Be careful what you wish for…
Childhood sweethearts Nicole and Tom are a normal, loving couple—until a massive lottery win changes their lives overnight.
Soon they’ve moved into a custom-built state-of-the-art Glass Barn on the stunning grounds of Lancaut Manor in Gloucestershire. They have fancy cars, expensive hobbies, and an exclusive lifestyle they never could have imagined.
But this dream world quickly turns into a nightmare when Tom is found dead in the swimming pool. Was Tom’s death a tragic accident, or was it something worse?
Nicole is devastated. Tom was her rock. And their beautiful barn —with all its smart features that never seem to work for her—is beginning to feel very lonely. But she’s not entirely by herself out there in the country. There’s a nice young couple who live in the Manor itself along with their middle-aged housekeeper who has the Coach House. And an old friend of Tom’s from school has turned up to help her get through her grief.Â
But big money can bring big problems and big threats. And is Nicole’s life in danger as well?
Nicole’s beginning to feel like a little fish in a big glass bowl.
Surrounded by piranhas.
Release Date: Nov 7, 2023
Publisher:Â HarperCollins
Imprint: William MorrowÂ
Price: $14.99
Nicole and Tom Booth have literally hit the jackpot when they win the lottery. Nicole carefully manages their winnings, but the couple does build a custom house located on a peninsula between England and Wales. The neighborhood is upscale, and their glass home is next door to the Manor House that Nicole knows from her childhood. All their money can’t keep tragedy from striking, though, and one day, Nicole finds Tom dead in their swimming pool. She turns to her neighbors at the Manor House, Sasha and Olly, and their housekeeper, as well as an old friend of Tom’s. However, it seems like several people are keeping secrets, which could put Nicole in danger.
I love the premise of this book. The first few chapters start slowly but set up a tense, foreboding atmosphere. The story is told from multiple points of view, mixed in with journal entries from five years in the past from a woman with an unknown tie to the current events. Everything eventually all comes together, but as you’re reading the book, the journal entries interrupt the flow of the narrative about events going on in the present. Things continue to slowly build, but then things pick up when several plot twists occur. The author does a great job in creating characters so vivid that I had a strong, negative reaction to a few of them. This shows how skilled the author is. However, I still found some parts of the story hard to get through because the actions of a couple different characters are so appalling. The ending is surprising and satisfying in this imaginative thriller.
~ Christine
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