Lisa Jewell, a best-selling author who has sold over a million copies, has released a new novel that is a sequel to her 2019 domestic thriller, The Family Upstairs. The Family Remains is a novel filled with twists and turns, making it a complex and intriguing suspense novel that will surely delight fans of Jewell’s contemporary mystery work.
Review The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell
The story begins in June of 2019 when human remains are discovered in the River Thames, stirring up old secrets and a long-standing crime mystery. The case is assigned to DCI Owusu, who sends the bones for forensic analysis. The results show that the remains belong to a young woman who was brutally murdered many years ago. During the investigation, a strange clue is discovered: a bag of rare seeds from a tree that leads the team to a wealthy suburb of Chelsea and a mansion. Thirty years ago, a terrible triple murder occurred at this property, and now it is up to the present-day investigation team to finally solve this dark chapter at 16 Cheyne Walk.
As a dedicated fan of Lisa Jewell, I was excited to read The Family Remains. Penguin Books Australia offered me the opportunity to review her latest release, and I immediately accepted. As a lover of domestic thrillers, I was eager to see what Jewell had in store for her readers. However, I soon realized that this book was a sequel to The Family Upstairs, which I had not read. Nevertheless, Jewell has done an excellent job of ensuring that new readers are caught up to speed by providing a recap of the history and characters in this overarching story, along with a helpful cast list at the beginning of the book.
Jewell’s writing is excellent, with a strong line of suspense that kept me interested and on edge. The short chapter format, multiple character perspectives, and timeframes are expertly utilized over the course of the novel’s descent, making for an engaging and thrilling read. I particularly appreciated the link between the past and present, the twists, speculation, and investigative work that kept me guessing until the end.
All in all, Jewell has once again displayed her inherent ability to draw her readers into the convoluted lives of her characters in The Family Remains. The novel’s back cover warns readers to be prepared to be hooked as soon as they pick it up, and it is true!.
