The premise of this book lured me in. It is original and I had high hopes: after a controlling and cruel mother dies, her two adoptive daughters are left with a strange inheritance. The beautiful blonde Lisa gets the whole estate, the difficult and headstrong Connie only gets a dilapidated shack in New-Mexico. The exact place where her half sister disappeared 20 years ago and where a serial killer was active. Interesting stuff, for sure !

What put me off at the start was the writing style with chopped up sentences. It felt like the author has been writing down some erratic thoughts instead of putting her ideas into sentences. I must admit that the writing style improved a little the further I got into the book. But then that positive was offset with the direction the plot went. That very tantalizing premise just went haywire and some big no-no's of the genre were delivered on a plate: identity fixes, explanation of what's happening every two sentences, ignoring very obvious solutions to problems , etc... At the end, I was left with so many questions! I will not put them here to avoid spoilers, but there were so many loose threads that the whole fabric just fell apart. I am sure that many readers will love the twists and unexpected turns the story takes, but it just wasn't for me.

A sincere thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and the author for an advance copy in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Little Red House is a first time read by Liv Anderson, new author to this reader. After reading the description, I thought I was going to engage in a good mystery/thriller, however it was not what I anticipated. This story just did not capture my attention and I put it down a few times. Unfortunately, this was not my cup of tea and did not complete the read.

Excellent! So far my favorite book of the year. Loved the timeline! Little Red House just keeps you guessing, I just couldn’t put this book down. Your book will surely be a number one seller.

I really did not enjoy this book until about the last quarter of it. It was full of unlikeable characters doing unlikeable things. I was drawn in a bit to the mystery but found myself not rooting/caring for the main character at all. There were far too many random sex scenes that just seemed like they didn’t fit. I was intrigued enough with the “who is the killer” question to finish but I checked my progress often (uggghhh I’m only at 47%?!) to see when it was going to be over. I will say, the twist at the end was a good one and one I did not see coming. I also liked the final scene… but overall this was just a depressing story that I could have lived without. Thanks NetGalley for the copy in exchange for my review.

View my YouTube Review here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilEmnr-dNgY

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A novel about a pair of sisters who are raised by a cruel, sadistic mother. After she dies, secrets come to light.

I received a complimentary ARC of Little Red House by Liv Andersson in exchange for my honest review.
Wow! This book had me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning, I just couldn't put it down. The plot was so well developed and the characters you either loved or hated.
I definitely would recommend this book for anyone who loves a thrill ride!
Eve Foster had a daughter named Kelsey, who ran away to New Mexico and was never heard from again. Eve always believed that she was murdered by a serial killer who frequented that area of the country, but Kelsey's body was never recovered, but there was never any proof.
Eve also has two adopted daughters, Lisa and Connie. Lisa is the favored daughter who is doted on, while Connie was oftentimes the victim of Eve's sadistic cruelty. When Eve passes, she leaves the bulk of her estate in Vermont to Lisa, while Connie gets a meager stipend and a small property with a run down red house on it in New Mexico. The house comes with a caretaker who lives in a shack in the property as well and is quite mysterious. Connie learns that there have been numerous women who have been murdered in the area. As Connie seeks the truth, Eve's vindictive mind games begin from the grave. Can Connie learn the truth about the serial killer and save herself and her sister before it's too late?

Great story! Little Red House is full of suspense and foreboding. I love how we get different points of view. It flows nicely. Too often, with this style of writing, the voices of different characters get lost and confusing. They were clear and easily identified.

The story follows a timeline of the past as well as present. A string of murders from the past looks eerily similar to the ones at present and all of the characters are connected. I won't say that I couldn't see the ending coming, because I did, but it wasn't in a way that made it boring. Constance is engaging and fun to read. Eve is no nonsense and a total femme fatal. She is definitely my favorite character of this story. I was a little confused by the relationship between James and Constance as it felt incomplete. I would have loved more for Jet's storyline as well. I requested this story based on the description. I wanted a story that had suspense and scare and it delivered. I read it in 2 days because I didn't want to put it down. I was not bored at any moment and that's what I really like in a book. I will be recommending this story to my friends.

Little Red House 🏘️ is a thriller suspense story.
The story swings between past and present and is nicely tied up.
The story is about Constance Foster - Connie and her adopted mother Eve Foster.
In the past time, Eve, a wealthy widow's daughter Kelsey runs away and vanished without a trace. Eve started searching for her in Nihla, new Mexico, and understands that she is the victim of a serial killer.
In the present time, Eve dies and leaves a fortune to Connie's twin sister Lisa and one little red house in Nihla to Connie.
Connie moves to the little red house and learns about the young girls are raped, physically abused, and murdered. She tries to find the serial killer with the help of the locals.
During this search, she comes to know the shocking family secrets, and finally, she meets the serial killer.
Did she survive?
Very dark, twisty, mind gaming, and a page-turner. Many chapters are mind-blowing, shocking, and jaw-dropping. The ending is a complete twist. It's a delightful read.
TW: blood, child abuse, physical abuse, rape, and violence

What a psychological rollercoaster ride. Eve is a force to be reckoned with, even from beyond the grave. Follow Connie as she sets out to undercover the mess that has become her life. Even after the evil step mother has passed away she still seems to be pulling all the strings.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

This novel has everything you want in a good mystery thriller. Wealthy Eve adopts two young girls and their lives become a twisted, macabre series of tests and cruel punishments. While one twin, Lisa, is deemed the favorite due to her meek personality, it unfortunately finds Connie as the recipient of all of "Aunt Eve's" sick minded games. Throw in a serial killer, family secrets and a creepy abandoned house with an even creepier caretaker and author Liv Andersson has formulated a great roller coaster of a story.

This was a fantastic read. I did not want to put it down. Page turner for sure. I love this authors writing style. Highly recommend.

This was a hard book to follow and to like. There is a lot going on and a lot of characters that make the story unlikable and hard to want to continue reading. I ended up skimming through it after about 40%.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this novel. I am rating this book based the stars due to lack of time to leave a full review. #NetGalley

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Crooked Lane Books and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

I felt overwhelmed by all the plot lines and characters.

Absolutely one of my favorite reads of the year. Loved the dual timeline. I was instantly hooked with the opening, a dead rich mother, one sister keeps everything the other gets a rundown red house in New Mexico. Every chapter created more questions that I had to know the answers to. I did NOT see the ending coming. Loved it, 10 out of 10 stars if I could.

“Little Red House” by Liv Andersson

Diabolical Mommy Dearest

Fraternal twins, Connie and Lisa, opposite in looks and personality, are the sole beneficiaries of their wealthy mother's estate upon her death, as they had been of her unpredictable wrath in Liv Andersson’s heart-pounding psychological thriller, “Little Red House.”

Their mother's entire fortune and New England mansion, in an irrevocable trust forbidding assistance to her sister in any way, is bequeathed to shy and scared-cat twin Lisa.

Conversely, her sister, Connie, is given a yearly stipend of $5,000 and a ramshackle red shotgun house in a bleak New Mexico town. When Connie moves, she finds her new home not only dilapidated, but a man that her mother hired to oversee the property--but not repair--living in a backyard shed. Making matters more creepy, Connie learns that young girls are being abducted and murdered in this small town, a pattern repeated from 20 years past.

Andersson’s, “Little Red House,” is a page-turner of a rollercoaster ride that doesn't let go. There are twists and turns that you may not catch until the very end. Read on to learn why Connie's cruel and abusive mother owned the little red house in this small New Mexico town and why she left it to Connie in her will.

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The Book Maven’s Journal—Reviews for Word Connoisseurs

STAR RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: “Little Red House ”
Author: Liv Andersson
Genre: | General Fiction | Mysteries & Thrillers (Adult)
Publication Date: 05 December 2022
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

My sincere thanks and appreciation go to NetGalley, Author Liv Andersson, and Publisher Crooked Lane Books for this Advance Reader’s Copy (ARC) for review.

(4.5 stars)
"She hated men's orgasms. They were not just messy, they were downright ugly." Eve Foster and her adoptive daughter, Constance are the duelling protagonists of this well-written, cohesive murder mystery. For once, I didn't hate alternate chapters, because the past history of Eve looking for her daughter Kelsey in a cliquey backwater town called Nihla in New Mexico overlaid with Connie's present day experience of the "little red house" perfectly. You will want to know what happens next in both stories, and thus not battle the author's choices to tell you in alternate chapters what happens next.

"I viewed men—nearly all men—with the same wary pragmatism I reserved for large dogs and black bears." While Eve is abusive to her adoptive daughter, she is gutsy and thus kind of likeable in her historic chapters. "Sometimes the world forces us to be victim or vixen," Eve explains to a chatty driver, adding "I will never again be a victim, so I guess that's what's left." She proceeds to eat men alive to achieve her aims. As the book goes on, you understand (though perhaps do not exactly empathise) with why: "Sometimes life is about distasteful tradeoffs."

Along with Eve and Connie's stories, the book is about a series of murders of "runaways and throwaways" in the town and surrounds, and the way it closes ranks to protect a home-grown killer. Living in the little red house, it is quickly apparent that the dwelling is somehow connected to the horror. So Connie sets out to solve the mysteries, obviously disgusted with the idea that the dead women will "be data points, unsolved murders that get filed away". Author Liv Andersson ties up all these stories nicely, without ruining the pacing of the book with a tab A in slot B type 'tying up loose ends' chapter. I'd happily pick up another book by this talented author.

The write-up for this book promised a great read and an unsolved murder mystery spanning decades. Unfortunately, I didn't find the book delivered on this early promise and I eventually gave up half way through. Perhaps it was just the mood I was in at the time of reading the book but I just couldn't get into it at all.

My first book by this author and loved it. A bit slow to start and it jumps from present to past but very easy to follow and the story quickly speeds up. No one is as they seem and a great twist at the end. Would certainly read more by liv Andersson

Liv Andersson Little Red House
What an macabre story! I honestly didn't know who to trust right til the end!!!
This story was increasingly harrowing and interesting I was not sure I wanted to find out what happened at the same time couldn't put it down! Well done Liv, you really know how to hook your readers👍