Wow, What A Great book! The plot was nothing I could predict at all. Every corner was a new discovery and it was well written to the point I couldn’t put it down for long. The entire story resembles the struggles someone can go through in a traumatic lifetime experience. I will recommend this book to any one who wants an unpredictable storyline.

This book was insane!! It's definitely a very dark read but it's full of twists and turns and you won't be able to stop! I loved that the chapters alternate between Maggie and Nina's POV's and they go from the past and present as well. I did guess one of the twists correctly but I found the writing kept me captivated entirely. This book will definitely keep you on the edge and you'll be flipping the pages until it's done!

Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved The One by John Marrs and was super excited to get my hands on this new book by him. I didn't find this story as unique as The One, but What Lies Between Us is definitely still a riveting read. As the web of lies and secrets slowly comes to light, the story becomes more and more sinister and the characters more and more detestable. I love the feeling of being torn between being absolutely horrified by a character's actions, but also kind of understanding why they did it. It makes me feel like this could almost happen to anyone, give the right circumstances, which makes it all the more gruesome and terrifying. There's not much you can say about a mystery/thriller without giving spoilers so I'll leave it at that!

I've been a big fan of John Marrs since reading When You Disappeared. Subsequent books didn't fail to disappoint, even although their subject matter varied dramatically.
What Lies Between Us is an undoubtedly dark and uncomfortable tale, and the author does a solid job of drip-feeding just enough information to keep the reader interested.
But … the twisted and tormented relationship between mother Maggie and daughter Nina didn't quite hit the mark for me at times. I didn't feel I could truly root for either of them, and some elements of the story made me queasy and in need of a break.
I figured out a twist or two in advance, and expected more of a 'bang' at the end. With all the drama that came before, it seemed a bit of a let-down.
Having said that, the author knows how to weave a yarn and I look forward to whatever his fertile imagination brings us next.

Big thanks for this ARC!

Wow. Just wow. John Marrs does it again. John Marrs-esque gut wrenching plot twists are such a pleasure to read. The characters in the story have been so well developed, you don't even know who to root for. John is just a king of suspense. Constant 'so close' moments to keep you on your toes with a killer punch to the gut at the end. Highly recommended, but I may just be a tad biased. It's John Marrs after all.

Words can not describe how wonderful this book was. I was captured from the prologue to the epilogue. I loved the hidden secrets and how they were revealed. The author writing style made it easy to read. This is going to be a hit!!

All Maggie wants to do is to protect her daughter Nina, but everything that Maggie has done for her, Nina hates her. So much so, that Nina keeps her mother chained by her ankle in the attic. She is punishing her for all she has taken away from her.

I have read all the books by John Marrs and this one didn’t disappoint in any way. Another superb read!

This story is told in different timelines and in both views of Nina and Maggie. It is easy to follow and a fast paced read. However......The people in this story are proper crazy, and then with all the twists and turns I didn’t know who was worse! There were a few times I had to re-read parts just to make sure I had read it correctly! I loved it!!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I don’t know what this author has in his coffee but his books are BRILLIANT and this was another great story from him and I think it might me my favourite one from him to date!!

The book was well planned out and the execution of the story was great – it was a highly addictive read and I was flying through the pages. I loved the characters of Maggie and Nina, they worked so well together and I loved getting to find out their back stories and secrets as the book progressed.

This was a dark, gritty story that gets your attention and under your skin, and it doesn’t let you go until the end – and what an ending it is – perfect for the story!!

It is 5 stars from me for this one without hesitation – I thought it was an excellent story and loved the ending – very highly recommended!!

So freaking goooood!!! I was hooked during the whole book and had to know what was happening next and what had happened to get each character where they were. Ammmmazing! This will be a total blockbuster!

I got so cross with my Kindle - why does it take so long to load the next page. Honestly there are split seconds between when I swipe the page and when the next page appears - in these split seconds I was on the edge of my seat, what was happening now? Who is the baddy? What weird thing can this family inflict on each other next? Which character do I feel sorry for? Are they all insane or are they just misunderstood?

A right royal thumper of a page turner - if we must all stay inside for the next two months I thoroughly recommend this book to start you off.

I can’t believe what I just read but I’m so glad that I did! John Marrs serves up a delicious twisted psychological thriller that packs a punch!
Maggie and Nina, Nina and Maggie. Mother and daughter who live together but in a way most normal parent and child do not. For Maggie lives a life chained to the house. Literally, Nina is the daughter who cares for her I mean is her keeper. But why is this so?

When we go to extraordinary lengths as a parent to ensure the well being of our children the result could be, dare I say it? Overkill. Nina really doesn’t appreciate the extra mile her Mother Maggie has gone for her. To her, Maggie ruined her life. But Nina doesn’t know what Maggie knows and Maggie is determined to keep it that way. When all of your best intentions back fire, how far would you go to keep your child safe? Regardless of their age they are always your baby.

Told from 2 POV Maggie and Nina tell a tale from the present day to events that began to unfold as far back as 25 years ago. And everything that has happened since.

Could not put this one down, One of the best books in this genre I’ve read in the last 6 mos. You can NOT miss this novel from John Marrs! Special thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and Netgalley for this amazing read!

Well, that was one sick and horrible read and it was fantastic. A story of a mother Maggie and her daughter Nina living together in familial love is not all it appears and it’s downright dysfunctional and diseased. I had no idea how the story would resolve itself and wasnt expecting the way way it did finally end. Somehow, I feel like I need a shower, body and mind, after this one.

Another great book by John Marrs. A complex family story told from the present with flashbacks to key points in the past, gradually building a changing picture of the truth.
It's difficult to say much more without spoilers, so I'll just say this is a great read that had me hooked from the first chapter. Fantastic characters and a very clever plot - do read it!

"I remove a key from my pocket and undo the padlock attached to the clamp around her ankle. The chain falls to the floor with a heavy thump.I attach a second, much shorter clasp and chain to her ankle and lock it. This chain doesn't extend far from the spike. Once again, I have confined her to her bedroom."

If you are wondering if this book is as twisted and messed up as the synopsis sounds, then the answer is yes, yes it is.

Nina is making Maggie pay the price for the wrong she has done by keeping her prisoner. Little does Nina know, Maggie has many more secrets.

This story was beautifully crafted. The twists come and come often, right when you least expect them.

The ending was excellent. As I read the last sentence of the last page, I dramatically exhaled as if I was a child participating in a breathing contest in the pool.

John Marrs, you my sir have done it yet again. "The One" was one of my top reads for 2019 and I would be surprised if "What Lies Between Us" makes my 2020 list.

What Lies Between Us was unhinged, insane, screwed-up, and crazy good!

Maggie hasn't left her house since the day her daughter Nina confined her to the attic bedroom. She wears an ankle cuff attached to a chain, affixed to a metal spike in the centre of the room, and the door to the third floor is locked, and the area soundproofed. She is only ever permitted downstairs every second evening when she joins her daughter for dinner. Maggie hope’s that one day Nina will forgive her for her past actions, and set her free, but in Nina's eyes her mother is evil to the core, and deserving of everything she gets.

Gee Willikers, this gripping, addicting psychological thriller has left me reeling. A truckload of twists came at me, and every eureka moment I experienced then saw the author dropping another shocker of a bombshell, utterly ruining my theory, and sending me back to square one. I couldn't have asked for more. Be advised though, it was very dark. These sure were some damaged, disturbed and despicable characters, and the mother/daughter relationship was about as toxic as you could possibly get. But for those who relish sinking their teeth into disturbing, taboo domestic suspense, this work of fiction will satisfy you to no end. If you've read The Good Samaritan, you’ll have a pretty good idea what you’re in for.

Chapters alternate between Maggie and Nina with flashbacks beginning twenty-five years beforehand, and working forward. Parts of it had an Alfred Hitchcock – Rear Window feel, which as a fan of his genius and that movie I was delighted by. I guarantee this is going to be the thriller on everyone's minds from mid-May. I'll still be thinking about What Lies Between Us then.

I'd like to thank Netgalley, Amazon Publishing UK, and John Marrs for the e-ARC.

Publication date: May 15th, 2020.

What a read !!

I am speechless !

If only I could rate it higher than 5 !

Maggie and Nina give a whole new meaning to the mother daughter relationship . Nina has chained her Mum, Maggie to her, up in the attic.

I could not put this book down.

I yelled at these unlikable people to no avail.

Thought I knew where the book was going; WRONG !

This book will be the talk of the town. Cant believe this is my first John Marrs book, off I go to get the rest.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an unforgettable read !!

Maggie and Nina’s relationship could seem normal from the outside. Every other night they eat dinner together and then Nina helps Maggie to bed. The only problem is that Maggie is not sick. She doesn’t need help to bed. The only reason she needs help is because of the chain Nina has placed around her ankle keeping her locked upstairs. Nina has her reasons though, what Maggie has done is unforgivable, she must be punished.

Ok I rarely curse in my reviews, but holy shit this book was fucked up. If you want to read a story about some severely fucked up people, this one is for you! That being said, I could not put this down. I needed to know what had happened in the past between Nina and Maggie to lead to their current circumstance. This book jumps between 25 years ago, 2 years ago, and current day. I was on the edge of my seat to find out what had happened in the past, but just as on edge in the current day to find out if Maggie would find a way to escape. I have to say. THIS is a psychological thriller people. Heavy on the psychological!

This is an author I’ve been meaning to try for a while and finally was able to through Netgalley. Definitely well worth the wait and I say this as a reader of entirely too many dark psychological thrillers. Any genre that reaches these levels of popularity takes a risk of being stale, trite or generally unoriginal, but this demented slice of life will most likely stick in your memory if only for just how demented it is. In the traditionally alternating chapter style narrative the readers get introduced to Nina and Maggie, the pair shares a living space and we soon find out are mother and daughter with so much ugly truths and well meant lies between them that it can’t possibly be a normal relationship. The thrilling aspect of this thriller is finding out just how abnormal their relationship is. And it really is a doozy. The premise is disturbing enough, Nina has Maggie locked up and chained as a punishment for crimes initially unspecified, but the author ratchets up the madness slowly and consistently throughout the entire novel until its explosive (and in a way, tragically inevitable) conclusion. There is a scarcity of genuinely likeable characters here, but it isn’t that kind of a book anyway. Likeability isn’t a necessary factor, there’s too much going on and the thing of it is, everyone in the book is in their own way a victim, there’s no inherent evil, no genuine wickedness, just messed up individuals doing their best (like Maggie) and their worst (like Nina) to cope with their lives. The only detractor here was how easy it was to figure some things out, in fact reading the book I remember distinctly thinking oh I know just what’s going on and I checked and it was only 32% in, way, way too early to clue the audience in. It still worked out, because Marrs threw in enough additional surprises and twists, but it stands to be mentioned. And yes, it was very reminiscent to me of Bates Motel dynamic. Not derivative, though, not by any means. This nightmarish mother/daughter relationship is very much its own beast. The main thing is, though, as far as thrillers go, it was genuinely thrilling, disturbing, terrifying and, most importantly, had a distinct unputdownable quality. I mean this book draws you in with a potent gravitational force and hold you there orbiting, disturbed yet unable to get away. It’s peculiarly mesmerizing in its hideousness and that ending…the ending alone will sear itself into your psyche and your memory in the most terribly awesome way. Can’t wait to read more by this author, because this was just…wow. Really something. Recommended for anyone who can handle this kind of literary darkness. Thanks Netgalley.

What lies between us is a gripping and addictive domestic thriller full of secrets and unexpected twists and turns... whatever could have happened for things to become the way that they are between Nina and Maggi?... read and you will find out, I really enjoyed the alternation between the past & present to give an understanding and insight to why Nina feels the way she does about her mother Maggie. I devoured this book and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of reading it.

A big thank you to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to net galley for an advanced readers copy. I could not put this down. It was a page turner from the first chapter. The flashbacks helped to keep the momentum. I really enjoy reading this author, and each book is so very different. This book is definitely dark and twisted, and wonderfully written. I will continue to read this author.