My review of The Red House by Roz Watkins

I have read and enjoyed all of the DI Meg Dalton books by Roz Watkins, but this new standalone thriller, The Red House, is her best so far.

When five-year-old Celestine’s’ parents and baby brother are murdered, she tells everyone that they were killed by her brother Joseph. Joseph is later found unconscious with the gun, having crashed his car. Everyone assumes he was responsible – but was he?

A couple of decades later, Joseph is still in a coma and Celestine has changed her name to Eve. She works in a bookshop and is doing her best to get on with her life. But when her grandmother dies, Eve is forced to question the truth about Joseph and what really happened on that fateful day at the Red House.

This book is hauntingly atmospheric, and full of twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat (you’ll probably fall off your seat when you read the final, mind-blowing twist!). I was intrigued by Eve’s prosopagnosia (face blindness), and thought the condition provided an interesting and entertaining premise for the story.

The Red House is a hugely enjoyable page-turner. I liked the short chapters and multiple points of view, and I thought the descriptions of the Red House were particularly well executed. As for that final, unexpected twist. . . wow!