It was everything they wanted, and more than they bargained for…
Adam and Jess move into a new house with their three young children: a rambling Victorian villa in a nice neighbourhood right at the very top of their price range. Before long Adam discovers a door hidden behind a fitted wardrobe, concealing a secret room . . .
Inside Adam discovers a collection of forgotten items: a wallet, an expensive watch and an old mobile phone. Jess thinks they should simply throw them away. But Adam resists. He is fascinated by these items and how they came to be inside the hidden room.
But like the house, Adam has his secrets too. And soon he will find himself setting in motion a series of events that will place his family in terrible danger...
I'm delighted to be sharing my review of The Dream Home today. Huge thanks to T.M. Logan and Eleanor Stammeijer from Zaffre Books for my beautiful hardback copy of the book and for providing another copy for an exciting giveaway. I'll reveal more and explain how to enter after my review.
I have recurring dreams about finding a secret room in houses but thankfully they're nothing like the room Adam finds – so if I start having nightmares instead now, I'll know who to blame...! T.M Logan is described as the master of the up-all-night thriller and The Dream Home certainly lives up to that billing. This is a seriously addictive book and as well as being packed with twists and turns, it compels its readers to question what they might do in the same situation.
Some of Adam's choices are undoubtedly unwise and although he is the protagonist here, he is concealing his own secrets from his family. When he comes across a hidden door behind a wardrobe in the Victorian house he and his family have recently moved into, he briefly has cause to believe he has given himself some breathing space. An older house naturally has a fascinating history and it isn't surprising that Adam should wonder what stories its walls could tell. However, what first appears to be an intriguing curiosity which captures his imagination actually turns out to be something far darker.
We all have that drawer containing a random collection of objects kept "just in case" and at first that seems to be the case with the items Adam finds in the tiny room but why would somebody board them up? As it starts to become evident that the objects might hold the key to solving the truth about decades old mysteries, it is also alarmingly obvious that Adam isn't the only interested party. Adam is a flawed character but the choices he makes are explained, particularly as events snowball beyond anything he could ever have imagined. As Adam and Jess start to feel their dream home is actually a nightmare, it's clear that somebody is terrifyingly determined to get what they want – at any cost – and one of the many strengths of the compulsively plotted narrative is the unnerving sense of doubt that T.M. Logan kindles about several of the characters. Events of the past and present collide in the most shocking manner as Adam's quest to uncover the truth leads to several rivetingly tense scenes and heart-stopping cliffhangers until eventually the dreadful revelations result in a terrifying climax.
As well as the deftly nuanced characterisation and pacy, gripping plot, the sense of place is excellent throughout. The house itself is superbly imagined, becoming increasingly oppressive as the story progresses. Meanwhile, although this is a fictionalised version of the historic Park Estate in Nottingham, the essence of this quiet, affluent area is richly realised and the ideal setting for a thriller which so unsettlingly explores the hidden darkness behind apparently perfect facades.
Compellingly suspenseful throughout, The Dream Home is a brilliantly nerve-shredding psychological thriller. I highly recommend it.
Giveaway is open to UK residents and closes on 20th March 2024 at 11:59pm GMT. Good luck!
The Dream Home is published by Zaffre Books and can be purchased from bookshop.org, Hive, Waterstones, Kobo, Amazon or ordered from your favourite independent bookshop.
About the Author
Tim’s latest novel, THE DREAM HOME, is about a family who move into a rambling Victorian villa and slowly come to realise that their ‘forever home’ has a very dark past indeed… It was published on 29th February 2024 and is available now in hardback, e-book and audiobook.
THE MOTHER is a twisty tale of deceit and betrayal, of redemption and revenge - the story of a woman wrongfully convicted of the very worst crime and her fight for justice. The Mother is a top ten bestseller and is out now in paperback, hardback, ebook and audiobook.
His thriller THE CURFEW was also a Sunday Times bestseller, as was TRUST ME - described as ‘Everything you want from a thriller, and more...’
THE HOLIDAY was a Richard & Judy Book Club pick and spent ten weeks in the Sunday Times paperback Top 10, as well as hitting the #1 spots on Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks and Kobo. It has since been made into a four-part TV drama starring Jill Halfpenny and currently available on Netflix UK. His novel THE CATCH, about a father who becomes convinced his daughter is about to marry a man with terrible secrets, was also adapted for TV starring BAFTA-winner Jason Watkins and is also on Netflix UK.
His debut thriller LIES was one of Amazon UK's biggest ebooks of 2017 - winning a Silver Award at the Nielsen Bestseller Awards - and was followed by his second standalone, 29 SECONDS (2018).
He lives in Nottinghamshire with his wife and two children, and writes in a book-filled spare bedroom of his house.
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