This book was the right kind of addictive. I loved how the characters developed. It was a perfect book to read at the end of the day. Highly recommend!

I absolutely love John Marr. I think that his books are brilliant. This one was fantastic, but creepy. I was sometimes so disturbed that I wondered whether I wanted to keep reading, but persevered because I wanted to know how it ended. Regardless, he is a phenomenal storyteller and should be recognized for that. If you don’t find the content too heavy, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this read.

Holy guacamole, what did I just read?! So dark, so twisted, and oh so glorious! I guess it's no secret that I'm a big fan of John Marrs's writing and I have been looking forward to read What Lies Between Us ever since I first heard about it... And this story turned out to be exactly the dark psychological thriller dose I was craving right now! Oh yes, his newest title definitely didn't disappoint, and I found myself to be absolutely speechless as well as shell-shocked by the time I reached that final page. Make sure to brace yourself for a dark, intense and twisted ride!

Let's leave the superlatives for a little, and talk about why What Lies Between Us turned out to be yet another winner for me. The first thing that stands out when you read one of John Marrs' books is the quality of the writing and the plot development. From the very first chapter, both the writing and the plot are able to draw you right in, entice you and keep you hooked until the very end. In fact, I knew this was going to be another favorite even before I finished the first chapter; such is the power of his writing. As for the plot... Even though I do admit that I saw some of the plot twists coming very early on, strangely enough I wasn't too bothered by that. The mystery and suspense around the past events and the complicated relationship between mother and daughter were enough to distract me from my suspicions and ultimately right guesses, and I was honestly too busy devouring this story to really care about the lack of surprises and 100% effective plot twist bombs.

The story is told with the help of a dual POV, switching between Nina and her mother Maggie as well as between the past and present. This way, we are presented with snippets of the past as well as the present, never discovering the full picture of the truth until after those final reveals. The POV switches and flashbacks are used to successfully build up the suspense until you find yourself biting your nails and continuously shocked about the events that took place both in the past and present. Trust me when I say that What Lies Between Us will go darker than the blackest night and this story isn't for those with a weak stomach! The development and structure of the plot is excellently handled though, and really took the story to the next level for me.

Key in this pitch black psychological thriller are also the two main characters who star the show. The development of both Nina and Maggie is thorough and realistical; both women are extremely flawed and have mental issues as well as a bulk load of secrets waiting to be uncovered. Nina is an extremely troubled character and it was interesting to see her development and learn more about her past as well as discovering more how she became the woman she is today. Maggie is likewise intriguing, with her decisions in the past playing a key role in her present situations... I'd be lying if I said that I liked either character, but they definitely both make for a fascinating character study.

As you might have guessed, I had a fantastic time reading this dark dark and oh so disturbing psychological thriller. I can recommend What Lies Between Us to anyone who is a fan of the genre and doesn't mind things getting pitch black and seriously twisted before you reach that final page.

I've read most of John Marrs' other books, and absolutely love the kind of sci fi element he gives thrillers, especially in the likes of the Passengers and The One, or touching on really dark topics like in The Good Samaritan. Needless to say, I'm a fan so I was super excited to get a hold of an ARC for What Lies Between Us.

This book was just as good as his previous, but left me feeling a lot more conflicted than some of the others have. On top of being a thriller, it's also just a really sad story.

I started off feeling incredibly sorry for Maggie. I mean, she's a woman approaching her elder years, locked in an attic room and completely deprived of basic humanities like using a toilet, and has to rely on her daughter showing up to give her food and empty her toilet bucket etc. It's harrowing and despite the fact that very early on it alludes to something Maggie has done to deserve this, I genuinely felt sadness at the image of this older woman, lonely and locked up.

Then, throughout the story, as bit by bit, Maggie's deeds are revealed, I still can't help feeling sorry for her. She's still a tragic figure rather than an evil woman. Her husband leaving, her daughter going off the rails. Even when she starts doing awful things like forcing a miscarriage upon her pregnant 14 year old daughter using illegally gotten drugs, I still don't hate her. It's horrendous, but there's still something there that makes me keep thinking "Hang on, there has to be more to this".

The Nina character on the other hand, I dislike immediately and very little she does throughout the story redeems herself. I'm not sure if that's bias on my part because the book opens on a scene of her as jailer to her mother, but she just never gets better for me. I started to understand why she was the way she was as more of the story unfolded, especially her missing her father and lashing out and being treated poorly by an older man who was clearly grooming her.

These two main characters are among the most complex, layered and difficult characters I've read recently. I say difficult because despite my bias towards Maggie as the victim, Nina as the villain, I still don't feel absolute in one way or the other for either of them.

I also hated the ending and I mean that in the best of ways - it was a perfect ending but I hated the fact that Maggie and Dylan had to end their lives in such misery. It left me feeling genuinely saddened in a way very few books have managed.

The fact that Marrs has managed to write these characters with so many layers and subtleties and complexities to them is impressive. It left me trying to unravel these fictional people rather than judge them and the overall effect is a really thought provoking, harrowing story.

Other authors have tried to do the captivity story, and there are references to other works such as 'Room' by Emma Donoghue in the story, but where Room is so grating and irritatingly written, What Lies Between us gets it right and is an excellent story.

What a roller coaster, when you think you have everything figured out you get hit with another shocking twist. Don't bother feeling bad for any of the characters because as soon as you do you'll be thrown for a massive loop. This was such a fast paced edge of your seat story that i devoured it in 2 days. If you enjoy a dark domestic thriller this is for you!



Thank you to John Marrs and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved reading the Maggie and Nina narratives over different timelines. Multiple perspectives in books are my favourite. This was one that I honestly couldn’t put down because the more we found out, the worse the situation became! Definitely going to be recommending this one!

Thank you to #NetGalley and John Marrs the ARC in exchange for my honest review

This is the first book of John Marrs I have ever read and OMG this is fantastic.

Talked about your twisted stories!! Maggie and Nina, who are co-habitating and also are very co-dependent on each other. Except for the fact that one of them keeps the other chained in her attic. Talk about your mother daughter issues.

I really don't want to give too much away because..well just because you have to read it! Its a crazy DARK tale!

Oh my goodness, this one was dark!
Nina will never forgive Maggie for the things she's done in the past. Her choice is to never let Maggie leave the home again as punishment.
Spanning 25+ years and alternating from the view of Nina and Maggie we hear both sides of the story. . . from what's happening now and what happened then.
As we learn the truth over time it's almost impossible to decide who deserves what and who is justified in the decisions they've made. This one had twists and turns around every corner. Ultimately, what would YOU do to protect/punish the ones you loved and what if your perspective or your truth was not the reality?

Here is another brilliant, horrifying story from the twisted mind of John Marrs.  This one tells the story of two women, Maggie and Nina, who live in the same house, and the secrets and lies that tear their lives apart.  Crikey this book is dark, maybe the darkest I have read from this author so far.  But it is a fantastic, compulsive read, full of twists and turns.  A great but very disturbing, even upsetting, book.

Wow! I loved this book!
In this book we meet Nina and Maggie as we get to know them more we discover the dark secrets that bind them together.
Reading from both characters points of view we get to know more about each character and what put them together and in the situation they now find themselves in. I flirted between who I felt the most for only to have the next chapter flip that on its head again and again until the shocking conclusion

Thanks go to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this great book

Whoa! What a read!!! I believe this will be the best book I read this year. Unexpected twists and turns, just when you think you understand what is happening the rug is pulled out from under you.

OMG WHAT A BOOK!!!!! A real page turner, I was literally hooked from the first to the last page. I did not want this book to end. Yes it is that good!!!! A heart racing, nail biting domestic noir but OMG so much more. The two main characters are mother and daughter and to say that they are dysfunctional doesn't even scratch the surface. Tension you could cut with a knife and enough suspense to keep me glued to my seat and tapping my kindle faster and faster. I devoured this book in one sitting and finally turned the last page in the wee hours. In my opinion this is his best work yet and crying out to be made into a film. A very well deserved ten stars, if only and so highly recommended. I LOVED IT!!!!! A very very happy reader.
Thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and Netgalley for the ARC.

They say every house has it's secrets, but, none like this one! Jeepers! This is a strange tale, very 'whatever happened to baby jane' as a daughter keeps her mother locked in the attic.

The story is told from both perspectives and moves from past to present, giving both mother and daughter perspectives on the reasoning behind their strange relationship.

It's well constructed, it just didn't pull me in and I found it a bit of a slog. A 2* OK read for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview in exchange for my honest review, I'm just sorry I didn't enjoy it more.

There are dark books and there are DARK books and ‘What Lies Between Us’ definitely falls into the latter category. I can’t remember the last time I read a book this dark and twisted. I read a lot of science fiction and fantasy, some of which have monsters straight from your nightmares. What Lies Between us was infinitely more horrifying than any of those as there were no monsters here – only two very damaged people.

Everytime I thought I couldn’t be more surprised and horrified by this story the next revelation came at the turn of the page and I had to re- evaluate my feelings for these people all over again.
There were bits I predicted and bits where I thought I finally had a handle of what was happening only to have my theories blown out of the water. Despite of the things they did and the decisions they took neither Nina nor Maggie were completely unlikable – a remarkable feat of writing skill. Instead they were both horribly damaged people making choices that often had unpredictable consequences.

What Lies Between Us was one of those novels that I couldn’t bear to put down for long, I found myself picking it up in any quiet moments to get another couple of pages of reading in.

Not a story for those who find themselves triggered by the many issues touched on here, including, abortion, child abuse, gaslighting or mental health stories, I would recommend this to anyone who likes their fiction twisted and unpredictable.

A brilliant book that had me gripped from start to finish.

4.5 stars rounded up.
This would easily be a proper 5 star book had there not been a few niggles throughout. Some things just didn't quite work for me, continuity wise mostly, as well as a few things that didn't quite feel real. Well, either that, or the author wasn't as clear as maybe he could have been with the odd thing that I just couldn't quite let go. But that's just me I guess. I've rounded it up anyway as, apart from them, and they were all minor, this was quality.
So Maggie and Nina share a house. They are mother and daughter. But they are not the average mother/daughter pairing as Maggie lives in the attic, chained up by Nina. But Nina has a good reason for her behaviour. Although, as time passes, it becomes evident that she actually doesn't know the half of it. Imagine the fallout when she learns the whole truth... well, you don't need to imagine... buckle up, you're in for a wild old ride...
Talk about dysfunctional, shall I also say codependent relationship. And then some. Imagine all the worst things a mother could do to her child and magnify this by a very high number and you've basically just touched the surface of what happens in this book. If you think Nina is horrible to Maggie, keeping her chained up, denied of anything nice, just wait til you hear what Maggie did...
It's all things twisted and evil and everything in between. It's sick and not for the faint hearted as no punches were pulled in the making of this book. I'm not usually a big fan of twist after twist, each one delivering a bigger punch than the previous but, wowsers, here I was shouting at the book - keep em coming - and daring the author to up the stakes which, he shocked and surprised me by doing every-single-time. Genius. (Ok, for full disclosure, I guessed a few but I devour this genre book so I'd be surprised if I didn't)
Honestly, apart from the niggles that I mentioned earlier, this book is quality reading. Addictive - I couldn't put it down, intense and all the chills down the spine you want. Do yourself a favour, stop reading reviews, just go buy the book and read it already...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I enjoyed this psychological thriller.. I like a good creepy and intense story line and this had that. It will suck you right in

Wow. Maggie and Nina live together but their relationship is complex. Nina's father left, out of the blue when she was younger. At 14 she had a miscarriage and at 15, gave birth to a child destined to be still born. She blames her mother for everything that went wrong in her life and has her chained and imprisoned in the house for revenge. However all is not as it seems. Throughout the book the twists just keep coming. John Marrs is skilled at taking the reader on a rollercoaster ride and this book demonstrates that skill perfectly. I found I was immediately hooked and it's one of those books you can't put down. If you enjoy this one I can also recommend "The Passenger" and "The Good Samaritan" by the same author

Ok, first of all, let me just say that What Lies Between Us is a psychological thriller like nothing I have ever read before. This book had my head in a spin just trying to figure it all out. 

I  liked how this book was written with each chapter narrated by one of the dysfunctional involved parties telling their point of view and how they came to being where they are now.  One moment I was rooting for Nina, and the next moment I was rooting for Maggie.  There are so many twists and turns that it was hard to predict the brilliant ending.

John Marrs really knows how to capture a readers attention, I just kept thinking 'One more chapter',  I literally could not put this down.
It's weird, creepy and down right disturbing, but I loved it.  5/5

Thankyou to Thomas & Mercer Publishers and Netgalley for my proof copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this one as all of the author's other books are pretty highly rated and recommended, especially The One, which I have yet to read. But this ultimately fell flat for me. I did not like or care about either of the main characters. By halfway through the book I was just wanting to get to the end as I had stopped caring why things were the way they were. I felt no suspense as the mysteries were unfolding. I honestly don't know why, I just didn't. I DID read to the end, though, because the writing style was so consumable. I will definitely try John Marrs's other work, but I can only give this one 2 stars.

Wow! What a roller coaster of a book! Once you start this book you will not be able to put it down until the very end. This is a story of two main characters, mother and daughter, living together, but who is in control and why do they appear to hate each other? What secrets are they both hiding? Who is to blame?
Throughout this book my feelings towards both characters changed again and again and again. The author very cleverly has you sympathising with one character whilst hating the other but by the next chapter these feelings are totally reversed and so it continues throughout the book. Liking one and hating the other. This book had my head spinning! It contains twist after twist after twist,even when you think you know it all and there cant possibly be anything else to reveal, is another bombshell that leaves you gasping. It is extremely cleverly written and will stay with me for a long time. At the very heart of this book is the question, how far would you go to protect your child and can you love your child too much? There is most definitely a fine line between love and hate.
I would thoroughly recommend this book.
Be prepared. It will take your breath away quite literally!!!!