The Visitors is the latest standalone psychological thriller from bestselling author Miranda Rijks. and while her books can often be hit and miss for me, I felt this was her most accomplished and nerve-wracking to date. The prologue lands you right in the middle of the drama and details the thoughts of an unidentified murder suspect handcuffed in a holding cell. We then rewind to two weeks earlier and the lead up to the arrest. The story follows married couple Hannah and Daniel Pieters and their two children: eight-year-old Rosa and six-year-old Joel. Daniel works long hours as a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon and is an arrogant, narcissistic guy, while stay-at-home mum Hannah has been busying herself with a renovation project. Best View Barn, a disused building on their stunning rural Cheshire property, has taken seven years of blood, sweat and tears to bring up to the Pieters’ exacting standards. Hannah had taken this on almost single-handedly, along with her family obligations and job as a piano teacher, as Daniel works away in Manchester and London for the majority of the week. With the intention of turning it into a successful business venture, Hannah has equipped it with a country-style kitchen with handmade tiles, fresh lilies and fragrant sweet peas adorning the rooms and beautiful furniture; all top quality and stylish yet hard-wearing.

The last couple to rent had been older and kept to themselves, but Hannah hopes the next visitors will be more interactive. Nadia and Mike Jones and their daughter Kayleigh, from Sussex, have paid in advance to spend a week in this idyllic Peak District location. Mike makes some unkind comments and she notices they have more luggage than they need for their short break. Hannah does her best to accommodate the couple, even baking them a Victoria sponge cake to welcome them, but nothing is ever enough for them and then she works out who they are. Is a terrible secret from her past finally coming back to haunt her? Well, this is enough to put me off wanting to rent out our second home as a holiday let, that's for sure. It's a terrifyingly realistic story with intense drama and palpable tension running throughout, and I enjoyed the slow-burn nature of it. The cast is mostly full of detestable characters but they are memorable, and I felt sorry for Hannah who feels trapped in an unhealthy, abusive marriage. Rijks has once again created a thoroughly gripping and compulsive psychological thriller, which had me quickly under its spell. From the very beginning, I was engrossed in the story and it's evident that the author is learning more and more about how to scintillate her readership with each new book she publishes. Undoubtedly, her best so far. Highly recommended.

Hannah has a comfortable life with her children and cardiologist husband, Daniel. Even though her marriage is not as happy as she would like, she's got a new project that she hopes will give her life new purpose: her newly renovated barn is open for business as a holiday guesthouse.

But things take a dark turn when only the second set of visitors show up. Mike and Nadia Jones are your stereotypical guests from hell, acting as rudely as possible in the face of Hannah's hospitality, and basically trashing her barn. And when it looks like they're not about to leave her property, something else becomes clear: they're not just going to ruin the premises, they're going to ruin Hannah's life.

Miranda Rijks's The Visitors was an interesting and fast-paced psychological thriller. I read it in a couple of sittings and was desperate to know how Hannah was going to disentangle herself from the awful Jones family. There are certainly some good twists in here and plenty to boil your blood, even if it does wrap up a little too neatly at the end.

The one thing I found myself wishing for was a stronger Hannah. She's a doormat to everyone: she lets her husband treat her in the most disrespectful manner and though I realize she's concerned about her business/bad reviews, takes stuff from Mike and Nadia that she never should have. All the while she makes more than one mention about male chauvinism. And yet she shows not one ounce of feminist spark.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for providing this copy in exchange for a review.

Well, this book was a thrilling ride from start to finish! It promised to be exciting and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

I found myself with a strong dislike for Mike and a sense of unease whenever Nadia featured in the story. Hannah was a loving mother and wife who I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her.

The story led us down different rabbit holes keeping me guessing and not quite sure who to believe but the ending was neatly wrapped up and a great conclusion to the story.

An enjoyable read, and my first by this author. I’ll definitely be on the hunt for more of her books.

This is the third of Miranda’s books that I have had the pleasure of reading and reviewing. I read the synopsis for ‘The Visitors’ and it certainly sounded like another thrilling read. Well I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Visitors’ but more about that in a bit.
I can honestly say that there wasn’t a single character that I took to in this book as each of them irritated me in some way- all except Peanut the Labrador (I love Labradors but I might be a wee bit biased since I have two of my own). In each case, there was something about each individual person that either made me feel uncomfortable or gave me the heebie jeebies. I didn’t like Daniel, the cardiothoracic surgeon. Without giving too much away, he is an arrogant and ignorant control freak who is very passive aggressive in that he gets his kicks by being nasty to his wife Hannah. I felt for Hannah in a sense because she is trying to keep the family ticking over and develop her own interests, but she doesn’t get anything in the way of positive encouragement. At times I wanted to shake her by the shoulders to get her to wake up and smell the coffee as it were. As for the second set of ‘guests’ that rent the converted barn- well If I saw them whilst out and about I would make a point of crossing the road to avoid them. They are a complete nightmare- pushy, bolshy, slobby and that’s just for starters. Put them altogether and wait for the powder keg to explode.
It didn’t take me long at all to get into ‘The Visitors’. In fact by the time I got to the end of the first few pages, I instinctively knew that not a lot would be done for the rest of the day because I needed to finish reading this fantastic book. I became addicted to this book and my Kindle might as well have been glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I couldn’t bear to miss a single second of the story. I had my own theory as to what was going to happen but I had the wrong end of the stick entirely. I raced through the story as my desperation to find out what happened grew and grew. All too quickly I reached the end of the book and I had to leave the characters behind.
‘The Visitors’ is well written but then I find that to be true of Miranda’s books in general. She grabs your attention from the start and she reels you into the story much the same as a fisherman reels in a catch after the catch (or in this case the reader) takes the bait. Miranda has a way of making me feel as though I am part of the story myself. I love the way in which Miranda shows the psychological games that certain people play to get ahead. It’s a bit like a game of cat and mouse. For me, ‘The Visitors’ was perfectly paced. The story started slowly but it gathered momentum, much the same as a snowball does when it rolls down a hill, which led to a tense and dramatic conclusion. There were twists and turns aplenty- some of which I saw coming but others that felt like a slap in the face.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Visitors’ and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Miranda’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Inkubator Books for providing me with an advance copy of Miranda Rijks’s new novel, The Visitors, in exchange for an honest review.

After reading the prologue and first few chapters, I was extremely skeptical about where this story was heading. In all honesty, if it had not been assigned for review purposes, then I probably would have stopped reading altogether. By the end though, I was glad I forced myself to finish it because it gets much better and finds its rhythm before it even hits page 100.

While there is the intrigue of wanting to know who the Jones family is, it is actually the author’s writing style that makes the reader want to turn the page. Short, tight sentences were very effective for this plotline and I finished it in less than 6 hours.

I gave it an average rating because this is more of the type of fiction book that you read for entertainment. You are not going to learn any new vocabulary or have the desire to whip out a highlighter for descriptive passages, but there is definitely something about the story that will pique readers’ interests.

The book blurb is an exact description of the plot, so there is not much to say about that other than the fact that mystery readers will probably be able to guess the ending from a mile away.

My other two critiques are that some of the characters are annoying, especially the protagonist who is so weak at some points that it is actually frustrating, and that the ending is abrupt and somewhat unbelievable.

All in all, if you are looking for a beach read or for something to entertain you for a few hours, then I would recommend checking out this book. It might not blow your mind, but it works well as a decent almost novella. I say almost because it is longer than the average novella, but you get the point.

Everything in the renovated barn is as perfect as Hannah can make it. It's taken years to convert the old building into the perfect holiday rental and she can't wait to welcome guests into her tranquil little country retreat. Mike and Nadia are nothing like the guests she had imagined. They're loud, rude, and demanding. She fears what kind of damage they'll do to the interior of the barn. And when their week is up, they refuse to leave.

I read this one almost straight through. The tension starts to build early on and Hannah isn't doing herself any favors as she attempts to solve problems without involving her husband. She's so determined to have her little side business go well and Mike and Nadia are such horrible, awful people. I was dreading how it might all turn out and loved it right up until the end, which fell flat.

Oh my....this book took me on a ride that was wild!! Certain authors when a new release is out I will push to the front of my TBR list (which is incredibly long) and Miranda Rijks is one of them. I just love her books, her style of writing just everything about them. And I loved this one too. Highly recommend

Hannah and Daniel live in an idyllic setting with their 2 children. Daniel is a cardiothoracic surgeon and Hannah teaches the piano. Hannah realised a long dream to convert a barn attached to their house for a holiday home. Her second clients arrive and from the start cause problems. They leave the house messy and attempt to integrate themselves into Hannah and Daniels lives with disastrous consequences. Temporary tenants from hell.
A brilliant psychological thriller with twists and turns. I couldn't put it down due to wanting to find out what happens at the end. I look forward to reading more by Miranda
I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review

Wow what a brilliant book I just loved every page and it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. It is well written with well developed characters who I got involved with from the very beginning and is a great page turner with a good ending.

I can thoroughly recommend this book and thank you to Netgalley and Inkubator Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book, a very worthy five stars from me.

This was an engaging quick read that was enjoyable despite my frustration with the main character's tolerance of her husband's behavior.

Where to start...oh where to start...

If Bentley Little put me off gated communities and homeowners associations with The Association, this has done the same to me with renting out holiday homes..

Brilliantly written with believable characters and a storyline that hits more when you think "what would you do if you were in Hannah's position and some guests just refused to leave whilst having something to hold over you at the same time...

Finished this last night and still can't stop thinking about it. Truly exceptional book that deserves everything it receives.

BUY IT! Dont even think about it. This has slipped in as a last minute Book of the Year candidate.

Hannah has dreamed of owning a holiday rental - she and her husband, Daniel, renovate their barn in the same style as the house. Hannah buys the furniture, all the loving touches. After a successful first week of rental, the next family moves in - Mike, Nadia and Kayleigh. And the nightmare begins.
After several days and consistent drinking, Mike falls on the patio - breaking his ankle. Hannah struggles to meet their unrealistic demands in the hopes of avoiding a bad review.
Meanwhile, Hannah's marriage is under stress. Daniel works out of town most weekdays, returning home on the weekends. He is degrading, mean and intolerant to Hannah while attempting to spend time with his family.
This book was a slow build - the ongoing issues with the renters, Daniel's disgusting behavior, I wasn't sure where the plot was going. It certainly was a surprise. The remainder of the book flew by.

This is hard to review because I LOVED IT but there are so many books out now with the same concept or similar and I have inhaled about 80% of them this year. So they start to run together and it’s hard to keep track of what plot goes with what book and what characters belong to what author.

This is totally a guilty pleasure read. Something that you curl up with a cup of tea and devour in one sitting because it’s addicting but you have that ominous feeling because you have read something like it before.

I would recommend this book to someone starting off with mystery and thrillers because it’s an easy and fast read and includes all the beloved troupes that you want.

Nothing is wrong with the book, it just isn’t original but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing because I will always snatch up a stranger book.

A cat and mouse, white knuckle, grab you and never let go thriller!! Another great book by a wonderful Author!! This book is not to be missed!!

Another great read by a superior author!

Open your door to strangers - you never know WHO will be there!. A sure hit for Miranda Rijks!'

An unusual family stays at Alison's holiday cottage - rented for a week. Although the husband is a bit shady the wife and child seem to be OK (?). Then, it all starts with a sponge cake...

Gripping from the beginning -never lets you down!!!

HIGHLY recommend.

Many Thanks to Inkubator Books and NetGalley for a superb read.

This book had me hooked from the start, the writing was captivating. I read a lot and have struggled to find anything, in the thriller category, that holds my attention...but this book more than hit the mark in that respect, it was well written, fast-paced and intriguing. Real cat and mouse stuff with perfect, short chapters that just keep you reading until you have finished the whole book in one sitting.

I love a book where I can't see immediately where it's headed and this one had me scratching my head. The characters were well developed, even the younger ones. The scheming Nadia, the naive Hannah, the arrogant Daniel and the creepy Mike. I’ve never read anything by this author before. but this was simply brilliant in the way the story unfolds...with a twist to the plot. I would have gladly given it five stars but the ending was a tad too neat for my liking, however, I will be seeking out other books in Ms. Rijks' catalog.

Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator Books for an early copy of The Visitors. Wow this book made me very anxious, I couldn’t wait for it to get to the climax. The characters were so not likable except one and I’m glad of the ending and how it turned out. Really a very fast paced, edge of your seat book, I absolutely loved it!

I’ve been gathering my thoughts on this for a few days. It was a super quick read! I read it in one sitting, a couple of hours.

Hannah and Daniel are married but having problems. Hannah has turned their new barn into a rental cottage and her second guests are the worst guests imaginable. Rude, messy, threatening. It all escalates pretty quickly when one of the visitors ends up dead and Daniel is the suspect.

I didn’t really like any of the characters - I wanted to like Hannah but she was so frustrating!!! Like so many poor decisions, over and over. It was almost painful. That said, I was sucked in pretty quick and couldn’t put my kindle down. I was thrown off by the ending. Definitely didn’t guess the outcome right at all. I was kind of disappointed with Hannah’s decision in the end but I also understood it.

Thank you NetGalley & Inkubator for the ARC!!

I loved this creepy book that kept me on the edge of my seat until the last page. Anyone that’s ever had an unwanted visitor in their house will appreciate it. I highly recommend

I’ve had a mixed bag with Miranda’s writing. I loved Deserve to Die but hated I Want You Gone so how would I rate The Visitors? Well keep reading... ;)

I went in blind, I didn’t read any other reviews and.....I loved it! The Visitors has strong writing, great characters (both good and bad!) and a plot that blew me away. I thought I had the plot figured out but nope...this blew me away!

The 60%-70% is the weakest part of the book. The characters seemed to lose what made them them and it didn’t gel well with the rest of the story. But that’s the only bad part about The Visitors!

If you’re looking for a dark tale that you won’t be able to put down then buy this! You can thank me later ;)

A very strong 4.5/5.

I enjoyed reading what inspired the story and I’m glad to hear that Miranda is okay! :)