Al is a squatter who lives in people’s houses while they are off on holidays. But not just any houses. High-end real estate. He doesn’t consider himself to be a squatter, but an unofficial house-sitter, and calls himself an interloper. He never steals anything and takes great care not to damage anything. Most people never know that Al has been in their homes. Al figures if the house will be sitting empty for a few weeks or even months, why not enjoy it? Al is good at what he does, he has strict methods, and ways in which he avoids getting caught, and always has a swift exit plan. But one little slip-up while interloping leads to a close encounter with a suddenly returning homeowner.
Needing a place to stay for the night, Al returns to one of his safe houses, where to his surprise he finds a trio of like-minded people already interloping in the property. All are initially suspicious of one another, however, they eventually team up and break into a house together. This break-in goes terribly wrong, ending up with a body and the group on the run with the police and an unknown killer after them. They need to find out who the killer is to try and get the police to believe they are not the murderers.
This book is written as a story told by Al, whose real name is not disclosed. Al is narrating the story and the situation that he and his new group of friends find themselves in. He has a funny defensive humour and makes light often to try and diffuse a situation. It is an unusual story, an unusual lifestyle, and at times a fun and enjoyable read. At other times I found myself disliking Al and his friends, who were constantly bemoaning their fate, all the while living a lifestyle of complete illegality with no regard for the fact that they were doing anything wrong. They were put out by the murder because it impacted how they lived. Not particularly upset that someone died.
There were some good moments, and the writing was well structured, with the pace overall on target. It was something a little different from the norm, but I found myself wanting to enjoy it more than I actually did. I enjoyed the humour, but the improbable Scooby gang premise just didn’t quite hit the mark for me. A light read, and I think if you can connect with the characters, you will enjoy it.
*I received this book from NetGalley for review, but all opinions are my own.
Mullen Crafts 