The Intruder by P.S. Hogan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Intruder is a mild thriller where the focus is on an ordinary man rather than the popular police investigations that currently flood this genre.
William Heming is an estate agent, a quiet, diligent man, who worked his way up from a holiday job to business owner. He knows his town well, having helped buy and sell a house on almost every street. He silently supports the community, giving generous donations to both youth and play groups. He’s an advocate for good social behaviour, treats his employees well and often goes the extra mile for clients.
Heming is a very private man, but has an inquisitive nature and an obsessive need to snoop into other people’s lives. He is a silent watcher, a stalker and a man who holds a key to every house he’s sold. He regularly returns to these houses to soak up the atmosphere and, most chillingly, of all, rifle through the current owner’s possessions.
This is an intriguing novel. Heming is both compelling and repulsive, an unlikeable character, but one whose full story I wanted to know. Hogan drip-feeds Heming’s background along with his present life; one moment I was close to empathy for Heming, the next I shivered in discomfort. This tug-of-war kept my interest as the tale turned sinister and made me wonder just where Heming was heading to next.
Ideal for those who want something different from the thriller genre and are happy to have a rest from many of the high octane fast paced books they might have been recently reading.
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He has the key to hundreds of houses.
Maybe even to yours.
William Heming is an estate agent. He’s kept a copy of every key to every house he’s ever sold. Sometimes he visits them. He lets himself in – quietly, carefully – to see who lives there now, what they’re like, what they’ve been doing.
But what will happen when he gets caught?
Rosie Amber 