Lead Review (The Dream Home)

• Book: The Dream Home
• Location: Nottingham
• Author: T M Logan

Review Author: tripfiction

Adam and Jess have moved into their new home, together with their three young children, a dwelling that is right at the top end of their budget. It is a Victorian treasure and needs a lot of work to refurbish it. They have hardly had a chance to take stock, when Adam stumbles across a small room, walled off with panels and in it he finds “Just a chair and table and old Welsh dresser with a few bits and pieces”. These include 7 items such as a wallet, an old Rolex watch and an ancient phone, and these finds prove tantalising to Adam, who is a naturally curious person. He really  wants to know more about the story behind the room and the items.

Adam snaffles the watch and sells it for several thousand pounds because he has his own secrets. The couple has taken on a mortgage but he no longer has a job; he is keeping this fact from his wife.  They both decide to see if they can find the owner but once they have opened the can of worms, there is no going back and someone is clearly desperate to reclaim the items – including the watch.

Threats ensue and the family starts to feel very unsettled and intimidated.

The author is very good at setting the scene with the creaking and groaning house adding a frisson of disquiet to the newly installed family. Odd things start to happen, a dead pigeon is found on the threshold of the house, a mysterious man claims to be the grandson of the previous elderly owner and is laying claim to certain –  unspecified – items; threatening texts are sent; Adam discovers top of the range surveillance cameras. The tension ratchets up and the fear of not understanding what is going on – or who they are facing – becomes palpable and there are many twists and turns along the way. A good and engrossing story.

Nottingham is recognisable as a backdrop.

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