The Manor House by Gilly Macmillan

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Nanny and What She Knew comes the terrifying story of what can happen after all your dreams come true.

 Be careful what you wish for...

Childhood sweethearts Nicole and Tom are a normal, loving couple—until a massive lottery win changes their lives overnight. Soon they’ve moved into a custom-built state-of-the-art Glass Barn on the stunning grounds of Lancaut Manor in Gloucestershire. They have fancy cars, expensive hobbies, and an exclusive lifestyle they never could have imagined. But this dream world quickly turns into a nightmare when Tom is found dead in the swimming pool. Nicole is devastated. Tom was her rock. And their beautiful barn —with all its smart features that never seem to work for her—is beginning to feel very lonely. But she’s not entirely by herself out there in the country. There’s a nice young couple who live in the Manor itself along with their middle-aged housekeeper who has the Coach House. And an old friend of Tom’s from school has turned up to help her get through her grief. But big money can bring big problems and big threats. Was Tom’s death a tragic accident, or was it something worse? And is her life in danger as well? Nicole’s beginning to feel like a little fish in a big glass bowl. Surrounded by piranhas.

Paperback, 336 pages

Published November 7, 2023

 by William Morrow

4/5 stars

I was fortunate enough to attend an author event with Gilly Macmillan during her Canadian tour following the release of The Manor House. 

From the first pages I pulled right in as Nicole makes the shocking discovery of her husband Tom floating lifelessly in the pool.  Nicole and Tom, recent lottery winners, seemed destined for a bright future until tragedy struck.

What follows is s story told from many POVs, it wasn't hard to keep straight as each was uniquely flawed though compelling and not really that likeable.  I found myself particularly drawn to Tom's perspective, seeing what actually happened that morning.  This was a story filled with red herrings, twists and revenge.  I was kept on my toes and actually read the last half in one day, the suspense was real folks.  My only reason for stopping with 4 stars is that I found parts of the ending, while satisfying, to be rushed to the point of being unbelievable.

All in all, an addicting read that was hard to put down, it kept me guessing trying to connect the dots.

This book was part of my 2024 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge.

The Long Weekend by Gilly Macmillan

Three couples. Two bodies. One secret.

Dark Fell Barn is a “perfectly isolated” retreat, or so says its website when Jayne books a reservation for her friends. A quiet place, far removed from the rest of the world, is exactly what they need.

The women arrive for a girls’ night ahead of their husbands. There’s ex-Army Jayne, hardened and serious, but also damaged. Ruth, the driven doctor and new mother who is battling demons of her own. Young Emily, just wed and insecure, the newest addition of this tight-knit band. Missing this year is Edie, who was the glue holding them together until her husband died suddenly.

But what they hoped would be a relaxing break soon turns to horror. Upon arrival at Dark Fell Barn, the women find a devastating note claiming one of their husbands will be murdered. There are no phones, no cell service to check on their men. Friendships fracture as the situation spins wildly out of control. Betrayal can come in many forms.

This group has kept each other’s secrets for far too long.

Paperback, 336 pages

Published March 29, 2022

by William Morrow

4/5 stars

Sometimes, for no other reason then, a eerie cover will cause this reader to do an impulse purchase and that is what happened here. Though I was a tad nervous that this book would be another one of those stranded in one place with a deranged serial killer on the loose the whole time,  thankfully it wasn’t. 

The Long Weekend is a twisty dark story that spans over a couple of days. There is a lot going on with quite a few POVs but after a while it was not hard to keep track of who was who and the different relationships. It did got off to a slow start, but just after the half way mark I could not put this book down. The story was intriguing, the mystery creepy, that location dark and spooky. I read the last third of this book in one sitting, I had to know what was going on. I will confess that I had to suspend my belief a few times as more things continued to happen even right down to the very end. But still an entertaining suspenseful read that was a perfect fit for this long weekend here in Ontario.

Gilly McMillan is not a new author to me, while I enjoyed her book The Nanny I enjoyed this one much more just for the tension, suspense and a fun but dark read.

This book was part of my 2022 reading off my shelf challenge and takes the honour of being book number 50

Review: The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan

The New York Times bestselling author of What She Knew conjures a dark and unpredictable tale of family secrets that explores the lengths people will go to hurt one another.

When her beloved nanny, Hannah, left without a trace in the summer of 1988, seven-year-old Jocelyn Holt was devastated. Haunted by the loss, Jo grew up bitter and distant, and eventually left her parents and Lake Hall, their faded aristocratic home, behind.

Thirty years later, Jo returns to the house and is forced to confront her troubled relationship with her mother. But when human remains are accidentally uncovered in a lake on the estate, Jo begins to question everything she thought she knew.

Then an unexpected visitor knocks on the door and Jo’s world is destroyed again. Desperate to piece together the gaping holes in her memory, Jo must uncover who her nanny really was, why she left, and if she can trust her own mother…

In this compulsively readable tale of secrets, lies, and deception, Gilly Macmillan explores the darkest impulses and desires of the human heart. Diabolically clever, The Nanny reminds us that sometimes the truth hurts so much you’d rather hear the lie.

Paperback, 400 pages

 Published September 10th 2019

by William Morrow

****

This book has been on my radar before it was even released, not just because of its interesting cover but also an author that I have been hearing good things about and have never read before.

The Nanny is what I would call a slow burn, meaning it is not a fast-paced hang onto your seat type of thriller but rather the author slowly weaves the past to present day.  It is well written with characters that are flawed, each with ghosts haunting them and the secrets, oh the secrets!  The plot had a number of twists and turns, very much a whodunnit that kept me guessing with its unexpected twists and turns.

So another author that I get to explore more of their books.  The Nanny is a book I recommend to those that love a mystery that is hard to predict and one that kept me glued to the pages. 

This book was part of my ‘2019 reading off my shelf’ challenge and obtained by SweetReads in my October box.