Other People's Houses by Clare Mackintosh

 

While DC Ffion Morgan investigates the suspicious death of an estate agent her boyfriend, DS Leo Brady, is trying to solve a spate of burglaries at an exclusive housing estate. Meanwhile, the rest of the country is obsessed with a podcast about an unsolved ten-year-old murder.

Other People's Houses by Clare Mackintosh is the third book in the DC Morgan series. As with most books in a series, this could easily be read as a standalone novel but I would really recommend reading the first two books in the series, The Last Party and A Game Of Lies, to gain a better understanding of the main character, Ffion Morgan, and the dynamics between her and Leo Brady.

Ffion and Leo work for different police forces and met when a murder straddled the Cheshire/Wales border. In the latest book, they are investigating completely separate crimes but you quickly begin to suspect that there may be a connection between the two. 

A younger Ffion was known locally as "Wild Ffion" and maturity has done little to tame her nature, this makes her relationship with Leo rocky at the best of times. Added to the mix this time around is the stress of her house purchase falling through, a boss determined to quell her maverick nature and Leo's ex-wife who is still trying to control his life. 

Each investigation on its own is enough to hook the reader but when you begin to suspect that there may be links between all three investigations you are completely gripped. As each clue is uncovered the investigations begin to spiral closer and closer towards apprehending the person responsible.

Leo's ex-wife, Allie, having a greater role in this book is what really made the story for me. Having cheated on Leo, Allie has now remarried but is still determined to control Leo's life and is extremely jealous of Ffion. Allie lives close to the exclusive housing estate that has been targeted by burglars and is desperate to ingratiate herself with the women who live in the luxury homes. The lengths that Allie is prepared to go to in order to curry favour with the women are ridiculous. However, the women look down on Allie and treat her almost as a servant. It's difficult not to sympathise with Allie, but then you remember the way in which she is making Leo suffer and all sympathy disappears.

Other People's Houses by Clare Mackintosh will be published on 27th February 2025 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown UK for a review copy.

Author Details

Clare Mackintosh is a police officer turned crime writer, and the multi-award-winning author of seven Sunday Times bestselling novels. Translated into forty languages, her books have sold more than two million copies worldwide and have spent a combined total of sixty-eight weeks in the Sunday Times bestseller chart. Clare lives in North Wales with her husband and their three children.