A creepy psychological narrative that investigates the effects of generations of shame and blame and how those bleed into even the places we inhabit. This story will keep you wondering if the house is haunted or if the people are haunted. Is there a demon invading Hart House's inhabitants' minds or are their minds running wild based on fringe beliefs, self-doubt, and shame?

This book was a good mix between horror and thriller - I have been loving books like this that could have a mix of supernatural and realistic trauma responses to grief and death.

Alfie is a newly widowed father, who is struggling through caring for his twin daughters and his own grief. He is trying to learn how to take care of his family and their household and then his twins start to talk about their imaginary friend. Their Aunt Julia believes that this "friend" is a coping mechanism for the twins to work through their mothers death, but soon enough this imaginary friend starts to become more sinister. The twins start throwing tantrums and aggressive behavior leading to bruising and negative behaviors with their father and one another.

This debut novel was so fast pace and perfect for the spooky season coming up. The mystery of figuring out what is happening adds an extra element and allows the reader to decide if what is happening is psychological or if there is really something sinister happening within this house. I fully recommend this book if you love a fast-paced thriller/horror surrounding a grieving family with young children.

This was so creepy in the best way possible! It is a gothic psychological thriller that will have you keeping the lights on at night as you try to decide what the twins in the story are actually seeing. It's hard to say too much without giving spoilers but I will ask you this: What would you do if your twins came into your bedroom and said there was a man in their room?

This is a book a will go back to from time to time especially during spooky season. I enjoyed it so much and also, look at that cover!

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: October 3, 2023
William Friend’s debut novel, “Let Him In” is the perfect fall thriller for the spooky season. A house with secrets and a dark past, two psychically connected twins who just lost their mother, a grieving father and an imaginary “friend” that may not be that imaginary after all? Sounds like the right combination to me!
Alfie has just lost his beloved wife, Pippa, in a tragic accident. Now, he is living in his wife’s family house, Hart House, raising his two young twins on his own. As he tries to cope with his grief, his young daughters start talking to and seeing an entity they name “Black Mamba”, a shadow man only they can see. Unsure if this is a result of their grief or something more, Alfie calls in Julia, Pippa’s sister (and the girls’ aunt), who is also a psychologist, to try and determine the root cause. As time goes on, the twins become even more convinced that Black Mamba is real and what’s worse- Black Mamba wants to take Alife’s place. It is up to Alfie and Julia to try and convince the girls that their imaginary friend isn’t real- even though Julia knows the truth- that Black Mamba is very real and everyone she loves is in very real danger.
“Let Me In” is narrated by both Alfie and Julia, alternatingly, and the story begins immediately after Pippa’s death as the family is trying to come to terms with the loss. Julia, being Pippa’s twin, gives the reader a little bit of insight into the character of Pippa, who plays such a relevant role and yet she is only introduced to the novel after her death. This helps to add depth to both Alfie and his daughters, as, through Julia’s eyes, we get to understand the marriage between Alfie and Pippa, and their relationship with their daughters before the tragedy. Alfie and Julia are what you’d expect from two people who have just lost the most important person in their respective lives, honest and flawed, while still generating the right amount of empathy. The little girls make the entire story though, and the fact that they are twins ups the creepiness factor.
The ending is a bit of a letdown for me, with the Alfie-Julia plot line and the final ending itself, but not enough to completely turn me off the novel or its author.
The story itself is an addictive page-turner, with both the mysterious character of Black Mamba and the secrets of the Hart House at its core. Friend’s creative plot sunk its teeth into me from the first page and I was equally terrified and entertained all at once. “Let Me In” is a gripping debut, and I hope Friend continues to deliver more novels in the horror genre.

Loved this book! I am always on the lookout for a book with a good, creepy element and this definitely had that.

After Alfie loses his wife unexpectedly, his twin girls begin to speak about an imaginary friend. The girls aren't the only ones experiencing things in the old Hart House either. As it turns out, there are things that his wife's twin sister is keeping to herself as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Friend for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A book that got creepier as you turned the pages. From start to finish the atmosphere was both uplifting and bleak. The twins lost their mum and gained an imaginary friend. The Black Mamba in a work of fiction (or is it?) in a world too small for children and a father's quest to make things right again. All the way to the last pages I was left guessing.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc

The writing- incredible. The story- terrifying. I will be recommending this book to all of my horror reading friends! Such a ride, I absolutely couldn't put this down.

Sadly this one wasn't for me. I loved the creepy cover but the characters, writing, and plot just didn't work. However, I think it was just a me thing and do believe others will enjoy this one!

I requested this book because I loved the cover and I’m glad I went into it pretty blind. As someone whose favorite genres are horror, this book did not disappoint. It was atmospheric and creepy and I didn’t know who or what to trust. I had so much fun with it

First let me applaud the cover that sets the tone for this book.
This book is slow yet builds up its eerie storyline where the main characters are the Hart House and mysterious Black Mamba.
At times you won’t know what is real and what’s grief stricken illusion or child’s imagination.
Gothic thriller that reminds me of The Haunting of Hill House where reality and supernatural are weaved into one.

I love how this book dealt with past trauma and grief. There were parts that were so creepy and felt so real that I did not want to continue to read it at night, and that's rare for me! The author does a good job of keeping you questioning about the true motives of the characters in this book, and it added so much to the overall plot! Highly recommend this book.

I definitely did not expect that ending, I really enjoyed this. It was something different than what I've been reading lately, and that was a nice change. I love a quick thriller read and this one was perfect to fulfill that need!

I had to DFN this one. I was so excited to read this but character names are SO important! I kept picturing a family of pigs because of a characters name and it just ruined it for me

for a debut this was pretty good. i was intrigued and creeped out A LOT throughout. the ending was clever and i like that it was left to our imagination. some parts felt slow and boring, and i never really connected with julia. but the rest was fantastic!

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for gifting me an early copy of this novel. (Well, early for the US!) Below is my honest review.

This novel had a great hook - grief, twins, lost parent/partner, mysterious entity. We never know what we can trust the whole time. Is Black Mamba real? Is he imaginary? Is he a demon? Are the girls making him up? It makes for a fun, compelling read, as events keep pushing Alfie, the twins' widowed father, and Julia, the twins' aunt, towards a confrontation with the thing known as Black Mamba... and each other.

All in all, I found it to be a hard to put down read. The short chapters are split by Julia and Alfie POVs, and we learn a little more of the story from each - both past and present - as things are slowly revealed. But each chapter makes you want to read just one more, which is the sign of a great book.

I did say, the ending didn't leave me fully satisfied, and I really wish that they'd kept the UK title ("Black Mamba") for the novel. Of course, it wasn't a bad ending... I just had felt so compelled to keep reading that when I got to the end, I wanted more.

All in all, four stars. Recommended for horror fans and fans of tales of grief and rebuilding.

After Pippa's death Alfie was never himself, he lost his strength to look after his daughters.He became less and less like a father and avoided all the responsibilities absorbed in his own grief.

When one night, his daughters wakes him up telling about a man in their room.He searches everywhere and he couldn't find anyone so he ignored it as a nightmare..

Later on he forgot about their nightmare and never asked them about it until they mentions a friend 'Black Mamba' and how it can turn into anything it wants and keep them safe always.

Alfie plunges with jealous when the twins actually ignore him and always talks about the adventures they had with Black Mamba .At times he worries whether they are pretending or actually they believes its existence.He seeks Pippa's twin,Julia help to find out the truth.

I really enjoyed this book.The book didn't grip me at first but then I got caught up in their family dynamics and the characters.Alfie and his worry about twins really got to me and I felt for them.The book is not that scary but if you are immersed in their story you will feel the horror.The book also have haunted house vibes which was very thrilling and chilling.The curiosity got tot me despite its slow pace.

The only problem I felt with the book is the ending.I think many of the things are left without answers and very confusing. Iam not sure what really happened at the ending and I still feel like I didn't get a closure.Ignoring this it was really good for a debut.Highly recommended.

A sincere thanks to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This debut novel was twisty, terrifying, sad, and a pleasure to read.

We follow Alfie, a widower, and his twin daughters. The girls have a new imaginary friend and Alfie wants him gone. He enlists Julia, his late wife's sister (and psychiatrist) to help get to the bottom of what is happening with the girls, but Julia knows things about their house and their family that Alfie doesn't....

Ultimately I greatly enjoyed this. The ending felt a bit rushed, but there was genuine dread and mystery throughout that kept me hooked. Excited to see what else is to come from Friend!

4.5
This book is about a pair of twins who are grieving the tragic death of their mother, Pippa (who was herself a twin and died in the house they still live in) and start talking to an imaginary friend they call, Black Mamba.
Black Mamba is a man who can take any form of animal he chooses (yes, his namesake snake is one of those terrifying forms) and only the twins can see him.
Their dad alfie, is also still coping with the death and seeks help from his wives sister a psycologist (whose family was involved in a religion they practiced that comes into the story). They both are trying to help themselves and the kids.

What I felt this book did well at:

It sets a great scene and plays with our perception. Is there an intruder or other-worldly spirit the girls can see, or is it their active imaginations, perhaps as a reaction to their grief? Is the father doing something sinister or merely trying to help his daughters and himself with grief?
It creates a fantastic shadow man with fantasy elements that I found really interesting. They were scary and creepy sometimes and other times funny or weird? Is he real?
It did a great job at showing how belief and what we show are kids are passed down and effect and can create tramua for later generations and those connected to them.

The cons I had on this book:

It says it is a new release called "Let him in" but there was a book by the same author last year called "black mamba" that is the exact same story. I really do not mind cause I still got to read the book but confused me at first.
I felt there was a little bit of repetitiveness that made the book longer than needed to be but I still wanted to find out answers.
I did not like how the psycologist would talk in very simple terms and a kind of kid like thinking and next minute talking in counsler and science terms.
I also was a little confused by how they kept giving us tiny bits of clues and story but then an abrupt ending with not much explanation. I guess you decide still what you felt was real or not.
Overall, I enjoyed this read. I got invested in the two little girls. I did not feel the romance was good or tense or anything. I felt it was awkward. I did have to know what happened in the end and I did like the little girls and the force in the story.

Let Him In had a really dark, ominous atmosphere from start to finish. There are two narrators within the novel. There’s Alfie, a widower who is still grieving the death of his wife Pippa, while having to raise their two twin daughters alone. Then there’s Julia, Pippa’s twin sister. The house that Alfie and his daughters reside in was also Pippa and Julia’s childhood home called Hart House. After Alfie’s daughters Cassia and Sylvie claim they made a friend they call Black Mamba, Alfie begins to worry as this friend creates a rift between him and the twins. He reaches out to Julia to get help with breaking the twins’ growing attachment to Black Mamba. Towards the latter part of the novel, the history behind Hart House surfaces and is more connected to what they’re battling in present day.

The plot was gripping yet difficult to figure what was happening until the end. The characters were well written and the detail in the scenery was really vividly created. I wasn’t sure whether to believe Black Mamba was a figment of the twins’ imagination or some kind of supernatural entity that was there to cause them and the whole family harm. It was not obviously stated but more inferred. I would definitely recommend this book to a fan of supernatural thrillers. Thank you NetGalley, to the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this novel and review it before the official release!

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

What to say about “Let Him In?” Easiest three stars I’ve ever given, probably. I didn’t have to think about the rating too much.

First of all, it’s gorgeously written. This is William Friend’s debut novel. He clearly wrote it with a lot of talent in his pocket. The way he writes is magnetic, interesting, and thorough. It takes on this whimsical tone that is just perfect for a gothic horror, and sometimes it felt like you were sitting in the middle of a Tim Burton movie. It aids in the atmosphere. The writing here is top notch.

The dialogue was believable, the characters complex and rich with their own personalities. I liked that Alfy was portrayed as an honest to goodness lovable but fallible father. Sylvie and Cassia, the twins (with lovely and original names,) are at times a bit interchangeable, but they do take on individual qualities, like Sylvie being the more sensitive one, and Cassia being more independent. The late Pippa is creative and somewhat free spirited, while Auntie Julia is diligent and hardworking. There were things I liked and didn’t like about all of them.

So, the setup is wonderful, the characters are realistic, and the writing really sells the deal. So what could my issues possibly be?

Well, first of all, I still don’t understand Black Mamba. I felt like I read this whole book waiting for some grand finale, or some giant shocking look at who the “imaginary friend” turned villain actually is. Maybe I missed something, but it felt like a light went off (literally) and suddenly with it went the twins’ issues and all current familial gripes. There is also a romantic situation more prevalent toward the end of the book that I understood, but was a bit weirded out by. It’s not immoral, so I can’t really explain why, but I wasn’t able to fully embrace this pairing or root for it. I mean, it’s all well and good, but it was enough for me to raise my eyebrows for a second. If I had any, I mean, which I don’t, but that’s neither here nor there.

The ending, and the final portion of the book, felt quite empty. Almost like you’re going uphill on a rollercoaster ride and it kind of just- stops there. No big leap. The tension mounted and then it got stuck. I would’ve liked a lot more out of this ending, and whatever revelations it may or may not have been trying to convey went pretty straight over my head.

Still, I can’t say enough positive things about the characterization, atmosphere, and writing style.

If this tickles your pickle, Let Him In will be available to the public on October 3rd, 2023. Don’t let Black Mamba catch you with your copy. He doesn’t wanna leave!