Crime and Thrillers
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How far would a young boy go to save his mother from heartbreak?
When her controlling husband’s body is found in the Thames, Joss returns to her Cornish roots with 12-year-old Ollie, hoping time and change will heal them both. Her confidence increases as she keeps her parents’ guesthouse business afloat, despite the attentions of a local land agent with designs on their handsome property. But Joss has a blind spot: her son.
Traumatised by the circumstances of his father’s death, Ollie has appointed himself her guardian. Unknown to Joss, he has secretly begun to neutralise any perceived threat to her well-being. Then ‘Cal’ McCalvey enters their world.
Yacht restorer, lifeboat volunteer, neglectful parent, McCalvey’s presence enriches but disrupts their lives. Ollie rediscovers joy aboard his exquisite sloop Kara, while an unlikely friendship between Joss and McCalvey evolves into covert romance. But McCalvey’s past is about to catch up with him. In nightmares, he is haunted by the memory of a locked room, a woman’s soft voice, and a child he needs to save.
As his suspicions about McCalvey grow, Ollie determines to save his mother from another destructive relationship – whatever the cost.
Here's what readers have to say about this book....
I wholeheartedly adored this book. A pacy plot, intriguing mystery and loveable characters (Annie is a particular favourite) make it a real page-turner that’s hard to put down. It’s the perfect summer thriller, easy to read while also being descriptive and captivating, making you feel like you’re there on the Cornish coast with Joss and Cal. There is an added layer to the story as it addresses difficult but important and topical issues with honesty and compassion, making it more than your average holiday read. 5 stars *****
The Lookout Boy draws you in from the start with the traumatic unravelling of a seemingly perfect urban family forced home to Cornwall to heal. Joss, desperate to help her son Ollie settle in and trying to support her exhausted mother who is also her father's carer, while struggling to keep their business afloat, feels utterly relatable. We cheer her on when Joss meets the enigmatic Cal, a fixture of local gossip, offering respite from her layered responsibilities. Things begin to unravel through flashes of real tension, haunting pasts, and an ominous sea. The characters are finely drawn and the vivid coastal village setting flesh out this novel about heartbreak, second chances and confronting the truth. Chris Street writes with one hand on the tiller, navigating with supreme confidence and keeping us guessing at her destination until the last page.
Masterfully written. From the setting, the characters, the tragedy, and the love story, this book gives me everything I want in a story to sweep me away and keep me turning pages! Olly, Joss and Cal are such wonderful characters (deep, complicated, conflicted, but you totally route for them) and the Cornish setting is in equal turns romantic and forbidding. This book made me cry, made me joyful, kept me guessing and kept me hooked! It is one of those that stays with you.
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