The Boy at the Keyhole: A Novel

Stephen Giles’s first novel for adult readers is a roller coaster. The Boy at the Keyhole had me at the edge of my seat the whole way through, and I don’t say that lightly. When nine-year-old Samuel is left alone with his overly-strict housekeeper, Ruth, things begin to change for the worse. Unable to fathom the notion that his mother has left him for months without so much as a backward glance, Samuel starts to suspect Ruth of murder. The plot spirals from there, keeping the reader hooked right up to the shocking and highly thought-provoking conclusion.

Giles’s writing perfectly encapsulates the mind of a child in distress and reminds readers of what it means to be a mother. I’d give this book four stars; I began recommending it to family members the minute I was finished. The Boy at the Keyhole is the perfect novel for long weekends. You won’t be able to put it down once you’ve begun.