3.5 Stars from me
What a thought provoking premise… Sunset House is a chaotic haven of glitter-flecked carpets, weak tea, and residents whose secrets are as sharp as their tongues. At the center of it all are two care assistants, Jolene and Will.
Jolene would rather be watching daytime television than caring for the elderly. Living with her mum, who has her own set of quirks and a broken heart, Jolene’s life is anything but ordinary.
When elderly resident Gilbert casually mumbles, ‘When I killed her‘ Jolene and her colleague Will are drawn into a mystery that’s equal parts chilling and absurd. The confession is dismissed at first – did Will mishear, was Gilbert confused from watching a tv drama, or maybe, just maybe, he confessed to being a killer.
Lancaster masterfully blends suspense with wit, creating a narrative that’s as sharp as it is satirical. The residents are brought to life with such vividness that they feel like old friends – or perhaps, old foes. And the premise lives on in my head – home office stats tell us that there were 570 murders in the UK last year… What an interesting mix of histories there must be with our older generations.
With definite Thursday Murder Club vibes, this alternate take on the genre makes for an entertaining read. My thanks to NetGalley, One More Chapter, and the author for an ARC in return for an honest review.
Blurb: A brand new darkly humourous serial killer thriller for fans of How to Kill Your Family and The Thursday Murder Club. What happens when a serial killer forgets that he’s a serial killer? When Gilbert Williams, a resident at Sunset House Care Home, claims to have once killed someone, care assistant Will Cavanagh initially dismisses his claims – he’s frail and vulnerable, he can’t imagine him ever killing someone – but he can’t seem to let his comments go. What if it’s true? What if he really did kill someone and he’s forgotten that he isn’t supposed to tell anybody…
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