Other People's Houses by Claire Macintosh

The Hill is the kind of place everyone wants to live: luxurious, exclusive and safe. But now someone is breaking and entering these Cheshire homes one by one, and DS Leo Brady suspects the burglar is looking for something, or someone, in particular.

Over the border in Wales, DC Ffion Morgan recovers the body of an estate agent from the lake. There's no love lost between Ffion and estate agents, but who hated this one enough to want her dead - and why?

Another great instalment in this brilliant series , I love reading a book by this author . Great character in Ffion Morgan , a little flawed & not perfect but that's what makes her so great to read about , as well as being and a great DC .
Great plot , tense and a few twists .
Highly recommend .

‘Other People’s Houses’ is the latest in the DC Ffion Morgan series, based in beautiful north Wales. Ffion and Leo are still living apart but they are now officially a couple, despite the fact that Leo’s ex-wife Allie, who has remarried, is making it nigh impossible for Leo to introduce his young son, Harris, to Ffion.

Readers of the series so far will learn a great deal more about the socially aspirational Allie in this story. Desperate to mix with her wealthy neighbours on The Hill in ‘desirable Cheshire’, she becomes far more embroiled in their nefarious goings-on than she could ever have predicted, with near-disastrous consequences. Add to this a thoroughly unpleasant team of estate agents, some underhand property deals and two podcasters determined on finding the truth behind an unsolved double murder over a decade ago and it’s clear that there will be plenty to keep the reader guessing!

Clare Mackintosh continues to develop Ffion and Leo’s relationship plausibly and it’s difficult not to root for this likeable couple who are so well suited. Allie comes near to being a toxic stereotype on occasion and, whilst The Hill neighbours are all given identifying features, they are not of much interest individually. When, out of the large cast of characters appearing in this novel, the murderer is finally revealed, it’s a surprise but not an entirely crazy one.

Events right at the end of the novel suggest that the next time we come across Ffion, we’ll see her grappling with different sorts of pressures. Will they be any less stressful? Who knows? It’s likely that all Clare Mackintosh’s readers will be keen to find out though!

My thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK, Sphere for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Really grateful for an ARC of this, I love Clare Mackintosh's books and enjoyed the previous 2 DC Morgan stories. This is the best in the series so far! Really loved the two cases Ffion and Leo had, and the way they intertwined. I actually really loved Allie's POV and the naive desperation. Read the whole thing over two days, really enjoyed it.

DC Ffion Morgan is called in when a trainee from the outdoor sports centre finds a missing kayak, together with a dead body. The body is that of a young estate agent who was spending the weekend with three colleagues 'team building'.

Meanwhile, Ffion's boyfriend DS Leo Brady is investigating series of break-ins at some of the big prestigious houses on The Hill, which just happens to be round the corner from where his ex-wife Allie, their son Harris, and Allie's new husband Dominic live. The robberies are unusual in that none of the house alarms went off, all of the residents were elsewhere when the robberies occurred and the thief only took small items - often overlooking valuable items in plain sight.

As a backdrop, everyone is obsessing over a true crime podcast which has chosen to focus on the murder of a husband and wife, police originally charged and convicted a man, but subsequent evidence proved his innocence and he was given a post-humous pardon. Now the podcasters have uncovered new evidence and it seems this cold case may intersect with Ffion and/or Leo's current cases.

Its strange, I was only thinking about this series the other day, wondering if we could expect more, then a week or two later this came up on NetGalley. I love this, a good story. lots of twists and turns, some stuff I saw coming and some stuff that came out of left field. Possibly the best so far.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Wow wow wow! This is the 3rd book in the DC Ffion Morgan series by Clare and my favourite so far. For me, it just had everything. A story so intricately plotted and interwoven that I was gasping - and actually giggling to myself - out loud because it was so bloomin good; comedy moments so brilliantly written (particularly in Allie’s story) that I was hooting out loud and re-reading sections; and amazing characters - from our regulars Ffion and Leo, to the hilarious residents of The Hill, and of course the fabulous Dave the dog.

A quick roundup of the story - Someone is breaking into homes in the gloriously rich and sought-after Cheshire street, The Hill, and DS Leo Brady is tasked with looking into the crimes before another home is targeted. Meanwhile, Ffion is investigating a body found in a kayak in the lake. As they delve further into the cases, secrets and lies are revealed and The Hill starts to look less like the dream postcode it once seemed…

I absolutely loved this, from beginning to end. A gripping thriller loaded with humour and cleverness. It also made some thought provoking points about money and ‘the right/Instagram perfect things’ not being everything in life.

Everything clicked together in a way that was just genius and I kept thinking “How does she do this?!” So thoroughly enjoyable, I didn’t want it to end.

Going into this I didnt know this is technically part of a series. Luckily I don't think you need to read them in order. I do think I'd have more backstory for certain characters that played a role in this story.
But with that said I did enjoy the book. Towards the end I felt it dragged a little.
Throughout the story I did find myself losing the story at times. With so much going on and multiple characters to figure out their roles in the plot.

** spoiler alert ** New Clare Mackintosh book? Yes please
New Ffion Morgan book? YES PLEASE.


Good to be back with Ffion and Leo, and everyone else.
I really enjoyed the multiple point of view, it's always good to see how others are seeing things.
It especially helped to get into the head of Leo's toxic ex.
The crimes surprisingly tied together really well, something I wasn't sure would happen.
Some good twists, and kept me on my toes the whole way.

Very enjoyable.

Note to author, I laughed out loud at the parsnip. It's something I've noticed myself.

You just can't go wrong with anything written by Clare Mackintosh and i was thrilled to be given an early copy to review.
Fabulously written characters. I loved the snobbery on The Hill where so much drama lives.
As for Ffion and Leo how wonderful to read about there developing relationship.
So many characters, twists and turns but somehow i followed it all.
I stayed up really late to finish this brilliant book.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

With many thanks to Netgalley and Clare Mackintosh for this free arc and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.

I absolutely love this series! You always get a fabulous plot because it’s Clare Mackintosh but it’s the characters that really do make this series. Other People’s Houses is a brilliant read that had me gripped from the opening chapter and for me the best one so far. Superb dialogue adds interest and humour to this multi layered story that sees two cases collide. Wonderfully written with some good twists and an ending that did slightly have me fist pumping the air! Quite simply this is brilliant and I do hope there are more adventures for Ffion and Leo (and of course Dave!) A massive 5⭐️

Absolutely Tremendous…
The much anticipated third instalment in the DC Ffion Morgan series finds a finely woven melange of cases colliding. The Hill, a luxury street of exclusive homes in Cheshire, seems to be being targeted - but why and by whom? Meanwhile, just over the border in Wales, an estate agent is being pulled out of the lake, very dead indeed. With more suspects than you can shake a stick at in this wholly immersive whodunnit with a larger than life cast of characters, a plot which twists and turns at the drop of a hat and a gloriously well crafted backdrop. The characters are definitely key here and are so well rounded as to be completely credible and the sense of place perfection. The mystery at its’ heart becomes more convoluted as the tale progresses so never a dull moment arises. A tremendous addition to this superlative series.

I was so pleased to be granted this book ahead of publishing. Clare is one of my favourite authors and I have thoroughly enjoyed the Ffion Morgan series so far. Other People’s Houses is the best so far in this series. The story carries on Ffion and Leo’s relationship as it moves forward. The new cases they are both working and how they link together was really good. I love Clare’s writing style and how she allows the plot to develop bit by bit. Some good twists in this book which made it enjoyable and engaging.
Thank you again for allowing me to receive this as an authors wish. Just can’t wait for Clare’s next book now!