In London, Lucy and Henry are siblings who share a horrible childhood. But they are now grown up and recently received trust funds from their deceased parents. When a man from their troubled past resurfaces, the siblings are forced to dissect The Family Remains. Meanwhile, Lucy’s abusive ex is found murdered.
The Family Remains is a sequel to the bestselling The Family Upstairs (my review), which I read three years ago when it originally came out. While marketed as a standalone sequel, this book really isn’t. The complex family relationships were defined in the earlier book and only briefly described here. I would highly recommend reading the books in order (or rereading your notes if you read the first one a while ago).
While there is a bag of human bones found on a beach, The Family Remains is really a character study of one seriously messed up family. I’m not sure it will appeal to mystery or thriller fans. However, if you want additional closure from the rather open-ended conclusion of its preceding book, this book will totally satisfy that need. 3.5 stars!
Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.