Review: The Boy at the Keyhole by Stephen Giles

The Boy at the Keyhole

by Stephen Giles

Publisher: Hanover Square Press

Pages: 272

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

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

Beyond her sporadic postcards, Samuel hears nothing from his mother. He misses her dearly and maps her journey in an atlas he finds in her study. Samuel’s life is otherwise regulated by Ruth, who runs the house with an iron fist. Only she and Samuel know how brutally she enforces order.

As rumors in town begin to swirl, Samuel wonders whether something more sinister is afoot. Perhaps his mother did not leave, but was murdered—by Ruth.

Kritters Thoughts:  If you are looking for the perfect spooky read for October, pick this one up!  

A young boy is severely missing his mother who left suddenly in the middle of the night.  She left him with his nanny and he has no clue why she didn't wait to say goodbye properly.  Through stories with friends and clues and wonderment he starts to wonder if his mom left of her own accord or if she was forced to leave or is she even alive?

What a perfect short and sweet spooky book.  I curled up with this for a day and I couldn't stop reading it.  I went back and forth wondering what the heck happened and if anyone was responsible.  Some have said it was a slow burn and I can agree, but I read it quickly because I wanted to know how it was all going to conclude.  

I will not ruin the ending for anyone, but it was definitely satisfying in that I felt like it was the right ending.  It just all worked for me.  I hope Stephen Giles has another one of these up his sleeve, I would love to read one by him every October.  


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.