Book Summary:
Fiona Lawson comes home to find that someone is moving into her house. There must be a mistake.
She and her husband Bram have a co-parenting arrangement, also called bird’s nest custody, where each parent spends part of the week with their two sons at the family home. This is to provide stability for their boys. They have had counseling and been briefed on all the benefits of such an arrangement.
But Fiona has certainly not been briefed on why strangers are now moving into their home. She cannot imagine what is going on. It is surreal. It has to be a mistake, she thinks.
But no, it’s not a mistake. She has been defrauded out of her beloved home. Her husband has disappeared and left no way for anyone to locate him.
Bram has been lying to Fiona for a long time. About his drinking, his traffic tickets while intoxicated, or the fact that he has lost his driver’s license. He has also obviously conspired with someone who resembles like Fiona to sell their home.
One lie tumbles right into another until Bram is cornered and had no way out. Someone else was now making his decisions for him. He feared he’d go to jail. If not for fraud, then for murder. His life is no longer his own.
Fiona has forgiven him for cheating. But she had no idea that he was capable of weaving together all the lies that locked her out of her own home. She realizes that she did not really know her husband at all. It is a bitter pill to swallow, and with the toughest of consequences.
My Review:
This was a great book. It is alternately told from the voices of both Fiona and Bram. The characters are well fleshed out. And the plot is meticulous. Great read.
About The Author:
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​Louise Candlish was born in Hexham, Northumberland, and grew up in the Midlands town of Northampton. She studied English at University College London and lives in Herne Hill in South London with her husband and daughter.Â
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She is the author of twelve novels, including her brand new thriller Our House (Simon & Schuster UK), a hardback bestseller and now an ebook #1 bestseller. It is published on 7 August 2018 in the US (Berkley).
Louise’s novel The Sudden Departure of the Frasers (2015) has been optioned for TV by Hartswood Films. |
Well, with my law degree and legal background, I wouldn’t be able to read a book like that without totally suspending all disbelief, sigh. The way I’d envision such a story ending is with me whipping out a machine gun and just getting rid of everybody I tagged as an “enemy,” and walking away like a female Rambo – and no repercussions 🙂 Ahhhhh, dream on. On a serious note, this is the kind of thing that title insurance is for. When you buy a property, you should also buy title insurance for your mortgage lender AND yourself – make sure of what you’re paying for. Indeed, your mortgage lender will no doubt insist that you purchase title insurance to cover the mortgage lender if something happens with regard to “clouding the title” to the property. That lender will want to make sure the property is YOURS (the buyer(s)), that all claims/liens filed of record against the property are discharged properly before its mortgage is issued, and that title is clear of anything other than its mortgage when you buy. That’s how the lender protects its collateral for its loan. If you’re paying for title insurance to protect your lender, It’s worth the extra $500 or whatever (depending on what state you live in and the value of the home) to buy coverage for yourself as well. If something like this ever happens to you in real life, first of all, go to your attorney and if you don’t have one, get a referral from your local bar association or friends for an attorney who specializes in real estate law. Have information on your home and the purchase information available in documentary form (photocopies), and including the original recorded Deed (usually returned to the new owner(s) after recording) or to whoemever is designated in the “returnee” box on the deed or submission form) and your title insurance policy or name of insurer and policy # if you don’t have the original title insurance policy or a copy. Let the attorney handle the rest. She will contact the title company and make sure that the case to clear the title to your home. Ladies – if you’re paying part or all of the mortgage, make sure your name is on the deed when the property is purchased, make sure you have OWNER TITLE INSURANCE (as well as mortgage lender title insurance) and make sure the deed is duly recorded with the appropriate Register of Deeds. Yes, ex-husbands and boyfriends commit fraud on women every single day, but if you have basic protections in place for your real estate (the largest asset for most of us), don’t just sit there, fight back. That’s what title insurance is for. Knowledge is power.
i love your book reviews! I add them to my library list! yes, I still go to our local library! laura