Whisper Cottage by Ann Wyn Clark

Title: Whisper Cottage

Author: Ann Wyn Clark

Genre: Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Mystery

Published: September 2nd, 2021

Pages: 368

BLURB

How well do you know the woman next door? 

When Stina and Jack move to an old rural cottage, they’re hoping for a fresh start. Their new home is run-down compared to their neighbour’s, but generous Mrs Barley quickly becomes a friend.  

Until Stina sees a mysterious figure in the widow’s garden, and her happy new life begins to unravel. And when she hears strange noises in the night, she is forced to question if Mrs Barley is what she seems. 

Why do the other villagers whisper about her? Why is she so eager to help the couple? And what is she hiding in her picture-perfect home? 

A haunting, twisty story about the power of secrets and rumours, perfect for fans of Ruth Ware’s The Turn of the Key and Lucy Atkins’s Magpie Lane. 

Stina and Jack are a young couple that decide to move to an old rural cottage. They are so much in love and happy together until strange things start occurring. Stina see a mysterious figure outside her neighbour’s house, even though her neighbor lives alone. The said neighbor – Mrs Barley is a strange and peculiar old woman. Everyone in the village has warned Stina to stay away from her. Stina becomes curious as to why. Soon she begins to hear noises coming from the shared attic with Mrs Barley. What is going on? Are Stina and Jack in danger?

If you haven’t read this, then I suggest you do IMMEDIATELY! This was an epic read. Very well-thought-out plot and amazing setting. I love the characters, the love between Stina and Jack and the little secret Stina discovered towards the end spiced things up. The suspense was killing me and I honestly wanted to peek at the end to see why all the strange things were happening but of course, I didn’t 😂 I was just tempted to.

Mrs Barley was really scary and I believed she had everything to do with Stina’s friends’ death, her mother in law’s sickness, even little Alfie’s sickness as well. Everything just pointed to her. In addition to her reclusión from the village and her wierd behavior, she looked guilty. When she decided to help out in revamping their attic, I was still not buying the whole good-neighbor act. It looked a hell lot suspicious to me. And then she became their friend, and a godmother to their little baby! At the end though, everything explained itself. It was right there but hidden from all. I loved the suspense ramping up to the shocking revelation at the end. It also discusses mental illness, and the struggle those living with it face daily.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the arc copy of this book.