In The Caretakers, by Eliza Maxwell, we see two mysteries blur past in one of the fastest paced novels I’ve ever read. In the present, Tessa Shepherd is dealing with the aftermath of helping an innocent man get out of jail. In the past, an entire family unwittingly approaches their own demise. Tessa is the link between the two cases, but things happen so quickly in this book that, if you blink, you might miss it.

Tessa begins the novel with the smug knowledge that she did the right thing. She helped expose a frame job that sent a man to prison for fourteen years. The only problems she has at finding out how to dodge her mother’s attempts to reconcile Tessa with her estranged sister. But then, almost immediately, the freed man releases a video in which he claims to have kidnapped and killed a woman. And Tessa’s mother passes away. That’s when the shit really hits the fan…which makes it the perfect time for Tessa to learn about a secret inheritance.

The Caretakers is all plot. It never really pauses for character development or, sometimes, logical motives. But, after the heavy books I’ve been reading lately, I was glad to read something that didn’t carry so much emotional weight. The mysteries were interesting to watch unravel and the ending is pretty spectacular. Sure, it’s not the best mystery I’ve ever read but it’s a pretty fun ride.

4.5 stars

WOW, I did not see that twist coming! I honestly don’t know what else to say without giving the story away. There were so many components to this story—twists and turns that just kept building and truths kept hidden until now—that I was completely caught by surprise at the end. The only parts I didn’t like as much were those of the current situation with Oliver Barlow. I preferred diving into the past and unfolding what happened decades ago at Fallwood House.

Still, I highly recommend this book!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3233952491

The story starts leaving you conflicted by the main characters. A young woman who seemingly helps free a convicted killer who then proves himself a killer. Her horror is compounded by her mother's death and her antagonistic relationship with her sister. As this back story is set, the characters flee the negative publicity to a community from their mother's past that they did not know existed.
Eliza Maxwell has woven the two sisters and their story along side the story of the two sisters they find taking care of their mother's past home. Each layer of the story reveals family history that set the stage for the current sisters to either bond together or face their demons alone. The book is well written and will surprise readers at the end.

Tessa Shepherd is a filmmaker who freed a man she believes was falsely incarcerated for murdering a young girl due to the evidence she unearthed. Eighteen months later Tessa's life and reputation are turned upside down when he commits murder. 

Consumed with guilt, Tessa's life descends further into darkness when her mother passes away suddenly and she is suddenly faced with confronting her past with her sister Margot but the tension only rises. Seeking refuge from the turbulent storm and relentless reporters that has become her life Tessa needs a lifeline. The sisters learn of a secret inheritance from their mother - a crumbling estate known as Fallbrook, and it seems like life may have finally thrown her something to catch her breath. 

The grand old home has its own tainted history though and it has been left for nature to reclaim with only two aging sisters to watch over its secrets. When those secrets choose to surface Tessa and Margot must work through their own past wounds to save their sisterly bond and themselves. 

I decided to pick this book up on NetGalley because I liked a book that Eliza Maxwell had previously written - The Unremembered Girl. This book is definitely my favorite of the two and I enjoyed it much more than the previous book I read. This story is equally as heart-wrenching as The Unremembered Girl but in a different way. That story wasn't woven together as intricately as The Caretakers and I found myself able to connect with the characters of this book more.

"Mam nods.'He did, indeed. Some would say he lied from compassion, though, Dee. That he lied because a lie told out of kindness is less of a sin that the cruelty of a harsh truth.'"

I did not expect all of the twists and turns that this book would take - especially the ending. It is filled with many different types of guilt and grief. The Caretakers is a book about familial bonds (especially between sisters), love triangles, long buried secrets and betrayal. The modern day story is written from the perspective of Tessa Shepherd while the historical side are memories unearthed by the aging sisters Kitty and Deirdre Donnelly. The past and the present stories collide in an interesting way.

This title isn't without its sensitive topics but mainly murder, abuse and mental illness. I would highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy suspense, murder mysteries, crime, thrillers, family drama and Gothic fiction. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishers for making The Caretakers a Read Now title.

In this mystery thriller by Eliza Maxwell two storylines are interrelated. Both of the storylines focus on Tessa Shepherd. Tessa is a documentary maker who made a movie about a man, Oliver Barlow, who she believes was wrongly convicted for murder.

And that’s where the first storyline (that made me think about Making a Murderer) starts. Oliver Barlow is free and Tessa is the hero of this story. She is the one who investigated the case and helped an innocent man take back his life. But just when things are working out, Barlow becomes a suspect in another murder case. And this time Tessa is implicated as a suspect too. Her reputation and believability are crumbling and when she thinks things can’t get any worse, her sister Margot turns up on her doorstep. The sisters haven’t spoken to each other in years and Margot has bad news. Their mother passed away and that is where the second storyline takes off.

Tessa and Margot inherit an isolated and decaying mansion, known as Fallbrook. Tessa decides to go to the mansion to hide from the press and the frustrating situation she’s in. There she meets the two caretakers of Fallbrook, the elderly sisters Kitty and Deirdre Donnelly. Tessa becomes fascinated by the gruesome and violent history of Fallbrook. And she discovers a lot of hidden secrets about her past.

The Caretakers is the first book by Eliza Maxwell that I’ve read and I absolutely loved it. The story is full of intricate twists and turns. There is a lot going on in the story and there are a lot of characters. Sometimes this was a bit confusing, although the writing never felt rushed. In my opinion the two storylines would have made amazing separate novels too. I would have liked more details on the history of Fallbrook, as this was my favorite storyline.

I couldn’t stop reading and I enjoyed the gripping writing and mysterious suspense. Besides the mystery part, this is also a story about sisterhood, friendship, forgiveness, revenge and honesty.

The Caretakers is a wonderfully written and suspense filled novel. I thought it was a great read and its getting five plus stars from me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for this advanced reader's copy. Intriguing and suspenseful. Engaging characters. Loved it.

I only started reading this last night & I've just finished it! What a fabulous book it was, set in a gothic style house, with just the right amount of suspense to keep you wanting more. A tale full of love, betrayal & the strengths you will go to, to protect those that you love.
Thankyou Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

Filmmaker Tessa Shepherd helped free a man she believed was wrongly imprisoned for murder. When he kills again, Tessa’s life is upended. A crumbling monument to a gruesome history, the mansion that Tessa and her twin sister inherited has been abandoned by all but two elderly sisters retained as caretakers. They are also guardians of all its secrets.

Nice twist at the end. I like the way this author writes, it's readable and interesting. The mystery was very believable and all the loose ends got tied up in the end.

3.75☆

Too many plots and subplots, which read individually are good, but together feel too jumbled. A chilling last scene on the porch with Deirdre is great though.

I wasn't sure whether to give it two or three stars. A number of threads, but nothing really stood out for me. Others evidently found it more memorable..

The book description does not do this book justice at all.
This novel is an epic multi layered masterpiece with two stories sweeping and threading across each other, each strand so absorbing and brilliantly written.

It's one you can't stop reading.

Though I've been a gothic fiction junkie for years, The Caretakers is the first Eliza Maxwell novel I've read. This suspenseful, intricately plotted novel weaves together multiple interrelated storylines more seamlessly than I would have expected, considering the number of characters and events involved.

The present-day chapters focus on documentary filmmaker Tessa Shepherd's attempt to escape the media circus surrounding the meltdown of her most famous subject: the wrongly convicted Oliver Barlow. As the victim of police misconduct, Barlow spent years in prison for a crime he may well not have committed (think "Making of a Murderer"). When his conviction is overturned and he walks free, however, things don't proceed the way Oliver – or Tessa – envisioned ....and that leads to some dark developments. Not only is Tessa shocked, but she is also implicated as a suspect in a new murder. Instead of facing up to the consequences of her actions, Tessa flees to a dilapidated mansion she's recently inherited. But how long can she hide from the police and the man who blames her for everything that's gone wrong since his release?

The other chapters in The Caretakers focus on another killing, the slaughter of a family in a single day decades earlier. Like Barlow, the man convicted may not have been guilty. Told mostly from the point of view of the elderly Kitty Donnelly, these chapters give glimpses into the past but the truth is as clouded as Kitty's mind. Was it her brother who actually killed the Cooke family? Is his ghost real – or just another sign of Kitty's dementia? As is usually the case in gothic novels, the past and present are inextricably linked but the extent of this only becomes clear at the end of the book.

I've spent a good chunk of this review explaining the plot, but I've hardly touched on the novel's key points. This is also a story about sisters past and sisters present, about love triangles, betrayals, secret adoptions, madness and an evil stepmother to boot. Which brings me to my only caveat: at times there is almost too much going on in this book. I would also have liked a little less of the Barlow story and more details about the historical tale. That said, I enjoyed this story and will definitely be reading more of Maxwell's novels. One thing I especially liked was the relationships between both sets of sisters – Tessa and her twin Margot; and Kitty and her sister Deirdre. I don't know if Maxwell has a sister, but she captures the bonds, the rivalries and the rifts between siblings with great humor and skill. I also love the irony that the two elderly sisters Kitty and Deirdre aren't actually caretakers: they've spent their lives ensuring that the mansion – aka the “murder house” - falls further and further into disrepair.

Much thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this book! Written with two different storylines coming together at the end, the writing style was great, and the imagery created when reading was amazing; such beautiful places and so well described.

There are some unexpected twists and turns and it held my attention well throughout.

The plot centres on Tessa, whose life has been turned upside down after her film helps a convicted murderer be released and then, when he kills again, Tessa is hunted. She escapes to find her family and that doesn’t quite work out as expected either. Leading through to a secondary storyline full of tragedy and secrecy, guilt ridden, and lost Tessa emerges the other side.

The two storylines intertwine together through the latter part of the book and are told through alternate points of view by some adorable characters that you can’t help but fall in love with.

A really great novel that you shouldn’t miss out on!

Let me start by saying that the book description given on Goodreads for The Caretakers by Eliza Maxwell, just doesn’t do it justice! This story was absolutely phenomenal in my opinion. I’d have to say it’s one of the best books I’ve read in a very long time. It’s written with 2 different storylines that come together in the end. It’s a bit of a mystery type genre that has some suspense thrown in. There are parts to the story that are a little dark but that’s what held my attention. After reading this, I am now anxious to read all the other books by this author. I just may have to add her to my favorite authors list. I’d like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an arc of this book. All opinions stated are my own. This is a well deserved 5 star read and a book I will be highly recommending to all my reader friends.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This was overall a pretty good book, there were characters I didn't really care for but I mean everything came together in the end in a very interesting way lol was more interested in the moms backstory/family story than olivers little hissyfit tho

The author has a flair for creating beautiful imagery. The words are honey-sweet and I couldn’t help but be drawn in like a thirsty bee. What can I say? I love a well told story that keeps me intrigued right till the end, and ‘The Caretakers’ definitely managed that.

The plot revolves around Tessa, a thirty something filmmaker whose life seems to have come to a halt almost overnight. A documentary she had made helped to set a man free, who was serving a prison sentence for a murder he did not seem to have committed. Now he strikes again. In the midst of the media frenzy storm that follows, Tessa suffers a personal lost which opens up doors to almost a secondary storyline, filled with tragedy and secrecy. Guilt ridden and lost, we watch as Tessa tries to figure out the truth, all while battling her own little demons.

The two storylines although start off separate, become neatly interweaved as the plots draws closer to the end. Told between alternate point of views, we are introduced to several characters, whom I must say I came to adore. They were all well developed and added so much to the plot, making it believable and borderline addicting. I wanted to know their past and how the different choices would affect their future. I say the author deserves kudos for creating a novel, one so easy to get lost in.

I've been on a gothic kick lately and this book really hit the spot. It was suspenseful and mysterious and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Definitely recommend!

The caretakers by Eliza Maxwell
This is a story about two sets of sisters, a surprising inheritance and old murders as well as a new one.
Twins Tessa and Margot have not spoken for all their adult life, both have demons to live with but the death of their mother brings them back together.
The inheritance that they are left with is confusing and unexpected. Their mother was adopted after a horrific murder of the family of the house that now belongs to them. Two elderly sisters live in the lodge by the house Tessa needs a place to escape to after a documentary she made freed a man who might still be a murderer. She spends time with the sisters and suddenly everything becomes linked and another violent act happens.
This is a fantastic read, with mystery at its heart. It is fast moving and distressing facts finally come to light. Tessa has a hard decision about what to reveal and what to let lie.

Great book my first by this author really enjoyed it and likeable characters the story keeps you guessing.