Eagle Court by Sheena Billett

5 Stars Gripping, Absorbing, Intriguing

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Crime

When one purchases a new home it may be reasonable to expect issues that weren’t covered with the Estate Agents details or the obligatory search, such as the break down of a boiler that has been there for donkey’s years, perhaps some dodgy wiring or come the Summer, it is often a surprise to find out what the previous occupiers planted in the back garden when greenery and blooms spring up seemingly from nowhere. When you step over the threshold of your front door, there also lies a number of other potential irritants such as neighbourhood cats defecating on your lush green front lawn turning patches of it brown and dry, large vehicles on other driveways blocking out the light to your property and the noise of vehicles on the main road, which when you visited with the agent were a pleasant hum, but now drive you insane. And then there are the neighbours, flaunting their ability to pro-create and nurture their nearest and dearest, afforded a lifestyle that you could have had, had it not slipped through your fingers before it even had the chance to be established…..

Iris considers these daily reminders of a life misspent so abhorrent, that she is literally prepared to go to any lengths to rid herself of the torment and regret that plagues her life. However, she is about to bite off more than she can chew when she goes a step too far, putting her faith in another person, perhaps the biggest betrayal of her life that has many threads…..

I have a number of favourite established authors whose books I automatically know I will love on release. The same can certainly be said of Sheena Billett’s literary delights. This is the fourth penned offering from Sheena, a very different theme from the others which made it extremely compelling, and I continue to be impressed at the diversity of genres that this author is able to turn her mind and hand to.

Iris is a thoroughly deplorable character, but at the same time you kind of feel sorry for her. Having been treated so disrespectfully by her mother and been forced to sacrifice over half her life to both her parents, she is understandably bitter. Once she acquires the freedom she craved for so long, she witness other people living the life that she could have had, and as Iris can no longer direct her vitriol towards the person responsibility, at the slightest provocation, she convinces herself that it is only right to make others pay for the things of which. she was deprived.

After offering unwelcome advise to Iris with regards to her pot plants, on top of her derisory comment about the place in which Iris had dreamt of living for all those years, I though Celia was perhaps going to be the difficult neighbour. However, that kind act, only meant with the best of intentions but taken wrongly, perhaps due to Celia’s lack of warmth, (possibly due to her being another victim of her upbringing), results in unwittingly making herself a target of her new neighbour. After Seb mocks his grandmother’s new neighbour for her driving skills and vandalises Iris’s colourful arboricultural efforts, it gives her yet another reason to exact a lengthy and agonising revenge upon the unsuspecting resident of number two. At first, I wasn’t sure whether I felt sorry for Celia or not, as she seemed a bit of a snob, clearly viewing moving into Eagle Court as a downgrade. But as Iris stepped up her plans becoming more and more heinous, sympathy definitely switched. The worst for me were definitely the texts initially. A deplorable act towards an elderly lady who is trying to adjust to a very different way of life with little support.

It was clear from the start that Bob had been harpooned by a younger woman with her strange ways and wish to relive her youth. This was also how Iris seemed to view the new occupants of number 3 and appeared to be on a mission to rid Eagle Court of Trish, a woman who she didn’t see as suitable for her chosen living location, and had also set her sights firmly on Bob. The slip up with the solicitor’s letter to Bob had me cheering, as I knew that that would lead to Iris’s downfall, as well as her young accomplice, forgetting to or deliberately not carrying out an instruction, making identification of the evil pensioner in a moment where the environmental elements consorted against her, all too easy. I liked Bob, who was clearly also vulnerable after a bereavement, a factor which both maybe Trish and Iris were able to use to the their advantage. The description of his ‘outing’ with George and his friends in ‘Dusty Roads’, was both heart warming and hilarious, with Mabel and her many bags and the wonderful unexpected act of chivalry from her fellow down-and-outs.

The banter from the crew at the homeless lunches, and exchanges between Iris and the patrons, provided much of the humour in this story particularly as she has nefarious reasons for being there. The reveals of the patron’s backgrounds were a brilliant addition, especially George, making his concern for Iris and his ability to read her brilliantly logical. The inclusion of this character cleverly created a possible extra threat to Iris’s plans putting her on the backfoot.

Zed is a very wiley opportunist, using his skills to extort money from those who are not able to execute their plans when it comes to technology, and in this case taking advantage of a generational gap. However when Iris gives him too much freedom he goes too far and after his client makes a throw away comment sparking Zed’s curiosity about his past, he uncovers information that he really wishes he hadn’t. Zed was prepared to be as ruthless as Iris needed him to be as long as the money was right. When he uncovers an unexpected connection though, I was saddened by the lack of emotion from both parties. The realisation that two lives have been blighted by the action of one person is very regrettable indeed.

Although I wasn’t keen on the character of Trish, feeling that she was using Bob to some extent, I admired her for her suspicion of Iris and her outspokenness. The humiliation of ending up vulnerable and at the mercy of the very person you suspect of carrying out plans to discredit you, must have been awful for her, and although her unorthodox views and approach to life were what attracted Bob to her in the beginning, it ends up being her undoing, giving Iris the ammunition she requires.

Eagle Court is full of exceptionally brilliant derived plot twists, and characters that are brought alive on the page by Sheena’s relatable authentic dialogue. Iris’s evil deeds are so cunning and spiteful, they truly make you hate her with every fibre of your being.

I loved that the last chapter updated you on Iris, but was a little disappointed that it ended where it did. The ending to me, suggests the possibility a sequel. If this isn’t the author’s plan, maybe ending it where she discovers Sonia might have been the way to go.