Review: The House on Rectory Lane by Stuart James

The House on Rectory Lane  - Stuart James

Self-published (19th December 2017)


ISBN: 978-1973547808


Source: Purchased


Rating: 4.5*


Synopsis:

Jake and Kate live in Camden, London and have had enough of the hassle with parking, overbooked restaurants and burglaries. After an altercation with a stranger who pulls a knife on Jake, they take their son Sean, and move to a house in the woods. It’s their dream home, or so they think. People in the village warn them they shouldn’t have come. Neighbours are over friendly and who was the face at the window Kate saw late at night? They find a DVD hidden in the loft of their new house, a home made video recording of the previous family, the Prescotts. What they view, chills them to the bone. They realise that the family living there before them have disappeared and now, they could be next......


Review:

The House on Rectory Lane is far from your typical 'house in the woods' story and has a real gripping undertone of menace that pulls you in from outset. This is author Stuart James' first novel, and shows real potential. There is great attention to detail in places, and the sense of horror in some of the characters is portrayed perfectly. This book would have benefitted from a final proofread, but that didn't detract me from the story and the final twist that I did not see coming at all! Between this book and Turn the Other Way, a later book by the same author, I can see a great difference and growth in his writing. The House on Rectory Lane is a fantastic read and if you like compelling, twisty, psychological crime thrillers, I highly recommend it.