“In a cottage in a wood A little old man at the window stood. Saw a rabbit hopping by knocking at the door. ‘Help me, help me, help me,’ he said. ‘Before the hunter shoots me dead.”

This is the second book I read from Cass Green. The first one, The Woman Next Door wasn’t something I really loved but it wasn’t bad. I think the cover attracted me with this one, and the name. Couldn’t resist when I saw it on Kindle Monthly Deals. I must say,  I loved the book cover. I have a tendency to follow when someone writes about a dark wood! I’ll probably shit my pants to go down into one still no harm when you read and protagonist get all the crap. (I also loved Ruth Ware’s In a Dark, Dark Wood and I think it’s her best book.)

I love reading mystery/thrillers when they are well written and edited. In a Cottage In a Wood  have both- I really liked it.

So the story starts with Neve coming across with a young woman on Waterloo Bridge. Neve, who just had her work’s Christmas party and had a one night stand with a stranger is going to her home when she sees this woman. The woman commits suicide by jumping off a bridge, but she gives an envelope to Neve beforehand. In a couple of weeks Neve finds out she left her a cottage in Cornwall. Having a recent break up and being forced to live with her sister due to financial woes,  Neve’s life in London is a mess- so she feels lucky to get this unexpectedly generous gift. But is she really lucky? Is this cottage the home of her dreams, or a mistake to accept? We will find out…

The protagonist, Neve is a pretty unlikable character. Well, to be honest she is like most of us. If I was a novel character, people will probably be hating me. So Neve feels quite realistic with her flawed personality, pointless reactions.  She makes extremely stupid decisions. There were a few scenes where I wanted to shake her and also felt embarrassed for her. I think Cass Green is very good at writing irritating and very real characters which gives depth to a standard  page-turner. This was the same case in Woman Next Door. However the plot devices in this book is much more intriguing  and kept me guessing until the end.

I also loved the way Cass Green borderline satirical view of a Londoner’s take on country side, especially a place as remote as Cornwall. Anywhere outside London is a village. Nearly.

I definitely recommend this book, perfect for a cosy night, accompanied by a mug of hot chocolate and a blanket. Might be read in one sitting!

Goodreads score is 3.9

Amazon Score: 4.4

Audible Score: 4.5

Publisher: Harper Collins, 326 pages, published September 2017