An Ordinary House

An unforgettable, horror-adjacent thriller about survival, perfect for fans of Girl A, Room and true crime.



We lived in a house on Beech Avenue.

Outside-People say we're safe now.

But one of us wants to go back.

Back to that house and the darkness it held.

Police raid an ordinary house in a quiet suburban street and find a traumatised teenager held captive with his family. They call him a survivor, but he doesn't know what to believe. His memories don't match what his siblings and the press tell him about his home.

As he struggles to make sense of his new world, he must find and face the truth.

With one of his siblings set on revenge, should he forget his family, or turn from victim to killer?


‘An exceptional psychological thriller...unlike anything I have ever read - I devoured it.’ Ruth Gilligan, bestselling author of The ButchersRae Starling is the pseudonym of Rachel Sargeant, a bestselling suspense author from Gloucestershire. Her novels are sold worldwide, including in translation in Europe. She writes about captivity, control and manipulation. After time out to study these topics in depth for a PhD, she returns with a dark, compelling thriller about survivor exploitation and resilience, featuring a unique, unforgettable narrator.