Thursday 19 August 2021

The Heights by Louise Candlish



He thinks he’s safe up there. But he’ll never be safe from you. 

The Heights is a tall, slender apartment building among the warehouses of Tower Bridge, its roof terrace so discreet you wouldn’t know it existed if you weren't standing at the window of the flat directly opposite. But you are. And that’s when you see a man up there – a man you’d recognize anywhere. He’s older now and his appearance has subtly changed, but it’s definitely him. 

Which makes no sense at all since you know he has been dead for over two years.  You know this for a fact.  

Because you’re the one who killed him.  It’s time to confess what we did up there.

‘Kieran Watts has been dead for over two years when I see him standing on the roof of a building in Shad Thames…’

 Title:  The Heights

Author: Louise Candlish

Published By: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: 5th August 2021

Links:  UK:  Amazon      US:  Amazon

WHSmith

Waterstones Signed Edition


Our Review

I've already been blown away with Louise Candlish's previous books, Our House, Those People and The Other Passenger, and The Heights certainly lived up to the high expectations of another thrilling ride from this author.

Normally I find that I actually dislike most of the characters in Louise's books but I still feel compelled to read as I love being infuriated by them followed by an intense satisfaction when they usually get what they deserve, also the plots are brilliant and full of twists and turns.

In the heights I could totally empathise with and feel the fear of the main character Ellen as she talks us through her feelings going back to when her son was asked to befriend a troubled boy at school. As the boy Keiran began to have an affect on her son's behaviour and attitude I found myself feeling more and more tense and enraged. As a mother I could totally get how she was feeling against this boy who was ruining her son's life after her bringing him up as a decent hard working young man. I think all parents at some point wish they could wrap their children up in cotton wool and protect them from the world, but we can't and this was so painfully apparent. The book described her relationships with her current partner and her ex neither of whom seem to fully understand her pain fully. I found the delve into her psyche absolutely fascinating especially as she has to deal with an unbearable loss and I was totally on her side throughout.

I felt sorry for Ellen as sometimes she appeared to be shouting into the void as no one seemed to be listening to her. It was interesting seeing it from her point of view but also from her impression of how other characters saw her which added to the feelings of frustration as it was obvious they thought she was unhinged. I thought she had every right to act as she did especially after the punch-to-the-stomach reveals that take place which just shows how much this book gets inside your head. In real life I wouldn't agree with some of the decisions she made but in the book the pull of revenge is so strong.

This book is cleverly written with unexpected twists, and sensitively but honestly portrays the raw emotion of a mother suffering heartbreak from the worst loss imaginable. I'm sure we will be seeing this on the big screen soon.

Sincerely

Book Angel x


About the Author

Hello and welcome! I am the author of 15 novels, a fact I can't quite believe myself. THE HEIGHTS is my newest - it's a twisty revenge thriller whose narrator, Ellen, has a strange fear of heights known as 'high place phenomenon'. You could say she's my most Hitchcock-inspired character yet! I can't wait for you to read it and share your thoughts.

Out now in paperback, THE OTHER PASSENGER (I call it 'commuter noir') was one of the biggest sellers of lockdown (a dubious honour), selling 250,000 copies in the UK to date. It's my first ever Richard & Judy Book Club pick and was longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award 2021, which makes me very happy.

OUR HOUSE is the book that turned my career around - right when I was about to give up. It won the 2019 British Book Awards Book of the Year - Crime & Thriller and was shortlisted for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award, the Capital Crime Amazon Publishing Best Crime Novel of the Year Award​, and the Audible Sounds of Crime Award. It was also longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award and the Specsavers National Book Awards. Filming is underway for a major four-part drama by Red Planet Pictures for ITV, starring Martin Compston, Tuppence Middleton and Rupert Penry-Jones. I couldn't have asked for more, really, and feel so proud that readers are continuing to discover it and recommend it far and wide.

A bit about me: I live in a South London neighbourhood not unlike the one in my books, with my husband, teenage daughter, and a fox-red Labrador called Bertie who is the apple of my eye. Books, TV and long walks have been my top sanity savers during recent times. Oh, and wine.

Get up-to-date offers by clicking on the yellow 'Follow' button under my pic. For more book news (and doting pictures of Bertie), catch me on Twitter @louise_candlish, on Instagram @louisecandlish or find out more at louisecandlish.com and facebook.com/LouiseCandlishAuthor. I'd love to hear from you.

Author photos ©Johnny Ring; ©Joe Lord/Archant

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