The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell

This is a much requested sequel to the psychological thriller The Family Upstairs although the story is complete and engrossing enough to stand alone as a novel in its own right.

The story opens with the discovery of a bag of bones in the River Thames. The bones have been around for around twenty-five years although their move to the the river is fairly recent. The bag also contains plenty of forensic evidence including the seeds of a poisonous plant. A detective and his partner set about finding out who the person is, what happened to them and who murdered them and placed them in the river. 

The story is interspersed with different characters at different times is a variety of tenses. Some are deeply unpleasant and their individual quirks are often quite disturbing. It is also human with elements of affection as well as guilt, longing, redemption and obsession. The characters are well rounded and easy to identify despite one who initially appears to be a very camp stereotype, but he develops into quite a unique persona with a fascinating storyline.

This is a well written book with a good pace, imagery, grace and effortlessly smooth. The plot is tight and really does hold the attention to the very last page.

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Published by Penguin on 21 July 2022.
​Advanced review copy supplied by the publisher.