Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
I thoroughly enjoyed Katherine Faulkner’s debut, Greenwich Park, when I read it in 2021. So much so that I have been meaning to get hold of a copy of Faulkner’s second book, The Other Mothers, for a while now. So when I heard Katherine Faulkner was on the brink of publishing her third novel, The Break-In, I jumped at the chance to read it. And oh my goodness, what a fabulous slice of domestic suspense it is! Gosh. Dark and unexpected. Complex and utterly riveting.
Alice Rathbone lives a comfortable life in her stylish Hackney-based house with her husband, Jamie and their young daughter, Martha. One afternoon, during a playdate, a man bursts into the kitchen. He grabs a knife from the kitchen counter and heads towards the room where the nanny is entertaining the children. Alice grabs the nearest thing to her, a bulky stool, and smashes the intruder, Ezra, around the head with it. She only meant to stun him, stop him from hurting the children. She never meant to kill him. Now haunted by that fateful day, under police investigation and with the entire community giving her side-eye wherever she goes, Alice cannot escape the guilt of what she has done. She becomes obsessed with Ezra’s mother and sister, trying to find out why Ezra did what he did that day. But the more she learns, the more she begins to doubt what she initially thought. With those closest to Alice acting differently, Alice’s doubt begins to spiral. Who really is Ezra, and what was he actually doing at the house that day…?
I loved The Break-In. It was my book of the month for May. I’ve always been a fan of thrillers where exceptional things happen to ordinary people, and that’s very much the case here. At the start of the book, I found Alice a little annoying. She’s got a great new job as an art restorer, a loving husband who works in the charity sector, a darling daughter and a gorgeous, stylish house. Granted, it’s not in the best of areas, but there’s a lot of regeneration going on locally and the future is certainly looking bright. But then Ezra arrives on the scene and the Rathbone’s perfect life is shattered into a million tiny pieces. Things begin to spiral. Alice cannot get beyond what she has done and inserts herself into the lives of Ezra’s family. She’s desperate for answers, to the point of obsession. It made for uncomfortable reading, and I loved it.
Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. The Break-In is stuffed to the gills with suspense, with bucketloads of intrigue spooned over the top. Gosh, things really take a turn for Alice. A turn I certainly didn’t see coming! This is a beautifully written domestic thriller that fans of the genre should definitely make a point of picking up. The plot moves at a great pace, leading the reader down the path of Alice’s demise. The characters are mainly unlikeable, but that’s never a problem for me. In my limited experience, Faulkner tends to make her lead female characters rather well-to-do, fairly naïve and a touch on the annoying side. Alice is most definitely all three. Saying that, I did find it interesting how easily Alice’s thoughts and feelings were dismissed by those around her. Those who were supposed to care for her. I mean, she killed a man and, rightly so, was struggling to deal with it. Suggesting she ‘get over it’ probably wasn’t the most sensitive of approaches! However, this is suspense fiction and not real life, so… All in all, I loved spending time in Alice’s slightly obsessive, out-of-control world. This book took me places I never expected from the opening few chapters. There’s a lot going on here with a large cast of characters, but the story was very easy to follow and immerse myself in. I cannot wait to read more by this author. Gorgeously tense, utterly compelling, highly unexpected, full of twists and turns, and completely engaging throughout. Recommended.
Gripping. A little slow to start, but I was riveted in the second half. I think the book could have ended even more strongly without the final chapter now to read more of Katherine Faulkner
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
A good page turner but needlessly convoluted.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
A run-of-the-mill break in, a concerned and devoted husband, what could possibly go wrong?
Sometimes a thriller can have so many twists that it gets a bit clunky and convoluted. That was certainly not the case with this one. While I felt like I was getting whiplash with all of the twists that were happening, it flowed so perfectly and none of it felt too over the top. There was only one twist that I actually saw coming and everything else was so shocking that I didn't even care about that one part happening the way I thought it would.
The FMC, Alice, makes such outrageous decisions at times that I honestly debated whether it was poor writing but then I realized, I have never been in her situation and don’t know how I would react so it was actually brilliantly having me question my own sanity!
There were a few chapters in the middle that did drag a bit so that's the reason for the 4 stars and not 5 but the second half was so quickly paced and I didn’t want to put it down.
Would recommend for fans of:
Domestic thrillers
Juicy, twisty plots
Questionable FMC decisions
Revenge
Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery books and Katherine Faulkner for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical shelf trophy!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Wow! The first half feels like a completely different book than the second half - and not entirely in a bad way. The first part is about a woman’s reaction to a very traumatic break-in, and the second half, well… there are lots of twists & turns!
I enjoyed - and couldn’t quite put down - the latter half, since a lot of details
come together and resolve in a fairly satisfying way. However, I couldn’t help but think that it would’ve been a bit better to pace it so the first half didn’t drag so much.
Regardless, I’d recommend to any thriller fan. You are definitely in for a ride! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I enjoyed - and couldn’t quite put down - the latter half, since a lot of details
come together and resolve in a fairly satisfying way. However, I couldn’t help but think that it would’ve been a bit better to pace it so the first half didn’t drag so much.
Regardless, I’d recommend to any thriller fan. You are definitely in for a ride! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Alice is a London mother who kills an intruder in their home while she is hosting a play date with her daughter and friends. The police rule self defense but Alice can't let it go and begins investigating the life of her intruder Ezra. What she finds is not at all what she expects and some secrets are much closer to home than she thinks.
This book was a well written domestic thriller that had me hooked from the start and kept me guessing till the end !
Thank you to Netgalley, Bloomsbury Publishing and Katherine Faulkner for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book was a well written domestic thriller that had me hooked from the start and kept me guessing till the end !
Thank you to Netgalley, Bloomsbury Publishing and Katherine Faulkner for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Stunning. Another absolutely fantastic read from Katherine Faulkner!
Alice is an intriguing protagonist, and takes the reader along through the mysteries of why the break in occurred. I loved the difference of knowing the what and the who and needing to piece together why it happened.
Beautiful build of tension and suspense, and her usual gorgeous writing. The novel also felt real in a way many don’t. There wasn’t a need to suspend disbelief at characters actions, so much felt terrifyingly real.
I typically prefer a single POV, but the inclusion of the other voices at various times through the novel made perfect sense.
For once I didn’t have all the answers in the first half, and was racing to see predictions answered and for the final puzzle pieces to click together.
A beautifully satisfying ending as well! An easy 5 stars, and further proof Faulkner stays on my “instant must reads” list.
Alice is an intriguing protagonist, and takes the reader along through the mysteries of why the break in occurred. I loved the difference of knowing the what and the who and needing to piece together why it happened.
Beautiful build of tension and suspense, and her usual gorgeous writing. The novel also felt real in a way many don’t. There wasn’t a need to suspend disbelief at characters actions, so much felt terrifyingly real.
I typically prefer a single POV, but the inclusion of the other voices at various times through the novel made perfect sense.
For once I didn’t have all the answers in the first half, and was racing to see predictions answered and for the final puzzle pieces to click together.
A beautifully satisfying ending as well! An easy 5 stars, and further proof Faulkner stays on my “instant must reads” list.
What would you do if a break-in shattered your perfect life—and the truth made even less sense?
This was such a refreshing take on the domestic thriller. Told through three acts (Afterwards, The Day Of, and Autumn), plus a mix of POVs, letters, online comments, and media snippets—it felt layered and immersive without ever becoming confusing.
Alice was a strong lead, but it was the secondary characters that really stood out for me—especially Jade, whose presence gave me a genuine sense of unease. The book steadily unravels the mystery behind a deadly home invasion, and while the pacing really picks up in the second half, I was hooked from the beginning. Clever, original, and surprisingly thoughtful in its commentary on class, media, and public perception.
Katherine’s writing is both accessible and sharply constructed—this was one of those books where every breadcrumb mattered, and the twist completely blindsided me. If you like thrillers that build slow tension with smart reveals and eerie undertones, you’ll love this.
This was such a refreshing take on the domestic thriller. Told through three acts (Afterwards, The Day Of, and Autumn), plus a mix of POVs, letters, online comments, and media snippets—it felt layered and immersive without ever becoming confusing.
Alice was a strong lead, but it was the secondary characters that really stood out for me—especially Jade, whose presence gave me a genuine sense of unease. The book steadily unravels the mystery behind a deadly home invasion, and while the pacing really picks up in the second half, I was hooked from the beginning. Clever, original, and surprisingly thoughtful in its commentary on class, media, and public perception.
Katherine’s writing is both accessible and sharply constructed—this was one of those books where every breadcrumb mattered, and the twist completely blindsided me. If you like thrillers that build slow tension with smart reveals and eerie undertones, you’ll love this.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ Rounded up from 3/12 🌟 Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I have enjoyed Faulkner’s thrillers in the past. All her books are social commentaries where she has a lot to say about modern motherhood and economic inequality. These themes pop up in The Break In, but here, I think Faulkner bit off a bit more than she could chew.
Alice and her husband and young daughter live in a gentrified area of London. One day she is having a playdate with some other local moms (while they drink champagne and her nanny watches the children 😒). A teenager suddenly breaks into her house, swearing and brandishing a knife. Alice kills him in self-defense, and, in doing so, secrets begin to unravel. Which leads her to wonder: actually happened the night of the break in?
As a mom, many of the passages in this story hit me right where it’s uncomfortable. Faulkner has a knack for stating the ugly things that mothers are never supposed to voice out loud. I like how her novels are timely and use different formats like news articles and social media posts. However, I found the pacing to be quite slow. I guessed a few of the twists, some of them very early on. The plot also got bogged down by lots of characters and multiple POVS. By the end of the book I felt like the meme from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia of Charlie smoking a cigarette strung out in front of a cork board with red strings. Yes, all the strings did align eventually…but in a complicated and at times hard-to-follow manner.
While it dragged a bit for me, I did enjoy this thriller. Fans of Lisa Jewell should take note!
I have enjoyed Faulkner’s thrillers in the past. All her books are social commentaries where she has a lot to say about modern motherhood and economic inequality. These themes pop up in The Break In, but here, I think Faulkner bit off a bit more than she could chew.
Alice and her husband and young daughter live in a gentrified area of London. One day she is having a playdate with some other local moms (while they drink champagne and her nanny watches the children 😒). A teenager suddenly breaks into her house, swearing and brandishing a knife. Alice kills him in self-defense, and, in doing so, secrets begin to unravel. Which leads her to wonder: actually happened the night of the break in?
As a mom, many of the passages in this story hit me right where it’s uncomfortable. Faulkner has a knack for stating the ugly things that mothers are never supposed to voice out loud. I like how her novels are timely and use different formats like news articles and social media posts. However, I found the pacing to be quite slow. I guessed a few of the twists, some of them very early on. The plot also got bogged down by lots of characters and multiple POVS. By the end of the book I felt like the meme from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia of Charlie smoking a cigarette strung out in front of a cork board with red strings. Yes, all the strings did align eventually…but in a complicated and at times hard-to-follow manner.
While it dragged a bit for me, I did enjoy this thriller. Fans of Lisa Jewell should take note!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A good twisty thriller that kept me engaged and wanting to read more.