The Dixon family house was once a crown jewel of the White Mountains. Perched on a cliff with breathtaking views, it promised summer adventures, winter skiing, and family gatherings around a roaring log fire.

Until late one August night, when both parents and their four children vanished, leaving behind a trail of bloody footprints, and a mystery that has endured for generations.

Thirty years later, the grand mansion is stirring back to life. For Raquel and Theo Collins, restoring their new home represents a fresh start after a terrible tragedy.

For Amanda Grady, the recently appointed police chief of Shereford, it’s good to see a fresh start for the derelict house.

#YoullBeSorry Twitter/X @LisaGardnerBks @centurybooksuk @Tr4cyF3nt0n 
Instagram: @lisagardnerbks  @centurybooksuk @thebookdealer #CompulsiveReaders #blogtour #bookstagram

But a new family in the old home can only mean one thing: the past has returned with a vengeance.

When a stray dog arrives and discovers a skeleton on the property, Raquel and Theo face a daunting choice of what to believe, who to trust, and how to survive.

Because in the tiny village of Shereford the time has come. A town, a couple, a cop must all work together to unravel the terrifying events that happened one night thirty years ago, or…

They will all be sorry.

My Review

Thirty years ago, an entire family the Dixons – mum, dad and their four young children – vanished without a trace. The house was left as if they’d just gone for a walk, with no clues apart from three sets of bloody footprints. Police Chief Grady was obsessed with finding out what happened that night, and never gave up until the day he died.

Now his daughter, Amanda Grady, newly appointed police chief of small town Shereford, has taken up her father’s mantle, because finally the house has been purchased by Theo and Raquel Collins, who intend to ‘do it up’ maybe turning it into a guest house. Though who would want to stay there is anyone’s guess.

I’m not going to go too deeply into the plot as it’s pretty complicated with lots of twists and red herrings, and possible suspects to a crime, if one had actually been committed. Or did they just flee for some unknown reason? However, that wouldn’t explain the footprints.

But my favourite part of the novel is probably Raquel’s story. ‘Bunny I’m scared,’ nearly broke my heart. Because Raquel had a very different life before she met the rich and impossibly handsome Theo. Her childhood unfolds bit by bit amidst the background of the main story.

There are quite a few dogs in the book (don’t worry – they don’t come to any harm) including the dog called Dog who had taken up residence with the Dixons, and turned up the day after the disappearance but then went missing, the stray who finds the skeleton thirty years later and is not only Dog’s double but moves in with Theo and Raquel, and the Loveys I, II and III (they come later).

This was an excellent book. Highly recommended as a holiday read, when you can really concentrate on what’s going on.

Many thanks to #CompulsiveReaders for inviting me to be part of the #YoullBeSorry #blogtour

About the Author

A self-described research junkie, #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner has parlayed her interest in police procedure, criminal minds and twisted plots into a streak of internationally recognized novels. Her 2010 novel, THE NEIGHBOR, won Best Thriller from the International Thriller Writers. Most recently, she was honored with the Silver Bullet Award for her work with at-risk kids and rescue animals.

Lisa’s latest series features Frankie Elkin, an everyday average woman who specializes in finding missing people. When the locals have given up, when the media has never bothered to care, Frankie takes on the challenge from finding a disappeared Haitian teen in Mattapan (BEFORE SHE DISAPPEARED), to a vanished hiker in the wilds of Wyoming (ONE STEP TOO FAR), to a possibly kidnapped younger sister of a serial killer on a remote island in the Pacific (STILL SEE YOU EVERYWHERE) to a missing Afghan refugee in the broiling streets of Tucson (KISS HER GOODBYE).

Her other series include the FBI Profilers, Detective D.D. Warren and PI Tessa Leoni. When not writing, Lisa loves to hike, travel the world, and yes, read, read, read.