Let Me In

Product Information

We publish a Literature Newsletter when we have news and features on UK and international literature, plus opportunities for the industry to share. 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. Cue the little magic ding ding in my inbox and I see my big ole eyes get wide as I stare at my approval ! Yay ! I’m still a cool kid ! We always think we want to know secrets, but what we forget is that they come with their own weights, heavy as millstones, and if you aren’t careful this weight can crush you.” This is a hard book for me to rate, as overall I did enjoy it, but there were so many things I didn't like!

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 . 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…Claire McGowan is a well-established author who penned her first book in her native, Rostrevor when she was only nine years old. When penning her first novel, McGowan was still in primary school, and she admits that the novel was not interesting at all. 19 years later, McGowan wrote her first novel, The Fall, which ensured that she made a name for herself in the Northern Ireland’s list of top notch writers. According to McGowan, her first novel, The Fall was completely a surprise to her because when penning it down, she completely had no idea that she was working on a crime fiction novel. This is mainly because Claire McGowan believed that crime novels were mainly whodunits and detective novels. However, later on, Claire McGowan discovered that there were so much involved in the crime fiction genre.

This was a well written thriller with a little eeriness added to it with the isolated setting, witchcraft, murder and secrets. The husband and wife had their good qualities but something about them made me kind of dislike them too. The best character in this and by far the most likeable was Janna, the convicted killer of three murders decades ago. This keeps you on your feet and we'll invested in the story. I would of liked a little more from the epilogue but otherwise a great read. Four Stars. One might question Helen's decision to go along with the move without seeing the house or understanding what challenges awaited her. It seems she sacrificed everything to accommodate George, who can come across as rather foolish. This dynamic adds depth to the story, providing intriguing material for the unfolding events. The strength of their relationship is now at stake as they face the mysteries lurking within the house. 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. 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.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 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. There are lots and lots of other characters, all of whom are just as bad if not worse. No spoilers but you’ll roll your eyes so hard at who the killer turns out to be. 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.

This is a book with both characters you will love to hate but also love ! Filled with twists and turns at every corner, the amount of suspense kept me on edge the entire time ! I flippin’ loved this book! 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.I love creative POVs, and this one is particularly interesting because it provides a perspective that is both impartial and biased, personal and detached. It also starts the story with a heavy dose of foreshadowing that immediately interested me. 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. Big thanks to Claire McGowan and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions! The story is told by multiple POVs. I enjoyed seeing the story unfold from each characters point of view. I think Janna’s storyline was my favorite; Probably held the meat of the story. With only 5 chapters, the story dragged at times; maybe this will change with the final book.

The ending left me feeling a little meh, and was comical in parts. I had already figured out the whodunnit, which is always disappointing in a thriller. 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. 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. British Council complies with data protection law in the UK and laws in other countries that meet internationally accepted standards. My inner devious child peeked out this week and I got a bit jealous ! Whoa! I would love to say that is unlike me but who am I kidding. I can be a jealous brat 🤗All across the USA, people are showing up dead. The deaths don't appear to be connected in any way until one particular death occurs and gets the Secretary of Defense's attention. He arranges for a task force to investigate. 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. 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.