The Bedroom Window by K.L. Slater
Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 15th May 2023
Published: 19th May 2023
★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)
DESCRIPTION:
They say they have no children. So who did I see at the window?
My darling little boy Albie adores playing at our new neighbours’ house. And after the terrible year we’ve had, I feel so lucky that we can start over in this perfect place, with new friends who treat Albie like the son they never had. He can’t stop talking about the tree house they’re building him, and the cookies they bake together.
But as time passes, something starts to feel wrong. Why don’t they ever open the front door more than a crack? They told me they had no children, so who does the small pink tricycle I saw in their hall belong to? And why can I hear a lullaby drifting across the garden when I’m tucking my own boy into bed?
Then, one night, I see a small shadowy figure in their bedroom window…
I thought I’d learned my lesson about trusting the wrong people, but now I’m forced to wonder what this perfect couple are hiding.
And if I try to save that little helpless figure in the window, will I do what I’ve always feared most, and put my beautiful boy’s life in danger…?
An utterly gripping psychological thriller from the number one bestselling author of The Marriage and The Girlfriend. If you like Gone Girl, The Housemaid and Lisa Jewell then you will be hooked by The Bedroom Window.
MY THOUGHTS:
They said they have no children...so who did I see last night...?
This is about the fifteenth book by Kim I've read and I've yet to be disappointed! THE BEDROOM WINDOW is a departure from her usual domestic thriller style allowing the house and the setting centre stage to create an atmospheric and somewhat creepy tale. I love stories set where the sea is ever present that I can almost hear the crashing waves and smell the salt in the air.
THE BEDROOM WINDOW offers readers a different take on the classic "Rear Window" made famous by Alfred Hitchcock in which a paralysed man spends his time people watching his neighbours and unwittingly uncovering a crime. In this tale, there's no sprawling rear window overlooking the neighbours all encompassing secrets...just a small poky spare room window which serves pretty much the same sort of purpose. But on a whole different scale of secrets.
Lottie and Neil move from Nottingham to the North Yorkshire coast with their nine year old son Albie after Neil receives a job offer of head gardener at Seaspray House. This move is a fresh start for all of them. Two years ago, Neil suffered an accident at work which saw him paralysed and told he may never walk again. Lottie left her job to become his full time carer and over time it took its toll on both of them. But after a miraculous recovery, he began looking for work and when this opportunity came along it was too good to pass up. Albie had been the victim of bullying at school so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to put the past behind them and make a fresh start.
Arriving at Seaspray Cottage, which is just a short walk from Seaspray House itself, Lottie and Neil begin unpacking and settling in whilst Albie runs around open-eyed in awe at the space they have and the size of his room. They enjoy walks to the beach and Albie even takes up surf lessons that are on offer for youngsters. It seems they have made the right choice in moving here.
Seaspray House itself is a large pallatial house with glass frontage overlooking the vast expanse of coastline offering million dollar views of the sea. Lottie can't wait for an invitation into the house to see it all for herself. But as the days and weeks go by, no invitation comes. Maybe the Williamses are a private couple. But Ted and Neeta welcomed Lottie, Neil and Albie with open arms when they first arrived and they fuss over Albie whenever he visits after school. But even they have never set foot inside the house, despite promises of the cinema room with Ted and baking with Neeta.
Lottie begins to think the couple are hiding something. A thought which is only confirmed when she sees a small shadowy figure from their spare room window. But what? Neeta told her that they were not blessed with children and yet Lottie has seen children's toys and a tricycle in their sunroom! She's even seen Neeta holding clothing that could only belong to a child and the strains of a lullabye being sung in the dead of night.
"Hush little baby, don't say a word..."
The more Lottie sees of these shadows and strange goings-on, the more she suspects the Williamses are up to something. But what, exactly? She tries to voice her concerns to Neil but he just shoots down every criticism or negative opinion she has of his new employers who have been nothing but good to them. He refuses to listen to reason even when Albie comes home sporting expensive new sportswear despite Lottie just buying him some with her staff discount from her new job. It seems Albie is just as taken in by Ted and Neeta as her husband. And then there is the question of what really happened to the previous occupants of their cottage...
Added to that, Lottie's nightmares about her childhood have returned leaving her spent and confused. She hasn't been completely honest about her childhood with Neil...but then he's not being completely honest about what's going on up at Seaspray House. Does one lie cross out another? Or are they about to pile up and bury the couple, ensnaring them within the tangled wed of secrets and lies that has been woven around them?
And as Lottie finds herself drawn into a dangerous game, the question she keeps asking herself is...what is this couple hiding?
Beginning the slow build with a palpable tension throughout, THE BEDROOM WINDOW is as intense as it is atmospheric. I love the setting and could feel the seaspray with every swipe of the page. Told through the alternating perspectives of Lottie and Neil, peppered with flashbacks to twenty years previous, the story unfolds with a small cast of flawed and untrustworthy characters. Despite the red herrings tossed our way, I was still able to hook the truth myself which, although a little far fetched readers will have to suspend belief, wasn't too difficult to figure out. That's not to say that the story is predictable because Slater still manages to throw in a few uncertainties along the way and despite figuring out the big reveal, the twists are still nail-biting and tension-fuelled.
The biggest mystery I think that went unanswered was what was Neil really doing with Neeta all those times? And the untoward attention they displayed towards Albie? What was that in aid of? And why was it not followed up? Lottie was ready to tear strips off Neeta. For this, I've dropped half a star.
The only other thing is I think maybe an editting issue. In the first of the flashback chapters, a slip is made and the identity of Charlie is revealed...which, when you think about it, is not too hard to work out when you think about it. But it left no room for doubt when I saw a name that didn't belong in there.
Overall, THE BEDROOM WINDOW is an addictive atmospheric psychological thriller that I could not put down. Despite the unlikeable characters and the few loose ends, this is an outstanding mystery filled with suspense and intrigue and is undoubtedly creepy. Another winner for Slater!
I would like to thank #KLSlater, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheBedroomWindow in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Kim's first adult psychological thriller for Bookouture, ‘Safe with Me’, actually started life as a dissertation on her English & Creative Writing degree in 2010. She says "the creepy voice of Anna came to me strong and insistent . . . she wanted to be written, she wouldn’t go away. I’m so glad I listened!"
Kim first became published writing Young Adult fiction for Macmillan Children’s Books under the name Kim Slater. Her award-winning YA debut, SMART, started life as a short story for her MA in Creative Writing in 2012.
Kim is now a full-time writer. She has a daughter and two stepsons and live with her husband Mac in Nottingham and Yorkshire.
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