A Compelling Tale…
The mystery surrounding the disappearance of the Harper family from a cottage in the village of Nighbrook has plagued crime journalist Naomi for a decade. When the newly married Naomi finds herself in a position to get as close as she possibly can to the scene of the potential crime she knows that it’s her time to solve that long outstanding mystery. Is raking up the past ever a good idea? A compelling tale, succinctly told, with a cast of credible characters and a solid sense of place.

Another fabulous read from Caroline. This lady does not write bad books. Everything by her is amazing!

Thank you Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for this advanced ebook copy!

The Village by Caroline was an interesting, intriguing book!
It was well written, well paced, and completely engrossing.
Seriously grabs you from the very first page and you just won't be able to put it down... I couldn't at least!
The main character was great. Really loved the journalist Naomi in this book!
I will definitely be reading more from this author.
Overall.... This was a solid read! Enjoyable, Suspenseful, Fast moving story!
A Five Star Book For Sure!
Thank you again for this copy! Loved it! I will post my review closer to pub date!

The Village by Caroline Mitchell


This book is very good.
A family has disappeared from a cottage in the village of Nighbrook. In the days and weeks nothing is found.
Many years later Naomi , a crime journalist looks into the strange case. She sets about looking into it and finding out what happened.
The author Caroline Mitchell is ex police , and this novel showcases her great knowledge of crime and police procedures. Great characters , and great plot. A winner.

Just when you think you know the ending there are a few twists and turns to add to the excitement. I found some of the story a bit unbelievable - why would a millionaire want to spend the night in a sleeping bag in a semi-derelict cottage and why would a journalist buy a house just to investigate it's history?

I was so excited when I got to read this. I love and own all Caroline Mitchell's book. It was a very satisfying read and I read it in a few hours. Cost me some sleep but it was worth it.

Good characters, as always; good storyline, as always; overall just great, as always.

And now I can't wait for the future book. As I always said after a boyfriend didn't work out, NEXT.

Caroline does it again!!!!!
Intriguing and (mostly) engaging characters, tension, mystery, twists and bombshells galore. This is a "clear the diary, silence the phone and read in one sitting" book; totally unputdownable and one of the best I've read in a long time.
Six stars!!!

The Village by Caroline Mitchell. Captivating mystery of the Harper family missing for more than a decade. Set in a small villiage whose residents are not warm and welcoming. Relatable characters, well written, fast moving suspense with unexpected twist at the end.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Another excellent novel from one of my favourite authors Caroline Mitchell. I am always confident when I pick up one of her books that I am going to be guaranteed an exciting read.

A decade ago the Harper family disappeared without trace. Everything in their cottage appeared to be normal, television on, oven ready for baking but no sign of life. Their disappearance has remained a mystery and become a focus of speculation especially from the more macabre media.

For Naomi, a crime journalist solving the case has turned into an obsession and when the Harpers cottage goes on sale she persuades her wealthy husband to purchase it. Once the couple move into the cottage with her stepdaughter it give Naomi the perfect opportunity to investigate the case. The only problem is Naomi has kept it secret from the rest of the family her real reasons for wanting the cottage and it’s history. The cottage is located in Nighbrook and the locals are far from friendly. None of the locals want to talk to Naomi or answer her questions and there is a very uneasy feeling. The more investigating Naomi does, the more uneasy she feels, are the locals hiding something? and is she putting her own family at risk with her constant digging for the truth.

This is certainly a page turner and there was no way I was going to put it down until the very end. Great characters, full of suspense and so well written. Highly recommended.

I would like to thank both Net Galley and Amazon Publishing UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advance copy of, The Village, by Caroline Mitchell. I really wanted to like this book, but I did not. It kept going back and forth from now to a decade ago. I could not get into this book at all.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about The Village. I instantly loved the premise and I expected the plot to focus around Naomi uncovering what really happened to the Harper family. Rather than being driven by her following clues, the story is a mix of perspectives that reveal a little of the truth, until a culmination where the secret is flatout explained. By the end of the book, the multiple storylines blurred together and were more distracting than riveting.

Readers are only given a few clues, and even those aren't completely fleshed out. For instance, why have Naomi find a diary, for only one entry to be shared?

All of that said, this book held a lot of promise. There were so many elements that could have been really interesting, were they used differently.

Absolutely brilliant! I was so absorbed that I couldn’t put it down. I love a good Mystery and this was right up my street. #TheVillage #NetGalley

A thrilling story about a village that has conspired to keep the truth buried. Ten years ago, the Harper family vanished, with the water left running, the TV on and the oven ready to bake, as well as the doors being locked from the inside. The media speculated on the unsolved disappearance. making the sleepy village of Nighbrook a notorious one. Crime journalist Naomi becomes obsessed with solving the mystery, excited to find Ivy Cottage for sale. It soon becomes clear that the villagers are hiding something, and that her family could be in danger... A dark and thrilling story that keeps you turning the pages until the end. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

Crime journalist Naomi is obsessed with the case of the Harper family, who apparently disappeared into thin air. Their cottage was found empty, the water running, the doors locked from the inside. In the ten years since, the case has turned the little village of Nightbrook into a media sensation. Now that the cottage is up for sale, Naomi sees her chance to finally get inside the house and the village to get answers. But the villagers aren’t talking and Naomi is sure they’re hiding something, that they know what happened to the Harpers. Eerie and compelling

A good detective story. Ten years ago a family just disappeared and no clues were ever found. Naomi, a newly wed journalist, is obsessed with the story and talks her new husband into buying the house the family lived in. An angry stepdaughter thrown in, strange villagers who are not welcoming all combine to a great story. Good wrap up at the end. Highly recommend this book and author.

The story follows Naomi, an ex journalist, who moves to the village of Niighbrooks along with her husband Ed and stepdaughter Morgan. She buys “Ivy cottage”, which has a past history but deliberately hides it from Ed so as not to worry him.
Ivy cottage once resided by the Harpers is now old and need of renovation. The Harpers disappeared from the house ten years ago and Naomi has never forgotten about the case since she wrote about it.
Naomi wants to solve the mystery and starts questioning the villagers, but soon realizes everyone is hiding something and the local police force is involved too.
The second half of the story brings out all the twists and solves them too, with some being a little predictable yet good. I loved guessing whether all the characters were trying to hide their personal motives or were they really just protecting everyone.

Naomi is obsessed to find out what happened to the Harper family, as they had disappeared 10 years before. their cottage was found deserted. when the cottage comes up for sale Naomi sees it as her chance to find out what happened, but it is not as easy as she thinks, the villagers refuse to answer any questions. keeps your attention from the beginning.

I loved the premise of this book - a missing family that had simply vanished from their home one day and a true crime writer so determined to solve the mystery that she purchases that family's home, Ivy Cottage. The village of Nighbrook where they disappeared from is full of closed-off people who want nothing more than to be left alone, with no outsiders welcome. Is it simply because they are tired of their notoriety? Naomi believes there has to be more to it, and that settling into the community is the only way to uncover the truth.

After moving with her husband and stepdaughter from London to Nighbrook she jumps right in, asking everyone she meets about the family's disappearance. This immediately unsettles the villagers and they make no attempt to hide their obvious distrust. The narrative also includes the point of view of one of the villager leaders, Lloyd, so we know that they held a gathering once they heard the cottage was sold. They were worried about the intrusion to their community but agreed to see how it went. And with all of her questions, Naomi is acting exactly as they feared. We know they want to silence her, but how far will they actually go?

Another perspective of the narrative is that of Grace, the terminally ill daughter of the missing family. This is crucial in establishing why the events play out like they do. The author does an amazing job of misdirection within this timeframe and it isn't clear until the very end on just how brilliantly it works. Whatever you think you know...you don't! I love stories where I'm genuinely surprised and this is one of the rare few. I hope everyone enjoys the book like I did and I cannot wait for the next one!

This is a thriller with unexpected twists and turns. Really appealed to my taste for psychological themes. I love this author.

Crime journalist Naomi has long been obsessed with the mysterious disappearance of the Harper family - Susan, Martin, and their terminally ill daughter Grace. The family haven't been seen for ten years, not since the police found their house empty with the TV playing, the oven on, and water running, as if the Harpers had simply blinked out of existence.

When Naomi sees that the Harpers' cottage is up for sale, she persuades her wealthy husband to buy it and relocate their family to the rural idyll last enjoyed by the Harpers. But the village of Nighbrook is not what Naomi expected. The villagers seem to have closed ranks to anyone who wasn't raised there, and Naomi and her family find themselves unwelcome. But is it just small-town mentality, or is there something more sinister behind the villagers' behaviour? Naomi is determined to find out...

As a huge Caroline Mitchell fan, I was really looking forward to this one, and excited by the premise. However, for me this one fell a little flat. I didn't think it was as well realised or well written as the Amy Winter novels, and I saw the twists coming in advance - usually there's at least one that throws me for a loop. I liked the story itself but the multiple viewpoints muddied the waters a little, and I didn't connect with any of the characters.

Caroline Mitchell remains one of my favourite authors in this genre, but this one was a rare miss - I just didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publishers who granted me a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

One of those books where you are initially baffled, then start to guess where the storyline is going, before everything gets turned on its head prior to the end!
Naomi is moving with her husband Ed and stepdaughter Morgan from London to the countryside. But why has Naomi, a crime writer by trade, chosen the deserted abs desolate Ivy Cottage? Ten years ago, a family of 3 mysteriously vanished from the house and never been found. Naomi is desperate to solve the mystery but she is bit going to receive any help or support from the locals, who are determined to keep their secrets well hidden….
A great read that kept me guessing. Thank you NetGalley for my review copy.

Well what can i say ............ I loved it, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ another masterpiece, it was quite eerie in parts which i loved, The village has a big secret but can naomi unlock the truth anout the harpers and ivy cottage, it kept me guessing, just as i thought id cracked it there was another twist, highley recommend

I am a fan of Caroline Mitchell's books, particularly the Amy Winter series, so was interested to read this stand alone story. I quite enjoyed it, but it certainly didn't live up to my expectations. The Harper family disappeared without trace 10 years ago and nothing has been found of them since. Right from the start we know that the villagers know what happened that day, but have agreed to keep it secret. Naomi is a crime journalist who is obsessed with the case and jumps at the chance of buying the Harper's cottage, moving in with her new husband and step daughter. She soon regrets her decision to move to Nighbrook as the villagers seem determined to drive them away. I didn't really warm to the characters in the book and I felt the denouement was quite far fetched.
Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

This is my first book by this author and as my favourite genre is psychological thrillers I thought why not. I was impressed with the storyline and strong characters. There was plenty of twists and turns and I didn’t see the ending coming! I will definitely look to read more by this author. I recommend this book.

I found this book very enjoyable to read, it was unpredictable with fast pacing and with a good amount of tension. The characters were good and added to the storyline.

Wow. 2 days to read this book. Just couldn't put it down.
Great story line with excellent characters.
Loved it.

I found this book started off with all the fantastic workings of an amazing mystery. What happened to the Harper family 10 years ago? They seemingly disappeared into thin air? Was this the case? It was something more sinister at play? As the book progressed, I found that there were too many twists thrown into the plot line. One big wow factor would have been enough but this was not the case with The Village. Halfway through the book, I found there was a twist at every turn and I had trouble keeping track of them all.

The setting is a small village in The New Forest. A family of three disappear from their cottage without a trace, leaving the TV playing, food waiting to be cooked and a suitcase half unpacked. Jump forward ten years to when the house is purchased by Naomi on behalf of her husband Ed and her step-daughter Morgan. Naomi is a Crime Journalist and the story of the disappearance has got under her skin and she is determined to do what others have failed to do and find out what happened to the family. Her husband has no idea of the disappearances and Naomi has no idea of the danger she is putting herself and her family in, one thing is for sure there's no warm welcome from the village. The story flits between then and now, there's plenty of twists some I saw coming but others I certainly didn't. I really enjoyed reading this book and I can highly recommend it.

The Village is not friendly to visitors. Especially not to those who want to rake up the past. Here then starts the story surrounding the Harper family who suddenly disappeared and no one knows what happened to them. Enter a new family and history may repeat itself…. There are dangerous people in the village and thst includes the Police.

Claustrophobic dark thriller which kept me engaged throughout.

Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the eARC.
Naomi, a crime journalist has been fascinated for ten years with the case of a family (a couple with a dying young daughter) who disappeared without a trace. When she manages to buy their cottage, she moves in with her new husband and his reluctant teenage daughter. With her husband away on business and her step daughter's nastiness, she still tries to find out what exactly happened, but the villagers are less than friendly and resent her questions. She soon regrets having left London - there are ominous happenings and she feels danger lurking.
This was a spooky read (in a good way) and I felt for her. It's bad enough the villagers aren't friendly, she also has to contend with the constant nasty tricks her step daughter plays on her.
A good, absorbing read with a surprising twist at the end which I definitely recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for sending this book to my Kindle for an honest review.
I have read a few books by this author and have not been disappointed, this book is no exception. Reading the bio i was immediately hooked. A family of three going missing from their home leaving no trace, a small village who know more than they are telling. Ten years later crime journalist Noami is determined to find out what happened to the Harper family, with a few unexpected twists this book will not disappoint you.

Naomi is obsessed over how the Harper family disappeared in the middle of the night in a small village years before. When the opportunity arises to buy the deserted house, Naomi convinces her new husband and step daughter to move there. The village surrounding the house is a character in itself. No one wants to talk to Naomi and her family and they won't share anything about the Harpers. She digs deeper and puts her family into danger.

I love how atmospheric this book was. The Village, the house itself, etc. This book had me engrossed and I found myself surprised multiple times by twists. A slow burn suspenseful read.

This was a very good quick read with a unexpected storyline. Caroline Mitchell creates a story of unimaginable domestic abuse.

In the village of Nightbrook the Harper family have disappeared everything is as they left it as if waiting for them to return but they don't and as time moves on nothing is heard of them.Naomi is a crime journalist who is intrigued by the case she wants to know what happened She gets her husband to buy the cottage the Harper family lived in,she is determined to find out the true but no-one is talking keeping things to themselves can she succeed in solving the mystery.
A good read with a surprising twist at the end.
Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the ARC.

Another brilliant book from the amazing author
Kept me up into the early hours
Well written , a real page Turner
Can’t wait for the next one

Thank you Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Author Caroline Mitchell for this ARC.

I was instantly in love with the premise of this book--a family who went missing right out of thin air twenty years ago and a journalist who buys the house they disappeared from and moves in with her unknowing husband and stepdaughter to solve the case. And I had a blast reading it.

I expected it to be a little different. Maybe more suspense and steeped mystery, but it turned out to be more about a small town and the secrets within its borders among its residents. I kept reading, starving for answers. The conclusion was a little underwhelming and the villain could be seen from miles away, but I had fun none the less. Great mystery read for true crime and Missing person cases lovers.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. A family went missing over a decade ago in a small town in England. Naomi wants to move to the house where they lived. No one in the town will talk about the family. This book kept me guessing until the very end.

DI Amy Winters returns in another crime thriller. The Harper family disappeared from their home in the village of Nighbrook 10 years ago, leaving the house like they upped and left during dinner. The family home has come for sale and crime writer Naomi buys Ivy Cottage determined to solve the mystery of what happened to the Harper’s.
Naomi and her family are not made to feel welcome by the villagers. They are very vague about the topic of the Harper’s then events start occurring and it is clear the villagers want Naomi to leave.
Another great read by Caroline Mitchell, full of suspense and intrigue. The villagers are portrayed to be eerie and full of secrets which slowly become unravelled.

This was an interesting read in the crowded “village won’t accept outsiders” genre, with the unique twist in the plotline about the family disappearing without a trace. The story centers on Naomi, a former crime reporter who convinces her new husband and teenage stepdaughter to move to the secluded cottage where a family vanished 10 years earlier so she can figure out what really happened.

Once they arrive, Naomi starts to investigate the disappearance but it’s clear that someone doesn’t want the town’s secrets to be exposed. There are multiple seemingly friendly characters but she isn’t sure who she can trust. The story alternates between current time and flashbacks to the previous family’s story.

The story was creepy at times and there was a big twist I didn’t see coming. My only small nits are that the story got a tad repetitive at a couple points in the middle, and I thought the end tied up loose ends a little too cleanly. Overall, though, I thought it was a fun read with a unique twist on a common storyline. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for this ARC.
This is not your average thriller, I was kept guessing and shocked right up to the last page.

Naomi Ward is recently married and decides to move her new family to the quiet little village of Nightbrook but the home she has picked is the infamous Harper home. Who were the Harpers and how did a family of 3 just disappear? This is exactly what crime journalist Naomi hopes to discover.

I love this author! I am yet to be disappointed by her books! And this was no exception. It had me on the edge of my seat. I was reading late into the night needing to know how this was going to end!! Can't wait to listen to this on audible

I have read several books by Ms. Mitchell, and she never disappoints!
Naomi, a baker and a journalist, has moved out of her small city flat in London and moved to the countryside with her new husband, Ed, and his teenage daughter, Morgan. They bought Ivy Cottage, a house with a past from which a family disappeared ten years before.
This is a good story, with lots of twists and turns. Recommended!

Normally I like Caroline's books, but I just couldn't get into this one. It reminded me of another book i recently read as well. I ended up reading the beginning, which was slow moving, and then turning to the back to see what happened. Just not up to her normal par in my opinion.

“The Village” by Caroline Mitchell is an intense crime-mystery novel that will have readers riveted from start to finish. With so many unexpected twists and turns it will be impossible to see the end coming.

Naomi is obsessed with a case from ten years ago in which the Harper family mysteriously disappears from their house with no trace. Everything in their home suggests the family merely got up and walked away, never to return. Detectives on the case could never figure out what truly happened, but as an investigative journalist, Naomi thinks she has the tools to solve the mystery.

When the Harper family home goes up for sale, Naomi takes a risk and purchases it. Except, when she arrives with her family the village is less than welcoming. They make it clear Naomi and her family are trespassing. Naomi refuses to be intimidated and tries to find answers to her questions about the Harper family.

The harder Naomi pushes, the harder the village pushes back. It’s clear the residents know more than they’re willing to admit. Something happened to the Harper family, something bad enough to keep people tight-lipped a decade later. And the deeper Naomi digs into the past, the more violent and aggressive the response. Solving this case may mean peace for the family but getting herself involved is upsetting a lot of people and when a whole village feels threatened … there is no telling what they may do to keep their secrets hidden.

This was an ending that was impossible to see coming. Every character becomes a suspect and it’s impossible to tell whether they’re all guilty of a crime or completely innocent. Mitchell is a master at keeping the truth hidden until the very end, keeping readers tense the whole way through. The mystery behind the Harper family is at the center of the novel (along with the antics of Naomi’s stepdaughter) which holds the reader’s interest. There are so many questions behind what happened and only little bits and pieces given at a time.

Besides the mystery, the cast of characters is worth the read. There isn’t a whole lot to learn about the villagers as they’re a part of the mystery shrouding the tale, but Naomi is a fierce female lead. Even though investigative journalism can be dangerous, she really shows how there can be a thrill behind it. Wanting to solve a mystery even the police can't crack, going undercover to find answers, the excitement of finding hints and clues that are decades old … she definitely cranks up the suspense!

Naomi’s stepdaughter is a great addition to the story. Morgan’s witty, loves to pull pranks, has quite an interesting backstory, and is slightly rebellious. At times she can be the typical teenager who is self-absorbed in her own issues and refuses to consider anyone else’s feelings. Still, Morgan’s desire to march to her own beat is what adds a bit of humor to the novel and sparks a love interest between herself and a girl in the village.

“The Village” by Caroline Mitchell is definitely a book to be on the lookout for. The expected publication date is January 25th, 2022. Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for providing me with a free e-arc of this novel and the opportunity to share my honest opinion in this review.

“This is a tragic story of lies, love and deceit.”
These are the words Naomi uses to begin her true crime story on the strange happenings in the village of Nighbrook. A crime story that nearly killed her.

Ten years earlier, the Harper family disappeared from Ivy Cottage. Martin, Susan and Grace vanished leaving unfinished tasks and their dog behind. They were never seen again and their bodies were never found. Determined to solve the case, Naomi and her husband Ed, a wealthy film producer, have purchased Ivy Cottage and plan to renovate it. They’ll live there with Ed’s daughter Morgan. There are two immediate problems: neither Ed nor Morgan know the history of the cottage and Morgan hates her stepmother. Things quickly go wrong. The villagers are less than welcoming. They, led by police chief Lloyd and his wife Joanne, want Naomi and her family to leave. How far will they go? And what did happen to the Harpers?

The Village is a quick, creepy read full of twists and turns. You can easily guess the identity of the villain but the ending? Totally shocking! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and Caroline Mitchell for this ARC.

I REALLY do not like to give negative reviews, but this book was just a bit too far out there. The amount of "bad guys" was just too ridiculous. Not only do we have the villager bad guys, but we also have bad guys in the main characters' personal lives and then they all intertwine? On top of that, Naomi? Seriously? How on earth could you be so obsessed with the original crime? Also, there was an error about 65% of the way through the book that completely gave the ending away. :(

Caroline Mitchell always delivers with gripping books and fantastic story lines

I could not put this down and will for sure read this book again!

I have read a few other books by Caroline Mitchell and thoroughly enjoyed them. For me, this book did not live up to the others that she has written. The description of this novel is amazing and I could not wait to get stuck in. It took me a while to get into the book and found it hard going.

The main story is a few years a go where mysteriously the Harper family disappeared. Naomi is slightly obsessed with the how and the why?! She is recently married and has new step daughter - their relationship is not the best. They move to the actual house of the Harper disappearance, only Naomi that this is the place of the ghostly disappearance Naomi being a journalist has an usual need to find out what happened to the Harpers and sets about her investigation, which as expected does not exactly go the way Naomi wants it to.

The Village is a good read if you like a mystery/thriller with different twists and turns along the way..

Thanks to NetGalley, Caroline Mitchell and the publishers for an arc of this novel in exchange for my review.

The sleepy village of Nightbrook attracted the attention of the media for all the wrong reasons. Ten years ago, the Harper family, Mum, Dad and their terminally ill daughter Grace, appeared to vanish from the face of the earth. In reality, that is very unlikely, and crime journalist Naomi intends to find out the truth. So when the Harper’s home, Ivy Cottage, comes on the market, she persuades her husband Ed to buy it, though he doesn’t know about its mysterious past. Naomi’s stepdaughter Morgan will be joining them, and that in itself is a nightmare, because she hates Naomi.

Nightbrook couldn’t be more different from the bright lights of London, Naomi’s previous home, and if that were the only problem, that wouldn’t be so bad, but the people of Nightbrook don’t like answering questions about the Harpers, and are unwelcoming to the point of being hostile. Although she senses danger, that won’t stop Naomi, because she’s certain they’re all hiding something!

I do love a good mystery, and this didn’t disappoint. It certainly kept me guessing, and the end came with not one twist, but two!

Yet another fantastic book from Caroline Mitchell. Highly recommended.

I really enjoy her Amy Winter books, and was intrigued to try one of her other works. I was not disappointed, and will certainly be reading any of her books that I have miss.