Psychological thriller that kept me up listening to “just one more chapter” until it ended.

This story depicts Alice and her sons escaping a domestic violence situation leaving the husband in the wind after Alice nearly died from her husband’s abuse. Around the same time as she is fleeing, her long lost uncle is passes and she inherits his old Victorian home in another state. Her uncle was quite a recluse due to post traumatic stress from the war, that rumors had filled the town about the house until he passed. Upon moving in youngest son Lucas stumbles upon something in the basement while playing hide and seek which gets the cops involved and things get stranger from there.

I listened to the audiobook version and thoroughly enjoyed the narrator. She did a good job distinguishing between different characters talking and putting enough emotion behind the meaning of the words. The writing was easy to follow and it was easy to follow the flashbacks to her abuse by her husband (non-linear timeline clearly designated).

I found the main character and the minor characters to be mostly enjoyable. As things get more chaotic the mom becomes a little bit unhinged but having just escaped domestic violence I can see that to be understandable. Having myself moved from a large city to a small town where there is town gossip and the rumor mill, I can see why she interacts with others as she does (slightly uncomfortable at first because everyone seems nosy but then relaxes a bit when you realize it’s a small town where everyone knows everyone).

The plot - without giving any spoilers as the Alice seemingly becomes more unhinged, the books starts to reveal its twists. I believe the twists were well done. I predicted part but not all of it. And I felt the ending was strong and powerful.

I would definitely recommend this to someone who would like a quick-to-read thriller (trigger warning of domestic violence and murder) that keeps them wanting one more chapter and feels like it has a complete ending. I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook.

Thanks to Shade Owens, Red Raven Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. And a special thanks to the narrator who did a great job conveying the story!

3 Stars – A Well-Paced Thriller with a Predictable Plot but a Strong Twist

This book had fantastic pacing that kept me engaged from start to finish. The suspense built steadily, and the eerie atmosphere of the old Victorian house added a nice touch of creepiness. However, I found much of the plot to be a bit predictable, with many of the twists and turns feeling familiar to other thrillers in the genre. That said, the ending delivered a solid and unexpected twist that added a satisfying conclusion to the story. While it wasn’t a standout for me, it was still an enjoyable read for those who love fast-paced suspense with a bit of mystery.

Thank you NetGalley & Red Raven Publishing for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Talk about a story that will keep on edge the whole time. It touches on sensitive topics like domestic abuse and the negative consequences it causes. We meet Alice and six months ago, she took her two boys and fled her abusive husband who tried to killed her. Her and the boys completely reinvent themselves with new names and a different hometown.

Alice has inherited an old Victorian house thanks to her mysterious and reclusive uncle. She takes advantage to start fresh, but unfortunately her husband’s abuse is hard to shake off. Alice lives in fear and tries her best to provide a normal life for her children. When strange and disturbing things start to happen she immediately takes into her own hands to protect herself and her home. Can she trust the towns sheriff to keep her safe or has her husband finally found her. What I liked about the story was that Alice’s Victorian home felt like another character and it took great lengths to keep up on our toes. Definitely read if you’re looking for a tense and gritty story.

I wanted to like this one more than I did. The depiction of domestic violence and the challenges of leaving an abusive situation are written with realism and sensitivity, which I appreciated. But I just couldn’t connect with the main character, and when the big twist came, it earned more of an eye roll than a gasp. A well-intentioned story, but it didn’t fully work for me.

Thank you for allowing me to review this book.
I think this book was a little too drawn out for me. The before monologue I feel like went into a little too much detail. I really didn’t love the main character in this book because I feel like she was a little too all over the place. I think this might have been so that you would be shocked by the twists and how everything happens but it drew out the book and some of her story didn’t need to be told.
I gave three stars because I really loved the way it showed you the start of domestic violence and had a lot of the psychological effects in the book. I really also enjoyed that the epilogue was talking about how we need more DV resources and safe homes. Some of the emotional parts for me were a little cringey, after they come back to the home they all cry together and I feel like I know it’s supposed to be a cry of relief from fear and makes you think that’s the ending but I just couldn’t picture that as happening with the family dynamic. Really enjoyed the twist and I feel like this was a thriller but just a very slow moving one.

This was my first audiobook. So the changes in narrators voice sometimes I didn’t love other than that this was a perfect voice for the main character “Emma”.

A good thriller with plenty of twists. Alice escapes her abusive husband with her two children. She moves to a inherited house her uncle left her. Good chracters and well plotted will keep you hooked. The narrator does a good job with the book. Thanks to Red Raven Publishing and Netgalley for this review ARC.

Trigger warning: Domestic Abuse, Murder

Beneath These Walls by Shade Owens had me on the edge of my chair start to finish and I was constantly wondering if characters were lying or being honest. Alice is a mother who is on the run with her children from her abusive husband. Her husband attacked her so bad that he almost killed her and that’s when she knew she needed to save her kids and herself by leaving. Alice and her two sons went into hiding from her abusive husband, only this time they are changing their names and moving to a different state. Alice receives a call that her uncle has passes away leaving her his entire estate that includes his massive Victorian Era home and $2.5 million. This money and home couldn’t have come at a better time.
In their new home Alice changes her name to Emma to really ensure he cant find them or hire someone to find them. But shortly after moving into her uncles home she began finding threatening nose throughout the home. This only was the tip of the iceberg of what was going to be going on in that home and in their new lives. While playing hide and seek her youngest son stumbles across something absolutely terrifying in a secret spot in the basement. It had me questioning did her ex find her a the boys again, were the rumors of her uncle doing distributing things true? Can Emma trust the new people in her life including the police and friends?
This is an unforgettable story, that still has me questioning who could they really trust and which people around them are out to get them. This is a book that you can’t put down, it leaves you on the edge of your chair till the very end. I love how this book truly highlights a mother’s strength when she needs to protect her family and herself. This book is for those who love psychological thrillers and stories about what someone would do to protect their own.

Thank you Netgalley and Red Raven Publishing for the ALC audiobook. This review is voluntary and all my own words.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book! I thought the last few chapters were exciting, and it was fun to see how it all fit together.

For me personally, it felt too slow - like there were too many scenes with James. We got the idea it was escalating after 2-3 scenes and felt like it became a bit redundant after that. 30% of the way through the book, nothing had really happened yet. It wasn’t until 70% of the way through the book that I started to become interested in the story. I wish some plot points could have happened sooner to move the pace along.

The narrator has a nice clear tone. The main thing was that the tone of voice for the narrator was tense and stayed tense the whole time. This made tense moments less impactful and overall the same level. I’d have loved to have heard more variety in the narrator’s feelings so tense moments felt more suspenseful.

Otherwise, the characters were developed clearly and the protagonist was a character that was easy to root for. Thank you!

Alice is a mother on the run from her husband who abuses her. She takes refuge in an old Victorian home that was willed to her from her estranged uncle. She starts hearing things and feels increasing paranoid that her husband will find her location.

This had so much potential. I blew through it in about a day. Each chapter had me hooked and needing to know what was going to happen next. However, the last 15% or so was so rushed, and to be, so underwhelming.

3 Stars because most of the book was good, despite the end / plot twists being disappointing.
Also, really enjoyed the narrator of this audiobook!

This one would have been a 4 star from me; but the ending wasn't the greatest. I enjoyed the writing, but the story itself was pretty lackluster. The "thriller" aspect of this one was reaching, and it didn't quite get there. I enjoyed the narrator.

I listened to the audiobook of this novel and really enjoyed the narrator and felt it was well cast.

I felt for the main character as a mother and a woman. It gave a realistic portrayal of a woman facing domestic abuse.

Overall the story kept me interested and it really reminded me of Freida McFadden novels I have read. It didn't take long to get through the whole book as I was keen to see what happened next. Annoyingly, I did guess the twist and it did feel slightly unnecessary as I didn't feel it added a lot to the novel.

I enjoyed the small town setting and the portrayal of the police officers.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a popcorn thriller. Would make a great easy summer read.

Shade Owens’ new psychological thriller, Beneath These Walls, had me questioning every character for guilt or innocence throughout the entire novel.


The female protagonist had survived an attack by her husband that almost killed her. It was then that she knew what she had to do: get her and her kids out before he killed one or all of them in a moment of rage.

A nearly miraculous inheritance allowed for them to get away and to remain hidden from her ex-husband, but it did cause questions about who Really was behind the bequest. Her ex was very connected and conniving.

Her strength was tested time and time again during the novel, from when she and the kids ran to safety to when they found a dead decayed corpse in their new basement to when they heard sounds in the house at night.

Are you looking for a creepy thriller what will keep you guessing until the very end? This is that book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Red Raven Publishing for this audio ARC!

When Alice (now calling herself Emma) learns of her inheritance from a reclusive uncle, it seems to be the perfect opportunity to finally find a place to hide away from her abusive ex-husband.... but when she shows up and weird things start happening at the property, it quickly becomes apparent that this might not be the opportunity she was hoping for.

This one definitely gets off to a bit of a slow start. It took me fully 30-40% of the book to get hooked and had it not been a NetGalley I likely would have DNFed. That being said... once things got going, I could not put it down and the back half of the book was a really twisty thriller that I truly enjoyed. I would definitely read more from this author!

Beneath these walls. When I started this book I was expecting a horror story. But this became a story of personal struggles. Trigger warnings of domestic violence, and the aftermath of escape. I didn’t trust anything or any body in this book

A paranoid woman/mother, who focuses more on another woman she projecting domestic abuse on than her children. Her younger son stop speaking after the trauma of seeing a dead body. There is a cop named Wyatt who seems to be omnipresent. And a creepy house that she inherited in the most questionable way possible. She hated her husband having cameras in the home but has no qualms about the cops monitoring her house. She is so naïve! Overall poor plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and Red Raven Publishing for the ARC of this book.

3.5 rounded up

Alice had hit the limit staying with her abusive husband after he tried to kill her. She finally takes her two sons and has left him but knows they will have to hide so he won't come after them. She changes her name to Emma and they all start to use her maiden name. She doesn't know what they are going to do, when she is given the perfect opportunity to escape. An estranged uncle has left her his old Victorian home and a small fortune. The house is much larger than they need, but it is in a small town where they should be safe.

But soon after moving in, they learn the home and her uncle had an eerie reputation that is bringing a lot of unwanted attention to them. There are strange things happening and maybe this isn't the safe haven they thought it was.

This is the second book by Shade Owens that I got on audiobook from NetGalley this month and it was another good psychological thriller. This one is categized as a horror as well and some of the abuse details are more detailed, so probably not a good one if domestic abuse is a trigger for you. The audiobook had a great narrator and was an entertaining listen. I have really enjoyed this and The Webs You Weave by Shade Owens and will be looking into her other writings!

Thank you to NetGalley and Red Raven Publishing for the audiobook for review.

Wow, I have no words! This book was an absolute whirlwind of twist and turns, the read was an experience of emotions & questions and I really enjoyed it! It touches on topics that need to be more spoken about in society and it really gets the message across! I would definitely recommend this book and author!

This was a great story of how we move on from trauma with a unfinished aspect. I really liked this thriller I never expected the ending I knew something was going to happen but I didn't guess that. This audio book kept me guess I listened to this in one day and I loved this family and the struggles that over came. I think this also puts light on domestic violence and how its dealt with in the legal world. This is my truma but it was done really good. I will looking up this author for more of her reads.

I received an advance audiobook copy of Beneath These Walls by Shade Owens.

This is my second book by Shade Owens in the last week, and I'm definitely a fan!

This book left my jaw on the floor. Had me feeling paranoid with my own surroundings.

Definitely recommend for psychological thriller fans.

The narration was really well done.

Can't wait for more from this author.

I loved this book! This was my first read by this author and it did not disappoint! The authors writing style was easy to follow and digest. The FMC was super easy to relate too and cheer for. While this has tough content (abuse) it was done in such a natural way that it seems so realistic. I would defiantly recommend this book.