3.5 stars rounded up.

For Helen and George, the remote fixer-upper in Cornwall was supposed to be a dream home, and a way to leave behind the problems they're both running from. But something about the place seems wrong from day one. And why does Helen have a creepy feeling she's seen the house before? Her unease only deepens after renovations begin, when the builders find sinister dolls hidden in the walls. As Helen digs into the houses past, she discovers that the previous owner was not only rumoured to be a witch; she was also imprisoned for the brutal triple murder thirty years earlier.

When Helen and George move from London to Cornwall, nobody in the village is friendly towards them. Helen is looking into the history of the house and finds out that the previous owner was a witch, George is also investigating the house, hoping to write a bestselling book. But there's so many unanswered questions and mysteries surrounding the house.

I found this to be quite a confusing read at times, so I took half a star off my rating for that reason. The story is told from Helen. George and Jenna's perspectives. It's quite an atmospheric read that has a creepy vibe to it. Secrets are being kept and there are some surprises in this twisted novel.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #AmazonPublishing #ThomasMercer and the author #ClaireMcgowan for my ARC of #LetMeIn in exchange for an honest review.

I’d like to thank Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Let Me In’ written by Claire McGowan in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Helen is a hard-working doctor in a London hospital, her husband George an out-of-work journalist. When they decide to move George finds them an old house with character in Little Hollow near Penzance but as soon as she steps inside Helen knows she’s been there before. The house is in poor repair, the builders turn up at 6am on the first day then don’t come back, there’s no internet and the neighbours are unfriendly. Helen finds jars with strange contents in the kitchen cupboards and a cloth doll with human hair (a poppet) is hidden in the wall. She starts to wonder how George found the house and if he’s keeping secrets from her.

‘Let Me In’ in a thriller that touches on witchcraft and has eerie unsettling vibes from the previous owner who was said to have murdered three people in the house. At the beginning I was hooked, I liked Helen and George and their reason for moving, but by the time I was half way through the story became so unbelievable that my incredulity was stretched to breaking point and I lost interest. I’d really hoped to enjoy this story and am disappointed that I didn’t and my review isn’t more positive but I’m sure I’ll be in the minority.

Helen and George decide to leave their lives in London behind and move to the village of Little Hollow in Cornwall, George was tasked with finding them a house and sorting the move, but when they arrive Helen is certain she has been here before and the house is in a worse state of repair than she ever expected. They are eager for the renovations to start and George employs a local builder, but Helen’s fears increase when she discovers that the house was previously owned by a witch who is now in prison serving time for a triple murder over thirty years ago, which could explain why the locals are so distant with them. The events that follow give Helen more cause for concern and they realise they can’t trust anyone, especially not each other, because neither of them have been telling the truth…

Let Me In is the latest thriller by this author, told from the perspectives of the four main characters during the present and the past. It’s a tense tale of murder, witchcraft and abuse with some unexpected twists along the way. There are parts of the story where you do have to suspend belief but isn’t that what fiction is all about? It’s the first I’ve read by this author and I look forward to reading more of her work.

I’d like to thank Amazon Publishing and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Helen and her husband George move to an old house in Cornwall in serious need of renovation and with a dark history which had been uninhabited for more than 30 years. On arrival. Helen believes she has been here before and finds all manner of witchcraft potions etc.

The people in the village are very unfriendly. Both Helen and George have secrets from each other and both are looking into the history of the house. Helen to find out more about its history and why she believes she has been here and George because he sees an opportunity to launch his writing career by writing about the house and its history.

Each long chapter is written from the perspective of Helen, George and its former owner occupier who is currently in jail for 3 horrific. I can't say too much more about the storyline without spoilers.

The ending was unsurprising to me whereas I have found other books by this author to be more unpredictable. Nevertheless it is a good read.

Thanks to Netgalley UK the author and Publishers Amazon Publishing UK for an ARC in exchange for a fair and unbiased review

Thank you Net Galley, Amazon Publishing and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Helen and George move from London to a doer upper in Cornwall. The house feels creepy, the locals are unwelcoming and Helen in convinced she’s been to this house before.

When the builders commence work on the home, terrible freak accidents start to happen and creepy dolls are found hidden in walls. Not only this, but Helen keeps seeing someone watching their house at night.

Things take a turn and Helen realises George has been lying to her and the secrets of the past are returning to haunt them.

This is only a taster of what the book is about, there is a lot more going on. When I first started reading this book, it was so creepy and spooky. As you read on, the creepiness tones down and the plot becomes more intricate. If it had been too creepy then I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much!

There are lots of twists and I didn’t see any of them coming. My interest was kept throughout the whole story. The ending felt really rushed and maybe I needed a few more chapters to pull everything together more smoothly but as a whole I really enjoyed this one.

Superb writing from this author, a very eye catching cover, this book will go far, 5 stars. Blindingly excellent ... These books should come with a disclaimer as once you start reading you aren’t going to want to walk away.I would highly recommend to family and friends. I love author’s that can describe a scene and you are immediately there, you close your eyes and you picture the scene. This author does that for me.

My thanks to Claire McGowan and Netgalley.
I finished this book about a week ago, and I'm still uncertain of my rating.
I guess "maybe" that I might be somewhat befuddled from the whole entirety of this story.
The husband was someone that I would completely despise. But, I also didn't like anyone else, really.
Know what? Ignore my thoughts.
I read this book. I didn't like this book. I would not recommend this book.
This is my second McGowan book. I'll not be reading more.

Wow, talk about twists and turns in a well written story about past events and current questions that threaten a marriage. Makes you really think about those incarcerated and the attitudes and judgments people have about a crime.

A captivating, unputdownable story set in Cornwall, George finds a house for himself and wife Helen. Needs a bit of work but hey it didn't cost much so what's the catch. Well, when Helen arrives she gets a feeling she knows the house, already ill at ease it's not helped when she finds jars with ominous objects and sinister dolls hidden within the walls. And why do the unfriendly locals not want to discuss the house? She discovers the house was owned by a convicted murderer and a suspected witch. Stresses of living in the house fracture Helen and George's relationship especially when hidden secrets and lies come to the forefront.
The story is told from the perspective of the four main characters and there's an element of the past and present. Eerie house, creepy setting, murders and witchcraft, what's not to love. I loved it.
Received with thanks from Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK with no obligation to leave my review

I thought this was okay and there was a lot more to the plot than I initially thought. McGowan unveils the story using different character perspectives which made the plot feel more exciting. However, parts of this did feel sluggish and the plot is a bit ridiculous at times.
Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advance copy.

This book was a good and quick read. I felt the pacing was good with how the twists were revealed and as we got to know more of the history.

I really liked how the book was split into five different parts, each one following a different characters POV. This was a different and interesting way to slowly reveal more of the mystery. We felt like we knew something but then learned something else from a different character.

--SPOILERS --

The characters were pretty boring and one dimensional at times. Helen's POV made George seem very dull and incompetent. He spent HER hard-earned money to pay for his depts he hid from her, he paid the builders in advance with no referrals or a quote, and dismissing her whenever she complained about the state of the house he basically forced her to move into. I was thinking this book was going to end with Helen leaving him, I would.

The title doesn't make sense to me, and the synopsis does not fit the book I just read at all. Firstly, it makes it sound like more like a haunted house book than a murder mystery. And they only found one doll in the wall, not multiple. It also paints the story as if Helen didn't know anything, when in reality she knew most of what happened.

I’ve seen several books by this author and been intrigued but this was my first by her, and I’m glad I finally picked one up. This was a fast paced book that I devoured in one sitting. I will say while the description is all accurate, it wasn’t the book I was expecting but that’s ok. George and Helen are moving away from London to a small village where they have purchased a house. But the villagers seem to be angry with them and Helen instantly knows there is more to the story of the house than George has told her. A little interest research tells her that a woman who lived in the house previously murdered three people and was believed to be a witch. As they try to renovate the house they find a poppet in the wall and other spooky things that have both of them trying to learn more. A fun, thrilling ride and definitely an author I’ll try again.

I love books about creepy houses so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one! About a couple, George and Helen, who recently moved to Cornwell, this story has lots of twist and turns.

The book begins with Helen discovering the home her husband purchased not only needs a lot of work, but that it has the reputation of being an evil place. Why? Because the woman who lived there is in jail for murdering 3 people. When Helen discovers a creepy doll in the wall of the home, she knows she needs to investigate.

The rest of the book is about what really happened in the home, and to the woman who used to live there. There’s surprises, and some twist and turns that make for a fun read. A 3.5 rounded up to 4 for me! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A good thriller read which held my interest throughout with good characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for this ARC.

I absolutely love a creepy house story, but I really struggled with this one.

Right from the beginning I found it really hard to get into. The idea that a woman smart enough to be a doctor would just let her husband buy a house without ever giving her any details about it, especially when she grew up in the town and has concerning connections to it, is ridiculous. More than 20% in nothing had really happened and the stuff that was supposed to be really creepy fell flat.

Ultimately it picked up, but it wasn't one of my favorite creepy house stories.

What a page turner. Creepy house, witches, accidents happening all putting you on the edge of your seat wondering where this will take you. The ending was brilliant

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I have read and loved all of McGowan's books so I was really excited for this one. The storyline was so well done and the characters very well drawn. The suspense was palpable and kept me reading late into the night. Grab a copy you will not be disappointed

I flew through the pages for the first half of this book and then slowed right down to a crawl. Not because it was any less exciting but because I was enjoying it so much that I didn't want to come to the end. This story has everything love, pity,fear,horror, revenge and beneath it all was an underlying current of evil. Not the evil of slasher movies although there is a bit of that too, but the insidious evil that can permeate a whole community while seeming perfectly normal. This book was 5 star all the way which is no more than I have come to expect from this author.

Not a bad book plenty of twists....characters was on cue I'd prob give this book a 6 out of ten ...chapters went on a bit too long to what I like

This is the kind of book that keeps me reading time and time again. My lord I loved it. It gets stranger and more confusing as you go - and there are so many twists!
I absolutely love books about creepy old houses and the way people try to research them. love them, or survive them. This is so much deeper than that but it starts with a move to an ancient home in a tiny village. Our Helen is a doctor who burnt out treating covid patients and her husband is a disgraced journalist, as the story develops you get to know them more. You get to know why they are the way they are.
You also get to know a few other compelling characters but if I say who it ruins a bunch of stuff.
I loved the ending as well!
This is honestly one of the best books I have read this year.