Once again I’m linking up again with Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea who hosts a post every Tuesday for people to share the first chapter / paragraph of the book they are reading, or thinking of reading soon. Diane is currently on a summer break but I have decided to carry on regardless because these are some of my favourite posts. I see others are doing the same – if you are, please leave a link to your post in the comments so that I don’t miss checking out your reads.
I’m also joining in with Teaser Tuesday, hosted by The Purple Booker, where you share two teasers from your current read. I read a lot of these posts over the course of an average Tuesday so thought it would be fun to join in here too.
So, after a very long intro, this is what I’m reading this week…
Eleanor, Richard and their two young daughters recently stretched themselves to the limit to buy their dream home, a four-bedroom Victorian townhouse in East London. But the cracks are already starting to show. Eleanor is unnerved by the eerie atmosphere in the house and becomes convinced it is making her ill. Whilst Richard remains preoccupied with Zoe, their mercurial twenty-seven-year-old lodger, Eleanor becomes determined to unravel the mystery of the house’s previous owners—including Emily, whose name is written hundreds of times on the walls of the upstairs room.
And here’s how it starts…
London, 2013
It was there from the beginning, the day they first saw the house. Eleanor noticed the smell first. It wasn’t unpleasant, just strong; the smell of age, of yellowing, of brown-grey, of damp. It was persistent – not the kind of smell you could get rid of or, she thought, get used to.
And here are some teasers….
“The day after it was decided, Richard made his way home with a rare bubble of elation rising inside him. He had been ambushed by spontaneous bouts of happiness since they’d moved”
and
“That evening, she went back to Litchfield Road and listened to Eleanor and Richard argue about Tupperware. It was so bland, she became perversely curious and then found herself taking sides”.
What do you think – has this whetted your appetite to read more?
Emma x
Find on: Amazon UK / Amazon US / Goodreads
One Readers Thoughts 
I was so disappointed in this one.
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Oh no! Though I did see lower than I normally like stars on goodreads so you might not be the only one.
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Yay! Welcome to the Tuesday Teaser – lovely to have you. I like the start of the book and the premise – are you enjoying it, Emma? My TT this week is about women of a certain age… https://sjhigbee.wordpress.com/2017/07/11/teaser-tuesday-11th-july-2017/
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So far I haven’t started…it’ll be started tonight though so fingers crossed.
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Good luck!
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I love stories about mysteries in old houses. But that smell would definitely creep me out. Thanks for sharing, and here’s mine: “THE CHILD”
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Yes the smell does sound creepy doesn’t it…dead bodies?
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May I just say how much I love that cover? More importantly, back to your question… yes, I’d be persuaded to give this a try, if only to discover why Emily’s name makes such a sinister appearance 🙂
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Me too…another I picked for that more than anything. I have a feeling there will be lots of secrets to uncover here. I hope they are good ones.
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That second one was funny. I’d keep reading it. Wanted to let you know your link didn’t work over on The Purple Booker. I found this from your home page.
My TT from The House On Devil’s Bar
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You have definitely whetted my appetite on this one! Now hurry up and finish it so you can tell me if I should read it not! As soon as I seen people in books buying old houses I’m in and I can never resist if they decide to figure out the history of the house!
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It’s about to be started. My mom has already read it and liked it a lot so as we have similar tastes. I love old houses too..though I am always thinking there will be ghosts.
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Hi Emma,
Despite some very mixed ratings and reviews, I think I am hooked on this one and that eerie cover art, which is so in keeping!
I’m not a big fan of old houses and personally wouldn’t live in one by choice, especially not one with a built-in lodger and a smell!
Some great excerpts and thanks for sharing 🙂
Yvonne
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Know I saw the star ratings…I try not to read anything on books I’m going to read so I can form my own opinions but I do hope it lives up to the creepy element…maybe it’s just the books I read but smells automatically make me think there is something dead under the floorboards!
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I want to do this meme. I hope you enjoy it. Happy reading. 😁
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You should….it’s one of my favourites.
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Looks interesting and I love the cover, but I don’t know if it’s my style. I’d give it a try though. Thanks for visiting my Teaser this week!
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I like the cover too. It’s a bit slower going than I hoped so far but I am still enjoying it.
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