A desperate late night 911 call. An elderly woman in distress. The sound of gunshots … and the line goes dead! The police immediately rush to investigate and discover a scene of chaos. They try to piece together what could have happened and they thought it must be pretty straightforward … but there’s no body! How do they prove that anyone’s actually been murdered?
When elderly Iris (approaching her 70th birthday) meets young Lydia McKay, it’s perfect timing for both of them. Iris is no longer able to manage living on her own, and Lydia knows that she’s useless at waitressing and is probably about to be fired from the diner where she’s working. The two hit it off instantly, and regardless of the age difference they form an instant friendship which leads Iris to invite Lydia to come and stay with her. Even better, is that Lydia comes as a package deal with Seth, who’ll be able to help with all the home and garden maintenance that Iris hasn’t been able to maintain, causing the Home Owner’s Association to be on her back, in the form of her annoying neighbour Bill.
In no time at all, Lydia and Seth are comfortably settled in Iris’s home and making themselves indispensable to Iris. They ensure her pill box is filled and that she takes the right pills daily. Lydia cooks nutritious meals and Seth tends to the garden and fixes up all the wear and tear that’s happened over the past while. He does seem to ask for cash for supplies rather often, but Iris knows that looking after a home is costly and that she’s let things slide so she doesn’t mind handing cash over whenever he asks for it. And she pretends not to see the dark looks that Lydia gives him every time.
But the comfortable set-up is short-lived. Iris is becoming increasingly anxious and forgetful. She’s convinced that her possessions are being intentionally misplaced, and that there’s a burglar entering her home and stealing from her. She’s had this feeling before and thought that having Lydia and Seth there would be a deterrent, but it’s not helping. And as time marches on, Iris’s anxiety slowly morphs into irrationality. What is really going on here?
I couldn’t put this down! It’s a fast-paced, thrilling page-turner. You might think you have it figured out, but I can assure you that you probably don’t! What made it even better for me was that none of the characters are particularly likeable. There’s something a bit ‘off’ about each and every one of them! Yes, even helpless little old Iris, Maureen the cop, who just cannot do what she’s told (I adored her!) and down-on-her-luck Lydia – who I initially knew I was meant to empathise with! It’s clever and twisty … and did I mention those unlikeable characters who are all actually quite brilliant … well, except maybe for Seth, I didn’t love him! But the rest of the bunch are quite a circus of crackerjacks!
This gets 5 stars from me. Thanks to Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read The House Sitter, and to be a part of the Books-on-Tour. Today is the final day of the tour but you can still visit all these lovely blogs to see what they had to say about the book …
Author Bio:
Forensic psychologist by day, novelist by night, Ellery Kane has been writing–professionally and creatively–for as long as she can remember. Just like many of her main characters, Ellery loves to ask why, which is the reason she became a psychologist in the first place. Real life really is stranger than fiction, and Ellery’s writing is often inspired by her day job. Evaluating violent criminals and treating trauma victims, she has gained a unique perspective on the past and its indelible influence on the individual. And she’s heard her fair share of real life thrillers.
Ellery lives in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, a picturesque setting that provides the backdrop for many of her novels. If you don’t find Ellery interviewing murderers behind prison walls or pecking away at her latest novel, she is probably at the gym landing a solid jab-cross to a punching bag; riding bicycles with her special someone; or enjoying a movie the old-fashioned way–at the theater with popcorn and Milk Duds.
Ellery was previously selected as one of ten semifinalists in the MasterClass James Patterson Co-Author Competition, and she recently signed a three book deal with Bookouture for her new Rockwell and Decker mystery thriller series. The first book is scheduled for release in 2020.
If you’d like to receive a notification when new books are released, please sign up for Ellery’s newsletter at ellerykane.com. Ellery also signs e-books on authorgraph.com.
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Purchase Link:Â https://geni.us/B09VPDY6TDsocial
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