The Family Remains

My Lisa Jewell bender continues! This was prime Jewell– super twisty with individual stories that weave together beautifully. And creepy characters. There’s always a bit of a creep. I did not realize it was the sequel to The Family Upstairs until I was a good way in (the book is a standalone either way so you don’t have to have read the first one) but once I realized that, it made the book even more exciting. There are three intersecting stories. First there’s DCI Samule Owusu who discovers a bag of bones on the shore of the Thames. Then there is Rachel Rimmer who has just received news of her husband’s murder (but she doesn’t seem too upset about it). And then there are Lucy and Henry (brother and sister; you may remember them from The Family Upstairs). Siblings, trying to rebuild their lives after a horrifying tragedy. Lucy is about to purchase her first home, Henry is still brooding over the boy from their past. As all three stories become increasingly intense, they weave together beautifully in a way that only Lisa Jewell can do. I read it in under 24 hours.