I would like to thank Anne from Random Things Tours and HarperCollins for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review

Published - HarperCollins

Published - 10/11

Price - £14.99 hardback £6.99 Kindle eBook

What if your dream house became your worst nightmare?

Jess and her husband need a new start. So when the chance to buy a rambling old house in the Suffolk countryside comes up, they leap at it.

But not everyone in Suffolk is welcoming. The locals know a secret about the Maple House, and soon, Jess realises they’ve made a huge mistake.

Something bad happened in that house. Something nobody wants to talk about.

Something to do with the people before…

I definitely agree moving house is stressful. My last move involved three failed buyers before I finally could settle in. Moving itself is a big deal you’re removing your place of safety and trying something new. It could and should be a fresh start to live the life you want but you’re also aware you can’t judge how the house and neighbours will suit you until after you move in. In Charlotte Northedge’s new thriller The People Before we get a tangled web of people all realising one house move is probably a step too far.

Jess, her husband Pete and their two young children have finally said goodbye to London and bought Maple House in the Suffolk countryside near Ipswich. It is though as Location, Location, Location would say a project needing huge repairs in every room, barn and tangled grounds which have Japanese knotweed to deal with on top! For Jess it soon gets daunting she has no career; her husband works late too often and the kids wish they were back home. The bills are mounting; the locals all feel unfriendly and Jess feels constantly watched.

The People Before’s strength is that we immediately suspect all is not what it seems. This house has a secret history but so do Jess and Pete. Your standard middle class London couple have secrets from each other. I liked that Jess is not sympathetic either- snobbish, dislikes to share her thoughts and constantly distracted. We get a feeling that her past has led her to this decision and now we try to work our is that behind the unease or is this house itself possibly cursed.

Into this arrives Jess’ only new friend the mysterious Eve who seems to understand her but hides her own agenda. She seems to have insinuated herself very easily now into the family home. You know trouble is coming but the fun is working out how all these secrets fit together.. I did like Jess’ very realistic feeling that she’s gone from a mother with a career to now a woman who feels she is no longer in control of her own life anymore. This I think many could relate to. The one issue though is you can immediately work out who cannot be trusted which takes some of the surprises out of the storyline

It’s a tale with lots of startling revelations to keep the reader occupied and I also really enjoyed the spooky atmosphere where these Londoners realise how away from it all they actually have now got. Overall I had fun reading this and I will watch out for what this author does in the future.