There are so many reasons to recommend “Other People’s Houses” by Clare Mackintosh; when a mystery features characters who are so likable and relatable that their situation and relationships become equally as important as the actual mystery, you know it’s going to be a winner. And on top of that, jumping in to read the third book in the series without having read the first two books did not feel as if anything was missing.
That being said, do I plan on going back and reading the first two books in this series with the fascinating and beautifully flawed main character, Ffion Morgan? Absolutely. This Welsh detective has not had an easy life, but she puts on a brave front and works hard. She uses her not insignificant intelligence and her perseverance to do the jobs that need finishing. Ffion often puts the pieces together before her male colleagues, and it infuriates her when she’s not given credit. She doesn’t put up with nonsense, but for all her strength, she’s extremely vulnerable and filled with self-doubt.
Leo, a detective in Cheshire, right across the border from Wales, is her boyfriend. He’s dealt with Ffion’s inability to commit, and her fear of meeting Harris, his son from his first marriage. In this novel, we get to really know Leo’s first wife Allie as she becomes mixed up in the neighbors’ series of burglaries that Leo is investigating. At the same time, Ffion is investigating the death of an estate agent, what we in the US call a real estate agent, at a holiday rental on a river, while celebrating with her colleagues.
The story opens with a seemingly unrelated excerpt from a podcast about a ten-year-old murder, when a couple, Peter and Stephanie Carmichael, were killed on Valentine’s Day. The podcast is terrifically popular, and many of the characters in the story are addicted to it. And as the story progresses, we see that information shared with the podcast actually gives the police who have reopened the cold case new information.
The story is told from the points of view of Ffion, Leo, and Leo’s ex-wife Allie. There are also texts from group chats and some Facebook groups about the podcast interspersed in with the narrative. There are three different events that are being juggled by the police in the neighboring counties in Wales and England. There is the cold case crime, there are the string of burglaries that Leo is investigating which turn more dangerous as the story progresses, and there is the dead estate agent, which turns out to be a murder that Ffion is determined to solve.
How the three are linked and how Mackintosh brilliantly leads us to the conclusion makes for a thrilling ride. While we are trying to figure out how to connect the dots, we are also rooting for Leo and Ffion to make their relationship work. Both of them are very complex characters, but we know that Leo is hiding something from Ffion. We also know Ffion has doubts about how serious their relationship is and whether she is ready to move in with Leo.
Allie, Leo’s ex-wife and Harris’ mother, is also a complex character. It would be very easy to hate her for her shallow behavior and desperate attempt at social-climbing. But there’s something about her frantic bids at befriending those who live in the mansions on the street next to hers that tugs at our hearts. Why does she keep trying so hard when it’s so apparent to all that she will never be accepted. That no matter how extravagant her efforts, no matter how she finds cheap “dupes” for their expensive belongings, she will not fit in. And there’s also the fact that she can be pretty hateful as well, even if it comes from a place of huge insecurity.
By the end of the novel, I was in tears. Mackintosh develops the characters and moves them forward to a conclusion that is extremely touching as well as deeply satisfying. The ending is very unexpected, but also very cleverly crafted, so that it makes perfect sense. And for those who are new to this series, as I was, it’s a sure bet that this won’t be the last DC Ffion Morgan novel you’ll read.
This review was first posted on Bookreporter.com.