This was such a creepy read that had me hooked, it definitely gave me chills! I read it very quickly too.

When Allie's boyfriend, Rory, fails to return from a work trip & there is no contact from him at all, she reports him missing. Rory has been her mainstay & support since Allie lost her parents in a car crash & blamed herself. Suffering from anxiety, Allie has to come rely on Rory for almost everything. Now he has disappeared & the police think she may have been involved, whilst shockingly a young couple turn up out of the blue & Allie learns that Rory had arranged for the flat to be rented out for 6 months.

Allie now has to leave the flat so she heads to an isolated cottage on the outskirts of a small village in the Slieve Bloom mountains with just their dog, Finn (note - Finn is perfectly safe throughout the book), for company. Originally bought as a future home, the cottage is run-down & has a reputation for odd happenings. When Allie moves in, she notices that one room is always stone cold & at night strange tapping noises emanate from it.

Making a few friends in the village helps Allie cope with waiting for news about Rory & she starts to look into the history of the cottage. Her world is shattered again when Rory's car is found submerged at the end of a pier, but the body inside turns out not to be Rory's. What happened to Rory & did she ever really know him?

After a slow start, this one grew on me & I really enjoyed reading it. Allie starts off as a character where the reader is unsure whether they can trust her version of events, but as time goes on, the reasons for her anxiety & actions become clear. The narrative is from Allie's point of view & also several chapters from the police officer on the case, Suzanne. It was well thought out & the historic plotline dovetailed nicely with the present-day one. I worked out some of the conclusion but not the full picture of what was actually going on. Recommended if you like slow-burn thrillers with a paranormal edge. 4.5 stars (rounded down)

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Little Brown Book Group UK/Cornerstone, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

TWs: death of a parent, mention of suicide, miscarriage, birds

Well... this was the book that kept on giving. We begin with Allie as she is waiting for the return of her partner, Rory, who has been away for work. But he never arrives. She contacts those he was with and they both say he left before them and that they are both home already. She eventually reports him as missing and the Garda start to look into it.
But then their solicitor calls and tells her that they have now completed the purchase of the cottage they were buying, mixed emotions, and that Rory had rented out his flat, where they were currently living, and that she has only a few days to vacate and, I guess, move into said cottage, horror.
So she does, Raven Cottage is a bit (very) run down, and isolated. And for reasons stemming from her childhood she does not drive. But she has no choice... she has to make the best of things...
And then Rory's car is found, along with a body...
Oh My Days. This book was brilliantly plotted and the way it changed tack seamlessly several times as it progressed was genius. I'd love to wax lyrical about some of the things that most impressed me but, spoilers! I can say that Raven Cottage is a bit spooky, and has history from a previous inhabitant, Eliza, who was a very interesting person, shall we say! And we get to know her through Allie's writings.
I guess it helped that I connected with Allie right from the start and our bond only grew as the story progressed. She is a bit complex and I think misunderstood and brought out the mothering instinct in me. But she is also stronger than she thinks...
And the ending, when it came, well... if you asked me from the start where we would end up, I would never have thought it'd be there! Not at all... but it worked, it really did. In fact, the only bad thing about the whole book was the fact that I had to say goodbye to Allie and others who I had rather become fond of along the way.
I understand that this book is the first stand alone by this author who is better known for her Inishowen Mysteries, which I have now added to my TBR! My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early ebook copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was a super solid thriller and I absolutely loved it. Starting out, the missing person mystery was very intriguing. I really connected with our main character and felt sympathy for all her struggles. Like every other character in the book, I was invested in finding out what happened to her boyfriend, it was indeed a mystery.

But where it really picked up was when she moved to the cottage. I felt like the author really did well in painting a picture of everything. The story never lost my attention which I really appreciate since this was a slower burn. The atmosphere and vibes were great. I found myself not really missing our main plot point surrounding the mysterious disappearance of Rory as that seemed to take a backseat to the history of Eliza and the haunted cottage. It was a great lane change.

As we wrap up I will say overall this book was a whirlwind! Especially the last 25% or so. I had so many theories and it kept me guessing, when the twist was revealed, I admit my flabbers were gasted!

I recommend!

tap
tap tap
tap tap tap
yeh you got me from their really. this felt real. it felt like it was right next to you and in front of you and behind you! it was a thriller that entered the mind and made it fearful. but brilliant because of all those things!
ive not read this author before and why ever not i hear myself asking myself all the way through this read.
i felt like their were too many things going against our main character. i mean hello? how much should one woman take in her lifetime.
she suddenly lost her parents. then tried to heal and in doing so thought she met the love of her life and could carry on. then he suddenly vanishes. and then she has to move out as he has let out their home. so in alarm and fear and feeling unearthed again she tries to once more find a new life. and blimey any on of these things would floor me so i dont know how she did it. but she did. and once again she finds a place for herself. at the home they were going to arrive at in some point in their future.....all good right.... the end rihght? haha the thriller aint done thrilling yet. nope, because just then her husabnds car is pulled from the end of the pier. and inside is the body.
...
...
nope wrong the body ISNT his. and so what begins is a slow revealing of secrets and lives and just who and how this man was. and what will come next for our Allie. i have to admit this one shook me alot. but in all the great ways a choice of book like this should do.

There Came A-Tapping by Andrea Carter is a gripping psychological thriller that blends suspense, mystery, and a chilling atmosphere. The story follows Allie, a woman still reeling from the loss of her parents in a car crash during her teen years. She has found some stability in her relationship with Rory, but when he suddenly disappears while filming a documentary in the West of Ireland, Allie’s world unravels once again.

When a couple unexpectedly arrives at the Dublin apartment she shares with Rory, claiming to be the new tenants, Allie is left confused and distraught. Why had Rory sublet their home without telling her? And, more importantly, where is he?

Desperate for answers, Allie retreats to the eerie Raven Cottage in the Slieve Bloom mountains, a place she and Rory had once dreamed of moving to together. As she starts to rebuild her life in this remote location, she begins to find a sense of independence. But just as she begins to believe she might be able to move on, she learns that Rory’s car has been found submerged at a pier, with a body inside that isn’t his. This discovery forces Allie to revisit her memories and question everything she thought she knew about her relationship with Rory.

Carter crafts a tale that is as much about emotional turmoil as it is about suspense. The tension between Allie’s grief and the mystery surrounding Rory’s disappearance keeps the reader hooked. The haunted setting of Raven Cottage adds to the eerie atmosphere, heightening the sense of unease throughout the book. Allie’s journey of self-discovery is compelling, and the twists and turns keep the mystery unpredictable until the very end.

There Came A-Tapping is a chilling thriller that will keep readers on edge, blending elements of suspense with a haunting atmosphere to create a truly captivating read.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

This novel had me in its grip from the opening chapter portraying a female sat in a Dublin apartment watching the clock and checking her phone nervously, her partner having failed to arrive home after leaving Galway several hours previously.

Shortly after the disappearance of partner Rory, Allie is forced to vacate their Dublin apartment and move into an isolated cottage they'd bought together in the Slieve Bloom mountains, the legally binding purchase having been signed off prior to his disappearance.

Tense, atmospheric and chilling this was a compelling read from start to finish. New surroundings, new friends and a run down cottage that creaks and whispers with all the history and folklore of its past. I questioned everything and everyone. A good solid read thats totally recommended.

Due for publication Mar '25 - My thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK for the early read, I was under no obligation and all opinions expressed are my own.

Having enjoyed Andrea Carter's Inishowen series, I was looking forward to reading her first standalone, and my anticipation was rewarded by a gripping and interesting mystery. Both thematically and in terms of some of the events, it reminded me of Weyward by Emilia Hart - but I liked There Came A-Tapping much more, finding it a richer and better written book. The style of writing also recalled one of my favourite Irish thriller writers, Catherine Ryan Howard. Highly recommended.

Allie's life has not been easy since her abrupt loss of both parents, so meeting Rory , and she is looking forward to implementing their plans for the future.

Except Rory goes missing. And then Allie discovers that he has apparently sublet their home! Forced to find alternative accommodation for herself, Allie soon discovers that the truth behind what has happened might be even more sinister than she suspected...

This one is a thriller that is also a chiller - the sense of fear that permits the story is quite effective transmitting itself to the reader. It gets 3.5 stars. If you are looking for a dark and atmospheric read this might be one for you.

Allie lost her parents in an accidemt diring her teens and has always struggled without them.

She meets Rory and finally feels like her life is heading the right direction ... but.. is it.... She soon finds out she has more questions than answers and wonders if life with Rory was actually real.

This is a creepy tale. It is pacy and at times I had to remind myself to breathe.

It is tense and is a read that keeps you guessing about what is going to happen next. I bloody loved it..