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Review : The Family at No. 12 by Anita Waller

We’re delighted to be sharing Elena’s thoughts about The Family at No. 12 by Anita Waller.

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book cover for The Family at No. 12 by Anita Waller.  5 staggered terraced houses in semi darkness with the house in the middle with a light on downstairs
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BBTKYCNW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Boldwood Books (29 Nov. 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3140 KB

When Janette answers the door to a potential customer looking to board his dog, she never imagines he has nefarious plans.

But minutes later he’s dead and in her cellar.

Weeks later she realises she’s pregnant.

And so she becomes Mother and the baby Child, and a hidden life begins.

But all secrets come out eventually . . .

Book Review

Trigger Warning: The Family at No. 12 is difficult to read at times due to the subject matter and horrible treatment of Janette’s child.

This book is divided into three sections.

Book one relates to Janette who lives alone at number 12 and is a dog sitter. One day she opens the door to a potential new client who ends up attacking and raping her, leaving her pregnant with a very much unwanted baby.

The second and third book focusses on Janette’s daughter and her life following her horrendous upbringing.

She’s eventually adopted however she suffers hugely as a result of her cruel mother and the first formative years of her life.

Although she is physically freed her mind is yet to follow and the story takes dark and perturbing twists and turns.

The Family at No. 12 is packed with psychological tension and darkness.

I felt huge sympathy and turmoil on behalf of Marta and hatred towards Janette who is clearly extremely damaged.

The writing is excellent and the way the author conveys the awful situation is both skilled and addictive though there should be a warning with this read – it’s not for the faint of heart.

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Author Bio

Anita Waller is the author of many bestselling psychological thrillers and the Kat and Mouse crime series.

Read Elena’s thoughts about One Hot Summer

She lives in Sheffield, which continues to be the setting of many of her thrillers, and was first published by Bloodhound at the age of sixty-nine. Her first book for Boldwood will be published in August 2022.

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Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/anita-waller

I'm passionate about helping others to find a centre of calm. On my mental well-being journey I've qualified in different 'therapies' including Mindfulness and as a Mental Health First Aider.  I took my love of crochet one step further too with a crochet diploma.  Join me on:  Substack | Twitter  |   Facebook  |  Pinterest  |  LinkedIn  |  Threads Read More Behind the Scenes

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