller – definitely not what I expected. L.H. Stacey has written a fast-paced novel that I sat and read in one sitting. The events of nine years earlier have been told in some chapters, these are all clearly labelled and easy to follow. Whilst some of the twists were predictable there were definitely some I didn’t see coming. For me this was a great introduction to L.H. Stacey

Rating 4/5

I was looking for a book with darker edges – and I knew I’d made the right choice when I read the rather stunning prologue as Imogen flees through the garden of her home, hoping to evade pursuit, leaving a scene of horror behind. We then learn that her daughter Hattie has returned to the family home at her mother’s request – she had moved away to distance herself both from her past and the carnage she witnessed (a bloodbath that left her father dead on the kitchen floor, her mother rendered incapable of speech). But now, nine years later and on her deathbed, her mother is speaking again – and apparently wants to share the truth about what happened that night, a mystery that has never been resolved.

Hattie’s brothers, Adam and Luke, unable to forgive her for abandoning them when they were so young, still live in the same Yorkshire village – their father was the vicar, their vicarage home falling into a state of neglect around them – but they need to try to pull together to finally put the past to rest. The story moves between past and present with particular ease – and we discover other key characters. Cousin Louisa is something of an enigma – a friend and ally to Hattie in her younger years, but perhaps not the best role model for her to follow, with secrets in both her past and present. And then there’s neighbour Griffin, once very close to Hattie, always there for her in times of trouble – but now married with a child, his wife understandably suspicious of their connection, and perhaps with some secrets of his own. The characterisation really is excellent – very real people (although none of them particularly likeable) with recognisable family relationships, small details gradually revealed and built on, preconceptions often overturned, suspicions raised about their involvement, with the truth about the events of that fateful night steadily emerging.

It is quite a convoluted story – and that’s not a criticism but a strong positive – and I really had no idea where it was going until events had played out and the many deceptions unfolded. It’s also very atmospheric, filled with tension, everything a bit oppressive at times (and rightly so) – and the story’s pacing is really excellent, edge-of-the-seat storytelling with so many shocks and touches of the wholly unexpected. And there are moments of considerable drama too – that sometimes feel like your nightmares brought to life.

Was it a book I enjoyed? That’s the wrong word I think – I certainly found it wholly compelling, and quite impossible to put down. That darkness though – I’ll admit there were times the story dipped into areas I might have preferred not to visit, things I witnessed I might have preferred not to have seen. But my goodness, the author does it so very well – this really was writing of the highest order, moving her into a quite different league.

Absolutely gripping!

Hattie hasn't returned to the family home since her father was murdered and her mother so badly beaten that she has been unable to say a word since. However, Hattie now needs to face her brothers and hope that her mother will tell them what happened before she dies Hattie wonders if she really wants to know, and it seems that someone else really doesn't want the truth to come out ...

This is a book which grabs the reader from the very beginning and doesn't let go until the very last word. Cleverly written, this one holds onto it's secrets until the very last. Thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. Definitely an author I'll be watching out for. 5* and my highest recommendation.

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