Don’t Let Him In By Howard Linskey

‘Don’t Let Him In’ is the latest book by Howard Linskey.

Eriston is a small town. It’s the kind of place where everyone knows your name – and your secrets. Rebecca hasn’t been back in years, but she grew up in the shadow of the dark local legend. There have always been deaths in Eriston – more than can easily be explained. People dying in their houses, behind locked doors. Her father Sean had always warned her of the dangers. Don’t let him in. When Rebecca returns, she discovers that her father wasn’t willing to let the legend lie. He was on the verge of uncovering the town’s darkest truth. He thought he was on the trail of a killer. Sean knew too much. Now he’s dead.

This is the first book that I’ve read by Howard and it was a fantastic introduction to a new author.

Written from the perspective of Rebecca Cole, she returns home after the sudden death of her father. What was suspected to be natural causes, Rebecca thinks otherwise when it’s revealed that her father was writing a story about ‘The Chameleon’, a man that has terrorised the small seaside town for years, killing women and their disappearances. A journalist like her father, Rebecca decides to carry on his story and help solve the mystery unaware that she’s being watched and that her life is now on a countdown.

This is a classic psychological thriller, that I immediately sank into. Rebecca is a great character, she’s a strong woman who refuses to become a statistic and won’t stop until she discovers the truth. It’s interesting to see her return to her home town and reignite old friendships and relationships.

The story is quite vividly written and Howard portrays the seaside town with the desolate lighthouse wonderfully and it’s so atmospheric and eerie. The story is packed with characters, some incredibly unlikable like the DC Hall, who’s less honourable in his job and Connor Owen who’s keen to buy Rebecca’s family home for developments. One character who’s particularly fascinating is DI Green, who’s been obsessing with the cases for years and wants to work with Rebecca on the information that he’s found. He’s interesting in the respect that his colleagues don’t like him and find his behaviour strange.

I really enjoyed this book and the pace that it flowed at, the chapters are short and engaging and there’s continuous twists and reveals that really hooked my attention. Howard has also included short narratives from ‘The Chameleon’ and I found myself really studying these parts looking for clues and comparing them against the characters in the book. It also shone a light in police procedures and how corrupt it can be when someone vulnerable can easily become the scapegoat for a crime purely based on convenience and not actual evidence.

A suspenseful and eerie story that will have you double-checking the locks before going to bed, ‘Don’t Let Him In’ is the perfect psychological thriller to get lost in.

You can buy ‘Don’t Let Him In’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.