With THE MANOR HOUSE, Edgar-nominated author Gilly Macmillan has penned perhaps her most confounding and rewarding psychological thriller yet. Her characters are not only very suspect but not terribly likable, which I believe was her intention. This allows her to pull the rug out from under us on more than one occasion.

I read well over 100 thrillers each year and pretty much can see any plot twist coming. That was not the case with THE MANOR HOUSE as the first twist Macmillan plants is a whopper, and the second one takes the tale into uncharted territory.

"I read well over 100 thrillers each year and pretty much can see any plot twist coming. That was not the case with THE MANOR HOUSE as the first twist Macmillan plants is a whopper, and the second one takes the tale into uncharted territory."

Nicole’s life has taken a serious turn for the better in the span of just two years. Winning the lottery is at the top of the list and has been a complete game-changer for Nicole and her husband, Tom, in so many ways. Now, with plans to finally begin a family, these thirty-somethings have built a house made of glass in the exclusive neighborhood of Lancaut Manor in Gloucestershire. Their nearest neighbors are another young couple, Sasha and Olly, who reside in the stately Manor House.

Unfortunately, good luck never seems to last for very long, and Nicole is about to face a tragedy beyond her understanding. The direct result of this dip on her rollercoaster ride of a life is when she comes home to find Tom face down in their naturally built outdoor pool. After phoning 999, Nicole runs to the Manor House to seek help. Olly pulls Tom out of the pool, but it’s obvious that he’s long dead.

When the police arrive, they find no evidence of foul play, though it appears that Tom suffered a frontal head trauma. It may have been a direct result of his drowning, but then again it could have been something far more clever and sinister. Once the investigation begins, Sasha and Olly seem reluctant to have the authorities come to the Manor House, and it appears they are hiding something.

Nicole reaches out to her few friends to break the tragic news. Tom’s estranged best friend, Patrick, offers to come over immediately to stay with her. Patrick had worked his way out of Nicole and Tom’s lives when his continued and persistent requests for money following their windfall became too much. He now claims to be financially well off and just wants to be supportive. It isn’t long before this glossy veneer wears off, and Nicole sees what he’s really all about. It also makes him a suspect in Tom’s death --- one of many, as it turns out.

Meanwhile, the police find a business card on Tom’s body from Sadie’s Massages, an establishment that he never mentioned to Nicole. When the investigation makes its way to the Manor House, Kitty the housekeeper makes a secretive request to speak with the detectives privately. In a very clandestine way, she drops a bomb on them in the form of a huge plot twist that spins the narrative out of control. If THE MANOR HOUSE was not already built to be a one-sit read, this revelation certainly will make it so.

What transpires next is a stunning bit of suspense writing that will keep readers reeling chapter after chapter. The mystery of Tom’s death will be solved, and revenge will be oh-so-sweet.