The Heights The latest book by Louise Candlish reviewed by Duffythewriter

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF OUR HOUSE, WINNER OF THE CRIME & THRILLER BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD, COMES THE HEIGHTS, A NAIL-BITING STORY OF TRAGEDY AND REVENGE

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.

Duffy’s thoughts on The Heights

There is such a surge in popularity for domestic thrillers with huge plot twists such as The Undoing, Big Little lies and of course the OG of domestic thrillers, Gone Girl. The pressure on authors to come up with a storyline after storyline that is both complex, yet engaging, with that all-important surprise twist, must get harder and harder.

The Heights pulls it off.

I couldn’t wait to read the latest from Louise Candlish as I had read a couple of her other books. Those People was enjoyable, but one of my favourite suspense reads ever is The Other Passenger. I hold that book in such high regard, that a small part of me was a little nervous to read The Heights. Would the plot draw me in? Would I buy into the characters and their story arcs?

To be honest, it was mixed. The book is split into four parts and also then and now timelines. The main character, Ellen is an over-anxious (and quite frankly annoying) parent of two children. Lucas is her biological teenage son and Freya is the stepdaughter she shares with her husband Justin. Vic, Lucas’s Dad is also heavily involved in their lives. They all just seem to be navigating the stresses of raising a teenager in a normal family setting, until tragedy strikes.

This is where it gets interesting. The plot is a slow build but as you hit the second third of the book, the story picks up pace and the reader locks in for the ride. Without giving away spoilers, Candlish’s careful development of a cast of characters that are all far from perfect begin to show their true colours. The Heights also touches on themes of injustice, drug use, mental health, and lastly manipulation, which I feel is the driving theme of this book.

I didn’t like the characters as much as The Other Passenger, however, The Heights is sharp, clever and will leave you thinking ‘what would you do?’.

Grab your copy of The Heights today and check out other books by Louise Candlish

Grab your copy of The Heights from Booktopia and all good bookshops!