3.5 stars, rounded up
The Heights tackles a mother’s anguish over the loss of her teenage son. The book starts on an outrageous note. Ellen Smart is at a client’s apartment when she looks across to another apartment and sees a man on his roof terrace. A man she recognizes but yet can’t accept is there. Because she knows he’s dead.
Ellen is a hard woman to like. Initially, I could relate to her struggle on how to rein in her teenage son. But after his tragic death, she goes totally off the rails, refusing to accept that her son had any issues of his own. She decides to go after the young man she holds responsible for her son’s death. When she sees him again, after his supposed death, she goes completely bonkers. She is totally obsessed with getting revenge for her son. To be honest, I was surprised that the men in her life continued to stay with her or in touch with her.
I liked the perspective of the story. Ellen is in a writing class and is relating her story on the written page. We also get blurbs from a newspaper article told by a reporter also in the class. In the second half, we are given the perspective of the father of her dead son. I liked that we saw events from both POVs.
The book is fast paced and kept my interest. Louise Candlish has been called “the queen of the sucker punch twist”. I didn’t find the various twists to be all that surprising and I had figured out the first. But I didn’t expect the ending and was pleased that it was believable.
My thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this book.

The perfect read for escaping the winter doldrums. Might be even better on the beach! The cover features a blurb from Ruth Ware: “Louise Candlish is the queen of the sucker punch twist,” which caused me to request it from Net Galley, and she certainly did not disappoint. Ellen Saint’s character takes many twists and turns throughout her tortured quest to find justice (perhaps wreak justice would be more accurate) for the murder of her son. Throughout her journey I found my perception of her change from sympathy for the grieving mother to annoyance with the dangerous psychopath, with a few stops in between. A very satisfying read, made all the more so by Ruth Ware’s predicted sucker punch at the end. This is my first Louise Candlish novel. It will not be my last.

The Heights is a story about hate and how it can become an all-consuming obsession.

Ellen Saint is working at a client’s home when she sees a man standing atop a roof terrace across from her. A man that she was confident she would never see again. Why was Ellen so sure, you ask? Because she killed him just over two years ago.

That’s all I shall say about the plot.

As is the trend these days, this suspenseful story has multiple POVs, parts, and timelines.

Ellen’s sections were the most exhausting to read. Supposedly, she’s a nice person, but the reader hardly ever witnesses it. The object of her hate was still legally a minor when her obsession began.

In one of my other recent reviews, I stated that that was the slow burns of all slow burns. I take it back - this might top that one. The first three parts were slower than slow, made even more so by Ellen’s single-minded focus.

With most books, I will generally prefer one timeline over another. And that was the case here. I enjoyed the more recent timeline over the one leading up to it.

The final quarter was a doozy. This is where everything started to get juicy, and the pace finally picked up. While I guessed some of the twists, I didn’t get them all. Some of the final twists were quite clever. The ending made me bump this up to 3 stars.

This was my first time reading Louise Candlish, and I will be keeping a lookout for future books.

I recommend this book to those wanting a slowly plotted suspense that could also be considered a character study.

Thank you to Atria and Simon & Schuster Canada for an arc provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Top-notch thriller with Rear Window vibes from the current queen of Thames-land suspense.. Well-drawn, complex characters, innovative storytelling, excellent scene-setting.

This is the third book I've read by this author. and it won't be my last. This is a suspenseful story of obsession and revenge. While reading the point of view of one character I felt empathy and compassion for her. Then another POV was introduced which made me question if my empathy and compassion was for the wrong person..
Just when I thought I had the ending figured out---another plot twist..
Well written enjoyable read.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

The Heights by Lousie Candlish is a superb read with an engrossing plot and vibrant characters. Well worth the read!

Louise Candlish is one of the best Thriller authors writing these days. Like the female equivalent of Alfred Hitchcock, she weaves a tale that is both cinematic and breathtaking at the same time. Suspense indeed.. thrilling definitely. Excellent!!!

I've read books by Louise Candlish so when I saw that she had a new one coming, I added it to my TBR and looked forward to its debut. Last week I received a message inviting me to read it early and I had to jump right in. I don't even remember what I was thinking about reading on the weekend because when this landed in my lap, I could not put it down! 

I won't spoil things but the story of Ellen and her grief over the death of her son turned into revenge fuel was a riveting story. She and her son's father, Vic narrate this tale and it was like navigating a slalom. If you enjoy an unreliable narrator (I do), this may be for you. I really enjoyed that! The tension was ramped up and in the last third, I wasn't sure where or how this was all going to end. The pacing was very well done and I also liked how online/media crusades were played in the story. Very timely and thoughtful. There's a final twist here that was almost too much but I decided not to squint too hard and let my credulity vault me over a moment to reader bliss. Whew! It was a ride and made my reading weekend! One caveat, you may not want to read this one in bed, the ending had me totally awake and took a while to come down and drift off to sleep. Worth it, though.

I'd of course read another by Candlish and I'm glad that I was able to read this sooner than later. I saved this to my TBR under the UK cover, I received a copy with the US cover. I've kept it under the original because I just like that one better.

"Kieran Watts had been dead for over two years when I see him standing on the roof of a building in Shad Thames."

Did you read The Other Passenger or Those People? Then you know that Candlish can spin a mind-bending tale that keeps readers guessing. Famous for her novels centered around a moral dilemma, Candlish takes you on a haunting and nail-biting journey of tragedy and revenge as she explores a family torn apart in the aftermath of a toxic teen friendship.

It all started the day her golden boy, Lucas, befriended the new boy at school. What started innocently soon developed into a parent’s worst nightmare. The toxic friendship became the Saints' obsession as Lucas’s grades plummeted, his behaviour verged on criminal and he started pulling away from his family. On a mission to keep her son from Kieran Watts, Ellen Saint shows us the ferocity of maternal love.

Delivered so cleverly, the structure of The Heights is essential to the pace of the story. It’s split into three parts and written in 3 points of view. Readers are first introduced to Ellen Saint as a student who is sharing the traumatic events as a writing assignment for female victims of crime. Then readers become aware of the newspaper clippings which covered the incident. Finally, the point of view switches to include Lucas’s father. As readers progress through the story they become aware of untrustworthy narrators, the unreliability of crime memoir, and the horror of a Chappaquiddick form of accidental death. It’ll cause readers to struggle with who’s telling the truth and who’s responsible. The plotting is impeccable and the increasing tension mirrors Ellen’s anger.

Using unlikable characters, Candlish examines parental control, anger and revenge. She incorporates a fear of heights, ‘high place phenomenon,’ to ramp up the tension between characters. How ironic that Ellen, a lighting consultant, is trained to bring light to dark places and yet she brings darkness to the world around her.

The title is both a play on the extent parents will go to protect their children, as much as it is a play on ‘l’appel du vide,’ the condition Ellen suffers from. Optioned for TV, this is a novel you’ll want to get your hands on.

I was gifted this advance copy by Louise Candlish, Atria Books, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

The first part of the book dragged for me, but i supposed it was a necessary set up to show how overly involved she was with her son and his friends. This is one of those nothing is as it seems types of books and while a bit of it I guessed overall it was interesting. Told both in the past time and in this book she was writing about what happened.

Tightly plotted tale of teenagers whose friendship goes awry causing their parents to act out in many inconceivable ways. THE HEIGHTS is filled with red herrings, misdirections and characters that are just plain unpleasant but author Louise Candlish keeps the tension high as this tawdry tale unwinds. This book is difficult to put down and not entirely believable but definitely tense. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

I wasn’t even sure I was reading the correct book and double checked myself because of the writing. It’s different and curiously perfect.

This is a story of hate.

How do you react when you see someone you thought, no believed, was dead? For Ellen, there are many reactions and with good reason. She is a woman hell bent on righting the wrongs she believes have been done to her family. But what if the truth she believes isn’t exactly the truth? The problem is, she can’t get all the details she needs, so she becomes a one woman steamroller on a mission.

A definite must read!

Wow this book had me at the edge of my seat the tension was giving me anxiety!!
Ellen Saint was working with a client, when she glances over at the other apartment building called The Heights, she’s shocked it can’t be, she sees a man named Kieran Watts who ruined her life and her families when her son Lucas died and she knows Kieren did it . It can’t be him because she had him murdered! As we follow along while Ellen tells her story , of what led her to want Kieren dead. Ellen explains how Kieran came into their lives in 2012 he was knew to the school and lived in a foster home, Kieren soon becomes good friends with Lucas who begins to neglect his studies fail tests and start partying more. No one sees the darker side of Kieren, not her husband Justin or the daughter they share Freya, Lucas father Vic sees what’s happening but thinks Ellen is taking it to an extreme. One night her worst fears happen, when Lucas is killed in a terrible accident and Kieren is the only survivor and she believes he left Lucas in the car to drown. So Ellen is determined for revenge and to show everyone how evil Kieren is, so she’s shocked when she thought he was murdered after he disappeared so how is he on a roof of a penthouse apartment? This book shows the extent a mother is willing to go for revenge for her child but how far is to far? Four stars!

Cricker Crocker Cracker Jacker 😯😳🤯

I will say the first third of the book was a bit slow and kind of iffy on holding my interest, but as soon as I hit 1/3 through, holy cannoli did things change and my first dropped jaw moment occurred. Ellen had a son, Lucas, with Vic long before she ended up meeting & marrying Justin. They also ended up having a daughter, Freya. When Lucas was a teenager, he got to know a new schoolmate, Kieran. They became fast friends, to Ellen's dismay. One night something happens that sends Ellen and Vic into major thoughts and talks of something destructive. 2 years later, as they all try to get on with their lives, Ellen comes across Kieran in the most unsuspecting areas and places he could ever be. It couldn't possible be him, could it? And if so, what in heavens name happened before?! This book was dark, deep, twisted and crazy for a ride. I personally haven't read anything like this premise and I gobbled it up like Black Forest cake! You will not believe the surprises, jaw-dropping moments along the way. Ho-hum-dingers! Keep this on your radar folks, another one by Louise that is deliciously dark & moist.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #atriabooks for this #ARC!
Release date: February 28, 2022

I give this 4 / 5 snowflakes! ❄️

Interesting but not really my cup of tea. Well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. You would recognize this person anywhere - yet they shouldn’t be there. Because you killed them. So. The only question is - is it them, or are you going crazy? And who do you go to? I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was slow to begin and doesn't pick up until after the half way mark. Wish parts could have been taken out to make it shorter and faster pace. Kiernan and Lucas become friends. Kiernan is a foster kid and quickly leads Lucas astray and his parents are not thrilled they are hanging out.

This book brought out the momma bear in me as like Ellen I would do anything to protect my kids and made that part of the book so relatable.

Wow, Louise Candlish NEVER disappoints. I flew through this book because I needed to know the next steps to the mysteries of the Saint family and how Keiran fit into it. The writing style screams with emotion and I feel distraught and a need for revenge alongside Ellen Saint, a mother trying desperately to keep her boy safe from a friend who may not be quite right. With each part of the story opening further and you begin to understand that not everything is as it seems and you wonder if how you felt was justified. A rollercoaster of feels. A jarring end. A story of one families quest to overcome and heal, no matter the cost. So good!

Thank you Netgalley for this arc

I honestly struggled with this one. I was attracted to the description, especially the part about there being an evil child. The premise was intriguing and the events of the story had the potential to make an excellent thriller. The beginning was ok but I just never really got into this. I found that the middle especially dragged on and on with a lot of information presented that did not seem relevant to the plot. I feel like this could’ve done with some serious editing.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Atria Books and Louise Candlish for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Amazing! Loved it and will for sure be reading more by this author! Will make sure to tell others about it as well!

Oh Louise Candlish, you saucy little minx!

I have been fortunate to score advanced copies of nearly all of Candlish’s books and every single one has been a big win for me. I’m happy to say The Heights is no exception. The premise here is “lighting designer” Ellen Saint is doing a walk-through of a new client’s phat pad when she sees something that is quite impossible on the terrace of the neighboring building . . . . a dead man come to life. Ellen knows he’s dead, because she’s the one who made it happen. Even though she’s made this mistake in the past she is certain it’s him this time. What follows is the story of exactly what happened between Ellen and this man, told via a little fourth wall breaking . . . . Then things take a little twist.

And that’s all you get. I love this author so much that I even gave a pass to my arch nemesis – the dreaded face cover. But then even that made sense in a sort of homage to Kim Novak in Vertigo.

So delicious.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!