The New Home by Chris Merritt #TheNewHome @bookouture #NetGalley @DrCJMerritt #newbook #review

 

The New Home by Chris Merritt

Published by Bookouture

Publication Date: 7th September 2021

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Book Description:

Freya loves her new home on a quiet suburban street. And her beautiful neighbour Emily is everything she’s ever wanted in a best friend. Finally, she has somebody to share her secrets with over a glass of wine. But as Freya watches her new friend setting the table for dinner one evening, she sees something shocking that makes her think that Emily’s life might not be as perfect as it seems. Days later, Emily and her daughter vanish…

When you meet Emily’s husband, you will think you know what he’s hiding.

You will ask yourself whether Emily and Freya really did meet by chance.

You will think you know what happened to Emily and her little girl the night they went missing.

But when you discover the truth, it will shake you to your core and you will lie awake at night wondering if you can ever really trust the people in the house next door…

My Thoughts:

Documentary maker Freya and fiance Jack, a hospital doctor, have moved from London to their 'doer-upper' of a property, one which Freya has great ideas for. However all her passion for making the property her forever home fizzle when she gets distracted by a more pressing desire: to find her missing neighbour and her daughter.
It's only a few months after they've moved in when Emily and Thea go missing; Freya and Emily are beginning to form a nice friendship, however Emily's husband Michael is a different kettle of fish. Freya finds him stand offish, if not downright unpleasant. But is Freya imagining the look which seems to pass between Jack and Emily when they first meet - it seems like they recognise each other. But that can't be right can it?
Frustrated by the lack of progress and police interest in the case, Freya decides to step up and be the one to seek out the fate of her friend. She sets up a social media page asking for information - but could this be leading Freya herself into danger? As the story moves along, we find out there is more to Freya's past than we were initially aware of. Jack is dismissive of Freya's concerns, the detective in charge of the case even more so. Why is nobody helping her, why don't they care?
We follow Freya's analysis of each person close to Emily, her thoughts and plans to discover the truth. I have to admit to thinking long and hard about the possibilities of what could have happened to the girls when I wasn't actually reading the book. The author certainly put enough scenarios out there as to who could have ill intentions - but I didn't see the actual outcome panning out as it did. I had question marks in my own mind about some of the characters, but bigger doubts about some of the wild accusations that Freya was coming up with. 
Chris Merritt has plotted and presented some excellent plot twists in this novel which has enticed me into looking into more of his books for the future. His characters are so nicely created that we are presented with just enough information about them to make them credible suspects but without giving away too much of their part in the plot. Everyone's a suspect!
Suspense, creepy houses and suspicious characters abound in this excellent thriller. It will have the hairs on the back of your neck standing up, I guarantee!

From the Author:

Hello! I'm a British author whose crime thrillers combine psychology, suspense, and characters you care about.

All my novels are set in London, where I live. My first trilogy starred Zac Boateng and Kat Jones, two detectives motivated by family, who tackle organised crime and police corruption. LAST WITNESS, the second Boateng and Jones book, reached #13 in the UK Kindle chart in 2019.

My second series features detective Dan Lockhart - an ex-soldier with a missing wife - and psychologist Dr Lexi Green, an American living in London. These novels are darker, more psychological serial-killer cases, with romantic relationships as a central theme.

I began writing fiction in 2014, after previous careers as a diplomat, based in Iraq and Jerusalem, and later as a psychologist working with victims and perpetrators of crime. I specialised in treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which sparked my interest in telling stories about how people cope when faced with extreme adversity.

Now, I spend most of my time writing novels and drinking coffee while *thinking* about writing novels. When I'm not writing, I love climbing and playing basketball.

You can find out more about my work at www.cjmerritt.co.uk or follow me on Twitter @DrCJMerrit