A Window Breaks by C.M. Ewan review

About The Book

Book: A Window Breaks
Author: C.M. Ewan
Standalone or Series: Standalone
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Publication Date (UK): 31st October 2019

My Review

In A Window Breaks we meet Tom, Rachel their daughter Holly and chocolate labrador Buster. They’re in the midst of travelling to a remote getaway lodge in the Scottish Highlands. We learn that the family has gone through some incredibly trying times recently with the death of their son, Michael, and then a recent mugging, which have really affected them.

So off they go for some quality time as a family. The lodge’s remote location means it’s lovely and peaceful for them. So quiet in fact that the noise of the window breaking is amplified and terrifying. Who could be out there in such an isolated and secure location? What could they possibly want with the lodge or worse with the family?.

Once this got going and we were introduced to the home invaders, the tension amped up so much. I felt a real sense of dread as Tom sneaks out and sees the weapons laid out that have been brought, alongside the ominous bags that suspiciously look like they could accommodate a body! You will find yourself crossing your fingers and really rooting for the family, especially Buster!

Alongside the family’s nightmare unfolding, we also get flashbacks to what happened the night Michael died. These are actually presented in reverse chronological order, which I enjoyed and I can’t recall seeing them done in flashback form before.

C.M. Ewan books are always described as everyday situations gone wrong. Like not just a bit wrong, but drastically! I love how they start off so seemingly normal and then get turned up to 11. This was no different and was a tense ride that I absolutely loved, even if the epilogue broke me with how emotional it was!

A Window Breaks is the first book under the C.M. Ewan pen name, you can also find further standalone thrillers and the cosy mystery Good Thief’s Guide To series under Chris Ewan. The fifth C.M. Ewan book, Eye Spy, is out on the 26th March 2026 and you can find my full review here.