A twisted mystery full of secrets, lies, and murder..

Book Review of The Island House by Amanda Brittany 3.5/5

Hello, my friends, I hope your having a beautiful week!
I’ve been seeing a lot of really great October reads floating around lately and I don’t know about you but I’m excited to be adding so many new reads to my TBR.

Today’s book was one of those ‘the cover caught my eye’ kind of situations and I guess I didn’t really expect much beyond a decently interesting—albeit predictable—distraction, which it was, but it was also more than that.. So if you’re looking for a who-dun-it mystery with an ending you won’t see coming, you’ll want to check this one out.

Enjoy!

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The Island House by Amanda Brittany

Publication date: August 11, 2021
Pages: 256
Genre: Psychological Fiction, Thriller
Standalone

First line: Jan Walker steps into the inky darkness of the lobby at Flynn House, a musty smell snatching her breath away.

Alice grew up in a bubble.
Her father, a bestselling author worth millions, kept them cushioned from his success under the protection of a pseudonym.
Now he’s gone, the victim of a hit-and-run, and his identity has been revealed.

The intrusion into their lives and privacy eats at Alice.. but when she receives a strange photograph, one that looks eerily familiar to her, she begins to wonder what else her father may have kept hidden.

An island house, cut off from the world.
Strange dreams.. or are they memories?
A cast of unlikeable characters.
Murder.

What is the connection between this unsettling place and her own murky past?
Will she survive long enough to find out?

Three and a Half Stars

Characters: Unlikeable.
Storyline: For the most part.. Intriguing.
Pace: Pretty good.
Writing: Intelligent.
Cover: 4/5

POVs:
Alice. Verity. Leon. Tiger. Hugh.

Dual timeline.

About the book:

An old house surrounded by the sea.
Only one road leads in and out.. and only when the ocean allows it.
Should any dare to enter after hearing of its secrets and stories they’ll surely feel the unsettling atmosphere, a sense of disquiet, almost as though the house wishes to be left alone..
And if you dare to climb the stairs to the old attic room, you may just hear echoes from the past, locked away and dreaming.

My thoughts:

I wanted to enjoy this book more than I really did, in fact, I didn’t expect to rate this book very high at all.. but sometimes, some books, have one of those endings that just bring everything together in a way that surprises you,
Did I like the main character? No. Did I like any of the other characters? Not really. But the story didn’t care.
You’re lured into a false sense of surety here. ‘I know what’s going on,’ you’ll tell yourself and, I’ll be blunt, you’re probably wrong.

This is a great (but mostly predictable) mystery..
The main character experiences a tragedy that triggers a series of events leading to a need for answers.
A random but well timed invitation to a strangely familiar house.
An unpleasant group of characters who also received invitations begin to get picked off for reasons that aren’t clear.
Our confused main character discovers some kind of disturbing connection to the house.
A terrible storm cuts off any communication with the mainland and help.
And nearly anyone could be guilty.

It reminded me of They Did Bad Things by Lauren A. Forry
(and it may be because I just watched the movie but I also got a ‘I Still Know What You Did Last Summer’ vibe)

The Island House is the first book I’ve read by this author so I didn’t really know what to think at first.. Now?
I’m curious to see what else she has up her sleeve and will be looking forward to reading more from her in the future.

Thank you for checking out my review, I hope you enjoyed it!
Stay safe out there and may you have an amazing reading month.

What’s your favorite mystery?