Publisher: Transworld Books
Publication date: ebook 1st February 2018 and paperback 31st May 2018
I saw this one doing the rounds on Twitter and jumped aboard the ‘can I have a proof copy of that pleeease?’ bandwagon (which incidentally, as a fairly new book blogger I still find strange and cheeky!). But I was lucky enough to bag myself a copy (with a cute little tiny key stuck to the front, it’s the small things that please me folks! Also it smelt amazing!!!! You bookish people get me?….I know you do).
I wasted very little time and got stuck right in. So what’s it all about?
Well, we meet William Heming, a successful estate agent with his own estate agency. He’s charming and amenable and helps many families in their quest for new homes…..however, he also helps himself to a spare copy of their keys and lets himself into their homes when they’re not around. And therein lies the problem…..well not the ‘problem’ but the basis of this story, and what a story it is!
We learn about William’s childhood where after his mother dies he is left with his father and Aunt who are in a relationship with each other. He finds solace and comfort in hiding in confined spaces and eavesdropping on the adults. He also enjoys moving things, taking things and creeping around when they don’t know he is there. This manifests itself at his boarding school too where he gains pleasure from sneaking into the other boys dorm rooms and taking small items of their belongings, little mementoes if you will.
However there is an incident at the boarding school which ultimately results in his Aunt removing him from the school and sending him off to work an apprenticeship at a family friends estate agency.
William soon discovers that he has landed on his feet in this particular job which literally hands him the keys to other people’s lives. He enjoys letting himself into their homes when they aren’t there, rummaging through their paperwork, ‘researching’ their lives. From time to time he takes a snooze on their beds, eats meals in their kitchens and always lets himself out quietly before they get home (maybe with a souvenir or two in his pocket).
When William becomes a little too closely involved with one particular family, his voyeuristic nature becomes his potential downfall.
I raced through this book as I was desperate to see what kinds of scrapes Heming would get into next and whether he was clever enough to get out of them. At times I was almost reading through my fingers! Imagine being in somebody else’s house where you absolutely shouldn’t be and hearing their key in the lock…..
At the start of the book I did think that maybe Heming was the product of a difficult, somewhat lonely childhood and actually felt a little sorry for him…..however as the book progressed I swiftly changed my mind. We slowly discover piece by piece that there were incidents in his childhood where the blame rests firmly on his shoulders. His behaviour is appalling but he’s also quite a standoffish, guarded narrator which I love. I also love the fact that he is the kind of unassuming man who can fly under the radar. But the question is just how long can he keep flying?
This is the perfect twisty turny little thriller that will have your heart in your mouth. It’s a quick, gripping read that you will want to race through.
Grab yourself a copy when you can!
See you soon
Bookish Chat xx
Bookish Chat 