I love John Marrs, he’s one of my favorite authors and I was excited to grab his newest book on NetGalley. It unfortunately felt like something was missing for me with it. I was able to predict many of the twists which is surprising for his plots. There was a lack of suspense for me too, which also is unexpected given the dark and violent content. The characters felt a bit underdeveloped and I unfortunately just couldn’t connect with them. I’ve seen some good reviews and recommend you check them out! I’ll be eagerly waiting for his next novel still, this just wasn’t the novel for me.

Sadly I found this book one of the author's less engaging. As the plot unfolded, only one twist caught me unaware. The rest just felt like they were inevitable. The plot is undeniably clever but it just didn't grab me this time.

I also find his repeated use of book club members names for different characters in different books a distraction, as it breaks the immersion and is frankly unnecessary

Thank you netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the complimentary e-ARC.

Two and a half stars rounded up.

John Marrs is an auto-buy author for me. Unfortunately this one missed the mark.

What I liked
- short chapters
- extremely fast paced
- typical John Marrs writing with twists that you never see coming, you may figure some of it out but never all of it.
- The storyline kept me interested enough to keep reading through to the end.

What I didn't like
- I can't believe I'm saying this, but there were too many twists
- the characters felt one dimensional to me
- A character takes it upon themself to become a detective when they have real police on speed dial

While I was disappointed in this one, I will absolutely be picking up anything Marrs writes next

A dark, chilling suspenseful book that will keep you up at night! Keep It In The Family by John Marrs is twisty and I couldn’t wait to see how it was going to end. A quick-paced book that I flew through! I really liked this one!

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first John Marrs book and I read it as a buddy read with 2 friends. Theories were flying backwards and forwards, we were re-reading sections to make sure we'd not missed anything and we had notes that we thought might prove important being saved in a shared doc.
When we were about 2/3 of the way through I started to think how amazing it would be for an author to sit in on a group like ours so that they could see, chapter by chapter, what sort of effect their book was having on a group of readers.

Believe it or not, this was my first John Marrs book. I'm definitely a fan and am excited to read more of his books! Luckily I already have one or two on my bookshelf. 😀

This book had a lot of things that I love in a thriller. It had some horror elements, a serial killer, multiple unreliable narrator's, and lots of twists and turns!

This was a really fast paced read that surprised me at almost every turn! It's a perfect book to squeeze in before the end of spooky season!

Thank you @netgalley, @johnmarrs.author and Thomas Mercer for the e-arc of this book!

What a roller coaster of a book. There were so many twists it had my head spinning! Some of the twists I guessed but some came out of left field. This is actually the first John Marrs book I've read and now I plan on going back to read his backlist as soon as possible. Loved this book.

This was a very dark family drama that I was so excited to read, so when I saw it available as read now, I grabbed it immediately. However, my excitement slowly waned. When I say slowly, I mean very s…l…o….w…l….y. As I much prefer a faster paced novel, I struggled staying engrossed in this one.

I think that you should give this one a try for yourself as I could be further biased as I always am when children are involved. Go in blind and see how you feel about it!

Thank you to NetGalley and especially Amazon Publishing U.K. for the ARC in return for an honest review.

It’s really difficult to review this without spoilers, so I’ll just say that this is a gripping, horrific story packed with a cast of unlikeable characters, many of them seriously dysfunctional. There’s a tantalising, horrendous prologue which leads into a bizarre, suspenseful tale which cleverly made me assume certain things that were way, way off. It’s ideal for those who like their thrillers seriously gruesome, twisted and cruel. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars.

I attribute this book in restoring my faith in thrillers. Wow-what a wild ride that kept me guessing until the very end,

Mia and Finn just purchased anew fixer upper home. Its a serious project that quickly puts a strain on the couple and slowly the cracks in their marriage start to show, One day while clearing out rubbish from the attack the family makes a gruesome discovery and things start to quickly unravel from there.

This was an incredibly well paced thriller-we start out very quickly and it never slows down, although I guessed some of the twists, the story was really engaging and never felt stale or boring. Most, if not all, the adults in this story were unlikable and incredibly flawed in a annoying way, but the story was so cleverly written I was still intent to seeing this story through to the end despite not really having a character that I connected to.

This story has some dark content, as a reader of almost exclusively horror and dark fiction, I felt like this thriller went darker places than some of your average thrillers on the shelf. With that b being said, I would strongly encourage readers lookup trigger warnings before they pick this up. A very well done thriller, this is my first John Marrs, but definitely will not be my last. I need to make my way through the authors back list. Thanks to the author, the publication and Netgalley in providing a arc copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

4.5 STARS! So many times I exclaimed out loud during this book. Usually I can figure out the endings and twists but not in this one. This is a wild ride, and I read this book in a day. I really couldn't put it down. Be warned that there are a LOT of trigger warnings so be sure to look them up. However, the ending is so creepy.

This book is a phenomenal thriller that gripped me from page one, it's so fast paced you barely have chance to check your breath. Chapter after chapter the latest twist constantly blindsided me. I was desperate to find the truth, but even by the end I was still questioning the outcome. This book is so dark but in a good way I found myself doubting every single characters and their motives. As soon as I finished the last page I was desperate for a sequel I NEED MORE.
If you love a dark, disturbing thriller then this is perfect for you.
#KeepItInTheFamily #netgalley

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: 4,5/5
𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: Psychological thrillers

Thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A dark psychological thriller set in a dual timeline.
In 1980 we follow an unnamed narrator who introduces the reader to their very strange and unconventional family. Indeed, sinister things happen in this house ... Children are kidnapped and locked up in the attic before being killed and dumped in suitcases.

In 2019 Mia and Finn, a young couple expecting their first child, have just bought their new home which they start renovating.
That is until they find some suitcases hidden behind a wall in the attic!

Although the timelines sometimes confused me because they didn’t always go back chronologically, this story had me on tenterhooks. Some of the characters were really creepy and I loved the guessing game that ensured!
After managing to work out who the nameless narrator was in the current timeline, I was shocked to discover that the author had a few more surprises in store for us!

The ending was a perfect blend of twists, revelations and adrenaline palpitations that left a bittersweet taste behind!
Great introduction to this author. Now I need to start reading his backlist!

I haven't read anything by John Marrs before but I will keep my eyes open in the future as this dark, family drama/thriller kept me engaged most of the time. I must provide a warning that this book deals with child abuse and murder and some scenes are upsetting as you can imagine so be aware.

Mia and Finn have put all their money into buying a derelict property to do up but during the renovation, a grisly discovery in the attic causes all manner of problems and long held, deep, dark secrets are revealed with devastating consequences.

With a cast of flawed characters and a dark and twisty plot, this was an engaging read and although it went a bit flat in the middle, it held my interest and I thank Amazon Publishing / Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of Keep it in the Family.

Roll up, roll up! Fasten your seatbelts, hold onto your hollyhocks, and get ready for the twistiest ride in town!

What can I say? If you’re up for a nerve-jangling, pulse-racing, spine-tingling read, then look no further, because this new thriller from John Marrs has it all. In spades!

Newly pregnant Mia and husband Finn are in the middle of renovating a ramshackle house, when Mia finds a cryptic message — “I will save them from the attic” — etched on the skirting board of one of the bedrooms. Their curiosity gets the better of them, and up they go to investigate. What they find, in suitcases hidden under the eaves, is grizzly and shocking and puts all their plans on hold. Their longed-for dream home, it seems, was once a house of horrors.

The opening chapters of this book are deeply chilling; like being thrown into a bath of icy water. In the dark. With no clothes on. And from there, it’s a rapid descent into the unknown, stoked by a frantic desire to get to the truth; to figure out what the heck is going on.

Marrs manipulates the multiple POV format like a maestro, switching between Mia, Finn and his parents Dave and Debbie, and additionally teasing with the creepy, unknown voice of a deranged, multiple killer. It’s clear there are dark secrets at play, but Marrs plays his cards close to his chest, skillfully casting doubt on the reliability of all the narrators. You end up trusting no one, and not particularly liking anyone either.

I found myself on tenterhooks at the end of every chapter, bamboozled by the multiple twists and turns and desperate to read on. Yes, there may have been one or two eye-roll moments, but the relentless pace of the unfolding plot made these very easy to overlook.

Marrs saves his joker until the very end, slamming it down in a final, blood-curdling twist that chills to the bone. It’s a brilliant conclusion to an utterly brilliant book.

*A word of warning: there are scenes in this book that some readers may find distressing. These involve the killing of children and in some instances are very graphic.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer for my gifted eARC!

This is my first John Marrs book and I really enjoyed it! The plot was very dark and suspenseful and there was a twist that absolutely caught me by surprise!! I loved learning more about all the characters and their secrets.

There was one medical aspect that was incorrect and that was a bummer.

I adored the previous novels by John Marrs, many of which reference with Easter eggs, the others. This one stands alone to itself and wonderfully so. I completely fell headlong into this novel, absorbing the pages as quickly as possible. The story is based on a married couple, Mia and Finn, who are expecting a baby and have purchased a home that they are renovating themselves, with the help of Finn's family. As they are approaching the finish line, they look in the attic and make a gruesome discovery that shows crimes that involve their new home. This causes them to have to temporarily relocate in his parent's home while the police are evaluating their home, now considered a possible crime scene. This situation drags on and causes tension between the family and causes suspicion amongst them.
The twists and turns come throughout this novel and literally carry the reader until the last pages. This is a fun read and another terrific story from Marrs.
If you want a dark and messed up family, this book is for you.
#KeepItInTheFamily #NetGalley #AmazonPublishingUK #Thomas&Mercer

Wow. Such an unsettling, clever read!!
I found some of the twists predictable but not in a bad way & couldn’t stop thinking about it when I wasn’t reading.
Full review to follow on my bookstagram asap!

This one started off well and the plot is good.

I was a bit disappointed in the ending which for me was a step too far into the unbelievable.

Overall it was a quick dark read. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Thank you to #NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This was really dark and disturbing. Really really dark and really really disturbing. I am a huge John Marrs fan. I have read several of his books. He creates very different stories and each book is different. I like that very much about his work. You never know what kind of story you are getting.

This time we meet Mia and Finn who finally found a house to start their family. But there is a lot of work to put into before they could even move in. When they make a horrible discovery in the attic dark secrets start to uncover and Mia wonders what kind of family she married into.

This story is so bonkers and gruesome it really got under my skin. I am obsessed with true crime podcasts and there are so many unbelievable horrible things out there. So as unrealistic as this story seems - think twice. There are a lot of twists, maybe too many and coming too fast towards the end. For my liking the first person narrative was a bit too much like reading a diary. But I was captivated by the dark atmosphere and this twisted family who gives the word inheritance a new meaning.