This review is written with thanks to Pigeonhole for the opportunity to read and review The Heights.

Blurb:

He thinks he’s safe up there. But he’ll never be safe from you. 

The Heights is a tall, slender apartment building among the warehouses of Tower Bridge, its roof terrace 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’s older now and his appearance has subtly changed, but it’s definitely him. 

Which makes no sense at all since you know he has been dead for over two years.  You know this for a fact.  

Because you’re the one who killed him.  It’s time to confess what we did up there.

Review:

Bloody hell, I am exhausted, in such a very good way! I have never read anything by Louise Candlish before but I am now on the hunt for everything she’s ever written, as I imagine she could probably put a hatful of twists in her shopping list. 

In the beginning, The Heights is narrated by Ellen. I was never sure if we were meant to like her or not, but even accounting for her obvious mental health issues, she drove me to distraction and made me want to throw my phone across the room. I don’t think that’s a bad thing though: it shows that Candlish has created a brilliant character that feels so real she got completely under my skin and it’s very rare that a character can do this to the same extent. Her mental health issues and her bias within the story mean that I was never sure if her account was the truth. When we heard from Vic (another well constructed character) the perspective is more balanced but it is up to the reader to decide who they believe. 

There is so much tension in this novel and so many surprises that at times I forgot to breathe. The relationship between Ellen and Kieran is unlike anything I have ever read before and I had to know how it would end. I loved reading on Pigeonhole for the insights and predictions of other readers, but it did mean we had to wait a whole day for the next stave and the wait was agonising! 

The ending was not at all what I expected but it is definitely not straightforward. This novel, and the ending in particular, will be going round in my head for a long time! 

The Heights is available from Amazon.