The Family Remains

A Novel

By: Lisa Jewell

Narrated by: Dominic Thorburn, Bea Holland, Hugh Quarshie, Josh Dylan, Thomas Judd, Eleanor Tomlinson

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“Other authors are at a ten out of ten, for me, and Lisa is a solid hundred.” —Gillian McAllister, The Sunday Times (London) bestselling author of Wrong Place Wrong Time

The #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell weaves a “simply masterful” (Samantha Downing, internationally bestselling author) thriller about twisted marriages, fractured families, and deadly obsessions in this stand-alone sequel to The Family Upstairs.

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—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 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 is a superb writer at the top of her game” (Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author) with another jaw-dropping, intricate, and affecting novel about the lengths we will go to protect the ones we love and uncover the truth.

Critic reviews

"Bea Holland, Dominic Thorburn, Hugh Quarshie, Eleanor Tomlinson, Josh Dylan, and Thomas Judd create timeless characters as they narrate this intricate story about childhood trauma and its repercussions. The discovery of a decades-old body forces the characters to unearth secrets while desperately protecting family members from them. Portraying siblings, Holland and Thorburn transition seamlessly between British and American accents. Quarshie injects a detective with credible practicality and skepticism. Dylan infuses his tween character with wisdom and clarity. Tomlinson embodies her character with emotion that ranges from the giddiness of new love to the terror and rage of betrayal. Judd takes us from mystery to resolution with his character. Working well together, these narrators will make listeners thankful they have merely average lives."

Interesting Follow up Book

This book was pretty interesting, but I will say I have 2 issues that are pretty significant here:
1. If you haven't read the first book, "The Family Upstairs", you will need to do this first. If you have read it, re-read it to keep characters and plots fresh in your mind.
And
2. It should be mentioned that there is a graphic depiction of r@pe in this novel. Just be aware of that- can be triggering to some. I believe it is around chapter 55 or so.

Other than that, I thought this was a good follow story to the first. Although I definitely found the first to be superior in many aspects.
Enjoy.

Great sequel!

The Family Upstairs was my favorite Lisa Jewell novel, so I was really looking forward to listening to The Family Remains. I was not disappointed! It is important to note that you do NOT need to have read The Family Upstairs to understand or enjoy this novel - it is actually a stand alone story on its own. But having loved The Family Upstairs, I equally loved this story! The characters are well developed, the narration was great and the story kept my attention throughout. I highly recommend this audiobook!

Absolutely Perfect!

Lisa Jewell weaves a story better than anyone else. I am an avid reader (listener) and once again, couldn’t leave this book alone until it was finished. Absolutely captivating!

Satisfying follow up

I really enjoy Lisa Jewel books and I hadn’t read the family upstairs but when I saw there was a follow up I figured it must be worth a try to read the first and second. I was not wrong. Enjoyed both and recommend.

Amazing but read “The Family Upstairs” first!

This book was amazing but I can understand how it might be confusing if you haven’t read The Family Upstairs first. The twists and turns in this novel kept me reading it straight through! The way Lisa Jewell develops the characters has you loving each of them differently even with their flaws and idiosyncrasies. I am a huge fan!