Oh Mr Marrs, what are you doing to us?
This is his 7th novel and I've loved every one. I honestly can't single any of them out as a favourite. (Despite the subject matter being so diverse)
An absolute BELTER of a book once again.
Nailed it, delivered it and dropped the mike with all the aplomb we have come to expect from this author.
I read this in two days and just when I thought I'd sussed the twist, another one came to light, followed by another and so on.
Until the final chapter which is a curve ball shocker.
Not much more to add really except to say Thank You.

If you're a fan of psychological/domestic thrillers, STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING RIGHT NOW AND GO AND ORDER THIS BOOK. You can thank me later.

"What Lies Between Us" is a story told through the dual narratives of Maggie and her daughter Nina. Nina has kept Maggie chained in her bedroom for the last two years, but we don't know why - the story unravels gradually, switching between past and present, so that the actions leading to Maggie's present-day circumstances are revealed incrementally. Both narrators are somewhat unreliable as they're each keeping secrets, and the author manipulates the release of information so cleverly - I found myself switching sympathies between Nina and Maggie throughout, as each plays the role of both villain and victim at different times.

I'm always a fan of a good twist, and this novel is jam-packed with them - just when you think you've figured things out, the story veers sharply off somewhere else. I was reeling by the end - and those last chapters in particular were so tense and brilliantly written.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I read a lot of thrillers (and I mean a LOT of thrillers) so it takes something really special to stand out for me. "What Lies Between Us" was an absolute treat, and I'll be thinking about this book for a long time. The writing is wonderful, the story is masterfully told, and the characters are so well-developed I felt like they were people I knew. Twist after clever twist, and some genuine gasp-out-loud moments - I'll be recommending this to anyone who'll listen.

Easiest five stars I've ever given. Read it, read it, read it. Just brilliant.

Thank you to NetGalley, who provided me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Generally whenever I read a thriller or a classic “whodunnit” book I pretend to be smarter than the writer and think of the most absurd and impossible character in the plot who can and ultimately turns out to be the culprit (and many times more so than not this theory works).

So anyhow, that’s how I went about reading this book and midway I felt like the genius me had the plot all figured out but oh, boy! Was I ever so wrong!

John Mars has thrown so many curveballs I lost count of it and every time I thought I understood what was happening there was an unexpected turn of events that left me gobsmacked.

This book is absolutely crazy and definitely among the best thrillers ever!

In comparison to this book The Silent Patient is a mild mystery.
Highly recommend this book!

Mr. Mars take a bow!

Well, that was dark. And, to be clear, when I say dark I mean implacable, impenetrable, black-hole of humanity dark. So, that was fun.

And the award for the craziest book I’ve ever read goes to……What Lies Between Us by John Marrs!!!!!!!

Y’all!!!

So, I’m reading the prologue, which is basically one unnamed person telling another unnamed person how much she/he hates her/him. It’s downright dirty. I’m thinking to myself, “Uhm, should I be here for this? This sounds really personal. Maybe I should show myself the door and let you two work this out.” But my voyeuristic tendencies and I decided to stick around. Let’s just say that things got real!!

The Basics:
Nina keeps Maggie, her MOTHER, captive in her bedroom. We’re talking actual chains and actual pee buckets, for cryin’ out loud!! Out of the kindness of her heart, she does let Maggie eat a meal at a table and have a visit to the bathroom a couple of times a week before she locks her back in the room. That Nina is a real peach!! But here’s the thing: Does Maggie deserve her punishment? I know! I know the answer! Now, it’s your turn to find out. All this animosity came from somewhere. These two definitely have a few things lying between them.

The story is told mainly in the present with sprinkles of flashbacks that offer insight into the disturbing status quo of this mother/daughter relationship. As bizarre as all this sounds, it all feels very real. I imagine that this is what it would feel like if you tiptoed over to your neighbors and peeked into their living room windows. You know, if your neighbors were complete and total wackadoodles.

Beware: This is a black hole of a book. I had plans today, dang it. Oh well, book finished in one sitting, and plans have been forgotten.

I have finally read a thriller!🤣🤣
After a while I have finally read a thriller in a day! And I have been an awful mother today because my child had a lot of screen time in order for me to finish this. :D Even she was confused as to why she is allowed to watch so many cartoons today - haha!

Such a compelling story, fascinating and at times awful characters, story lines that just get better at every following chapter are just some of the many reasons I recommend you pre-order this book.
I especially like John's simple, yet provocative writing. His way with words steer you throughout the narrative and it's simply impossible to put down the book.

Quick chapters, jumps from present to past and vice-versa are excellently composed, you can follow the story and you don't get confused even for one second.

As the secrets are revealed you start to loathe the characters, then you try to understand them, then you want to kill them, then you want to try and get some help for them.
This story is entirely unique and distinctly well executed. Suspense is flecked in all the right places, and all of the breadcrumb trail left throughout the story comes back in fiercly imaginative ways.

There are very few authors who can keep up with different storylines, suspense, unique characters and keep the reader hooked throughout the book. John Marrs is definitely one of them! I have read all his books and just like the previous ones, this one does not disappoint at all. Highly recommended!

This book was fantastic and completely terrified me. I couldn't tell who was crazier, Maggie or Nina and I was biting my nails all the way through. The story pulls you in straight away. You better make sure that you have your dinners set up before you start this book. You're going not going to do anything else until you're done. Say goodbye to your family and read this thing! I'm starting over again because I loved it so much

Wow, what a dark domestic thriller. I loved that the main characters in this book were not a husband and wife, but a mother and daughter. Told from both Maggie and Nina’s points of view and over the course of 30 or so years in resent day and flashbacks, this book really keeps you reading. I love John Marrs’ dark imagination and will read anything he writes. Honestly I prefer his more science fiction type books as the reality of this one almost makes it a bit depressing, as there is little to root for in the book. The characters are complex and dislikable and the plot is filled with twists and gut punches throughout.

Boy oh boy was I looking forward to this one. I mean first – HOUSE COVER = auto request.

Second – SOMEONE CHAINED UP IN THE MUTHAFUCKING ATTIC! Um yes and you might receive automatic 5 Stars.

Third, I read The Passengers not that long ago and that dang thing was about autonomous cars murdering people so at this point all I can say is John Marrs – you are a freaking T.R.E.A.S.U.R.E.

I will say due to the fact that I watch only reality housewives and things on the Lifetime Stabby Stabs for Women I was a bit scared I was going to find this a bit boring. I mean my level of crazy isn’t exactly the same as most people’s level of crazy (except for my Goodreads friends – they all batshit too). But great news! I haven’t had this much fun with someone locked up in a house since I had dinner with Norman Bates.

That being said, I could absolutely see every single one of the big reveals coming well beforehand. Luckily it didn’t diminish my enjoyment at all. Read this when you are looking for an escape. I picked it up after having a couple of real butthole days at work and it totally turned my frown upside down. Yes, it’s 100% farfetched and ridiculous and whatever else Ron 2.0 might say about it, but hey . . . . just like Oscar the Grouch I LOVE IT BECAUSE IT'S TRASH!!!!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my review. This was a fun time.

Netgalley accidently sent me 'When you disappeared' also by John Marrs instead. However, this was an excellent mistake as I really enjoyed the book and was gripped throughout. When I tried again to download, I then got 'What lies between us' and was also gripped. So, thanks NetGalley for the mistake - I have now read two excellent books via one request!

John Marrs does it again! I jumped at the chance to review What Lies Between Us, because I’ve enjoyed every novel I’ve read by John Marrs and this was no exception.
As the chapters jumped between Maggie and Nina, both past and current, so did my ideas on who the true villain of the story was.
I stayed intrigued though the entire book and devoured it in one sitting. I’d definitely recommend this book.

Wow! What a book! I’m speechless...now to read all of the books by this author.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

4.5 twist and turn stars

This is a tale of a tortured family – mother Maggie and daughter Nina live together, but neither is honest with the other about a whole host of life secrets. Nina has taken the extreme step of imprisoning her mother in the house to punish her and we slowly learn about the events that led to this state.

Author John Marrs is a master of creating a tense and disturbing tale that kept me turning the pages and scratching my head. Will Maggie find a way to escape or will Nina decide she’s “served her time” and release her?

My sympathies toggled back and forth between the women as we hear from each of them in alternating chapters and just when I thought I had a few things figured out, there was a new twist to ponder. I do give it one half star deduction for plausibility about some of the events, but I’ll let you decide when you read this one for yourself!

Thank you to NetGalley, John Marrs, and Amazon Publishing UK for an early copy of this one to read in return for an honest review. This one is out 5.15.2020 and I predict it will make many top thrillers of 2020 lists.

Not sure what I was expecting from this book but what an incredible rollercoaster ride of a story.
Told by 2 narrators who live together in a house, the story is told over a number of years and happenings from both viewpoints. There are only a handful of other characters mentioned but the story is so centred on Nina and Maggie that it doesn’t matter.
I changed my mind as to who my sympathies were for numerous times in the book and even at the end I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to happen.
Would recommend.

This was a dark and at times disturbing read, though I will add it was also a good one. Maggie and Nina are mother and daughter that live in the same house. Nina, the daughter, keeps Maggie on a short chain fastened to her ankle and at times switches to a longer chain that enables her to access the dining room where they usually have dinners. Maggie has not left the house in two years, though she has made several attempts to escape. The story is told from both of their perspectives, in the present day and varying times in the past. The past portion reveals why Nina has Maggie confined and the author skillfully reveals little nuggets of information, some of those nuggets added quite the twist to the story. Overall, I enjoyed the story though it was dark at times. I have read a couple of other books by this author and enjoyed them, I look forward to reading another. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book is absolutely brilliant! I couldn’t stop reading, I just wanted to find out what happened to Maggie and Nina. Best book I’ve read this year!

Another truly captivating book from John Marrs. Probably the best one yet. A gripping, disturbing story with many twists and turns. Exceptional writing, looking in to the alternate minds and thoughts of mother & daughter. Highly recommend.

Thanks for NetGalley and Amazon publishing UK for providing me with ARC.
OMG OMG my head is spinning so hard, I don't know how can I describe this novel.
The story is so good and well written.
This is the first novel to me by John Marts, I heard a lot about his novel * The One* but don't have the chance to read it.
The characters are amazing specially Maggie ,I felt sorry for her, she have a lot to deal with. I loved how she tried so hard to protect her daughter, if I was in her shoes I will do anything to protect my baby like she said * our children comes first*
Nina oooh poor Nina, I don't know what should I say about you, you broken my heart in million pieces girl.
Dylan character is so provocative , I don't love him and I don't know why he come back, why he mixed his biological mother and his other mother life if he not be a man, why he want to leave Nina and won't stay with her or call her mum, so selfish person.
I really enjoyed this novel and as I always said Good childhood is a basic for strong personality.

Rating: 9.5/10

Thanks to the publisher and author for an eARC of What Lies Between Us for review consideration. Receiving a copy of the novel did not influence my thoughts or opinions.

What Lies Between Us is a no holds barred, emotionally jarring, and addictive thrill ride that will have you never looking at your relatives the same way again. Marrs produces an engrossing read that is sure to make tons of ‘Best of’ lists this year.

On a side note: this is actually my first time reading a novel by the author. I didn’t have the opportunity to read The Passengers when it came out last year but had heard nothing but glowing reviews about it. Turns out that John and I were both blurbed for C.J. Tudor’s The Other People and had a chance to chat on Twitter, leading me to pick up WLBU as quickly as possible.

With this being my first stab at the author’s works, I truly had no idea what to expect going in. You can only glean so much from reviews and others’ opinions, but seeing a few in my circle give him such high praise, I knew that I had to give his newest a shot.

Suffice to say, I now want ALL of John Marrs’ books, I want them now, and I want to go read in my cave until the last page is turned.

If the synopsis alone doesn’t entice, you will become enamored within the first few pages. The relationship between Maggie and her daughter, Nina, is one of the most toxic I have ever seen. No matter what my mother has done, I’m pretty sure I’d never lock her in the attic, shackled and alone. Pretty sure I’d just ignore all of her calls and phone the police. Unfortunately for Nina, she takes her grudges to the extreme and her mother pays dearly. But at least she leaves her some food, a waste bucket, and some baby wipes to get her through the week, right?

This read threw me against the wall, onto the floor, and beat me senseless only to pick me up and embrace me like nothing had ever happened. It is the definition of an intense, adrenaline-fueled thriller that takes crazy to another level. The twists alone throughout the story aren’t exactly “mind-blowing” even though you can never say for sure where they are going to hit, but I can, in the affirmative, state that I did NOT see the ending coming from a mile away.

All in all, if you are looking for another Top Notch thriller to read in 2020, look no further. Marrs has you covered.