The story started off very intriguing — a couple winning the lottery, now living in a wealthy estate with a house of opulent design — then the husband was found dead by the wife not long after. It went on investigating each of the characters’ motive and brings the reader to suspect almost everyone. I enjoyed reading it overall, however, the pacing was a bit on the slower side for me and some details were unnecessary, making it hard to sustain my attention each time I pick up the book.

The Manor House by Gilly MacMillan
Pub date: November 7, 2023

I’m a huge fan of Gilly MacMillan and her skill in creating a chilling tense atmosphere. The Manor House starts off when Nicole loses her childhood sweetheart husband to an accident. This, after their lottery win and finally affording the home of their dreams.

There’s mayhem afoot, though, and the secondary characters aren’t all what they seem, or are they? This is the beauty of the telling. I love how Gilly kept me guessing chapter after chapter. Whose motives were pure and who’s weren’t?

A thrilling plot, a chilling atmosphere, and entertaining characters make this a winner in my book!

Gilly Macmillan is an author whose new books I always want to try out, given my enjoyment of a couple of her previous works. I liked the “Manor House”, as it was a thriller with a dead body from the start that had a lot of intrigue and took some unusual twists for this genre. I found this to largely be a fun read. There were interesting characters and a story that kept my interest, but I found the story’s ending to be a little bit unsatisfying. That is what marked this story down half a star for me. 3.5 stars ⭐️ for the one, rounded up to 4 ⭐️.. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy for review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

The premise of the story is a young couple win the lottery and build the house and life of their dreams until the husband ends up dead.

The story was full of twists and turns, some predictable, but others really surprised me. The story is told from multiple viewpoints which is something I usually enjoy, but I felt at times there were too many, that didn’t necessarily add to the narrative. Overall this was a solid thriller with an interesting story and great setting. 3.5 stars rounded down.

Rating: 4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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When Nicole and Tom win the lottery they buy their aream house - a glass barn neighboring The Manor. It’s when Tom is found dead that Nicoles path really intersects with her neighbors.
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The Manor House is a very gripping psychological thriller that will have you flipping through page after page. It’s told in multiple POVs where you really get to see into the minds of these well developed characters. The changing of POV is super easy to follow too. The Manor House is also multiple timelines, the past being through diary entires. The way that MacMillan weaved these two stories together was well thought out.
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Right from the start I had my suspicions of how some things were going to go down, which with I was correct on a few but on others I was not. The twists were perfectly timed giving you that jaw dropping feeling we all yearn for in our thrillers.
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Overall a solid read - definitely one that I recommend to all my thriller lovers. The Manor House was just released on November 7th. Huge thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow and Gilly MacMillan for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a complex, twisty, and thoroughly engrossing read. I did not want to put it down. With the exception of the police detectives, most of the characters were very well developed. Although some of the plot points were almost unbelievable, the short chapters from varying points of view kept things moving at a quick pace. Every time I thought I had it figured out there was another twist.

This book started off great. I loved the mystery. I felt it was dragged out for far too long and also very predictable. It got just flat out ridiculous and unbelievable by the end. I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters and could not believe how completely ridiculously incompetent the police were.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for access to this ARC.

I need to be better about reading summaries. I knew I wanted to read this because I already like the author, and the summary is totally accurate. However, when I started this book, I was prepared for a Gothic mystery and it’s not. It’s a fairly straightforward thriller.

There were enough surprises to keep things interesting throughout but I was kind of glad while also being disappointed it wasn’t more twisty. It works, though, because it’s plausible and doesn’t get lost trying to surprise you. Very sold read - it took me a while to finish but mostly because life has been chaos. I enjoyed it from start to finish. It would also make a great film.

One thing I especially liked is that the crime elements were all neatly tied up for us (the readers) but not the detectives. I found that a lot more realistic than thrillers where everything perfectly falls into place. Enough was solved for the case to be closed but some of the loose threads were left unresolved. We, however, were given everything so we could fill in the gaps ourselves.

My only sort of criticisms (and they’re truly minor) are 1) the writing is fine but doesn’t stand out; and 2) every character except poor dead Tom is kind of a horrible human being. Maybe not the cops so much but man, the women are fun and twisted but AWFUL people. Don’t get me wrong - I enjoyed them. But at the end, I was slightly disgusted by everyone. And Tom deserved better. He’s the only character who really did just get the shit end of the stick.

Anyway, I enjoyed this a lot. I’ll keep reading from Gilly Macmillan for sure.

Thanks to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the ARC.

I was so excited to dig into The Manor House. I had high hopes for this book, and I was a little let down. It had a little bit of every kind of revenge of which you can think. Which makes for an excellent foundation. I just could not get into the writing. The characters were a little one dimensional and they did not hook me into their lives. The descriptions of the house were fantastic. I love when old houses have tunnels, priest holes, and places to hide between the walls. It gives me the creeps just thinking about who is there, watching, waiting, listening to your every word.

Nicole and Tom have won the lottery. They do not want the money to change them, but they have built their dream house. An old manor barn that they turned into a glass masterpiece. It overlooks the river from every glass room. It is state of the art in every sense of the word. When Tom ends up face down in their pool, Nicoles life is turned upside down. How can the love of her life be gone? Was it an accident or was it more sinister? As the days pass and more suspects are questioned. Insight into all the characters comes out and they all have a crazy backstory. Will the police be able to muddle their way through this chaos of a case? Thank you to Gilly Macmillian and William Morrow for my gifted copy of this book.

Good suspenseful read about a couple, Tom and Nicole, who have just won the lottery and moved into their dream house. Another couple also live on the property with their hired help, Kitty. However, before long, Tom winds up at the bottom of his pool with a wound to his head, and there is a cast of characters who may have had reason to kill him. The local police try to figure out the mystery, and the story moves along quickly, with lots of twists and turns and characters who are not what they seem. Another good suspense book by Gilly Macmillan. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

I didn't enjoy this book. I tried. However, I found that though the chapters were quite short, the book seemed to drag on forever. Though it's supposed to be like a thriller or mystery, there is very little in the way of thrills or mystery. Everything about this novel really just falls flat. I truly had to push through to finish the book at all and once I did, I felt as though I'd wasted my hours trudging through the inner monologues of all the characters. This was a big miss for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC..
I was kept up late at night reading this book, with its many twists and turns. Gilly Macmillan has landed herself on my list of favorite authors.
There are several points of view. The lottery winners, the police, and the neighbors, as well as the neighbors’ maid. One of the points of view is that of the murder victim.
The plot was very well crafted.

I loved The Manor House, the twists and reveals and never knowing what might be on the next page. Gilly Macmillan uses a multiple-narrator style to give a glimpse of what's going on with each character behind the scenes, and she does it perfectly. There's just the right amount of characters to keep it interesting, but not so many so that I was constantly flipping back to figure out who was who. The plot is unique, and, although some characters are worse than others, no one is totally innocent. Gilly Macmillan once again proves why she's one of my must-read authors!

Gilly Macmillan is an author I love to read and her Manor House is another win!

First sentence: I'm so lucky, Nicole tells herself.

Nicole and Tom Booth have just received a windfall. After winning the lottery, they create their dream home made of glass and call it the Barn. It seems like a dream come true until Nicole finds Tom face down in their pool and everything starts to unravel.

Gilly MacMillan has crafted a twisty, well-plotted, multiview point mystery. It reminded me of the book, "And Then There Were None." Her Manor has suspicious characters, hidden passageways, twists, turns, redherrings and a wonderful subplot of the unreliability of smart home technology.

Look for gaslighting, manipulation and webs upon webs of deception. There were so many plot twists, I didnt see them all and was indeed shocked at the ending. This is a book for all who love a good mystery.

Many thanks to NetGalley,and William Morrow for keeping us invested in who killed Tom!

Tom and Nicole have been together since grade school, they’re happily married and living in a small cottage when Nicole joyously shares with Tom that she won the lottery!
Now they’re living in a brand new, extravagant, technologically enabled Glass Barn on a beautiful slice of land that they bought from their neighbors at The Manor House.

When Nicole arrives home one afternoon, she finds Tom floating face down in the pool and she’s terrified! She takes off running towards her neighbors at the Manor House where she breaks down and tells them the horrifying news of her husband’s demise. Sasha and Olly run down to the Glass Barn while Kitty, the housekeeper, stays to console Nicole.

Who killed Tom? Why would anyone harm him, and what were their intentions after Tom was out of the way? Is Nicole in danger too?!

This was a well constructed thriller littered with characters that were sketchy AF. I loved that the book was narrated through the eyes of Nicole, Sasha, Olly, Kitty, police investigators, and Tom on the day of his death. This was a great whodunit mystery that kept me guessing until the very end.

I really enjoyed this book! It was kind of all over the place but it was easy to follow. There are 8 different characters who narrate, so it switches often, but they are all main characters. Gilly Macmillan did a great job twisting and turning the story and closing all the loop holes. It left me guessing throughout the whole story and there are more murderers in the book than I would have ever guessed.

3.5 stars
My first book by Gilly Macmillan and it was a very interesting read. I will say that it was a slow start and kind of confusing at first, but the pace of the book catches up through the middle to the end of the book. There are twists and turns that you hooked and guessing what happens next. If you won the lottery, what would you buy?

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this opportunity to read this intriguing book. From start to finish I was anxious to get to the end and see how the 2 stories come together with a satisfying conclusion. The characters were all flawed and very well written. The chapters were short and most ended on a cliffhanger. There were no time jumps and the story flowed very well. It's a story that starts out with a death and a mystery as to accidental or murder. There's manipulation, blackmail, mind control, gaslighting and murder. All together it's a compelling story and well worth the time to read it. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

Synopsis: Tom and Nicole are a normal, happy couple - until they win the lottery and build their dream home in the countryside. What starts as a dream turns into a nightmare when Nicole comes home to find Tom dead. Was his death an accident, or has their newfound wealth made him a target?

Thoughts: This book started off slow, but with a strong concept and great atmospheric setting, I had high expectations. While I was surprised by some of the twists, some felt a little too far beyond believability for me and it fell a bit flat. That being said, I did not dislike it and would recommend reading it if any of the tropes listed below pique your interest!

Read this if you like:
⛲️ murder mysteries
⛲️ psychological thrillers
⛲️ unreliable narrators
⛲️ multiple pov
⛲️ diary entries

I loved this! It was very fast paced. It's about a couple who win the lottery and build their dream home. I loved the characters. I loved the way it went back and forth between the characters different story lines'. This book is chock full of twists and turns. This has murders, lies, deceit, betrayal, you name it this book has it. This book had me confused and guessing at who the killer was. Detective Howell was my favorite.