The Boy at the Keyhole

September 07, 2018

Nine-year-old Samuel lives alone in a once-great estate in Surrey with the family’s housekeeper, Ruth. His father is dead and his mother has been abroad for months, purportedly tending to her late husband’s faltering business. She left in a hurry one night while Samuel was sleeping and did not say goodbye.

Beyond her sporadic postcards, Samuel hears nothing from his mother. He misses her dearly and maps her journey in an atlas he finds in her study. Samuel’s life is otherwise regulated by Ruth, who runs the house with an iron fist. Only she and Samuel know how brutally she enforces order.
As rumors in town begin to swirl, Samuel wonders whether something more sinister is afoot. Perhaps his mother did not leave but was murdered—by Ruth.

Artful, haunting and hurtling toward a psychological showdown, The Boy at the Keyhole is an incandescent debut about the precarious dance between truth and perception, and the shocking acts that occur behind closed doors.

“A fiendishly efficient, gorgeously written, nasty little thrill ride of a psychological thriller. I couldn’t put it down, and it’s entirely possible that I’ll never sleep again. A true tour-de-force of a debut novel.”–Lyndsay Faye, author of The Gods of Gotham and Jane Steele

“The Boy at the Keyhole is sinister and tight, amusing and intense, an emotional story of a sweet boy in a precarious psychological place. A fun and wicked read that is impossible to put down!”–Matthew Sullivan, author of Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore

My Review

Wow, this book exceeded my expectations. The last couple of books that had a "slow burn" pacing I just didn't like. However, Mr. Giles knew how to make this tone work well with this book. What I mean is that there was not a lot happening. In regards, to the mystery surrounding what happened to Samuel's mother was a slow burn.

Samuel mostly lead and held captive the story from the first page to the last page. Ruth did play a part as well in the story but she was absent most of the story. This is to leave mystery to linger regarding Ruth.

Can I talk about the ending. I was left a bit speechless. In fact, I had to read it twice, to make sure I read it right. The ending is great because it leaves the reader with a cliffhanger or did it. Where the clues there all along and just missed or was Mr. Giles just a wonderful storyteller. Pick up a copy of this book and decide for yourself. The Boy at the Keyhole is spectacular read!

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes &Noble

About Stephen Giles

Stephen Giles is the Australian author behind the lauded children’s series “Anyone But Ivy Pocket”, penned under the pseudonym Caleb Krisp. The series, published in the US by HarperCollins/Greenwillow and the UK by Bloomsbury, appeared on the New York Times Best Seller List, has been translated into 25 different languages and was optioned by Paramount Pictures.
Prior to selling his first book, Stephen worked in a variety of jobs to supplement his writing including market research, film classification and media monitoring. “The Boy at the Keyhole” is Giles’ first work for adults and the film rights for this book have been acquired by New Regency.

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