The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell

Main Characters

Henry
Lisa
Rachel
Fin
Michael

Publisher’s Summary

Early one morning on the shore of the Thames, DCI Samuel Owusu is called to the scene of a gruesome discovery. When Owusu sends the evidence for examination, he learns the bones are connected to a cold case that left three people dead on the kitchen floor in a Chelsea mansion thirty years ago.

Rachel Rimmer has also received a shock—news that her husband, Michael, has been found dead in the cellar of his house in France. All signs point to an intruder, and the French police need her to come urgently to answer questions about Michael and his past that she very much doesn’t want to answer.

After fleeing London thirty years ago in the wake of a horrific tragedy, Lucy Lamb is finally coming home. While she settles in with her children and is just about to purchase their first-ever house, her brother takes off to find the boy from their shared past whose memory haunts their present.

As they all race to discover answers to these convoluted mysteries, they will come to find that they’re connected in ways they could have never imagined.

In this masterful standalone sequel to her haunting New York Times bestseller, The Family Upstairs, Lisa Jewell proves she is writing at the height of her powers with another jaw-dropping, intricate, and affecting novel about the lengths we will go to protect the ones we love and uncover the truth.

Recent Reviews

My Review

If you have not read “The Family Upstairs” I would not recommend reading “The Family Remains.” The Family Remains ties up the loose ends. I mean you can read it and try to make sense of it by the storyline and the throwbacks but I think you would be confused.

I really loved this book. It took me back to 2 years ago when I first read “The Family Upstairs” and my love for these characters.

I didn’t even know Lisa Jewel had published a sequel until Alice Feeney recommended her book in her book tour. (I will write a blog for that encounter just be patient please)

I loved how the character’s stories connect so seamlessly at the end. The thrill of “okay what the heck is going on… was Henry bad… I don’t remember” Also, Lisa knows how to end a chapter and leave you on the edge of your seat.

I will link the review of “The Family Upstairs” below and a couple of her other books I have read throughout the years.