Buyer Beware
This suspense novel by Catherine Ryan Howard asks: Does your house have a story to tell?
Haunted by her past, the charming home at 1 Delaney Row promises Ellie a fresh start. But the first night threatens that. Frightening incidents in her new home, coupled with her backstory, leave Ellie torn between asking for help and living in terror. From break-ins to property destruction to suspicious neighbors and a suspicious stain beneath the new carpet, Ellie’s hopes of staying under the radar and safe in her new home quickly unravel. But taking matters into her own hands and attempting to unravel the house’s backstory only put a target on her back.
I liked this book, but it took me a bit to make sense of the structure. The flipping back and forth between timelines was fine and intriguing, but the cryptic name switch and number of characters threw me off at first. To avoid a spoiler alert, I won’t elaborate.
The premise is certainly unique. How the two protagonists—Ellie and her house (if you will) are victims of something more sinister.
The notion that stigmatized properties can come with a bucketload of issues if the buyer isn’t aware of and comfortable with the past is unsettling. But it makes for a great story. Catherine has created a fun and suspenseful read on this premise.
Image and Book Courtesy of Simon & Schuster and NetGalley
