What do you think?
Rate this book
A Pleasure and a Calling
In the tradition of Patricia Highsmith's Tom Ripley novels comes a deliciously unsettling tale of psychological suspense that delves into the mind of a man with a chilling double life.
You won't remember Mr. Heming. He was the estate agent who showed you around your comfortable home, suggested a financial package, negotiated a price with the owner, and called you with the good news. The less good news is that, all these years later, he still has the key. That's absurd, you laugh. Of all the many hundreds of houses he has sold, why would he still have the key to mine? The answer is; he has the keys to them all.
William Heming's most at home in a stranger's private things. He makes it his business to know all their secrets, and how they arrange their lives. His every pleasure is in his leafy community. He loves and knows every inch of it, feels nurtured by it, and would defend it - perhaps not with his life but if it came to it, with yours. Things begin to change when Mr. Hemings' obsession shifts from many people to one, and then a dead body winds up in someone's garden. For a man who is used to going unremarked, Mr. Heming's finds his natural routine becomes uncomfortably interrupted.
You won't remember Mr. Heming. He was the estate agent who showed you around your comfortable home, suggested a financial package, negotiated a price with the owner, and called you with the good news. The less good news is that, all these years later, he still has the key. That's absurd, you laugh. Of all the many hundreds of houses he has sold, why would he still have the key to mine? The answer is; he has the keys to them all.
William Heming's most at home in a stranger's private things. He makes it his business to know all their secrets, and how they arrange their lives. His every pleasure is in his leafy community. He loves and knows every inch of it, feels nurtured by it, and would defend it - perhaps not with his life but if it came to it, with yours. Things begin to change when Mr. Hemings' obsession shifts from many people to one, and then a dead body winds up in someone's garden. For a man who is used to going unremarked, Mr. Heming's finds his natural routine becomes uncomfortably interrupted.
283 pages, Paperback
First published June 25, 2014
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 708 reviews
Read
December 17, 2017Watch my review here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgVmo...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgVmo...
April 16, 2019
Here I am an invisible boy.
this is a hell of a creepy premise, and a great addition to the tradition of psychological suspense with unreliable narrators. william heming is a character you will remember precisely because he has tailored himself to be as unmemorable as possible - all the better to observe you with, my dear…
heming has always been a bit of a voyeur, which is my attempt at british understatement. as a young boy, he would hide behind chairs and under beds and sofas, spying on his family and witnessing their private moments without always having the context or perspective to interpret them correctly,
but he's not the only one who misunderstands the things he sees. or so he would have us believe. although he assures us, the reader, that there was no sexual motivation when he is caught in his older cousin isobel's wardrobe, some of his play has a decidedly sexualized cast to it:
In my aunt's barely used back room I made a den under the oak dining table, draped in the big Christmas tablecloth out of the drawer and heaped inside with cushions. It was here, in the green shade, that cousin Isobel once discovered me with the fashion dolls she no longer played with - Sindy, plus Sindy's boyfriend Paul, plus two larger pink babies in nappies. I had swapped their clothes round so Paul was wearing Sindy's short gingham nightie and carrying water skis, while Sindy wore Paul's sheepskin coat, her white nurse's mask and nothing else. Together they took care of the children, though of course really it was me who decided who was punished and who had jelly and ice-cream. It was a game I could have played all day, had Isobel not arrived, screaming and punching and bringing the adults running.
after a childhood filled with similarly troubling incidents that frightened his family, which will slowly be revealed throughout the narrative, he is sent away to school, where he discovers a larger pool of people upon whom to spy.
I shunned cliques, laughed when the others laughed, shrank from the scrutiny of masters. Neither in nor out, I cultivated a middling, willing sociability, waiting my turn, playing my part. But when, once or twice a term, I feigned mild illness or injury, it was not (as with the other boys) with a view to skipping afternoon games or PE, but to secure a half-hour of freedom in which to walk the creaky, waxed corridors of Winter House or Bentham or Wood, drawn by the odour of unattended, unlocked dorms - familiar as my own in basic decor, layout and dimensions but redolent with the aura of their legitimate, absent residents. Now that was what I called an opportunity.
while there, heming develops a fascination with an older boy named marrineau, and while he continues to acquire small souvenirs for his scrapbook from the rooms of other boys, he reserves a particularly keen interest in marrineau, eventually succeeding in penetrating his secrets and taking advantage of an unexpected opportunity which, when discovered, leads to a violent confrontation resulting in heming's expulsion.
he is then sent away to a private college some distance away after being given a summer job with mower & mower, a firm of estate agents. he discovers that the role of an estate agent involves the unexpected perk of having keys to all the client's homes, which is a mind-blowing opportunity for a budding voyeur, and the job becomes, for him, a pleasure and a calling.
I move like a window-shopper.
he remains in the firm's employ - eventually taking over the running of it himself, cultivating an anonymous, forgettable personality in order to better facilitate his continued explorations into the lives of the homeowners when they are not at home; eating their food, rifling through their mail, learning everything about them. and over the years, he has amassed quite a collection of keys, all of them representing an entrée into the intricacies of other lives and other secrets, while his own life fits in a single suitcase.
I don't have the conventional comforts - I rarely watch TV, for example, and own only the most basic furnishings. But this is the place I sleep, surrounded by my keys, of course - shimmering on every wall under the dimmed lights like gold and silver, each opening a lock in a portal to pleasure and adventure. I go to sleep counting sometimes. I have no idea how many hundreds or thousands there are - randomly scattered, you might think, some out on their own, others hanging in twos or threes on their little hooks - though together they are a collage of the town, every pendent shadow a house and a way of life.
there's nothing overtly malicious in what he does - for the most part, it is simply feeding a curiosity: They are good people leading lives as interesting to me as to themselves. however, he does retain the same sort of relationship to his clients that was foreshadowed in his playing with his cousin's dolls: he feels responsible for them, they are "his," and while he mostly treats them like a jar of lightning bugs, solely for observation purposes, there are times when he feels it necessary to intervene - to play god and punish the guilty and reward the victims of situations he has witnessed. and sometimes people will die.
it is a fascinating character study, and i loved the ambiguity of some of the early childhood scenes, especially the one involving riley the cat. it's a really masterful use of the unreliable narrator, and as his aunt cautions him that things aren't always what they seem, this can also be applied to heming himself, in the way he interprets his own motivations and in what he chooses to omit. although he continues to claim there is no prurient angle to his sneaky home invasions, the act itself is definitely described in erotic terms:
I had no doubt that this time the key would fit, though I paused to enjoy a moment of calm before turning it. Then I closed the door behind me, shut my eyes and inhaled, holding that first taste in my nostrils. Of course, it's nothing more than molecular. But also how magical, especially at that time of day, when the slow lingering charge of a person is still in the air. It goes beyond the steaming aromas of morning - the mingling of coffee and shampoo and croissants. Here was Abigail in essence, arising from the rustle of clothes against her skin, the warmth from her bed, her spearmint breath, the brisk eruption of human dust in the simple tightening of a shoelace. Thus do we leave the signs of ourselves. Its seduction is narcotic. The dreamiest high, the thrill of newness. A fresh drug to try.
and in this case, with abigail, heming gets much closer to her than is typical, his precious anonymity is compromised, and this is what sets off all of the novel's events.
an unusual and memorable bit of psychological suspense with a character sure to evoke that wonderfully layered reaction equal parts condemnation and sympathy. tricky fun stuff here.
come to my blog!
this is a hell of a creepy premise, and a great addition to the tradition of psychological suspense with unreliable narrators. william heming is a character you will remember precisely because he has tailored himself to be as unmemorable as possible - all the better to observe you with, my dear…
heming has always been a bit of a voyeur, which is my attempt at british understatement. as a young boy, he would hide behind chairs and under beds and sofas, spying on his family and witnessing their private moments without always having the context or perspective to interpret them correctly,
but he's not the only one who misunderstands the things he sees. or so he would have us believe. although he assures us, the reader, that there was no sexual motivation when he is caught in his older cousin isobel's wardrobe, some of his play has a decidedly sexualized cast to it:
In my aunt's barely used back room I made a den under the oak dining table, draped in the big Christmas tablecloth out of the drawer and heaped inside with cushions. It was here, in the green shade, that cousin Isobel once discovered me with the fashion dolls she no longer played with - Sindy, plus Sindy's boyfriend Paul, plus two larger pink babies in nappies. I had swapped their clothes round so Paul was wearing Sindy's short gingham nightie and carrying water skis, while Sindy wore Paul's sheepskin coat, her white nurse's mask and nothing else. Together they took care of the children, though of course really it was me who decided who was punished and who had jelly and ice-cream. It was a game I could have played all day, had Isobel not arrived, screaming and punching and bringing the adults running.
after a childhood filled with similarly troubling incidents that frightened his family, which will slowly be revealed throughout the narrative, he is sent away to school, where he discovers a larger pool of people upon whom to spy.
I shunned cliques, laughed when the others laughed, shrank from the scrutiny of masters. Neither in nor out, I cultivated a middling, willing sociability, waiting my turn, playing my part. But when, once or twice a term, I feigned mild illness or injury, it was not (as with the other boys) with a view to skipping afternoon games or PE, but to secure a half-hour of freedom in which to walk the creaky, waxed corridors of Winter House or Bentham or Wood, drawn by the odour of unattended, unlocked dorms - familiar as my own in basic decor, layout and dimensions but redolent with the aura of their legitimate, absent residents. Now that was what I called an opportunity.
while there, heming develops a fascination with an older boy named marrineau, and while he continues to acquire small souvenirs for his scrapbook from the rooms of other boys, he reserves a particularly keen interest in marrineau, eventually succeeding in penetrating his secrets and taking advantage of an unexpected opportunity which, when discovered, leads to a violent confrontation resulting in heming's expulsion.
he is then sent away to a private college some distance away after being given a summer job with mower & mower, a firm of estate agents. he discovers that the role of an estate agent involves the unexpected perk of having keys to all the client's homes, which is a mind-blowing opportunity for a budding voyeur, and the job becomes, for him, a pleasure and a calling.
I move like a window-shopper.
he remains in the firm's employ - eventually taking over the running of it himself, cultivating an anonymous, forgettable personality in order to better facilitate his continued explorations into the lives of the homeowners when they are not at home; eating their food, rifling through their mail, learning everything about them. and over the years, he has amassed quite a collection of keys, all of them representing an entrée into the intricacies of other lives and other secrets, while his own life fits in a single suitcase.
I don't have the conventional comforts - I rarely watch TV, for example, and own only the most basic furnishings. But this is the place I sleep, surrounded by my keys, of course - shimmering on every wall under the dimmed lights like gold and silver, each opening a lock in a portal to pleasure and adventure. I go to sleep counting sometimes. I have no idea how many hundreds or thousands there are - randomly scattered, you might think, some out on their own, others hanging in twos or threes on their little hooks - though together they are a collage of the town, every pendent shadow a house and a way of life.
there's nothing overtly malicious in what he does - for the most part, it is simply feeding a curiosity: They are good people leading lives as interesting to me as to themselves. however, he does retain the same sort of relationship to his clients that was foreshadowed in his playing with his cousin's dolls: he feels responsible for them, they are "his," and while he mostly treats them like a jar of lightning bugs, solely for observation purposes, there are times when he feels it necessary to intervene - to play god and punish the guilty and reward the victims of situations he has witnessed. and sometimes people will die.
it is a fascinating character study, and i loved the ambiguity of some of the early childhood scenes, especially the one involving riley the cat. it's a really masterful use of the unreliable narrator, and as his aunt cautions him that things aren't always what they seem, this can also be applied to heming himself, in the way he interprets his own motivations and in what he chooses to omit. although he continues to claim there is no prurient angle to his sneaky home invasions, the act itself is definitely described in erotic terms:
I had no doubt that this time the key would fit, though I paused to enjoy a moment of calm before turning it. Then I closed the door behind me, shut my eyes and inhaled, holding that first taste in my nostrils. Of course, it's nothing more than molecular. But also how magical, especially at that time of day, when the slow lingering charge of a person is still in the air. It goes beyond the steaming aromas of morning - the mingling of coffee and shampoo and croissants. Here was Abigail in essence, arising from the rustle of clothes against her skin, the warmth from her bed, her spearmint breath, the brisk eruption of human dust in the simple tightening of a shoelace. Thus do we leave the signs of ourselves. Its seduction is narcotic. The dreamiest high, the thrill of newness. A fresh drug to try.
and in this case, with abigail, heming gets much closer to her than is typical, his precious anonymity is compromised, and this is what sets off all of the novel's events.
an unusual and memorable bit of psychological suspense with a character sure to evoke that wonderfully layered reaction equal parts condemnation and sympathy. tricky fun stuff here.
come to my blog!
October 7, 2016
This one puts the EEE in creepy.
Did you ever come home and have that feeling that something wasn’t quite right? Perhaps you thought you had more eggs than that or you could have swore that there were at least three butter tarts left. Are you losing your mind or has someone moved the blanket on the couch? Is that coffee you smell? A cold shiver runs up your spine. You are uneasy in your own home and you just don’t know why.
Meet Mr. Heming, your local real estate agent. Don’t be surprised if you don’t remember him. That after all is his plan. He excels at not standing out, at blending into the background, at being as unmemorable as possible. But don’t worry he is good at his job. He will find you the perfect home and take care of all the details. Oh and one last thing, he will also keep, for himself, a copy of the keys to your home. That way he can check in from time to time, see what kind of life you are living. This is best done when you are not home, but that is not a hard and fast rule. Sometimes he just tucks himself away into a dark corner or an attic Anywhere that he can observe you a little closer and still remain invisible.
Not to worry, you are not alone, over time he has amassed hundreds of keys. And he takes his job as overseer of everyone's lives very seriously. Trust me you do not want to be the one observed not cleaning up after your pooch in the park or God forbid sideswiping a parked car and then fleeing the scene. Mr Heming has his own way of restoring the rightful balance of things.
As this story opens a dead body has been discovered by the pool at one of Mr Heming’s clients. While the investigation proceeds we learn more about Mr Heming as he recalls the events preceding this gruesome find. His recollections will also take us back to his childhood, which is where we really begin to doubt the reliability of our narrator. His is a chilling and disturbing psychological profile.
In my lair beside the Common, among my stacks of files and pictures and observations, I have a stupendous sticker chart showing where everyone has been, where they have settled and moved on to.
I will sit for hours pouring over it, cross referencing among my keys and maps and family profiles and holiday snapshots, a god at play.
I dissolve into the surroundings and breathe your air. I come in peace. I bring my love.
Once again my thanks to karen brissette whose fantastic review put this on my radar. You can read it here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Did you ever come home and have that feeling that something wasn’t quite right? Perhaps you thought you had more eggs than that or you could have swore that there were at least three butter tarts left. Are you losing your mind or has someone moved the blanket on the couch? Is that coffee you smell? A cold shiver runs up your spine. You are uneasy in your own home and you just don’t know why.
Meet Mr. Heming, your local real estate agent. Don’t be surprised if you don’t remember him. That after all is his plan. He excels at not standing out, at blending into the background, at being as unmemorable as possible. But don’t worry he is good at his job. He will find you the perfect home and take care of all the details. Oh and one last thing, he will also keep, for himself, a copy of the keys to your home. That way he can check in from time to time, see what kind of life you are living. This is best done when you are not home, but that is not a hard and fast rule. Sometimes he just tucks himself away into a dark corner or an attic Anywhere that he can observe you a little closer and still remain invisible.
Not to worry, you are not alone, over time he has amassed hundreds of keys. And he takes his job as overseer of everyone's lives very seriously. Trust me you do not want to be the one observed not cleaning up after your pooch in the park or God forbid sideswiping a parked car and then fleeing the scene. Mr Heming has his own way of restoring the rightful balance of things.
As this story opens a dead body has been discovered by the pool at one of Mr Heming’s clients. While the investigation proceeds we learn more about Mr Heming as he recalls the events preceding this gruesome find. His recollections will also take us back to his childhood, which is where we really begin to doubt the reliability of our narrator. His is a chilling and disturbing psychological profile.
In my lair beside the Common, among my stacks of files and pictures and observations, I have a stupendous sticker chart showing where everyone has been, where they have settled and moved on to.
I will sit for hours pouring over it, cross referencing among my keys and maps and family profiles and holiday snapshots, a god at play.
I dissolve into the surroundings and breathe your air. I come in peace. I bring my love.
Once again my thanks to karen brissette whose fantastic review put this on my radar. You can read it here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
October 17, 2019
An interesting premise but I think there could have been a lot more done with this concept. There’s an obsession that William latches onto which quickly dissipates by the end of the story, making me wonder what the point of building up the tension was for. I also thought he made a lot of stupid mistakes that makes it a little hard to believe he was able to get away with this for so long. His background story added to the creepiness but I’m not sure if it showed much depth to his character. I think this book would have been more effective if the flashbacks actually showed complexity to William (rather than just adding to the creep factor), and if he was a more intelligent protagonist who was now dealing with a serious threat to being exposed.
February 5, 2018
EXCERPT: It's easy to say,now, that I wish I'd drawn a line under 4 Boselle Avenue, but there are some things you cannot let go. Certainly there was something about the man with the small incontinent dog that continued to rankle. Perhaps I felt that my honor - the town's honor - had not been quite satisfied. Or maybe I was still in the grip of excitement after the disappointment of the farcically unreliable Cooksons earlier that day. But in the great chain of things - and in view of what happened afterwards at 4 Boselle Avenue and other sites of disquiet around town - I shouldn't understate the influence of Aunt Lillian, who has become forgotten in all this talk of property developers, wing mirrors and unwanted rowing machines.
THE BLURB: He has the key to hundreds of houses.
Maybe even to yours.
William Heming is an estate agent. He’s kept a copy of every key to every house he’s ever sold. Sometimes he visits them. He lets himself in – quietly, carefully – to see who lives there now, what they’re like, what they’ve been doing.
But what will happen when he gets caught?
MY THOUGHTS: The Intruder by P.S. Hogan is quietly sinister. Hogan writes with an easy humour, which serves his purpose well. He doesn't appear to try hard to be creepy or sinister, but he succeeds in doing so. It is a relaxed kind of book, one that had me smiling one moment, and my jaw dropping the next. It is unexpected. It grows on you, and you are never really certain what is going to happen.
Hogan has done a magnificent job in portraying his main character, William Heming. He is a character who could live anywhere; you probably have one or more in your town. He is quietly unassuming, successful in his own right, a man who keeps to himself even as he supports local causes, a man about whom nobody knows much. He is just 'there'. A man who watches. And when you pique his interest, watches even more closely.
Probably the most unsettling thing about The Intruder, is that it is all possible, it may even have happened, it may still be happening. Read this and I don't believe you will ever again leave your precious house keys in the hands of an estate agent.
This was previously published as A Pleasure and a Calling by Phil Hogan. I much prefer the new title and will be checking out other books he has written as Phil Hogan.
Thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and Transworld Digital for providing a digital copy of The Intruder by P.S. Hogan for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
THE BLURB: He has the key to hundreds of houses.
Maybe even to yours.
William Heming is an estate agent. He’s kept a copy of every key to every house he’s ever sold. Sometimes he visits them. He lets himself in – quietly, carefully – to see who lives there now, what they’re like, what they’ve been doing.
But what will happen when he gets caught?
MY THOUGHTS: The Intruder by P.S. Hogan is quietly sinister. Hogan writes with an easy humour, which serves his purpose well. He doesn't appear to try hard to be creepy or sinister, but he succeeds in doing so. It is a relaxed kind of book, one that had me smiling one moment, and my jaw dropping the next. It is unexpected. It grows on you, and you are never really certain what is going to happen.
Hogan has done a magnificent job in portraying his main character, William Heming. He is a character who could live anywhere; you probably have one or more in your town. He is quietly unassuming, successful in his own right, a man who keeps to himself even as he supports local causes, a man about whom nobody knows much. He is just 'there'. A man who watches. And when you pique his interest, watches even more closely.
Probably the most unsettling thing about The Intruder, is that it is all possible, it may even have happened, it may still be happening. Read this and I don't believe you will ever again leave your precious house keys in the hands of an estate agent.
This was previously published as A Pleasure and a Calling by Phil Hogan. I much prefer the new title and will be checking out other books he has written as Phil Hogan.
Thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and Transworld Digital for providing a digital copy of The Intruder by P.S. Hogan for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
January 27, 2018
"The Intruder" by P S Hogan is a slow burning psychological thriller that certainly grows on you the more you read it. Although the storyline is quite slow to develop you are very keen to see where the story leads to and certainly keeps you entertained along the way.
William Heming is not your typical estate agent - he secretly keeps a copy of a key for each house he sells and many more besides. He likes to visit these houses when they are empty to check out the owners lives and even tries out how they live from making tea to going through their clothes. I particularly enjoyed how he sometimes used the power he had over people to reek revenge if the occasion warranted it. Being the obsessive man he is, he even has contingency plans in place in case he's caught out when visiting the houses. Very creepy indeed! Although not sinister or 'scary' frightening, it is worrying to know someone could be going through your private things without you knowing and it's obvious his obsessiveness has dramatically increased as he's got older since we learn about his childhood etc and how it all began. Being in the perfect job to have access to people's houses is a huge benefit to his obsession but a major downfall for the clients!
Heming is quite hard to dislike totally and certainly hard to dislike at the beginning but I did think his character was very apt for the part required. I enjoyed how we learned about his younger family and school life. It was quite fun spying on someone spying on other people's lives and although the whole story was a little slower paced than I would have liked or normally read, it was still an entertaining read which I expect will do very well.
3 stars
William Heming is not your typical estate agent - he secretly keeps a copy of a key for each house he sells and many more besides. He likes to visit these houses when they are empty to check out the owners lives and even tries out how they live from making tea to going through their clothes. I particularly enjoyed how he sometimes used the power he had over people to reek revenge if the occasion warranted it. Being the obsessive man he is, he even has contingency plans in place in case he's caught out when visiting the houses. Very creepy indeed! Although not sinister or 'scary' frightening, it is worrying to know someone could be going through your private things without you knowing and it's obvious his obsessiveness has dramatically increased as he's got older since we learn about his childhood etc and how it all began. Being in the perfect job to have access to people's houses is a huge benefit to his obsession but a major downfall for the clients!
Heming is quite hard to dislike totally and certainly hard to dislike at the beginning but I did think his character was very apt for the part required. I enjoyed how we learned about his younger family and school life. It was quite fun spying on someone spying on other people's lives and although the whole story was a little slower paced than I would have liked or normally read, it was still an entertaining read which I expect will do very well.
3 stars
March 10, 2017
I really have no complaints about this one: the writing was tight, the story was fresh, and the characters were complex. The reason this one falls short of a higher rating with me is strictly personal: for whatever reason I just had a hard time connecting to the story and the characters. I don't have a problem with an unlikeable main character, that wasn't the problem. I just had a lack of interest that I really can't explain expect for saying that the chemistry between reader and story was somehow off. So don't let this review keep you from checking this one out. It's a darn good book. I just wasn't completely into it. In other words, it's not you, Phil Hogan, it's me. I just don't like you that way, but I will pass your number onto my eligible friends.
March 30, 2017
This was admittedly a total cover buy and I knew almost nothing about the plot before picking this up. What followed was a twisted, dark and perverse tale, the likes of which I have never read before.
This is the story of Mr. William Heming, who excels at not standing out. His is the bland face that blends in to a crowd. His clothing is worn one hundred different ways by a thousand different middle-class men. He is the pleasant but distant figure that showed you around your new home. He is the man who kept the key and comes back to visit when you are out, compiling data about the way you live your life.
I found this a compelling story line as well as a fascinating insight into an individual's twisted psyche. Heming is the perfect protagonist, villain and unreliable narrator all bundled into one figure, that introduces and invites the reader into his corrupt world. With a starling ease I often forgot about the wrongness of actions, and was instead invested in his life. It was an utterly chilling read precisely because of the reader's close proximity to the evil that ensued and the man that enacted it. Also because the possibility of this was all too real...
The writing was reminiscent of You in the way it actively involved the readers in the plot. It was also a beautifully penned piece of prose, which segments like the following perfectly highlights:
"I closed the door behind me, shut my eyes and inhaled, holding that first taste in my nostrils. Of course, it's nothing more than molecular. But also how magical, especially at that time of day, when the slow lingering change of a person is still in the air. It goes beyond the steaming aromas of morning - the mingling of coffee and shampoo and croissants. Here was Abigail in essence, arising from the rustle of clothes against her skin, the warmth from her bed, her spearmint breath, the brisk eruption of human dust in the simple tightening of a shoelace. Thus do we leave the signs of ourselves."
This is the story of Mr. William Heming, who excels at not standing out. His is the bland face that blends in to a crowd. His clothing is worn one hundred different ways by a thousand different middle-class men. He is the pleasant but distant figure that showed you around your new home. He is the man who kept the key and comes back to visit when you are out, compiling data about the way you live your life.
I found this a compelling story line as well as a fascinating insight into an individual's twisted psyche. Heming is the perfect protagonist, villain and unreliable narrator all bundled into one figure, that introduces and invites the reader into his corrupt world. With a starling ease I often forgot about the wrongness of actions, and was instead invested in his life. It was an utterly chilling read precisely because of the reader's close proximity to the evil that ensued and the man that enacted it. Also because the possibility of this was all too real...
The writing was reminiscent of You in the way it actively involved the readers in the plot. It was also a beautifully penned piece of prose, which segments like the following perfectly highlights:
"I closed the door behind me, shut my eyes and inhaled, holding that first taste in my nostrils. Of course, it's nothing more than molecular. But also how magical, especially at that time of day, when the slow lingering change of a person is still in the air. It goes beyond the steaming aromas of morning - the mingling of coffee and shampoo and croissants. Here was Abigail in essence, arising from the rustle of clothes against her skin, the warmth from her bed, her spearmint breath, the brisk eruption of human dust in the simple tightening of a shoelace. Thus do we leave the signs of ourselves."
March 2, 2017
William Heming pridefully worked for seventeen years in the real estate business within his community. He wasn't just your average, highly successful businessman.
In addition to being articulate, he was also conniving, vindictive, delusional, underhanded--there were a slew of words that could be used to describe the narrator in this story! Heming's strategic violation of privacy against many of the people he interacted with was too realistic, downright chilling, and unnerving! His ability to remain out of sight and at the same time blend in while surveilling members of the community made this story all the more thrilling. Almost everyone sparked some kind of investigative need within him to know everything about that person/ family: where they lived, how they lived, what was in their refrigerator, wardrobe, their work schedule, etc. Nothing was off limits to him and his curiosity wasn't satisfied by voyeurism alone...
I loved the tone of this book: creepy, chilling, dark. I also liked the way in which the author showed the gradual progression of psychopathic behavior in a ten year-old Heming who then grew into a highly-functioning monster, the narrator.
Issues? Some parts of the book felt a little slow in pace and at times too bogged down with details. This is also one of those stories where you aren't going to like the main character or any of the other characters. While I don't typically like books where the narrator/ protagonist spends too much time within his/ her thoughts and addresses the reader, I did enjoy this story.
In addition to being articulate, he was also conniving, vindictive, delusional, underhanded--there were a slew of words that could be used to describe the narrator in this story! Heming's strategic violation of privacy against many of the people he interacted with was too realistic, downright chilling, and unnerving! His ability to remain out of sight and at the same time blend in while surveilling members of the community made this story all the more thrilling. Almost everyone sparked some kind of investigative need within him to know everything about that person/ family: where they lived, how they lived, what was in their refrigerator, wardrobe, their work schedule, etc. Nothing was off limits to him and his curiosity wasn't satisfied by voyeurism alone...
I loved the tone of this book: creepy, chilling, dark. I also liked the way in which the author showed the gradual progression of psychopathic behavior in a ten year-old Heming who then grew into a highly-functioning monster, the narrator.
Issues? Some parts of the book felt a little slow in pace and at times too bogged down with details. This is also one of those stories where you aren't going to like the main character or any of the other characters. While I don't typically like books where the narrator/ protagonist spends too much time within his/ her thoughts and addresses the reader, I did enjoy this story.
November 9, 2016
Very unsettling reading; made even more so due to the fact that I have my house on the market and the estate agents have a key! I made need to get that back!
Enjoyed this read very much and particularly the ending as it didn`t finish how I expected it to. Hate predictable endings, so pleasantly surprised.
Enjoyed this read very much and particularly the ending as it didn`t finish how I expected it to. Hate predictable endings, so pleasantly surprised.
January 15, 2014
Rarely do you read a book which is totally original, creepy, delightfully and darkly funny and enjoyable from cover to cover. I am pleased to say that this is such a book. Estate agent William Heming lives in a leafy and prosperous community. He is successful, self employed and adept at reading people. However, Heming has a secret – he has the keys of every house he has sold and he is more familiar with his clients lives, and their properties, than you might expect...
When Heming has an altercation with a man in a park, he engineers a small revenge. However, when he becomes infatuated with the man’s girlfriend, events spiral out of control. This wonderful novel gradually unravels the life of William Heming from a small boy who hid in wardrobes, to a grown man who hides in the attics of his clients. A man you are unlikely to remember, who is adept at staying anonymous, but whose deepest, and darkest, desires are unleashed in the privacy of other people’s homes.
It is hard to review this book without giving away the plot and I have no wish to spoil the story. As we learn more about William Heming, we should dislike him – but that is hard to do. He is as unique as this book, which I suppose you could call a literary crime novel. This deserves to be a huge success and it has found its way into my favourite reads of the year without doubt.
When Heming has an altercation with a man in a park, he engineers a small revenge. However, when he becomes infatuated with the man’s girlfriend, events spiral out of control. This wonderful novel gradually unravels the life of William Heming from a small boy who hid in wardrobes, to a grown man who hides in the attics of his clients. A man you are unlikely to remember, who is adept at staying anonymous, but whose deepest, and darkest, desires are unleashed in the privacy of other people’s homes.
It is hard to review this book without giving away the plot and I have no wish to spoil the story. As we learn more about William Heming, we should dislike him – but that is hard to do. He is as unique as this book, which I suppose you could call a literary crime novel. This deserves to be a huge success and it has found its way into my favourite reads of the year without doubt.
February 22, 2018
The intruder, by P. S. Hogan
BLURB
He has the key to hundreds of houses.
Maybe even to yours.
A gripping, sinister, deeply unsettling novel from the most sociopathic narrator of 2018. Meet Mr Heming...
William Heming is an estate agent. He’s kept a copy of every key to every house he’s ever sold. Sometimes he visits them. He lets himself in when the owners are out. But what will happen if he gets caught?
What will he do next?
MY THOUGHTS
He's certainly creepy is our Mr Hemining, or William, to his friends. I don’t think he has many, though, he prefers to be alone!
The premise of The Intruder is without a doubt, very tempting and with the blurb combined, I eventually got stuck in. The story mainly concentrates on Mr Heming himself with the story frequently meandering between his past growing up and the present day. Here we discover why he possibly behaves in the manner which he does. He’s a fascinating character and scarily believable. There are gems of dark humour hidden amongst this book. Even reminiscent of classic Alan Partridge, but it’s probably me, who knows?
Overall this is an intriguing, dark, sinister… I think you know where I’m coming from – read!!
Big 4*
BLURB
He has the key to hundreds of houses.
Maybe even to yours.
A gripping, sinister, deeply unsettling novel from the most sociopathic narrator of 2018. Meet Mr Heming...
William Heming is an estate agent. He’s kept a copy of every key to every house he’s ever sold. Sometimes he visits them. He lets himself in when the owners are out. But what will happen if he gets caught?
What will he do next?
MY THOUGHTS
He's certainly creepy is our Mr Hemining, or William, to his friends. I don’t think he has many, though, he prefers to be alone!
The premise of The Intruder is without a doubt, very tempting and with the blurb combined, I eventually got stuck in. The story mainly concentrates on Mr Heming himself with the story frequently meandering between his past growing up and the present day. Here we discover why he possibly behaves in the manner which he does. He’s a fascinating character and scarily believable. There are gems of dark humour hidden amongst this book. Even reminiscent of classic Alan Partridge, but it’s probably me, who knows?
Overall this is an intriguing, dark, sinister… I think you know where I’m coming from – read!!
Big 4*
February 20, 2014
Who has your house keys?
A Pleasure and a Calling is the chilling psychological thriller written by journalist and author Phil Hogan, and I want to know how twisted is Hogan’s mind? This thriller is certainly has a brilliant twisted thread all the way through it which makes this such an enthralling and rather worrying read. I certainly want to make sure I am the only one with the keys to my house if not then I hope an estate agent has not got a set.
William Heming is our narrator throughout the novel and we see the world from his point of view and at times we can be inside his head. We find that Heming has always been the same an observer a snooper on the outside of the circle in a community he is there but you do not see him. He really is Mr Nobody you is everywhere and nowhere at the same time and he has been like this as a child all the way through school to adulthood.
William Heming is the friendly estate agent in a leafy market town in the Home Counties who has the most successful agency in town with a very hidden secret. For every sale he has ever made he has a set of keys to the property that he has sold or rented out. All round his flat he has the keys hung up, and he has kept many notes on the properties and the people who have bought them. He likes to tour the houses he has sold and get to know the family or the person he likes to observe from close but not as a peeping tom more of a voyeur of lives.
Heming also sees himself as the moral guardian of the town and punishes those who do wrong. He also likes to leave his mark in the properties that he enters where nobody will ever find it. Heming is his very own neighbourhood watch his town’s protector he makes interventions against those who sin and puts right things for the innocent.
What really makes us doubt Heming are the fragmented recollections of his childhood, of things happening suspicion of what he may have been involved with from his home life to the reasons why he was forced to leave his boarding school there is something seriously wrong with him but you cannot quite put your finger on it. There is always the suggestion of some sort of wrong doing or a death he may or may not have been involved with.
It is not until later in the book that we are really aware of him killing someone and then we have his dance with the police. He leaves the police various crumbs enough for them to doubt him but not enough to ever charge him. Things turn up that confuse the picture so that he can ever be accused of anything even if there may be a suspicion. Heming like many people really does have a double life, one as the town estate agent and the other as the killer guardian but how he covers his tracks is what makes this thriller a psychological twisted thriller and rather brilliant too. We can see that Heming is deranged at best and his mix of rationality and his logic we can actually sympathise with him, which is uncomfortable for the reader when you sympathise with the killer in an empathetic way.
Hogan has written a brilliant book that makes you think about what do people know about you what do they see about you and are they observing you. Hogan has brought all his journalistic skill of being a professional snooper to bear on Heming but where we all dislike journalists and have no sympathy with them, Hogan writes so we identify part of ourselves in Heming. He is only doing what many of would like to do and that is solve the problems in our locality. How the oddity of Heming ends up with the sympathy from the reader is down to the skill of Hogan’s writing. This is a brilliant novel, and do you know who has the keys to your house?
A Pleasure and a Calling is the chilling psychological thriller written by journalist and author Phil Hogan, and I want to know how twisted is Hogan’s mind? This thriller is certainly has a brilliant twisted thread all the way through it which makes this such an enthralling and rather worrying read. I certainly want to make sure I am the only one with the keys to my house if not then I hope an estate agent has not got a set.
William Heming is our narrator throughout the novel and we see the world from his point of view and at times we can be inside his head. We find that Heming has always been the same an observer a snooper on the outside of the circle in a community he is there but you do not see him. He really is Mr Nobody you is everywhere and nowhere at the same time and he has been like this as a child all the way through school to adulthood.
William Heming is the friendly estate agent in a leafy market town in the Home Counties who has the most successful agency in town with a very hidden secret. For every sale he has ever made he has a set of keys to the property that he has sold or rented out. All round his flat he has the keys hung up, and he has kept many notes on the properties and the people who have bought them. He likes to tour the houses he has sold and get to know the family or the person he likes to observe from close but not as a peeping tom more of a voyeur of lives.
Heming also sees himself as the moral guardian of the town and punishes those who do wrong. He also likes to leave his mark in the properties that he enters where nobody will ever find it. Heming is his very own neighbourhood watch his town’s protector he makes interventions against those who sin and puts right things for the innocent.
What really makes us doubt Heming are the fragmented recollections of his childhood, of things happening suspicion of what he may have been involved with from his home life to the reasons why he was forced to leave his boarding school there is something seriously wrong with him but you cannot quite put your finger on it. There is always the suggestion of some sort of wrong doing or a death he may or may not have been involved with.
It is not until later in the book that we are really aware of him killing someone and then we have his dance with the police. He leaves the police various crumbs enough for them to doubt him but not enough to ever charge him. Things turn up that confuse the picture so that he can ever be accused of anything even if there may be a suspicion. Heming like many people really does have a double life, one as the town estate agent and the other as the killer guardian but how he covers his tracks is what makes this thriller a psychological twisted thriller and rather brilliant too. We can see that Heming is deranged at best and his mix of rationality and his logic we can actually sympathise with him, which is uncomfortable for the reader when you sympathise with the killer in an empathetic way.
Hogan has written a brilliant book that makes you think about what do people know about you what do they see about you and are they observing you. Hogan has brought all his journalistic skill of being a professional snooper to bear on Heming but where we all dislike journalists and have no sympathy with them, Hogan writes so we identify part of ourselves in Heming. He is only doing what many of would like to do and that is solve the problems in our locality. How the oddity of Heming ends up with the sympathy from the reader is down to the skill of Hogan’s writing. This is a brilliant novel, and do you know who has the keys to your house?
February 12, 2016
A psychological thriller with an unreliable narrator that will have you wanting to change your locks on a daily basis.
Has anything ever seemed out of place when you return home? An indentation in the couch, food missing from the fridge, maybe the lingering aroma of fresh coffee? Ever wonder who might have a key? Ever considered your real estate agent? Oh, you bought your place years ago, they wouldn’t still have a key you say. Yeah, so do most of the residents of a quaint English town. Unfortunately for them, the town real estate agent has a secret hobby.
”I don't have the conventional comforts - I rarely watch TV, for example, and own only the most basic furnishings. But this is the place I sleep, surrounded by my keys, of course - shimmering on every wall under the dimmed lights like gold and silver, each opening a lock in a portal to pleasure and adventure. I go to sleep counting sometimes. I have no idea how many hundreds or thousands there are - randomly scattered, you might think, some out on their own, others hanging in twos or threes on their little hooks - though together they are a collage of the town, every pendent shadow a house and a way of life.
Mr. Heming, as he prefers to be called, is a sociopath. As memories from his childhood spill out, you become more and more convinced of this (I still want to know what happened with the cat,,,I have a good guess, but I still wanted to hear (see?) it). For the most part, one would classify him as a voyeur, he loves watching people in their homes, rifling through their things, finding their secrets. Sometimes he gets a little too close, a little jealous if you will, and bad things start to seemingly spiral out of control.
Hogan is a talented writer and kept me eagerly awaiting each new turn. My only criticism would be the ending. It was ok, I guess it had to happen, I don’t know, it just seemed anti-climactic after the encore.
” I have to smile when newspapers–so predictable in their attempt to explain the behavior of those transgressing social norms or the workings of the deviant mind –speak of ‘the double life’ led by this furtive criminal or that. In fact the reverse is true. It is normal people who have a 'double life'. On the outside is your everyday life of going out to work and going on holiday. Then there is the life you wish you –the life that keeps you awake at night with hope, ambition, plans, frustration, resentment, envy, regret. This is a more seething life of wants, driven by thoughts of possibility and potential. It is the life you can never have. Always changing, it is always out of reach….There is no twoness about me. My life is seamless. I have all my wants in one basket and the daily wherewithal to pursue and enjoy them.”
I received a free digital copy of this book in return for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley!
Has anything ever seemed out of place when you return home? An indentation in the couch, food missing from the fridge, maybe the lingering aroma of fresh coffee? Ever wonder who might have a key? Ever considered your real estate agent? Oh, you bought your place years ago, they wouldn’t still have a key you say. Yeah, so do most of the residents of a quaint English town. Unfortunately for them, the town real estate agent has a secret hobby.
”I don't have the conventional comforts - I rarely watch TV, for example, and own only the most basic furnishings. But this is the place I sleep, surrounded by my keys, of course - shimmering on every wall under the dimmed lights like gold and silver, each opening a lock in a portal to pleasure and adventure. I go to sleep counting sometimes. I have no idea how many hundreds or thousands there are - randomly scattered, you might think, some out on their own, others hanging in twos or threes on their little hooks - though together they are a collage of the town, every pendent shadow a house and a way of life.
Mr. Heming, as he prefers to be called, is a sociopath. As memories from his childhood spill out, you become more and more convinced of this (I still want to know what happened with the cat,,,I have a good guess, but I still wanted to hear (see?) it). For the most part, one would classify him as a voyeur, he loves watching people in their homes, rifling through their things, finding their secrets. Sometimes he gets a little too close, a little jealous if you will, and bad things start to seemingly spiral out of control.
Hogan is a talented writer and kept me eagerly awaiting each new turn. My only criticism would be the ending. It was ok, I guess it had to happen, I don’t know, it just seemed anti-climactic after the encore.
” I have to smile when newspapers–so predictable in their attempt to explain the behavior of those transgressing social norms or the workings of the deviant mind –speak of ‘the double life’ led by this furtive criminal or that. In fact the reverse is true. It is normal people who have a 'double life'. On the outside is your everyday life of going out to work and going on holiday. Then there is the life you wish you –the life that keeps you awake at night with hope, ambition, plans, frustration, resentment, envy, regret. This is a more seething life of wants, driven by thoughts of possibility and potential. It is the life you can never have. Always changing, it is always out of reach….There is no twoness about me. My life is seamless. I have all my wants in one basket and the daily wherewithal to pursue and enjoy them.”
I received a free digital copy of this book in return for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley!
April 26, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyed this one. I was enticed in by the clever title and the front cover, and wasn't disappointed to find that both the narrator and his story were equally as creepy and clever as my initial reaction had predicted.
The story is original, and I enjoyed getting to know Heming's backstory, though perhaps it would have been structurally more interesting to weave the backstory into the main plot. I found myself wanting to hurry through the opening chapters to get to the main plot.
Highly recommend for an original, creepy and intrinsically written novel.
The story is original, and I enjoyed getting to know Heming's backstory, though perhaps it would have been structurally more interesting to weave the backstory into the main plot. I found myself wanting to hurry through the opening chapters to get to the main plot.
Highly recommend for an original, creepy and intrinsically written novel.
November 17, 2013
Coming February 2014 from RandomHouse UK Transworld Publishers.
Thank you to the author and publisher for the review copy via Netgalley.
You won’t remember Mr Heming. He showed you round your comfortable home, suggested a sustainable financial package, negotiated a price with the owner and called you with the good news. The less good news is that, all these years later, he still has the key.
That’s absurd, you laugh. Of all the many hundreds of houses he has sold, why would he still have the key to mine?
The answer to that is, he has the keys to them all.
Ha! Pure reading joy. Mr Heming tells the tale, oh and what a tale he has to tell. A voyeur, a strange man, a man with his finger on the pulse of, well, everything – he keeps a weather eye on the inhabitants of his town..and their places of residence. He has his favourites and those he despises – who may find themselves having no fun at all…
I adored this – what a fascinating character, possibly the most fascinating I have come across since Mr Ripley. Tis true I would not want him poking around my house, or eating breakfast in my kitchen, but I followed avidly and willingly along with him as he wandered the halls of houses past sold..still, when a man like Mr Heming develops an obsession that takes him beyond even his own obsessive personality you just know there is trouble ahead. You may want to look away…but that is impossible – he has drawn you in, made you complicit in his excursions…and now you are as guilty as he is…Read on..read on no matter what!
Resourceful talented writing and a delightful, dark and delicious narrator make this a wonderful, creepy, exquisite reading experience. Next time you come home unexpectedly..look for the signs. Has Mr Heming visited in your absence? He may well have done you know…
Happy Reading Folks!
Thank you to the author and publisher for the review copy via Netgalley.
You won’t remember Mr Heming. He showed you round your comfortable home, suggested a sustainable financial package, negotiated a price with the owner and called you with the good news. The less good news is that, all these years later, he still has the key.
That’s absurd, you laugh. Of all the many hundreds of houses he has sold, why would he still have the key to mine?
The answer to that is, he has the keys to them all.
Ha! Pure reading joy. Mr Heming tells the tale, oh and what a tale he has to tell. A voyeur, a strange man, a man with his finger on the pulse of, well, everything – he keeps a weather eye on the inhabitants of his town..and their places of residence. He has his favourites and those he despises – who may find themselves having no fun at all…
I adored this – what a fascinating character, possibly the most fascinating I have come across since Mr Ripley. Tis true I would not want him poking around my house, or eating breakfast in my kitchen, but I followed avidly and willingly along with him as he wandered the halls of houses past sold..still, when a man like Mr Heming develops an obsession that takes him beyond even his own obsessive personality you just know there is trouble ahead. You may want to look away…but that is impossible – he has drawn you in, made you complicit in his excursions…and now you are as guilty as he is…Read on..read on no matter what!
Resourceful talented writing and a delightful, dark and delicious narrator make this a wonderful, creepy, exquisite reading experience. Next time you come home unexpectedly..look for the signs. Has Mr Heming visited in your absence? He may well have done you know…
Happy Reading Folks!
February 22, 2022
(Review originally published on my blog, November 2013) William Heming is an estate agent in a pleasant, leafy and very middle-class English town. He is an unassuming man whom nobody notices - he is charming but forgettable, a consummate salesman who specialises in finding his customers their dream homes and then quietly slipping back into the shadows, unremembered. And that's exactly the way he likes it, because he has a secret: he has kept a set of keys for every property he has ever dealt with. A Pleasure and a Calling opens as the running of Heming's business is interrupted by the discovery of a body in the garden of a house he's trying to sell, one belonging to a particularly difficult client. From there, the story unfolds in a non-linear order as Heming reflects on the events directly preceding this incident, but also allows his memory to wander further back.
Phil Hogan's novel is disturbing in a gentle way, if such a thing is possible. Heming acts as the quintessential unreliable narrator, consistently bland and even flippant about his many indiscretions. The story flips back and forth, covering key incidents in his youth alongside the present day, in which he has risen to become the owner of his own property agency; so we learn of his role in the disappearance of two children when he was a boy, and an attack on a classmate at boarding school, as well as his current life, in which discreetly invading others' homes has become a routine activity. The plot threatens to falter when Heming develops an infatuation with Sharp's mistress, and for a while I thought it was going to go in a rather stupid direction, but Hogan cleverly brings this back around and folds it into Heming's untrustworthy, malleable and very particular nature.
I liked almost everything about this book but, if I had to be critical of anything, it would be that it doesn't go far enough. It's not that I want to read graphic scenes of violence, but the mild tone of Heming's narrative voice makes everything feel a bit tame, even when he's sleeping in his stalkee's attic and/or killing people. I've read reviews of this that have called it frightening or even terrifying - and I can certainly understand why someone would think that given some of the things that happen - but it wasn't my experience of the book. In fact, it didn't even send a chill down my spine (though that isn't to say I didn't think it was effective). Ultimately, it's hard to shake the feeling that the deliberately opaque characterisation of Heming is the very thing that makes this story less memorable than it should be.
This is a unique and intriguing book which captured my imagination and has made me very curious about what the author will do next. It's a must-read for fans of unreliable narrator tales and has plenty to make you think, twisting and turning as it makes the reader complicit in Heming's crimes. (Incidentally, not that it really matters, but I absolutely love the cover design too - not only is it elegant, but it also fits the story perfectly.) You may not always remember Mr Heming, but it's worth keeping him in mind until February next year, at least.
Phil Hogan's novel is disturbing in a gentle way, if such a thing is possible. Heming acts as the quintessential unreliable narrator, consistently bland and even flippant about his many indiscretions. The story flips back and forth, covering key incidents in his youth alongside the present day, in which he has risen to become the owner of his own property agency; so we learn of his role in the disappearance of two children when he was a boy, and an attack on a classmate at boarding school, as well as his current life, in which discreetly invading others' homes has become a routine activity. The plot threatens to falter when Heming develops an infatuation with Sharp's mistress, and for a while I thought it was going to go in a rather stupid direction, but Hogan cleverly brings this back around and folds it into Heming's untrustworthy, malleable and very particular nature.
I liked almost everything about this book but, if I had to be critical of anything, it would be that it doesn't go far enough. It's not that I want to read graphic scenes of violence, but the mild tone of Heming's narrative voice makes everything feel a bit tame, even when he's sleeping in his stalkee's attic and/or killing people. I've read reviews of this that have called it frightening or even terrifying - and I can certainly understand why someone would think that given some of the things that happen - but it wasn't my experience of the book. In fact, it didn't even send a chill down my spine (though that isn't to say I didn't think it was effective). Ultimately, it's hard to shake the feeling that the deliberately opaque characterisation of Heming is the very thing that makes this story less memorable than it should be.
This is a unique and intriguing book which captured my imagination and has made me very curious about what the author will do next. It's a must-read for fans of unreliable narrator tales and has plenty to make you think, twisting and turning as it makes the reader complicit in Heming's crimes. (Incidentally, not that it really matters, but I absolutely love the cover design too - not only is it elegant, but it also fits the story perfectly.) You may not always remember Mr Heming, but it's worth keeping him in mind until February next year, at least.
May 31, 2018
Wow! I hardly ever use that word in my reviews but here I feel it is warranted. I am starting to think that the creepier and more horrific the book, the higher my praise usually is for it! These sort of books could be described as walking the tightrope between thriller and horror extremely well. I have never enjoyed horror movies and had assumed that it also applied to those type of books too but I don't think that is the case at all - I have started to read and really get into the horror genre of late.
This is a book with a unique story featuring a truly sinister baddie! The creepy factor was present throughout, making this a tense rollercoaster ride with added unpredictability. Hogan's characterisation is incredible, he builds William Heming so that it's impossible not to feel something for him.
This is a highly original concept and one that works well. It was previously under the title A Pleasure and a Calling, which may be more fitting than The Intruder. The Intruder makes you think that there are people within the particular building, and for the most part there is not. This is a helluva amazing read, and Hogan must write further books in this genre, he is just that good at drawing you into the story. Finding an author that truly engages you is a difficult task these days but Hogan does it with ease. As if that wasn't enough, he also excels at injecting black humour into the novel.
A magnificent title that is endlessly entertaining, and disturbing in equal measure! I cannot wait for more from this author.
I would like to thank P. S. Hogan, Random House UK - Transworld, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
This is a book with a unique story featuring a truly sinister baddie! The creepy factor was present throughout, making this a tense rollercoaster ride with added unpredictability. Hogan's characterisation is incredible, he builds William Heming so that it's impossible not to feel something for him.
This is a highly original concept and one that works well. It was previously under the title A Pleasure and a Calling, which may be more fitting than The Intruder. The Intruder makes you think that there are people within the particular building, and for the most part there is not. This is a helluva amazing read, and Hogan must write further books in this genre, he is just that good at drawing you into the story. Finding an author that truly engages you is a difficult task these days but Hogan does it with ease. As if that wasn't enough, he also excels at injecting black humour into the novel.
A magnificent title that is endlessly entertaining, and disturbing in equal measure! I cannot wait for more from this author.
I would like to thank P. S. Hogan, Random House UK - Transworld, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
July 11, 2016
**This review may be considered slightly spoilery so if you want to go in blind then don't read on - just know this is a thorough and compelling character study**
Mr Heming is a rather creepy and fascinating character. He is an estate agent. Nothing unusual in that I hear you say. Ahhhh but Mr Heming sells houses and keeps the keys! Then sneaks round people's houses when they're out. He immerses himself in the lives of others finding out all their routines and secrets *shudders*
He will use anything he discovers to his own ends and remove anyone who doesn't tow the line.
Everything about this is sneaky and low key. So there's a little murder and deception but such actions are absolutely necessary to preserve Mr Heming's deceitful habits - Mr Heming's version of self defence is pretty severe!
I enjoyed peaking into the mind of Mr Heming - there may be something wrong with me.
Mr Heming is a rather creepy and fascinating character. He is an estate agent. Nothing unusual in that I hear you say. Ahhhh but Mr Heming sells houses and keeps the keys! Then sneaks round people's houses when they're out. He immerses himself in the lives of others finding out all their routines and secrets *shudders*
He will use anything he discovers to his own ends and remove anyone who doesn't tow the line.
Everything about this is sneaky and low key. So there's a little murder and deception but such actions are absolutely necessary to preserve Mr Heming's deceitful habits - Mr Heming's version of self defence is pretty severe!
I enjoyed peaking into the mind of Mr Heming - there may be something wrong with me.
January 5, 2018
What a creepy read that was! An estate agent who lets himself in at any time and checks out people's lives...and helps himself.... He couldn't wait to leave home and then to leave school where he refined his skills in going unnoticed. Landing a job with a real estate company was like a dream come true.
Thank you to Random House UK via NetGalley for a copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest opinions.
Thank you to Random House UK via NetGalley for a copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest opinions.
February 23, 2018
A compelling psychological thriller that I highly recommend. Creepy, shocking, and seemingly very real. Hard to put down.
January 29, 2018
In brief - Hum - tough one to review in some ways. For me the publisher's line "The creepiest, most sinister thriller" really is unhelpful. It certainly didn't have that effect on me! However, without that, I found it readable and I found Heming as a character interesting. 3.5 probably.
In full
I liked the first chapter and introduction. Heming came over as an interesting character in this first person story. He is a local estate agent and has made copies of the keys of all the houses he has sold. He revisits those houses when he feels like it. It is obvious that there is more to this story than meets the eye. However the basic premise really appealed to me. It is clear from the start that this is neither voyeurism nor sexual really
The book time switches between the present time and earlier events in Heming's life. The back story here and its gradual reveal did have some tension/edginess to it for me. At the back of my mind was often the question "I wonder what will be revealed next?". In general the writing has a very "matter of fact" style to it and I didn't find that this created any tension in the story generally. Around halfway through this does change - "matter of fact" becomes facts of the matter. This change in tempo and story did make for a better read as far as I was concerned.
I felt that the real edginess that there could have been didn't come through all that well
I found Heming mostly unlikeable however he was very interesting. He is a strange and probably damaged character but that worked ok for me. I guess he was credible as that rather strange character.
I think a problem I have with this book is the publisher's "extra" on the title. I have real doubts this will be "the creepiest, most sinister thriller" I'll read this year. For the most part it didn't seem particularly creepy. I guess it was sinister at times. If I were to judge this book solely on this extra I'd probably feel a little disappointed. That would be a pity because this is not a bad story and very easily readable.
Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review
http://viewson.org.uk/thriller/intrud...
In full
I liked the first chapter and introduction. Heming came over as an interesting character in this first person story. He is a local estate agent and has made copies of the keys of all the houses he has sold. He revisits those houses when he feels like it. It is obvious that there is more to this story than meets the eye. However the basic premise really appealed to me. It is clear from the start that this is neither voyeurism nor sexual really
The book time switches between the present time and earlier events in Heming's life. The back story here and its gradual reveal did have some tension/edginess to it for me. At the back of my mind was often the question "I wonder what will be revealed next?". In general the writing has a very "matter of fact" style to it and I didn't find that this created any tension in the story generally. Around halfway through this does change - "matter of fact" becomes facts of the matter. This change in tempo and story did make for a better read as far as I was concerned.
I felt that the real edginess that there could have been didn't come through all that well
I found Heming mostly unlikeable however he was very interesting. He is a strange and probably damaged character but that worked ok for me. I guess he was credible as that rather strange character.
I think a problem I have with this book is the publisher's "extra" on the title. I have real doubts this will be "the creepiest, most sinister thriller" I'll read this year. For the most part it didn't seem particularly creepy. I guess it was sinister at times. If I were to judge this book solely on this extra I'd probably feel a little disappointed. That would be a pity because this is not a bad story and very easily readable.
Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review
http://viewson.org.uk/thriller/intrud...
April 29, 2014
An enjoyable read which had a very scary premise. House, keys, access, just whose hands do your housekeys pass through? Think about it! And what if they make a copy of those keys and are able to pass through your house like a gentle breeze, so gentle that you never know they've been there?! Day after day, week after week, month after month. Mr Heming did just that, hundreds, if not thousands of properties, lives, passing through without so much as an ornament out of place!
The book was well written enough but I did find it slow in parts. For me the premise of the book was the scariest part, one which if I ever moved house in the future, would have my locks changed pronto.
Read for yourself and see what you think.
Thank you to the author, publisher for the advanced copy via Netgalley.
The book was well written enough but I did find it slow in parts. For me the premise of the book was the scariest part, one which if I ever moved house in the future, would have my locks changed pronto.
Read for yourself and see what you think.
Thank you to the author, publisher for the advanced copy via Netgalley.
January 23, 2018
4 and a half stars!
Wow what an unusual and creepy book this was. I really enjoyed reading it and it was definitely a book that kept me up at night, both trying to read more and through some weird dreams that I had after reading it.
I think the thing that most struck me about this book is that this could actually happen. How many people change their locks on moving into a new house, how many old owners of a house keep the key to their old houses and how many estate agents get rid of the keys they are given? I'd hope the answer is none or if they do they just keep them in a draw or a bag forgotten but it has definitely given me food for thought . Having just moved house myself I will be asking my husband if we can change our locks at the earliest opportunity. I think this shows great skill by the author in creating such an creepy and sinister story that it has gotten under my skin in this way and made me think about it long after I have finished reading.
William is a very strange though fascinating character to read about. His obsession of going into unoccupied houses and spying on people's lives is very creepy, particularly when you learn how confident he is about doing it. The fact that he has a routine of what he does whilst he is in someone's home, including having something to eat and drink, is very calculated. It sent a chill up my spine imagining him casually sitting there and someone doing similar in our house without my knowledge. It was very interesting to learn about what he was able to glean about people's lives from their possessions and what they leave lying about the house.
One thing I did like abut William was the rough justice he dishes out to those who have wronged him in some way. Some of the things he does are inspired and very funny, helping to break some of the tension and creepy atmosphere. The incident with the do poo was brilliant and i wish I could do something similar to inconsiderate dog owners!
The book does start of slow as we learn more about William and his childhood but I felt that this is necessary as we are able to establish from it what type of person William is and what makes him tick. I felt the slow pace also helped to contribute to the creepy, slimy atmosphere throughout the book and complimented William's character. The story soon picks up though and I found myself riveted as I wondered what William would do next and if he would get caught. I often found myself holding my breath as he explored people's houses, wondering if this was the time he'd be discovered.
This is the first book by PS Hogan that I have read and I look forward to reading more from him. If you like creepy, sinister and gripping books then you will enjoy The Intruder.
Thank you to Rosie Margesson, Hayley Barnes and Transworld books for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour.
Wow what an unusual and creepy book this was. I really enjoyed reading it and it was definitely a book that kept me up at night, both trying to read more and through some weird dreams that I had after reading it.
I think the thing that most struck me about this book is that this could actually happen. How many people change their locks on moving into a new house, how many old owners of a house keep the key to their old houses and how many estate agents get rid of the keys they are given? I'd hope the answer is none or if they do they just keep them in a draw or a bag forgotten but it has definitely given me food for thought . Having just moved house myself I will be asking my husband if we can change our locks at the earliest opportunity. I think this shows great skill by the author in creating such an creepy and sinister story that it has gotten under my skin in this way and made me think about it long after I have finished reading.
William is a very strange though fascinating character to read about. His obsession of going into unoccupied houses and spying on people's lives is very creepy, particularly when you learn how confident he is about doing it. The fact that he has a routine of what he does whilst he is in someone's home, including having something to eat and drink, is very calculated. It sent a chill up my spine imagining him casually sitting there and someone doing similar in our house without my knowledge. It was very interesting to learn about what he was able to glean about people's lives from their possessions and what they leave lying about the house.
One thing I did like abut William was the rough justice he dishes out to those who have wronged him in some way. Some of the things he does are inspired and very funny, helping to break some of the tension and creepy atmosphere. The incident with the do poo was brilliant and i wish I could do something similar to inconsiderate dog owners!
The book does start of slow as we learn more about William and his childhood but I felt that this is necessary as we are able to establish from it what type of person William is and what makes him tick. I felt the slow pace also helped to contribute to the creepy, slimy atmosphere throughout the book and complimented William's character. The story soon picks up though and I found myself riveted as I wondered what William would do next and if he would get caught. I often found myself holding my breath as he explored people's houses, wondering if this was the time he'd be discovered.
This is the first book by PS Hogan that I have read and I look forward to reading more from him. If you like creepy, sinister and gripping books then you will enjoy The Intruder.
Thank you to Rosie Margesson, Hayley Barnes and Transworld books for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour.
March 2, 2018
Previously released under the far more intriguing title of “A Pleasure and a Calling” in 2014 this is the savagely funny story of the estate agent who keeps a copy of the key to every house he sells and is plotted with pinpoint precision. Impressively characterised, the first-person narration segues between William Heming relaying his hobby of browsing, occasionally pilfering and very often just making himself at home inside other peoples abodes (all without their knowledge of course) and glimpses into his troubled childhood with occasionally homicidal tendencies, be they intentional or out of necessity.
As an estate agent for well over seventeen years in a leafy and prosperous community William Heming has left his troubled past as a child in Norfolk behind and made a success of a career which is also his passion. Capitalising on his cloak of invisibility and keeping his personal self from the intimate gaze of others, Heming relays how he has learned to be likeable without being memorable and a nondescript face in the crowd. Anonymity is his strength and after a troubled childhood an unforgivable act as a ten-year-old sees him despatched to a private boarding school where he is able to indulge his penchant for exploring the inner sanctum of other peoples lives. After an ignoble ejection from said school he is foisted into the unsuspecting hands of a distant family friend and estate agent, Mr Mower, who becomes his mentor and furnishes him with the skills of negotiating and conveyancing. Despite his sinister behaviour Heming is keen to state that his actions are always accompanied by risk assessment and acquainting himself with knowledge of the habits of the householders and aside from unexpected interruptions he is seemingly proud of his ‘concern’ for the community.
With many thanks to my good friend and fellow reviewer, Miriam Smith, for kindly sharing her copy of this novel with me.
As an estate agent for well over seventeen years in a leafy and prosperous community William Heming has left his troubled past as a child in Norfolk behind and made a success of a career which is also his passion. Capitalising on his cloak of invisibility and keeping his personal self from the intimate gaze of others, Heming relays how he has learned to be likeable without being memorable and a nondescript face in the crowd. Anonymity is his strength and after a troubled childhood an unforgivable act as a ten-year-old sees him despatched to a private boarding school where he is able to indulge his penchant for exploring the inner sanctum of other peoples lives. After an ignoble ejection from said school he is foisted into the unsuspecting hands of a distant family friend and estate agent, Mr Mower, who becomes his mentor and furnishes him with the skills of negotiating and conveyancing. Despite his sinister behaviour Heming is keen to state that his actions are always accompanied by risk assessment and acquainting himself with knowledge of the habits of the householders and aside from unexpected interruptions he is seemingly proud of his ‘concern’ for the community.
“Here was transition as I had always known it. Because didn’t everyone come and go? I was the constant... Beyond the beautiful rumble of approaching and departing removal vans I was there always, behind the walls, beneath the roof, silent and listening, crouching and wondering, leaving my mark.”Always slightly watchful and given to hiding within earshot in his youth, the psychiatric problems of Heming obviously stem from his childhood with a distant father who blamed him for his mothers early demise and elicits sympathy for his character. Despite his obvious transgressions it feels unfair to ascribe his actions to a total lack of conscience because although some of his behaviour is immoral others, such as repaying the owner of the defecating dog, are “righting wrongs” and arguably public spirited. Although his actions are a breach of his position of trust as an estate agent William Heming is no voyeur or sexual deviant and his interests lie not an individual or a particular household but in the entire town that he serves. His downfall comes when he takes umbrage at the behaviour of a pompous local and turns his hand to exacting comeuppance, whereby an obsessive fascination sends him into uncharted territory. As his zealous enthusiasm brings him into contact with the other woman of his chosen target, who so happens to be both young and captivating, he swiftly undertakes the chivalrous intention to save her from the clutches of a lascivious and money grabbing oaf. Attracting the keen interests of the police following the demise of the his chosen target and courtesy of his estate agencies connection to the man’s house and the house where his deceased body ends up he uses his vivid imagination to spin an impossible puzzle:
“It was as bad to have too many clues as no clues. The police would find dots to join but it would never make a picture.”However, his mistake comes when he gets too closes to the young woman and realises that the kind of intimacy he desires is not with any one individual but rather within the worlds of strangers:
“..the flaw in face-to-face relations that demeans the mystery, reveals beauty as a sham. It is like a work of art. You walk towards it until all you can see is the paint. And when you back off again, what you had is gone for ever. Nothing is the same. You know too much.”An original and very droll story which grips like a vice and doesn’t let go until Heming’s audacious efforts to escape the eyes of interested parties comes to its last gasp conclusion. A superior psychological thriller that is genuinely clever with a wonderfully crisp narrative. Whilst I never found this chilling or unsettling I did find it terrifically difficult to put down as each incremental event sends Heming on an fervent series of coping mechanisms and camouflage! The Intruder is a riotous comedy of errors that stops short of ever becoming farce thanks to its fascinating and misguided protagonist. A well-written first-person narrative that whets the reader’s appetite with ominous foreshadowing through several notable and rather disquieting childhood memories. Highly recommended.
With many thanks to my good friend and fellow reviewer, Miriam Smith, for kindly sharing her copy of this novel with me.
Want to read
December 14, 2017I am confused, what is title of this book?
A Pleasure and a Calling or The Intruder ?
A Pleasure and a Calling or The Intruder ?
March 4, 2018
3.5 stars
William Heming seems like a righteous man at first but looks can be oh so deceiving and don’t I love it! That hidden side of people is so fascinating to discover and what’s better than a voyeuristic side of one’s personality to explore? His voyeurism doesn’t apply to people though, there’s no funny business, but he likes to look at people’s lives and homes.. the things that really tell a story about them. Now if you’re following the voyeur around, do you become one yourself then too :-)? I must assume so. I didn’t really mind slipping inside and looking into the houses myself so hmm maybe everyone has a little bit of that side in him or her and that’s why this novel is so fascinating?
It’s actually quite funny how Heming thinks of himself as a ‘concerned citizen’ and a model for the community and succeeded so well in making me wonder if he’s really bad or just someone harmless with a few quirks. I wouldn’t find it okay either if people didn’t pick up their dog’s poo or would damage a car’s mirror and just leave without taking responsibility for it. He wants to do something about it and even though it is wrong in every way I couldn’t help but feel somehow relieved someone wanted to right a wrong.
That feeling diminished however the further I went into the story and I realised he really had a nasty side. It’s not that Heming became unhinged because his personality never really changes throughout the novel, he is who he is, but while he cleverly holds up the façade for his co-workers, I became more intimate with his true self and he’s so creepy in his ways of addressing the reader and stating the obvious for him, defending his ways as if they are normal.
"I am simply sharing an experience, a life as it happens. Think of me as an invisible brother or uncle or boyfriend. I’m no trouble. I may be there when you are, or when you’re gone, or more likely just before you arrive. I agree it is an idea that takes some getting used to."
The novel slowly reveals not only what an oddball he is but also how his actions of spying on people, of lurking in the shadows and tresspassing started in his childhood. The author goes back and forth and while he’s trying to convince me of his harmlessness his childhood is slowly starting to make me doubt him.
His actions and his focus of attention become highly worrying, both for him as for his mark, a girl he lays eyes on and he’s smitten with from the moment he sees her red cape, just like Little Red Ridinghood. What he doesn’t see though is that he would be the Big Bad Wolf :-). I can’t tell you how the plot evolves but it does get a bit out of hand and dangerous and he’ll have to try to jump through a lot of hoops to keep himself the unsuspicious guy he’s been for most of his life. The ending did feel a tad anticlimatic for me because I expected maybe an extra twist as a final topping on an ice sundae but it wasn’t a bad ending per se. It makes you think even more about what you don’t know that is going on under your own nose.
This was a great unsettling read, very character-driven, and Heming was fascinating to read about. He felt quite real and his way of talking to the reader directly didn’t miss its effect.
William Heming seems like a righteous man at first but looks can be oh so deceiving and don’t I love it! That hidden side of people is so fascinating to discover and what’s better than a voyeuristic side of one’s personality to explore? His voyeurism doesn’t apply to people though, there’s no funny business, but he likes to look at people’s lives and homes.. the things that really tell a story about them. Now if you’re following the voyeur around, do you become one yourself then too :-)? I must assume so. I didn’t really mind slipping inside and looking into the houses myself so hmm maybe everyone has a little bit of that side in him or her and that’s why this novel is so fascinating?
It’s actually quite funny how Heming thinks of himself as a ‘concerned citizen’ and a model for the community and succeeded so well in making me wonder if he’s really bad or just someone harmless with a few quirks. I wouldn’t find it okay either if people didn’t pick up their dog’s poo or would damage a car’s mirror and just leave without taking responsibility for it. He wants to do something about it and even though it is wrong in every way I couldn’t help but feel somehow relieved someone wanted to right a wrong.
That feeling diminished however the further I went into the story and I realised he really had a nasty side. It’s not that Heming became unhinged because his personality never really changes throughout the novel, he is who he is, but while he cleverly holds up the façade for his co-workers, I became more intimate with his true self and he’s so creepy in his ways of addressing the reader and stating the obvious for him, defending his ways as if they are normal.
"I am simply sharing an experience, a life as it happens. Think of me as an invisible brother or uncle or boyfriend. I’m no trouble. I may be there when you are, or when you’re gone, or more likely just before you arrive. I agree it is an idea that takes some getting used to."
The novel slowly reveals not only what an oddball he is but also how his actions of spying on people, of lurking in the shadows and tresspassing started in his childhood. The author goes back and forth and while he’s trying to convince me of his harmlessness his childhood is slowly starting to make me doubt him.
His actions and his focus of attention become highly worrying, both for him as for his mark, a girl he lays eyes on and he’s smitten with from the moment he sees her red cape, just like Little Red Ridinghood. What he doesn’t see though is that he would be the Big Bad Wolf :-). I can’t tell you how the plot evolves but it does get a bit out of hand and dangerous and he’ll have to try to jump through a lot of hoops to keep himself the unsuspicious guy he’s been for most of his life. The ending did feel a tad anticlimatic for me because I expected maybe an extra twist as a final topping on an ice sundae but it wasn’t a bad ending per se. It makes you think even more about what you don’t know that is going on under your own nose.
This was a great unsettling read, very character-driven, and Heming was fascinating to read about. He felt quite real and his way of talking to the reader directly didn’t miss its effect.
August 13, 2016
So begins the story of an estate agent who has a copy of every house key he ever sold – as told by Mr. Hening, the estate agent himself. How lucky we are!
I do have to say I fail to comprehend why ANY new owner would not have changed their locks!!???!??!!!
He begins with the caveat that he is not at fault. And begins his story of a unknown dead body in the garden of his latest clients’ home. That’s just great!
I knew the sounds of my neighbor.
As he tells his side of the story matter-of-fact, he asks you to bear witness, and at times warns you of an impending acceleration of an event he is narrating. With plain old luck, he comes out in the end intact. Sure there were times he becomes distressed and wrought.
But the one thing he enjoys is his anonymity. Actually, he lives for anonymity.
And he eggs the reader on throughout his whole story begging the question: Is he really the bad guy in all of this?
A chilling twisted psychological thriller with bits of dark humor thrown in! There were times I was disturbed and times when I could not help but laugh where he had no remorse whatsoever.
Be aware of the the polite quiet nice gentleman ~ and when you do buy a new home, for goodness sakes change all your locks!!!
I do have to say I fail to comprehend why ANY new owner would not have changed their locks!!???!??!!!
He begins with the caveat that he is not at fault. And begins his story of a unknown dead body in the garden of his latest clients’ home. That’s just great!
I knew the sounds of my neighbor.
As he tells his side of the story matter-of-fact, he asks you to bear witness, and at times warns you of an impending acceleration of an event he is narrating. With plain old luck, he comes out in the end intact. Sure there were times he becomes distressed and wrought.
But the one thing he enjoys is his anonymity. Actually, he lives for anonymity.
And he eggs the reader on throughout his whole story begging the question: Is he really the bad guy in all of this?
A chilling twisted psychological thriller with bits of dark humor thrown in! There were times I was disturbed and times when I could not help but laugh where he had no remorse whatsoever.
Be aware of the the polite quiet nice gentleman ~ and when you do buy a new home, for goodness sakes change all your locks!!!
October 2, 2020
I loved the sound of this book, I really did. I'm actually gutted I didn't end up liking the book.
The book felt more like something I had to read once I was a few pages in, rather than something I wanted to read. 280 pages long (or something around that) yet it felt so much longer. At no point did anything remarkable happen, anything twisty or suspenseful.
This was literally just a book of a man obsessed with going into houses and going through other peoples possessions, who then typically falls in love and has to destroy everything around her to make her want him. Literally that, with a bit of murder.
Some probably will like this book, but it definitely was not one I enjoyed or would recommend (personally).
The book felt more like something I had to read once I was a few pages in, rather than something I wanted to read. 280 pages long (or something around that) yet it felt so much longer. At no point did anything remarkable happen, anything twisty or suspenseful.
This was literally just a book of a man obsessed with going into houses and going through other peoples possessions, who then typically falls in love and has to destroy everything around her to make her want him. Literally that, with a bit of murder.
Some probably will like this book, but it definitely was not one I enjoyed or would recommend (personally).
October 21, 2015
The main character William Heming is one creepy man. Real estate agent, he has the keys to every home and sneaks in when you're not around, eating or taking souvenirs. Since his choldhood, something is not right with William and getting older, things haven't changed.
Told as a diary, you discover the depth Heming will go to set things right , well the right thing that would benefit him.
Creepy, funny thriller!
Told as a diary, you discover the depth Heming will go to set things right , well the right thing that would benefit him.
Creepy, funny thriller!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 708 reviews