Ruth and Adam a budding actress and writer respectively are house sitting for a couple they met whilst working on a cruise.

Towards the end of their stay a young woman, Eden, turns up at their door amidst a storm, soaked through with no where to stay. It transpires she knows the homeowners so they let her in.

They three become friendly and on the Friday night they let their hair down, drink too much tequila and dance in the rain.

The next day Adam wakes with a raging headache, terrible hangover and Ruth and Eden no where to be found. The homeowners are due home the following morning and 12 hours later there’s still no sign and Ruth is not contactable. Where is she and what had Eden done with her?

This book kept me gripped from the start. Whenever a stranger turns up on your doorstep in the middle of a storm you know there’s going to be trouble. A twisting tale of kidnap, murder and the rich and famous’ ‘network’, it was chilling in places but a cracking good read! The main characters were likeable even if Adam seemed a little wet, but Ruth made up for it in her feistiness. An addictive thriller and unputdownable!

Ruth & Adam are in New York. Ruth is an actress, just about to make it bit on Broadway. Adam is an aspiring writer. The couple they met on a cruise offered them a house-sit whilst they were away & everything seemed perfect. One wet night a young woman appears on the doorstep hoping to see the house owners. As the weather is dreadful & Eden seems stuck, the couple ask her to stay- big mistake! As Ruth goes to rehearsals Adam & Eden spent quite a lot of time together. One morning after a pizza & tequila night Adam wakes up feeling dreadful & with no memory of the night before. There is no sign of Eden & Ruth. When the house owners return they have never heard of Eden.

I am a fan of Mark Edwards & I loved his earlier books, but this one just didn't really do it for me. It is narrated by Adam (who I thought was a bit of a twit) & I never really got behind the characters. it was a pleasant read but no five star! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read and review this book.

The House Guest was, as promised, an entertaining psychological thriller. The foundational circumstances of a stranger appearing unannounced with a convincing story was interesting and compelled me to keep turning the pages as I waited for Eden to "make her move." There were some surprising twists and turns as the story developed, always a pleasing element, although some were more convincing than others. Some of the story was a bit forced or too "convenient" as foreshadowing or character motivation and some of the dialogue was unconvincing, although not so much as to turn me away. I also enjoyed the cult aspect of the story and am curious about Edwards' other books of the same theme.

All in all, I finished the book in record time and found it a generally satisfying "beach read."

I have NetGalley to thank for giving me a new awesome author to follow.
This story neither failed to reach nor surpass my expectations. It was never what I expected at all! It's a different and well thought out perspective, something that could entirely happen or even be happening as we speak. Read and be informed. Just don't say you haven't been warned. Because really, there IS no turning back.

A British couple, an aspiring actress and an aspiring writer are invited to house sit in NY and one day a beautiful stranger shows up on their doorstep claiming to know the couple who own the house. Little did they know, that this stranger turned out to not be who she said she was.
The idea of this story really hooked me and I looked forward to picking this one up! Psychological thrillers tend to always be my go-to genre and the synopsis sounded like nothing else I had ever read, however, this did fall a little flat for me. I did enjoy that it was a quick read and was paced really well so I was able to read it in one sitting but felt there were a few things missing. The character development wasn’t done very well and I found I wasn’t super invested in any of the characters well being which I don’t believe was the authors intent. The “big” twist was an interesting concept but I just didn’t think it was executed very well. .

Every time I hear that Mark Edwards has a new book out I’m always very eager to read it and this was certainly the case with this his latest novel. Unfortunately however I didn’t enjoy this one as much as all his others I’ve read. Whilst the blurb made this book sound so good and it started off really well I just felt it got a bit far fetched as the story moved on. I am so disappointed that I felt this way as usually my reviews on Marks books ass always 5 star reads. This one sadly just didn’t do it for me. 3.5 ⭐️

I loved this book! It kept me guessing the entire time. At first, I wasn't sure where it was going to go-a mysterious stranger can take a lot of different paths! I was pleased to see that this one took a more non-traditional route. Very fast paced, with lots of interesting characters.

Loved this book, really clever twists and turns throughout. Made me question myself as to whether I would let a stranger stay if they came cap in hand - and ask all the questions of what ifs!
Also, looking a cults in a modern environment is kind of scary, bringing some ideas too close for comfort!

I received a copy of the novel from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first novel by Mark Edwards. I enjoyed The House Guest and must say that I was expecting a different type of story. Not really a plot twist, per se, but this novel expanded into something that I did not see coming. I was expecting a tense psychological mystery revolving around the main couple and their house guest, Eden, but that was really only the beginning into a bigger story.

I don’t know whether this was a good or bad development. It really depends on the type of story that you enjoy, as this is more of a thriller than a mystery and I like a healthy dose of “creepy” in my reading. I will say that Mr. Edwards is a good writer. The pacing was excellent, characterization was well done. The story did not drag for even a moment and I finished it in two settings. The narration was cinematic in scope and the way that the pivotal scenes were set up. In fact, I think that The House Guest would make a very good movie.

I am interested to explore more of Mr. Edward’s work. I just added “The Retreat” and “The Magpies” to my Kindle wish list.

Rating: Somewhere between 3 ½ to 4 stars. Loved the author but wanted a more dark and creepy story. You may completely disagree.

I love Mark's books and he is definitely now a firm favourite of mine. He has produced another brilliantly gripping and thrilling book which kept me reading into the small hours. I wouldn't say this is one of my favourites as I wasn't immediately taken in at the start but once I got into it then I couldn't stop reading until all my questions were answered. Another brilliant psychological thriller.

A perfect summer. A perfect stranger. A perfect nightmare. When the British couple Ruth and Adam are in New York, housesitting for friends', a stranger turns up on their doorstep. Eden arrives toward the end of their stay, soaking wet from a storm outside, she claims to know the couple they are housesitting for. She seems to know details of the homeowners lives, so Adam and Ruth invite her in, not wanting to leave her out in the storm. She's very sweet and charismatic, the couple finds themselves trusting her enough to let her stay.
Haven't these two ever learned not to talk to strangers? Much less invite them in? This story started out very appealing to me, I was drawn into Adam and Ruth's lives with the enigmatic Eden hanging around. But one night of drunken debauchery and the twists and turns begin to unravel their lives.
Whoa! Wait what? Suddenly there's a lot of confusion and a bit of chaos. Ruth is suddenly missing and so is Eden. The couple comes home to find that their house-sitters have let a complete stranger squat at their house. My head was spinning with all the revelations at once and I have to admit, the second half of the novel had me shaking my head and checking my watch. Is this over yet? Do I really care anymore? Things got a little too strange and unbelievable. I think this novel had a lot of potential but the path it took wasn't for me. I give it 2.5 stars.

As always, a brilliant thriller from Mark Edwards. This is the first book I have read by him that wasn’t set in the UK and it made a refreshing change - I really enjoyed the Brooklyn setting and the interesting cast of characters.

Another sure fire hit.

Many thanks to Amazon Publishing UK, to Mark Edwards and to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity of reading and reviewing this terrific novel.

I do love how you never quite know what direction Mark Edwards is going to take you in his books-he certainly likes to ramp up the tension and then shock the hell out of you! He takes ordinary people and throws in an extraordinary event to mess with their heads, putting them in unprecedented situations to test their relationships and their moral outlook on life. And he definitely delivers his trademark shockfest here in The House Guest as I had absolutely no idea where it was going or who it would dispatch along the way!

British couple Ruth and Adam are a young couple on the verge of making it big-well, Ruth is anyway as she is appearing in a play on Broadway after a well received film role. Adam is a playwright and both of them are housesitting in New York for a couple they met on a recent cruise. When the charismatic Eden turns up looking for the couple who live there, she makes a connection with Ruth and Adam so they decide to invite her to stay until Jack and Mona return. But then, after a nights drinking, things take a terrifying and unexpected turn…

The House Guest kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the twists and turns of the narrative. I really hadn’t got a clue why Eden had turned up on the doorstep of her old friends or what her intentions towards any of the characters was-and even if I had, the actual reveal wouldn’t have appeared anywhere on my “list of 100 things that could happen in this book”!! That doesn’t mean that the reason is too “out there” just that Mark Edwards likes to play games with his readers!

I thoroughly enjoyed The House Guest especially the ending! It’s a gripping psychological thriller that you’ll be hearing a lot about this summer (and will be devoured on sunloungers across the UK!). Highly recommended for fans old and new!

First and foremost, a large thank you to Net Galley for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

Adam and Ruth are house sitting in New York for a couple they met on a cruise. One evening a girl arrives in the pouring rain saying that she has been invited to stay by the home owners,they believe her and invite her to stay. This decision has terrifying consequence for Adam and Ruth and they will have cause to regret it.
A psychological thriller with twist and turns that keeps you hooked.

Wow wow!!! This book is something else 😂😂🤣🤣. I thought to myself why would they let a stranger in in someone’s house? Smh... If I were actually in the story line I can imagine myself saying you dummy let her stay outside. 😂.
This book will have you on edge to say the very least i don’t want to give all of the details 😂. Get to reading!!

Adam and Ruth are in New York City, where Ruth is rehearsing for her first Broadway play. They are housesitting for Jack and Mona, a couple they met while on a cruise, and all is going well. Then, one night a young woman, Eden, appears at their door and introduces herself as a friend of the homeowners. When Ruth and Adam discover that she has nowhere to stay, they invite her to stay with them until the owners return. But, by the end of the week both Ruth and Eden have disappeared and George and Mona have no idea who Eden is.

This is the basic premise for the book, The House Guest. But this is only the beginning. Soon, Adam finds himself on his own, trying to find Ruth and Eden. It is a twisty tale, full of surprises, and it definitely kept my attention. Adam is a sympathetic character who is simply trying to make sense of it all. The House Guest has amazing plot development and great characters. This clever story is mesmerizing and chilling.

I believe this is the first book I’ve read by Mark Edwards. I definitely plan to rectify this error and will be on the lookout for more books by this talented author. Meanwhile, I highly recommend his most recent book, The House Guest.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

I'm a big fan of Mark Edwards and I'm excited to read his novels.

This one is a pacey mystery thriller, although I found it a bit farfetched and unrealistic.

The story involves British newly weds Adam and Ruth who were offered the chance to spend a summer vacation in a New York upscale house owned by Jack and Mona. So far so good.

One rainy night a stranger "Eden" knocks on their door claiming she is the owners' friend and is allowed in their property anytime.

Adam and Ruth allowed her in, all goes well until one day following a drunken night, Adam wakes up and Ruth and Eden are both missing. Additionally Jack and Mona arrived and said they no nobody with the name Eden.

So, who is Eden and where is Ruth?

Although I enjoyed the mystery element, yet I couldn't shake the feeling that most of the characters' actions defy logic. For instance, you don't allow strangers into your home only because they seem charming!
How come there was no way to contact Mona and Jack and verify Eden's story before it's too late?

Certain aspects like this took away from my overall enjoyment, although I finished the book to know the final outcome.

Thanks #Netgalley, #Amazon Publishing UK, and author Mark Edwards for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fast paced thrilling ride set in the ever mysterious New York City. Without giving too much away, if you like cults, unexpected twists and tension, you’ll enjoy this book! I found some parts frustratingly ‘plausible’, mainly events that happened to Ruth, but for the most part, it was great!

An excellent enthralling novel, quite engrossing. I have not read any of this Uthors or before, but will definitely have to check out the back catalogue.

What can you say about Mark Edwards’ books? Very little expect to make sure you purchase immediately and enjoy the read!! Mark has not disappointed yet again, another page turner. Highly recommended