A great cover, a great story
With a cover like this, I had expected a completely different type of
book but, though, surprised by the content, I wholly enjoyed it. The
House with Nine Locks delivers two engaging storylines in post war
Flanders. One centers around Adelais, a spirited young girl who,
struggling with her mobility after suffering from polio, tries to make
the most out of a less than desirable home life and Major de Smet of the
Federal Gendarmerie, a doggedly determined police inspector,
investigates a murder of a night watchman. The narration for both run in
parallel as Adelais gets older and gains greater freedom, thanks to her
beloved uncle Cornelius, and de Smet's investigation grows into
something more.
The sense of place and the unhappy home life
Adelais endures, with a mother solely focused on religious matters and
doing good works and a drunk father feels authentic and bleak. But just
as the reader settles in to the status quo, things shift in a new and
interesting way. I enjoyed watching Adelais grow in maturity and
confidence as her situation changes and the twists I might have seen
coming had I been looking for them added to the richness of story. De
Smit felts more an enigma being wholly driven by his work but his
contribution to the story added volumes.
This felt like A
Gentleman in Moscow crossed with a juicy crime caper. I was hooked,
never quite knowing what might happen next, which made it all the more
delightful. An engrossing read, The House with Nine Locks most certainly
deserves lots of attention for being a cracking yarn.
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