Cherie Priest: "The Drowning House" (ARC Review)

Title: The Drowning House [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: None
Author: Cherie Priest [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Supernatural, Thriller/Mystery
Year: 2024
Age: 18+
Stars: 4/5
Pros: Creative premise. Interesting, atmospheric mix of thriller and supernatural (namely, Norse mythology). Strong characterisation/character dynamics.
Cons: The protagonists' bickering and ego trips can get annoying at times. A couple of plot points lack strong foundations.
WARNING! Near-drowning, human remains, fires/explosions.
Will appeal to: Those who like a slow-burn, creepy mystery (but with a frantic climax) on the backdrop of old friendships and even older family secrets.

Blurb: A violent storm washes a mysterious house onto a rural Pacific Northwest beach, stopping the heart of the only woman who knows what it means. Her grandson, Simon Culpepper, vanishes in the aftermath, leaving two of his childhood friends to comb the small, isolated island for answers - but decades have passed since Melissa and Leo were close, if they were ever close at all. Now they'll have to put aside old rivalries and grudges if they want to find or save the man who brought them together in the first place - and on the way they'll learn a great deal about the sinister house on the beach, the man who built it, and the evil he's bringing back to Marrowstone Island. (Amazon)

Review: First off...DISCLAIMER: I requested this title on NetGalley. Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press/Sourcebooks for providing an ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way.

DOUBLE ROOM

How many books can you count that start with a housewreck? To the best of my knowledge, there are none; so I was immediately drawn to this story, where a dilapidated mansion washes up on a small town's shore causing the death of an old woman, Mrs Culpepper - not for the reasons you may expect - and the disappearance of her nephew Simon. I mean, the concept is awesome...though the aforementioned house ends up being of less consequence than I anticipated, while Mrs Culpepper's house is more central to the story (not only because Melissa and Leo, the two main characters, camp out in there). There are two levels to the mystery of the ominous mansion on the beach: one of them isn't particularly hard to crack, even before we get the wreckage's backstory (I'm referring to its origins - though where it's coming from NOW it's a different kettle of fish altogether, and we never get an answer for that, even if I have a theory), the rest is revealed bit by bit via some appalling discoveries the two protagonists make inside the other house, the one where they're staying, and thanks to some sniping of their own. The juxtaposition of typical thriller structure and supernatural content (namely, Norse magic/mythology) works very well, and the flashbacks into Melissa, Leo and Simon's childhood/young adulthood under Mrs Culpepper's wing are not only integral to the story (and necessary for character development), but also charming and poignant. [...]

ASSEMBLY ROOM

For a book with a supernatural mystery at its core, The Drowning House is very character-driven - again, on two levels, since it intersects two temporal planes. The flashbacks give us clues about the mystery itself, but first and foremost offer a perspective of Melissa and Leo's friendship with Simon and with each other - though to be honest, Simon is the only thing they have in common. It was refreshing to have two middle-aged heroes (so to speak) for a change - Melissa is 46, Leo is 42. There's some intersectional diversity too, in that Leo is Latino, gay and fat (in his own words), though the last thing comes out of the blue and doesn't really have anything to do with...anything. Adult Leo and Melissa can come across as unlikeable at times, especially during bickering time, but their emotional baggage (mostly centered around Simon) makes them more human and genuine, and I enjoyed seeing them come together to save the day, along with some unexpected allies - though the flashbacks, especially the pre-teen ones, steal the scene with their authenticity and make you want to protect these children.

I do have a few qualms about this story...like, why didn't Mrs Culpepper try to destroy a certain object instead of simply rendering it dormant (for lack of a better word)? How can a middle-aged woman manage to lift a series of 40-pound tanks? (I know I'd break myself if I tried). And wouldn't forensics be able to see through Melissa and Leo's cover story? But I was able to suspend disbelief and devise an explanation, up to a point (though point N°1 still bothers me). All in all, I found The Drowning House to be a fascinating brew of mystery, magic and mended (though still imperfect) relationships, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a supernatural thriller with strong character development.

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