Ours is a Tale of Murder

This book centres on three families in a quiet, secluded neighbourhood with lots of secrets, shady people and complicated relationships within a story that doesn't give readers all of the answers. 

There's a big cast of characters (a few you'll love to hate - one of them was rather icky!) and a slow-building sense of tension with the storylines of each household eventually merging late in the book. But I didn't enjoy being kept in the dark about who was talking in each chapter and what was going on in what timeframe etc. It was confusing and distracting rather than suspenseful for me - I guess I like more hints dropped in my thrillers. 

But I held tight because of the big twist that other readers had been hinting about. But by the time I got to about 80%, I realized that the big twist had already happened a few chapters back. Wait ...  that was the twist!? To me it wasn't a 'twist' per se which left me feeling disappointed.

I enjoyed the short chapters, character depth, creepy factor with a couple of characters and inclusion of some weightier topics, but the disjointed, slowly paced 'keeping readers in the dark' storytelling and the lackluster big reveal detracted from my enjoyment of this domestic thriller. 

I'm in the minority with my feelings for this book and I'm just one reader so if you think this book is a good fit for you, give it a try. I'd love to hear what you think of it.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for the complimentary advanced digital copy of this book that was given in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 2.5 stars

Author: Nora Murphy

Type and Source: ebook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

First Published: Feb 10, 2026

Read: Jan 23-27, 2026

Book Description from GoodReads: One quiet neighborhood. Three different families. 

Bound by murder

Klara never wanted the house with the white picket fence. Troy never wanted anything else.

Nothing is quite right with this happy couple, but isn't every home hiding something? Mary, the mother in the blue house, is cleaning out her son's old room before she sells, haunted by the mistakes of her past and afraid of what her home has become. Henry, freshly laid off and back living with his parents, has plenty of time to watch everyone—especially wives. He knows something is wrong with the couple across the street. But then, nothing is quite what it seems, and sometimes you miss what's right in front of you. Murder will soon thread its way through this world in ways no one will see coming—unless you've been the one plotting it all along.