What is exhilarating about this novel, is that it takes place during a time when the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are working hand in hand so as to find out what happened to the missing people such as Paula’s mother, who had mysteriously disappeared during the Troubles. Some of the missing people were believed to have been captured by the paramilitaries, while other people believed that the missing people had decided to run away. In this installment, Paula’s family is not the only family that has lost a loved one. Apart from Paula, we are also introduced to other pivotal characters such as Paula’s boyfriend, Aiden who is in charge of the local newspaper. Aiden’s father who was the editor and the owner of the newspaper was murdered because the IRA were not happy with the stories that he wrote. And then the last 10% happens and goes downhill from there. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement. I felt a sense of betrayal, like the author has made an unspoken promise to me that isn’t fulfilled. That the big build-up was all just a ruse for me to be late for work the next day. I mean, how can it start strong and ended like that?? It was hurried, messy, nonsense, and a little too convenient. Big thanks to Claire McGowan and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions! After Helen is practically given the cold shoulder in town and heard strange references to her property, she begins to look into its history. And almost wishes she had not. There’s a reason (if you can call it that) why there are such disturbing items in the house and why people are wary of the place – it belonged to a murderer! A witch sliced her victim’s throat in the forest and somehow simultaneously murdered two girls miles away. Now Helen really freaks out and is determined to get out of that house. Her first novel, The Fall, was published by Headline in 2012. She has also written a series of novels about the forensic psychologist Paual Maguire, which currently consists of The Lost (2013), The Dead Ground (2014), The Silent Dead (2015) and the novella Controlled Explosions (2015). There are three more novels to follow in the series. This crime series has been optioned by BBC Drama.

So for most of it, I was leaning toward a Honda Civic Reliable three. The writing was whatever, but the plot was kinda interesting and I liked the different threads that were being woven together. We're pottering along, reveals are being revealed, and suddenly a gigantic sink hole opens up around the 75% mark and swallows up the plot and all logic. BRUHHH I've never had a book tank this viciously in a hot minute. So here we are, at a generous 2. So obviously there were some plot holes I couldn't quite get over... but putting that aside this was a decent thriller. I didn't guess the ending - which I have a very bad habit of doing. But the ending did seem very rushed and I had to reread many parts to see if I just read that right. But I did enjoy plenty of the other plot twists along the way that kept me wanting to read more. I liked this story, don’t get me wrong. It had an interesting premise and creepy vibe. I liked how the narrators fleshed out the story slowly and provided some good twists along the way. I really like character Janna and her sections. The ending was satisfying but the final chapter by Margaret was quite sad and dark. The combination of a creepy house and elements of witchcraft makes for a thrilling premise in this book. Although the ending felt rushed and left something to be desired, the inclusion of these eerie elements adds to the overall appeal. While some readers might prefer shorter chapters, this book consisted of five longer chapters. However, it's important to note that this preference is a personal one and does not reflect any shortcomings on the part of the author or the book itself. Despite these minor critiques, the story as a whole was enjoyable. From the bestselling author of What You Did comes the story of a young couple who are about to discover that in a house full of secrets there’s nowhere to hide…

Publication Order of Paula Maguire Books

It's a sad day Goodreaders, but I have misplaced my Kindle. My husband and I (yep, I unchained him from the basement to elicit his help) tore apart the house, but it seems to have grown legs and sauntered on out. It's tired of the abuse! LOL. So, without my Kindle, I don't have all my handy dandy ranty notes... gonna have to activate my brain and do this one from memory. I was 100% on board. Everything unwinds slowly and carefully. I even stayed up until the early hours of the morning, despite having to get up early for work the next day. Claire McGowan was born in Northern Ireland in 1981. She grew up in a village where the most exciting thing that ever happened was a herd of cows getting loose in the road. She now lives in slightly more exciting London. The story is told from the perspective of each couple, detailing their move from the city to a remote island.

The book description had me intrigued from the start; A house full of secrets, sinister dolls, and a triple murder, sign me up. Did the book fully deliver everything it had promised me? Sadly, no.

Publication Order of Anthologies

Her unease only deepens after renovations begin, when the builders find sinister dolls hidden in the walls. As Helen digs into the house’s past, she discovers that the previous owner was not only rumoured to be a witch; she was also imprisoned for a brutal triple murder thirty years earlier. I honestly can't believe this is the same author who wrote I Know You? What's being going on with these last two books? Halp. For Helen and George, the remote fixer-upper in Cornwall was supposed to be a dream home, and a way to leave behind the problems they’re both running from. But something about the place feels wrong from day one. And why does Helen have a creeping feeling she’s seen this house before? So, I saw Let Me In, literally break bookstagram this week and of course I didn’t want to feel left out so I requested it on Netgalley . This book took me a hot minute to get through, because I cannot concentrate on reading for the life of me. ANyways, it started off promising in comparison to her last stanker Are You Awake?. Suspicious things were occurring, and I was invested in the lite witchcraft storyline. Don't worry, there's no supernatural stuff involved.

This was an awesome book involving murder, poison, and family secrets so how can you not love that? Helen and George have moved to Cornwall and begun renovations on a very old house. But from the moment they begin, there’s trouble. Oh, there are the usual careless builders who break things, show up early without warning, etc. But then they find a doll hidden in the wall, strange jars buried in the yard, and other creepy discoveries about the place. Soon after there’s an accident with one of the workers, and Helen’s about ready to leave. But George has a secret about this house and he can’t leave, yet. He has work to do.The Dead Ground is the second installment in the Paula McGuire book series. It begins from where, The Lost, the first installment had left off from. The protagonist, Paula McGuire is still a forensic psychologist who resides in the small town of Ballyterrin, North Ireland. Paula lives with her father, who is a former policeman, while at the same time she is still chasing the ghost of her mother that has constantly been haunting her. With that said, Paula is an exceedingly likable character, who made lots of mistakes, with Aiden O’Hara, the newspaper owner, and DI-Guy, her boss. However, despite the number of mistakes that Paula has done, she still has work to do, considering the fact that a baby has been snatched from the hospital and everyone is racing against time to locate the missing baby. Apart from having the theme of pregnancy, this book also has the theme of missing babies, which proved to be both compelling and disturbing at the same time.