INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A GOOD MORNING AMERICA COVER TO COVER BOOK CLUB PICK “Rich, dark, and intricately twisted, this enthralling whodunit mixes family saga with domestic noir to brilliantly chilling effect.” –Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author “A haunting, atmospheric, stay-up-way-too-late read.” –Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author From the New York Times –Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author
From the New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone comes another page-turning look inside one family’s past as buried secrets threaten to come to light.
Be careful who you let in.
Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.
She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well–and she is on a collision course to meet them.
Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.
In The Family Upstairs, the master of “bone-chilling suspense” (People) brings us the can’t-look-away story of three entangled families living in a house with the darkest of secrets.
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Lisa Jewell has done it again — rich, dark and intricately twisted, this enthralling whodunnit mixes family saga with domestic noir to brilliantly chilling effect.
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell was one of my favorites so far this year. I’ve read several of her other books, and for me, this one is the best yet. I devoured the book in two chunks, one larger read in the afternoon and the other shortly before bed. I couldn’t fall asleep for at least an hour as my mind continued to process everything that had happened in the complicated and messy (in a good way) tale.
There are 3 main voices in the novel: Lucy, a runaway/homeless mother of two; Henry, the son of a former rich couple who fell for a scam; and Libby, a 25-year-old girl who inherits a house from the biological parents who committed suicide nearly a year after she was born. As the stories unravel, we begin to understand some of the connections between the three protagonists; however, in true Jewell fashion, what you know is not quite what you know. The lines are blurry, the connections are misleading, and the identities often change. If you just look at the shell of this book, Libby is a sweet and wonderful girl in search of the truth, Henry is quirky and possibly a little crazy, and Lucy is either truly down on her luck or causes her own pain time and time again.
That’s only the beginning. Lucy acts the way she does because of what happened to her as a child. We don’t know all the details, but it’s easy to judge her in the beginning. While I still think she should’ve been partially punished for some of her actions, all-in-all, she definitely suffered more than any human should. Libby is 100% faultless… and she’s the kind of girl I’d like to be friends with (before or after the money, in case you were wondering!). Henry… well… that’s complicated. Sometimes, he seems very attractive. Others, I think he might try to kill people because his brain is just a little different than the rest of ours. Was he a victim of his circumstances? Was he properly punished? Do we truly know the whole story, or only the parts he wanted to share with us?
This was the kind of book that leaves you puzzled in a good way. There is a lot left to a reader to decide. Jewell has written a defined ending, and we know what happens to everyone, but… there’s some doubt as to which version of the truth we want to believe. The relationships between Phineas, Lucy, Henry, Finn’s sister, the various moms and dads living in their lives, and the people they meet along the way are dark and deceptive. It’s a perfectly complex family drama that really hit the sweet spot for me.
Of course, there were a few areas I wasn’t 100% thrilled with, e.g. where did Julian go? why did Henry Sr. have so many strokes? how did no one discover the murders going on? I can suspend that bit of disbelief, but overall, it was inconsequential to the whole of the story for me. The writing style and tone are superb, thus I can only trim away a partial star. 4.5 from me… and I’ll definitely be reading more of the author’s novels in the future.
Your hands quake. Your breath fades. Your heart wallops your ribs. Medical emergency or Lisa Jewell novel? Few writers of psychological suspense devise such swift, slippery plots; fewer still people their stories with characters so human and complex. The Family Upstairs glitters like a blade and cuts even deeper.
I don’t often close a book and say “brilliant”, but that’s exactly what I did when I set down Lisa Jewell’s latest. What a story! I read this in one gloriously long evening, captured from page one, and now I’d like to get it on audio and experience it again. A superb, insidious, compelling, compulsive read.
This is my first Lisa Jewell book and I am definitely a fan of her writing. She brilliantly creates the perfect amount of thrill, chill, suspense, and that eerie atmosphere that will keep you glued to this book and ignoring everything else going on in your life. I had this book with me wherever I went. The book is brilliantly written and told in multiple POVs that will have you immersed in the story and the suspenseful drama that is slowly revealing itself.
The story follows Libby Jones who at the age of 25 inherits an abandoned multi-million dollar mansion in the coveted Chelsea neighborhood around the Thames area in London. She is bound to learn the truth about herself and the family that she came from. What she may not be ready for is learning who she really is and the macabre murder/suicide scene where she was left in, when she was only an infant, untouched.
I love how the story slowly unfolds while learning about Lucy and Henry’s history and current living situation. Their life gets turned around as their mother allows these new friends to take advantage of her and her family – slowly infiltrating their home and disrupting their once lovely family and life. It is quite the story with some surprises that caught me in the end that makes for a very entertaining and fantastic read for me.
I highly recommend this book for those who want a wonderful domestic thriller and suspense read that is every bit chilling and disturbing.
I’ve just raced through the brilliantly dark and disturbing The Family Upstairs. Absolutely couldn’t put it down, it’s so good!
What a great page-turner! A creepy old house, characters that are sympathetic yet not totally reliable, and plenty of twists make this an entertaining read.
Fantastically Thrilling!!
Wow! This book! I was completely and immediately immersed! I could. NOT. STOP.
Each and every page had me captivated!!! These characters are so real. The Family Upstairs is twisted, creepy, and brilliant!
This was my first Lisa Jewell novel, and it absolutely won’t be my last. I’m buying more of her books right this moment.
What a fun read! I was curious how all the disparate characters were going to come together, and somewhere in the middle, they did. The most compelling was Danny, who seemed to get creepier by the minute. Good twist at the end!
I always love adoption stories, being adopted myself. This thriller takes us through what happens when a woman turns 25 and inherits a mysterious house…
I read it in one sitting. Totally captivated. So dark and cruel and yet still somehow still bearable because her characters are—as ever—amongst the most fascinating anyone ever writes.
A haunting, atmospheric, stay-up-way-too-late read. I was desperate to uncover all the twisting mysteries inside The Family Upstairs, layer by tangled layer. Eerie, suspenseful, and completely consuming.
A twisty and engrossing story of betrayal and redemption. Reminiscent of Donna Tartt in scope and quality.
A stunning psychological thriller with a horrific, yet all too believable, family story at its centre. Full of atmosphere and menace. I was gripped from the first page.
Read my full review on the New York Journal of Books: https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/family-upstairs-novel
I’m a big Lisa Jewell fan, and the Family Upstairs did not disappoint. I won’t go into detail about this psychological thriller that I think came together marvelously in several POVs. It was not predictable and there were a few twists I didn’t see coming. I was however disturb by one element, but it’s so minor it only irked me a moment. All I can say, is I highly recommend The Family Upstairs. I’m moving on to another Lisa Jewel book.
The Family Upstairs is a highly entertaining and creepy read. Author, Lisa Jewell, has fast become a favorite author of mine.
Loved the way this intriguing story unfolded, bit by captivating bit. A weird tale with a fascinating cast of characters. Lisa Jewell is a fabulous writer and story teller.
So good. After two dismal thrillers, I loved this page turner. Jewell surprised me twice with twists. And that ending! I’m really hoping there’s a sequel.
Another great, slightly twisted, compelling read! Who is Libby! What is the story with the house she inherited? Who are the people upstairs? I enjoyed this book, I wasn’t really sure where it was going and it kept my interest. There were a few unexpected twists and turns but overall a very satisfying read. I’m a big fan of Lisa Jewell and can’t wait for her next book!