‘On her first shift at an Edinburgh halfway house for violent offenders, a young woman is taken hostage … and that’s just the beginning…’
– Halfway House
[ About Halfway House ]
They`re the housemates from Hell…
When her disastrous Australian love affair ends, Lou O´Dowd heads to Edinburgh for a fresh start, moving in with her cousin, and preparing for the only job she can find … working at a halfway house for very high-risk offenders.
Two killers, a celebrity paedophile and a paranoid coke dealer – all out on parole and all sharing their outwardly elegant Edinburgh townhouse with rookie night-worker Lou…
And instead of finding some meaning and purpose to her life, she finds herself trapped in a terrifying game of cat and mouse where she stands to lose everything – including her life.
Slick, darkly funny and nerve-janglingly tense, Halfway House is both a breathtaking thriller and an unapologetic reminder never to corner a desperate woman…
[ My Review ]
Halfway House by Helen Fitzgerald published with Orenda Books January 18th and is described as a‘twisty, shocking and darkly funny thriller’. A few pages into Halfway House and I knew that I was embarking on an absolutely offbeat and entertaining novel. On turning the final page I immediately thought, movie. The BBC adaptation of The Cry by Helen Fitzgerald (2013) was described in 2019 by Luke Buckmaster for The Guardian as ‘a production that’s thrillingly impressive across the board – with a great script, great acting, classy cinematography (from Sam Chiplin) and a philosophically chewy premise.’ So definitely one to keep an eye on, as this novel might also follow in the same fashion!
Initially Lou O’Dowd is not a particularly likeable character. She is a self-obsessed, reckless and thoughtless twenty-something year old who, following a relationship breakup, decides on radical action. With an imaginative idea of what Scotland and, in particular, Edinburgh looks like, Lou packs her bags and embarks on a journey, leaving Australia and all her emotional baggage behind her. Her cousin is already there, so accommodation is not an issue, and she has completed a successful online interview for a job, so in Lou’s eyes the world is good.
Her new job does carry a certain element of risk but Lou is enticed by the freedom it allows her, giving her time off to explore Edinburgh and beyond. She fanaticises about short trips to Ireland and mainland Europe, all within easy reach from her new base, but Lou’s plans don’t exactly turn out as she had hoped.
Lou’s new job is on the night-shift at a halfway house for offenders. She is quite flippant about her role and sees it as something very manageable. The residents will be asleep, or at least back in their rooms, so all she has to do is be alert and monitor the situation, reporting any unusual behaviour or activities. As a rookie in the job, Lou makes mistakes, plenty of them, and within a very short time her inexperience lands her in the most bizarre situation.
Lou has the kind of personality that, while very wilful and outrageous, is also strangely appealing. Lou doesn’t care too much about decorum and standards to be upheld. She lives freely, very much dancing to her own tune. When put in a rather dramatic and dangerous situation, that most of us would cower at, Lou is unapologetically gutsy and literally takes no prisoners. Taking on such a tough job in the first place with insufficient experience was always a risk but Lou O’Dowd does it in her own unique way, with some disastrous, yet also weirdly humorous, outcomes.
Halfway House is an obscure, bonkers and riotous experience that is the norm when you pick up a Helen Fitzgerald novel. Expect the unexpected and the downright crazy and you are in for quite a ride. The perfect book to dive into for any reader looking to step outside of their comfort zone a little and into the dark mind of Helen Fitzgerald.
[ Bio ]
Helen FitzGerald is the bestselling author of ten adult and young adult thrillers, including The Donor (2011) and The Cry (2013), which was longlisted for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, and adapted for a major BBC drama. Her 2019 dark-comedy thriller Worst Case Scenario was a Book of the Year in the Literary Review, Herald Scotland, Guardian and Daily Telegraph, shortlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, and won the CrimeFest Last Laugh Award. The critically acclaimed Ash Mountain (2020) and Keep Her Sweet (2022) soon followed.
Helen’s latest title Halfway House was published in 2024. Helen worked as a criminal justice social worker for over fifteen years. She grew up in Victoria, Australia, and now lives in Glasgow with her husband.
X~ @FitzHelen
