I truly thought I'd read it all when it comes to psychological thrillers - I was wrong! This dark, twisty story about the dysfunctional love between a mother and a daughter will not disappoint. Mother Maggie is chained in the attic at the hand of her only child, where she is doomed to remain for 21 years or until death. The story that unfolds over the prior 25 years explains why she finds herself in this horrific situation. The "whole story" is gradually released throughout the course of the book, and I was truly shocked at all the little reveals. I felt constantly propelled forward through the entire book and finished quickly, wishing there was more to read! This is definitely a 5-star that you'll have a hard time putting down.

What a wonderful story of love, hate, captivity, betrayal, tension, and so much more! John Marrs took a premise of two people living together that don't get along, and built it into a greatly developed story. I loved the characters, the backstory (lots of flashbacks) was very detailed.

This book has so much going on with a few amount of characters. Mainly centres round mother and daughter relationship and the lies they create between them and the dealy consequences of that. I really enjoyed reading the second half of the book, took awhile for me to get gripped but I definitely glad I read till the end.

The creepy premise of this book had me super intrigued, however I was also a little hesitant as I suspected from the jacket copy that this book was going to be quite different from the authors previous two books (which I absolutely loved), and whilst I was correct, this book did not disappoint!

The story was dark, unsettling and suspenseful.. all things I love in a psychological thriller! John Marrs has a way of writing that is really smart and propulsive; even though I guessed a few of the twists, it really didn’t take anything away from the story and I absolutely LOVED the ending! I enjoyed reading this book from start to finish and would absolutely recommend this book to readers looking for an original, well developed thriller.

The writing is superb, its the third book I have read by John and it’s by far my favorite

This book kept me in suspense, each time I thought I knew where it was going, nope I was wrong the rug kept getting pulled out from under my feet. This book is super twisty and will mess with your head. There were several gasps and No how could you reading this book…… It’s one crazy ride.

It’s a Mother/Daughter story. Living in the same house, each night Nina prepares and sits down to enjoy dinner with her mum Maggie. They discuss their day - Nina talks about her work she’s a librarian and shares the events of her day and Maggie shares the local neighborhood gossip.

After dinner, Maggie picks up the chain that is attached to the bolt around her ankle and makes her way back up the stairs to the attic where she has been held prisoner for the past 2 years.

Nina locks the door.
She cannot forgive Maggie for all the things she did. And she will never allow her to leave…...

I'm not going to give anything away. It’s a fabulous read and I highly recommend it!

They say every house has its secrets, and the house that Maggie and Nina have shared for so long is no different. Except, their secrets are not buried in the past. Every other night, Maggie and Nina have dinner together. When they are finished, Nina helps Maggie back to her room in the attic, and into the heavy chain that keeps her there. Because Maggie has done things to Nina that can’t ever be forgiven, and now she is paying the price.
As crazy as the plot of this book sounds, it’s really a story about love and how far you will go to protect someone you love. Nina and Maggie are living two different versions of one life. In Nina’s version, Maggie needs to be punished for all the things she has done and in Maggie’s version, the things she did were out of love and, to her, are justified. John Marrs entwines the past and the present without confusing or losing track of the storyline. Not many characters but I think it was better that way – less is more. A crazy train of a book (in a good way), suspenseful, and honestly, an ending I was NOT at all expecting.

They say every house has its secrets, and the house that Maggie and Nina have shared for so long is no different. Except that these secrets are not buried in the past.

Every other night, Maggie and Nina have dinner together. When they are finished, Nina helps Maggie back to her room in the attic, and into the heavy chain that keeps her there. Because Maggie has done things to Nina that can’t ever be forgiven, and now she is paying the price.

But there are many things about the past that Nina doesn’t know, and Maggie is going to keep it that way—even if it kills her.

Because in this house, the truth is more dangerous than lies.

This is the first John Marrs book that I’ve read. It took me a while to get into the story but once I did I found it absolutely gripping.

What an original, intense, dark and twisted story this is. The story is told from both Maggie and Nina’s points of view. It has flashbacks over the last 25 years as we learn both women’s secrets, lies and the aftermath of their disturbing choices. Both these women have some dark secrets and as they are unravelled throughout the book it makes for an explosive page turner.

I cannot praise John Marrs highly enough for the excellent plot and characterisation throughout this book. This story is truly terrifying and will stay with me for a long time to come. Highly recommended and I will definitely be reading more from this author. A well deserved 4.5* rating.

Thank you to Netgalley, Amazon Publishing and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book did not hook me whatsoever but John Marrs has never steered me wrong before and this is no exception. His ideas are always unique and the stories he weaves are so novel I am so pleased I gave it a chance as there is so much more to it than a mother in an attic. The twists and turns kept me guessing all the way through. My only issue is I felt I didn’t get the closure I wanted between Nina and Maggie for Nina to know how she had behaved and what Maggie had done to protect her. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and Thomas and Mercer for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I know if I read a John Marrs novel I’m going to love it! Even before I read the prologue. I come to expect an emotional thriller with plenty of twists and this one was no different.

The pace in this I felt was slower than some of his other novels but felt this story needed it. Because of the storyline, the background information was needed, as it allowed the emotions of both characters show.

I enjoyed the first person narrative from the characters own perspective and seeing the conflict and contrast between them was interesting. It showed the vulnerability of both main characters.

Overall John Marrs has totally wowed me with this novel! Great twists! Fantastic storyline and characters with dark backgrounds!
It has everything I love about a psychological thriller.

Wow. This book was FULL of crazy. Every time I thought I knew who was crazier, something else happened and then I wasn’t sure!
This is a dark & very twisted drama about the most dysfunctional family EVER. Told in alternating POVs, Maggie the mother’s & Nina the daughter’s, & going back & forth in time, it was definitely a page turner. You want to know why these women hate each other, & little by little you find out. Both are definitely unlikable & nuts. There is a lot of violence & death, and the only reason it gets 4 stars is because it was almost TOO crazy.

What can I say, yet another brilliant book from John Marrs! I was really excited to read this and it did not disappoint. I love how it flicks back and forward throughout the book, filling in gaps but never quite enough to guess what's next. Certainly makes you want to keep reading. And also enjoyed the ending as it wasnt the 'typical' ending you may expect. I would definitely recommend this book. Infact, I would recommend all of John Marrs' books.

John Mars once again wrote a book that readers can’t put down. The story is intriguing and the characters intense. A twisty psychological triller that I read in one day. I’d say it’s even better than “The Good Samaritan.” I’d absolutely recommend it.

I have not read a book by this author before, but what a twisted wonderfully imaginative mind he must have. More twist and turns than a garden maze. Nina and Maggie are mother and daughter who live together, hate each other and withhold truths. Who is holding who back? I recommend this book as a must read. ( only thing that got me was the cake recipe, why no butter? I know I know I am pernickety)

I’ve enjoyed John Marrs previous titles and was excited to read his latest. He did not disappoint! This was a rollercoaster of a read with many, mostly unexpected, twists and turns right to the end. A real page turner. Highly recommended.

A twisted psychological thriller that will keep you guessing. Maggie and Nina live together in a house full of secrets, both of them keeping their own hidden away at the detriment to both women.

This book is told from both Maggie and Nina's POV with flashbacks from both of them to the past, so as a reader we begin to see the secrets unfold little by little. I think both women are extremely unlikable because of how they relate to each other, how little they really say to each other, and how much they hate themselves and each other. It's really brutal to watch the scenes between them unfold.

I felt like this book by John Marrs was different than some of his other books like The One and The Passengers which had a sci-fi / futuristic element, but it was still very dark and twisted.

Written from the viewpoints of both Maggie and Nina this suspenseful thriller takes you between past and present, gradually revealing how the present day situation came to be.

Full of unexpected twists and turns I couldn’t put this book down wanting desperately to find out the secrets between these two women. Well written the story takes you through a range of emotions from angry to sad and back again.

An excellent read with a storyline that grabs your attention from the first page.

. This book tells a story from the perspective of two women and flits between past and present. All the way through I had so many questions, I knew something shady was going on but didn’t know what... One twisted thing is revealed after another, after another! The ending truly shocked me, I really felt for the characters they were portrayed very well. I literally couldn’t put this book down till the very end, definitely worth the 5 stars! I couldn’t predict the ending!

How far would you go for the love of someone? How far would you go to punish someone? These are the two underlying questions in the novel, "What Lies Between Us" by John Marrs. However, in this novel the true question is how far would you go to punish the one you love? The story in a nutshell is the novel of a women who is being held captive in the attic of her home by her only daughter. There are many twist and turns as to how this situation comes to be, but for the most part I found it a little convoluted.

I don't know how I feel about this book. I wanted to know how it was going to wrap up so I kept with it. There were times I thought this book had an interesting premise, but for the most part I was angry with both main characters, the daughter Nina, and her mother Maggie. They both did horrible things and they choose to say they did it "for love".

I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars but I would probably lean more towards 2 1/2 stars if I need to be honest. Don't let this book push you off Marrs though- go read "The Passengers" for a good cleanser.

This book was incredibly dark and twisted but every part of it was enjoyable. The author kept the suspense going right until the end. The story is about a mother and daughter who are co-dependent and, as the book explores their histories, we find out that they are both as crazy as each other. The character development was excellent and the way it was written in first person both in the present and in the past was very clever.

This is one of those books that makes you think "this would probably never happen in real life but it might...". It was written in a way to make everything realistic and believable. At times the book was so intense that it played on your emotions making you want to call your own mum to check on her. Overall, this is a fast-paced, chilling thriller that is difficult to put down with twists and turns in almost every chapter.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

WOW! Absolutely fantastic! Twist after twist, page after page, the suspense never lets up until literally the last page with an ending that is so unexpected it is perfect! John Marrs’ novels are spectacular!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.