Synopsis
IS BLOOD ALWAYS THICKER THAN WATER?
Sally has lived in fear of her husband long enough. But after twenty years of suffering, she has been left with nothing of her own and no one to turn to – except her estranged sister, Alison.
When Alison agrees to help Sally escape, she knows she must return to the one place she was told never to show her face again – the family home – and confront her father once more.
But soon, Sally begins to suspect that all is not as it seems, and as she is forced to face the ghosts of the past, she discovers there may be secrets hidden in her own memory that are best left buried . . .
My Review
I am a huge fan of Lorraine and her work. I especially love the series featuring Detective Inspector Sterling. I read the synopsis of ‘The Family Home’ and it certainly sounded like the sort of book I have come to expect from Lorraine – a psychological thriller with more than one twist and turn. Well it was certainly that and so much more. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Family Home’ but more about that in a bit.
It’s fair to say that I was drawn into the story from the very start. I have to say that rarely have I read an opening chapter of a book that made as much of an impression on me as the first chapter of ‘The Family Home’ did. I won’t go too far into the whys and wherefores as that may give too much away. I knew when I reached the end of the first chapter that I wouldn’t be doing anything other than reading for the rest of the day because I simply had to know how the story panned out and what implications the ending would have for the main characters. I can’t say that I particularly warmed to any of the characters but that could be because I have read too much crime fiction and I believe nobody and suspect everybody. I just got the impression that each of the characters was hiding something and that they presented one front in public but a different one behind closed doors. I hope that makes sense. The more of the book that I read, the more I wanted to read and the quicker the pages seemed to turn. I was so wrapped up in the story and in the lives of the different characters that I didn’t realise just how quickly the time was passing and the speed with which I was getting through the book. All too quickly I reached the end of ‘The Family Home’. I found ‘The Family Home’ to be a gripping, tense and dramatic read, which certainly kept me guessing and kept me on the edge of my seat.
‘The Family Home’ is superbly written but then I have come to expect nothing less from Lorraine Mace. Lorraine certainly knows how to grab the reader’s attention and draw them into what proves to be one heck of a story. Lorraine clearly cares about her characters and this shines through in the very vivid and realistic way in which she describes them. She makes her characters seem just as real as you and I. I love the way in which Lorraine makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the action. Reading ‘The Family Home’ certainly felt like being on an at times rather scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with more twists and turns to it than you would find on a ‘Snakes & Ladders’ board.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Family Home’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Lorraine’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.
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