A grieving widower with two little girls experience odd visions and experiences. Creepy and atmospheric they grapple with the girls' imaginary friend who somehow seems real...and has been in the family house before. It did keep me reading, but the story never quite gave me goosebumps. Well written and paced, and told in alternating chapters by our widower and the twin sister of his deceased wife, a good device to share the house history with the reader without interfering with the flow of the story. Likable characters, and well paced plot.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC of this gothic horror novel that explores the trope of a haunted house and completely turns it on its head. There's a dark history lurking within the walls of Hart House, but what is even darker is the lives of the souls within it. As William introduces each character, you can feel their pain, and the grief of Hart House becomes its own entity. The author has done a fantastic job exploring this emotion and making the creature-- Black Mamba-- an imaginary friend with an eerie twist.

We find the inhabitants of Hart House healing slowly from a major tragedy. The matron of the house died nine months ago, and at the same time, her daughters reported seeing a man who could shape-shift into any animal he chooses. Her husband, Alfie, is not surprised at first by this, as he's sure the hole their mother left has caused them irreparable trauma. However, it's not until he brings Pippa's sister Julia in that he finds out these sisters also had an imaginary friend named Black Mamba... and the adults begin to fear that something sinister is following the family.

I have been ringing in the spooky season as well as I know how; with tons and tons of horror movies, novels, and costumes. This is my second read about a seemingly haunted house, and it was so different from the first that I forgot that I was going through similar settings. I could not have imagined the ending at all-- and from start to finish it is a narrative that is going to stay in my mind for many Halloweens to come. I recommend this book to thriller and horror fans alike! Readers will enjoy both the psychological aspect as well as the spine-tingling question of if there really is something evil in the house.

"Let Him In" by William Friend is a captivating exploration of the uncanny, cleverly weaving together traditional British horror tropes with a fresh and subtle narrative touch. This book, which I had the pleasure of reading through NetGalley, is a spine-tingling journey through an eerie world of twins, a bereaved father, a mysterious house, and enigmatic apparitions.

The author's exquisite prose creates an immersive atmosphere that seeps into every page, setting the tone for a hauntingly beautiful story. Friend masterfully blurs the lines between reality and the supernatural, leaving the reader to question the true nature of "him." Is he a manifestation of grief, a sinister entity, or a shadow of the past that refuses to fade away? The story delves deep into the characters' grief and explores the complexities of their beliefs and family history, leaving you pondering the nature of this enigmatic presence.

"Let Him In" is a slow-burning horror that doesn't offer easy answers. Instead, it lures you into a web of mystery and keeps you guessing at every turn. Just when you think you've grasped the truth, the narrative throws a curveball that challenges your understanding. The sense of impending unraveling is palpable, making the story a thrilling and unsettling experience.

If you're a fan of horror that's not afraid to defy conventions and delve into the depths of the human psyche, this book is a must-read. William Friend's ability to craft a perfectly creepy and disquieting narrative is a testament to his storytelling prowess. "Let Him In" is a sinister delight that will keep you on edge from start to finish, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a spine-chilling tale with a masterful blend of mystery and horror.

I really like this author's writing style, however, this book almost lost me in the first half. The second half started to pick up, and I did think that the last chapter redeemed the rest of the book by itself. Ultimately, it was just like every other “imaginary friend” story I’ve heard, and I was a little disappointed.

Let Him In
Written by William Friend
Read by Jodie Harris and Jonathan Johns
Book 219/200
Genre: Horror
Format: Digital/Audio, ARC
Pages/Time: 240/8hr 13min
Published: 2023
Rating: 6/10
Horror: 👻👻

Let Him In is a pretty creepy haunting story. Friend takes your typical ghost-type story and adds an interesting psychological element; this was my favorite part of the book. I was super engaged whenever Julia was the POV character, but unfortunately not when others took the lead.

I found the ending quite uncomfortable and unsettling, which normally would be great, but I just didn't like the feel of it in this story. Overall, this is a solid debut by William Friend and I am very interested to see how he progresses as a writer in future novels.

Don't read with the light out , because this book will have you jumping or that's what it did to me while I was reading it on my kindle late at night . Because the story will remind you of the Creepy gothic stories that you would see in the classic type books Like Poe would write .

Now let me let you know why I love this book
Creepy setting- The house itself
The twins
The Gothic feeling it had that you don't see that much in the modern horror stories.
Give me goosebumps right from the start .
The perfect read for Oct .

Creepy gothic horror that gives you all the classic horror movie chills. This book takes you on a grief journey that will have you checking behind the doors, under the bed and scared of the basement!!

This book was super creepy but ended up being the most interesting horror novel I have read this year. I truly have never read anything like this before and the ending really was interesting.

🚨 Spooky book alert 🚨 “𝗗𝗮𝗱𝗱𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺.”  
  
I was captivated by this emotional, hair-raising story. 9 months after his wife, Pippa died in a freak accident, Alfie’s 7 year old twin daughters, Sylvie and Cassia wake him up in the middle of the night scared because they saw a man in their room. When he checks the room and it’s empty, he assumes the girls had a nightmare. This happens for a few weeks and he chalks up the strange behavior to grief. The nightmares stop and Alfie thinks that’s it, until the girls mention a new imaginary friend. At first it seems like a harmless coping mechanism, but the situation quickly develops into something more insidious. Their imaginary friend, Black Mamba is a shifter who appears in different animal forms. He whispers to girls, and takes them on all sorts of adventures. They feel safe with him, but he has a little bit of a temper. They set an extra place for him at the table and even start calling him Daddy which makes Alfie mad. He wants Black Mamba gone.  
  
Alfie calls Julia, Pippa's twin sister and a psychiatrist, to help. But as Alfie himself is haunted by visions of someone watching him at night, he begins to question the true character of the force that has poisoned his daughters' minds. Whatever this "friend" is, he doesn't want to leave. This novel is creepy and atmospheric. It’s told from the point of view of Alfie and Julia. Alfie's grief and inability to keep things together makes him an unreliable narrator, but you can’t help but feel for the guy. Julia hates Hart House and is so secretive which is frustrating. We learn of her complicated and traumatic childhood and that their family was into some sort of satanic religion, but it’s very underdeveloped. I wasn’t always sure what was going on. Was I reading too much into thins or misunderstanding the premise? There are so many unknowns and that’s what makes this so special. With an ending that will leave you spooked, this is a must read for horror fans.   
  
Read if you like:  
- Supernatural  
- Haunted House  
- UK setting  
- Grieving widower / single dad  
- Creepy Twins  
- Imaginary Friend

A London townhome with a horrifying past and a legacy of tragedies which are not fully explained. Unsettling and claustrophobic, Let Him In makes you question what is real and what is not. How do imaginary friends come to be? Are they really imaginary? What doors can be opened by young minds?

The twin theme adds an additional creep factor, and the ending left open to interpretation is subtly devastating. If you like stories which leave you with more questions than definitive answers, then this is the book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I think that this book was very different than what I was expecting to read, but I enjoyed it nonetheless! The vibes portray a ghost story and kind of a creepy twin bond, but the story turns out to be far more than that. We have sibling relationships, family dynamics, psychological factors, a culty grandma… there’s a lot going on in this one, but I think for a debut novel it was done pretty well!

This story left me wondering to the end . Tells the story of two young children who’s mother died and dad is struggling to raise them , but somehow , can’t compete with Black Mamba who appears to be more connected with his children than he is . Their aunt Julie and Dad , Alfie aim to find out is Black Mamba a figment of the girls imagination or do they have a real concern on their hands ? Well written with an open ended ending

Thanks net galley for sending me this great book, and William Friend hope there will be another one will look forward to it.
This was a ghost story and a thriller all In one, have not read a book like this for a long time,
Alfiie had lost his wife and was looking after his twin daughters, he was not coping very well and now he had another problem, the children said there was a man in there room and he was called black mamba.
They sat him at the table and talked and played with him.
Alfie needed help and he needed his wife’s twin sister to help him she understood children with these imaginary friends, but she found out it was more frightening than was fist thought.
Great book could not put down.

If you have kids, you've probably had to deal with cries of "There's a monster under my bed," or "There's something in my closet." These complaints are usually easily dispatched with a quick room check, and perhaps a squirt of Monster-Away spray. (Available at kitchen taps worldwide.) But, having your child enter your bedroom only to confess, “Daddy, there’s a man in our room...”, is a heart-stopping, blood-curdling statement that no parent wants to hear.

Friend's book starts strong with a tale of twin girls (yeah - my mind always jumps to the Overlook Hotel), and their imaginary friend, but loses steam by becoming too convoluted. This novel could easily be edited down to a very taut short story. The other problem I had with the book was that I didn't really didn't care about ANY of the characters, or what was happening to them. As far as chilling books to read this spooky season, I'd put this one near the bottom of the list.

This book had such promise! I just feel a little let down. Too many loose ends and I hate that in a book. Too many unanswered questions.

The book is told from 2 POV and neither of them were very interesting. I did finish the book and the wrting was very good but it just fell flat for me in so many ways and the pace was too slow for me.

Let Him In was an interesting book. I was disturbing at times and also one of those books that you can totally relate to if you have someone in your family that doesn't believe the same as you. William Friend does a really good job at concealing the identity of "Black Mamba" until the very end. I really thought I had it figured out of who it might be. Definitely a really good spooky book and if you grew up in an old house.

I really enjoyed this book. It's pretty creepy, but I think that is a given when you have twin children involved. You don't know if their imaginary friend is something they created together or if they are actually seeing something. It just makes it creepier. It made for a pretty good fall/Halloween read.

Thank you, Netgalley, for offering a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This was an awesome read. I really enjoyed all the character and was extremely creeped out at certain times. When things just start appearing in the dark corners for their home, I got chills. Well written and great pacing. It was hard to put down. The only thing that was lacking for me in this story was the relationship between the two characters, I wish there was more, I didn't feel like they had that great of a connection and that their could've been more chemistry built up. BUT I will definitely have fun talking about this book to others and will be recommending it to other horror fans.

The cover of this enticed me to request it. However, after reading the story, I got a little bit different of a vibe from what I thought it would be. This is more of a psychological thriller than a horror book to me. It was all over the place. It felt like a B-Horror movie to me. Three stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this read. This was creepy and not my cup of tea at all. It was not frightening but very creepy. I think I found out that I am not into that.