BOOK REVIEW: The Heights by Louise Candlish @louise_candlish @atriabooks #theheights #bookreview

A different style of thriller for Louise Candlish, The Heights is a story that reminds you that only those present in a situation can ever truly know what happens. A gripping story of revenge and justice!

About the Book

The Heights is a tall, slender apartment building among warehouses in London. Its roof terrace is so discreet, you wouldn’t know it existed if you weren’t standing at the window of the flat directly opposite. But you are. And that’s when you see a man up there—a man you’d recognize anywhere. He may be older now, but it’s definitely him.

But that can’t be because he’s been dead for over two years. You know this for a fact.

Because you’re the one who killed him.

Reflection

You don’t have to have followed me long to know I am a huge fan of Louise Candlish. Ever since I read The Sudden Departure of the Frasers I have devoured each new book of hers with enthusiasm and delight. Louise tends to write books which I describe for my personal library as neighborhood noir.

They tend to be set around some sort of house or residential real estate that is valuable, in the right neighborhood, and desirable. The streets or neighborhoods themselves are aspirational. We all want to live on these streets. And then what Louise Candlish does so expertly is take those tiny moments that happen in any neighborhood like this across the globe, and twist them until the story is filled with dark, dread.

The Heights is a departure of sorts from her usual style. It still involves a piece of real estate (the titular Heights) but the story is more about the characters, with the setting feeling a bit less prominent than in her other books. The ending is a shocker!

Saint or sinner? Ellen Saint is quite the leading lady. The book opens with her in a creative writing class telling her story—a story of a mother’s love, revenge, and the lengths one person will go to for justice. Many years ago Ellen and her now ex-husband Vic had a son Lucas. After splitting, Ellen remarried and had a second child Freya. Life was good. But of course, as Ellen will tell you, this isn’t a story about the good moments. This is a story of revenge.

Ellen has a rare condition where she experiences a compulsion to jump when she is at great heights. As a result, Ellen avoids heights altogether. One humorous element of the book is seeing others trying to wrap their heads around or relate to Ellen’s condition. One woman tells Ellen that once at the zoo she imagined throwing her purse into a cage of animals and so she gets what Ellen must experience (I laughed out loud at this part).

But of course, this isn’t a book that focuses on the light or funny moments. One day Ellen sees a figure on the roof top of an exclusive apartment building named the Heights and she is certain she knows who it is. She knows this man. But how is it possible? Ellen killed him several years ago.

The man was a friend and schoolmate of her son Lucas, and Ellen is certain he is responsible for everything that happened to her son. I don’t want to say much more about the plot because the book takes a lot of twists and turns. Ultimately, you be the judge: is Ellen a saint or a sinner?

The characters are expertly rendered to produce the maximum impact as the story unfolds. The narrative style is compelling. Another top-notch thriller from Louise Candlish that I can’t recommend enough!