Someone in the Attic Summary: A Domestic Thriller by Andrea Mara
TL;DR: A No-Spoiler Snapshot
For readers in a hurry, here is what Someone in the Attic is about before the full spoilers begin.
- Julia Birch moves her family back to Dublin and discovers viral TikTok videos of a masked man inside her own home.
- A friend’s death, hidden surveillance, and a decades-old group secret drive the investigation.
- The novel combines stalking, guilt, and revenge in a domestic suspense setting.
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Characters In This Book
| Character | Role |
|---|---|
| Julia Birch | Human resources consultant and mother who moves her family back to Dublin. |
| Gabe Sheehy | Julia’s ex-husband and an artist who shares five-day alternating custody of their children. |
| Isla | Julia and Gabe’s thirteen-year-old daughter, unhappy about leaving California. |
| Luca | Julia and Gabe’s nine-year-old son who fears the man in the attic. |
| Anya Hase | Owner of Hase Accounting and childhood friend of Julia, murdered in her bath. |
| Eleanor Jordan-Keogh | Julia’s childhood friend who helps track the stalker and kills Vincent Gale. |
| Donna Wilson | Friend of the JADE group who died after falling from a roof twenty years earlier. |
| Andy Wilson Straub | Donna’s older brother who went missing after being blamed for her death. |
| Vincent Gale | Former accountant fired by Anya who carries out the revenge plot under false identities. |
| Shirin Hudson | Julia’s neighbor whose husband secretly records her. |
| Tony Hudson | Wealthy neighbor who installs a hidden camera to spy on his wife. |
| Heather Walters | Mother in San Diego who attempts to extort Gabe with a faked pregnancy. |
| Detective Dan Connell | Garda detective who handles Julia’s harassment reports and the murder investigation. |
| Chris | Anya’s partner who was planning to propose before finding her dead. |
| Lynn | Chris’s sister who reveals that her husband Glyn had an affair with Anya. |
Someone in the Attic Summary: The Deep Dive
Spoiler warning: This section reveals the complete plot, including the ending.
Find More Summaries at URSummary’s Andrea Mara book summaries.
Someone in the Attic by Andrea Mara opens with the death of Anya Hase, who drowns in her Blackrock home after a masked figure drops from her attic.
Julia Birch has just returned to Dublin from San Diego with her ex-husband Gabe and their two children under a five-night alternating custody arrangement.
Isla shows Julia a TikTok video under #TheLoft in which a masked intruder climbs out of the exact attic hatch in their Brentwood rental. More videos appear, and Luca becomes convinced a man is breathing on his face at night.
Julia and Eleanor find matching green hare paperweights linked to their old friend group JADE.
Twenty years earlier, their friend Donna Wilson fell from a roof, and Anya had lied about seeing her leave.
They track down Donna’s brother Andy, but a broken leg clears him and instead reveals his own guilt over ignoring Donna’s final call.
A hidden smoke-detector camera shows neighbor Tony Hudson spying on his wife Shirin. Gabe’s San Diego blackmail unravels when Heather Walters admits she faked a pregnancy.
The stalker is unmasked as Vincent Gale, a former accountant Anya fired on Julia’s advice. Disguised as neighbor Alastair O’Ryan, he drowns Anya and drugs Julia with sleeping pills in the final confrontation.
Eleanor arrives and kills Vincent with a fireplace poker.
Afterward, Julia recovers and quits her corporate job. The family moves to Stillorgan, and Andy becomes part of her life. Tony Hudson dies in a coffee machine explosion, and Lynn learns her husband Glyn had an affair with Anya.
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Summary by Chapter
Spoiler warning: The following grouping summarizes the novel’s seventy-eight chapters and “After” section in six narrative blocks.
The Inciting Incident and Settlement (Chapters 1–13)
Anya Hase is murdered in her bath, and Julia Birch returns to Dublin with her family. Isla finds a TikTok video showing a masked figure climbing out of their actual attic hatch.
Haunted by Attics and Creeping Fear (Chapters 14–27)
Additional videos show intimate footage of the house, while Luca insists someone is living in the attic. Julia meets neighbor Alastair O’Ryan and trainer Drew as the fear inside the gated community grows.
Shadows of the Past and the Hunt for Andy (Chapters 28–46)
Matching hare paperweights point toward the old JADE group and Donna Wilson’s death. Julia and Eleanor locate Andy Wilson Straub, whose broken leg eliminates him but uncovers his hidden guilt.
Hidden Surveillance and San Diego Secrets (Chapters 47–59)
Julia finds a smoke-detector camera and learns Tony Hudson installed it to spy on his wife’s past affair. Gabe’s extortion case ends when Heather Walters admits the pregnancy was fabricated.
Unmasking Vincent Gale (Chapters 60–73)
Julia realizes the letting agent’s name is an anagram for Vincent Gale. He corners a drugged Julia in her living room and reveals his plan to kill her and Eleanor.
Retribution, Recovery, and Rebirth (Chapters 74–78 and After)
Eleanor kills Vincent with a fireplace poker. Julia recovers, the family moves to Stillorgan, and the remaining connections to Donna’s family are repaired.
Book Details & Data
Book Name: Someone in the Attic
Author: Andrea Mara
Publisher: Penguin Books
Publication Date: August 12, 2025
Print Length: 368 pages
ISBN-10: 0593832086
ISBN-13: 978-0593832080
Genres: Psychological Thriller, Domestic Suspense, Crime Fiction
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No One Saw a Thing by Andrea Mara — A domestic thriller by the same author about a child’s disappearance and hidden family lies.
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware — A mystery about a group of female friends whose long-buried secret returns decades later.
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell — Domestic suspense about a family home taken over by unwanted guests and overlapping timelines.
The Guest List by Lucy Foley — A thriller set around a wedding where old secrets and resentment surface.
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty — Domestic suspense about a missing mother and the secrets inside a seemingly ordinary family.
