Keep It in the Family

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I kept thinking of Tolstoy’s ‘All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Authors and publishers may use excerpts and links, provided that full and clear credit is given to Short Book and Scribes and shortbookandscribes. It's perhaps not surprising that Anne has openly expressed astonishment at the fact that murder in the domestic setting is not even more common.

I could’ve given this book a higher rating but I docked some points for the fact it was more difficult to read than it should’ve been. After spending his career interviewing celebrities from the worlds of television, film and music for numerous national newspapers and magazines, he is now a full-time author. Piece by piece the mystery of this house of horrors is revealed and Mia realises that her life might be in danger. It’s intense and intricately plotted, with everyday life slotting in with secrets from the past and present perfectly. Writing a one-dimensional villain is easy, but it takes true talent such as that possessed by Marrs to craft such a mesmerising yet chilling portrayal of a disturbed individual who is both repulsive yet sympathetic.There’s a really interesting narrative structure in Keep It In The Family, with the story predominantly told from Mia and Finn’s perspectives as well as Debbie and Dave’s, from that of an unknown person and interspersed with more dispassionate transcripts that act as a contrast to the intensity of the story. Plagued by nightmares and struggling with motherhood, Mia becomes increasingly obsessed with the terrible crimes that happened in what was to be their new home. But in doing so, she is alienating her husband, and risking the fragile relationship between her and in-laws. My daughter picked this out of her box of them for me, and I read most of it while waiting to collect her from school.

What stayed in my mind the most when it came to Keep It in the Family was the debate surrounding nature versus nurture, inherited family trauma, double lives, murder, secrets and psychological tendencies.She is prepared to do anything to protect her family―but will the previous tenants stop her from discovering their secret? Rather, John Marrs illustrates to perfection the warping of values, how we justify our actions and the deep potential for evil that exists in the most unsullied of characters. I felt most drawn to Mia, my heart going out to her in particular after the events at the end of part one. But the combination of these two when I had no idea who the POV was in the timeline jumps was stressful and made it VERY hard to follow the plot or even want to keep reading.

From the first page I had shivers down my spine and was on the edge of my seat, full of anticipation at the promise of such a chilling tale.

Mia is particularly disturbed by the dark history of her home and she is compelled to find out more about the past. When a book opens with a quote from a notorious, sadistic serial killer you know it’s going to be a wild ride. A story of nature versus nurture, trauma, dark secrets, family inheritance and the past, Keep It in the Family is a mind-blowing chiller. By bidding on, or purchasing this item, you are agreeing to us sharing your name and address details with that 3rd party supplier to allow us to fulfil our contractual obligations to you. I really needed that epilogue, it did give the story some final grounding, complete with a shocking final twist!