‘No Place Like Home’ by Jane Renshaw is a psychological thriller. I know I enjoy a Jane Renshaw book as I have read her work previously, I just didn’t know how good it would be!

Bram Hendriksen, his wife Kirsty and their two children, Max and Phoebe have decided to relocate, from London to the Scottish Highlands Kirsty’s home town and close to her family. They have their dream home, custom made, and are keen to live with nature I suppose you could say. Bram has his own veggie patch and wants a wildflower meadow and animals too.

They move into their home and before you can say housewarming things begin to happen. Bram’s veggie patch is tampered with, dead crows are strung up on their washing line. The word is “It’s just kids”, the family carry on as normal, with Bram not quite happy with the reasoning behind who was responsible, he is wondering if these things are more connected to Kirsty and events from her past. As everything escalates to the point of it being a nightmarish situation will they ever escape this?

As I began this book, I had a feeling of an undercurrent running through this family. Bram seems almost out of his depth straight away to me. A pacifist who seems to be trying way too hard to please everyone around him, particularly his Father-in-Law. Kirstie is a mixed bag, so quiet and placid, it comes across that she hates her father and his behaviour, so why move back close to her parents? Their son Max, well, I know all kids are different but Max sticks out like a sore thumb. He is so well balanced and a little old fashioned in his outlook compared to other kids his own age. Phoebe is the youngest, the most temperamental and clingy young girl.

As the story unfolds the tension rises and with it the pace. We see the Hendriksens buckling under the stress, strain and pressure of the chaos and the campaign, that is clearly being waged against them. Their weaknesses are shown in the way they react to all this horror they are living in and one thing we find out is, this ‘seemingly perfect’ family is not as perfect as you would think.

The conclusion is not one I could have seen coming and I love a book that can catch me unawares! Jane Renshaw has managed to weave a very clever and captivating book that really engaged me right to the end.

Thanks to Emma of Damp Pebbles and Inkubator Books for my copy of the book and my place on the tour.