By: Keri Beevis
Narrator: Shakira Shute
ISBN: 9781835335758
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Publication Date: 10/14/2024
Format: e-book
My Rating: 4 Stars (ARC)
Pre-order the BRAND NEW pulse-pounding, psychological thriller, from the international top ten bestselling author of The Sleepover and The Summer House
How well do you really know your husband?
Two years ago, my whole world was ripped apart when my husband and best friend were killed in a car accident in Norfolk. Since then, I've struggled to come to terms with my overwhelming grief and to understand why they were together in Charlie’s car that fateful day.
I know I can’t carry on with my reclusive lifestyle, hiding away, alone in this big house. I have to find a way to start living again.
Following a friend’s advice, I sign up to a reputable dating site, IntoYou. She tells me it’s the perfect way to meet someone, and when I quickly get a match, I believe she is right. I am surprised how easy this is.
But it seems I have a lot to learn. Anyone can hide behind a computer screen, using the sinister mask of anonymity. It seems by exposing myself I've attracted the wrong kind of attention.
Strange things start to happen in my life and shocking secrets come to light. Evil is watching me and it is connected to my past.
Will I see the danger before it’s too late?
The thrilling read for fans of Freida McFadden, Claire McGowan and Lisa Jewell.
My Review
Bestselling author Keri Beevis returns following Nowhere To Hide with her latest twisty psychological dark thriller, THE COTTAGE BY THE SEA proposing an ongoing question, 'how well do you know your husband?' This question sets the stage for a gripping tale of mystery and suspense.
Everything begins to unravel when the past collides with the present, and dark and sinister secrets emerge.
A marriage built on lies. A house built on secrets...
About...
Set in Norfolk, England, we meet Harper Reed, a 37-year-old widow and author of romance (romcom) novels. Now, she is trying to write her own love story. Words were her day job, and she wrote two novels a year, but her personal life is currently not one for the pages.
Her friend, Megan, had met her husband online, and she is encouraging her to set up an online profile. She has not dated since her husband was killed in a car accident with her best friend two years earlier. She never really had closure. Now, it seems the internet and social media are the main ways people meet.
Her house was now her prison, and she needed to start living again. Her first step was to get a dog, Bailey, a black cocker spaniel. She and her husband had always planned to start a family, so they purchased the large remote home and moved to Norfolk. She now wanted a second chance.
Now, she was registered with IntoYou, the site where Megan had met Tom. However, her journey into the dating world is not what she expected when things turn dark and she discovers she has a stalker.
My thoughts...
THE COTTAGE BY THE SEA is a creepy, twisty, slow-burn domestic suspense about a woman who can not understand why her husband and her best friend, Alicia, were killed in a car accident. Were they having an affair? Or are things not as they appear? An ongoing mystery about her husband's past, with unexpected twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
The dating world is not what Harper expects, and shocking secrets rise to the surface, putting her in danger. The first few dates were a disaster, one horrible man after another. Then, unexpectedly, she meets a nice doctor, Luke, who comes to her rescue while walking her dog, and he may not be who he seems.
In addition, when she is cleaning out her husband's things, she soon realizes she never knew him. Harper's worst fears are coming true. Did he have an accomplice? What secrets are hidden in the cottage and the cellar? What goes on behind closed doors the wife does not even suspect?
The novel is dark, sinister, twisted, and creepy, especially the unknown POV, turning into horror. From serial killers, monsters, sociopaths, dark secrets, sick games, obsessions, sacrifice, and murder, the narrative is filled with tension and suspense.
While THE COTTAGE BY THE SEA is not my favorite by the author, and there are no likable characters, some may enjoy traveling to the dark, crazy side. I am a fan of this author and eagerly await her next book. I have always enjoyed her earlier works and am excited to see what she has in store.
Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for a gifted, advanced reading copy for an honest review.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 3.5 Stars rounded to 4
Pub Date: Oct 14, 2024
Praise for Keri Beevis:
'Another winner from Ms Beevis. A gripping story with plenty of twists and turns'
- J.A. Baker
‘From the start I was glued - a cracking roller-coaster ride of a story’
- Susanna Beard
‘Compelling, addictive, fast-paced and chilling. I loved it!’
- Amanda Brittany
'A tense, clever and thought-provoking thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish and long afterwards.'
- Natasha Boydell
'This is how to write a page turner.'
- Valerie Keogh
'Another suspenseful page-turner from this very talented author'
- John Nicholl
'Brilliant, chilling, and unputdownable' - Gemma Rogers
'Another gripping fast paced story from the brilliant Keri Beevis.'
- Sadie Ryan
‘Beevis has created a dark psychological thriller thick with atmosphere. Cleverly woven threads pull together in a heart-stopping conclusion in this satisfyingly clever tale. Highly recommended’
- Diane Saxon
'A disturbingly chilling thriller which is completely gripping. The Sleepover is an intense mystery full of clever twists which I didn't see coming'
- Alex Stone
'An atmospheric thriller that grips until the last page. Beevis at her best!'
- Diana Wilkinson
About the Author
Keri Beevis is the internationally bestselling author of Deep Dark Secrets, Dying To Tell, The Sleepover, and the recent global smash hit, The Summer House.
Her other books include the Rebecca Angell Series: M for Murder and D for Dead, Trust No One, Every Little Breath, The People Next Door, With Friends Like These, The House in the Woods and Nowhere To Hide. She wrote her first novel at age twenty, but it was several years before she was published after winning a contract in the New Novels Competition 2012.
Born in the village of Old Catton, less than a mile from where Anna Sewell was living when she wrote Black Beauty, Keri had a passion for reading and writing from a young age, though her tastes veered more to the macabre.
Today she still lives in Norfolk, along with her mischievous kitties, Ellie, Poppy and Finn, and a plentiful supply of red wine (her writing fuel). When she’s not writing or editing or proofing or promoting, she loves movies (horror, thriller, romcom, are her go to) and live music – especially indie (her favourite band are Wolf Alice. If you haven’t heard of them, check them out). She is also big on dinner parties, exploring creepy places, and gets extremely competitive in local pub quizzes.
In 2019, Keri was signed by Bloodhound Books and her first release with them, the psychological thriller, Dying To Tell, which is set in her beautiful home county of Norfolk, went on to be a huge bestseller, hitting the top 25 in the UK and the no. 1 spot in Australia. Her second book, Deep Dark Secrets was also a top 100 Amazon bestseller.
2021 saw her move to Boldwood Books and her first release, The Sleepover, was a UK top 10 bestseller, while The Summer House was a huge global summer hit.. The House in the Woods (formerly titled The Boat House) was released in August 2023, followed by the rerelease of Trust No One and Every Little Breath in September, then top 100 bestseller, Nowhere To Hide, in April 2024.
Keri’s brand new psychological thriller, The Cottage by the Sea, will be released in October 2024, and is available to pre-order now. WEBSITE
