An amazing gothic thriller~

After his wife's passing, Alfie tries to push forward with his twin daughters, who tell him they have an imaginary friend Black Mamba, who apparently is also a shape shifter.
Living in an old, large foreboding home just adds to this spine tingling story.

Very reminiscent of The Shining and it gives Rosemary's Baby vibes.

Definitely recommend this one.

Let Him In is the perfect book for fall and all the spooky vibes. The story centers around twin girls who can see dark presence. This story is twisted and atmospheric and gives off all the creepy “twin” vibes we associate so well with other books, like The Shining. This one is a great addition for anyone who enjoys horror or just mood reading for fall/Halloween.

"Let Him In," is a great book to read with Halloween around the corner. The story is creepy and gave me full body chills a few times. Alfie is a widower who has twin daughters. As the story unfolds you see how their grief plays a big role on how the shadowy figure comes into their lives. I won't go into detail because I don't want to spoil it! I'll admit that I was a bit confused towards the end but the actual ending was so good! Thank you to NetGalley, William Friend and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Publication date Oct. 2023.

I have no idea if he was real or not.

I do know that I want another book because I need to know what happens six months later. I'm left with the *it sets the scene for it to all happen again* or *they finally rid the house of it* ponder and I need answers. These decide for yourself endings are frustrating.

I enjoyed the pacing of this story, it gave me the creeps the longer it drug on. The repetition, and circling back had me questioning a few motives and plotlines. The only thing I would ask for more of, was details into the church. There are still so many unanswered questions ab0ut the . . . situation itself, that is now moving on to another generation and touching so many lives.

I enjoyed the twin dynamics. The children having a different twin relationship compared to their mother and aunt was also fun. Kept me guessing about what had happen all those year ago, compared to what was currently happening.

All and all a relaxing bump in the night story.

You'll enjoy this book if you enjoy paranormal, with a bit of a religious background pushing it forward. I do hope there is a sequel in the works because there are so many directions and ending like this could go, and all of them have a nice thread of revenge for the twins.

I'm still shuddering a little after finishing this creepy novel that's like nothing I've read before! Alfie is dad to seven-year-old twins Sylvie and Cassia who lost their mother, Pippa to an unnamed accident years before. Pippa's sister, Julia is a psychoanalyst and often helps Alfie with the girls as they are so close but have recently been "seeing" Black Mamba, a snake-like creature who can take many forms and seems to manipulate the girls into doing what he says. Enough said. If that doesn't interest you, this book isn't for you...BUT...it's compelling and spellbinding even as it sends shivers down your spine! It's one of those books where you can't look away...but maybe don't read in the dark!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you, William Friend, Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed Let Him In from the beginning right until the heart stopping finish. A perfect fall read as it has everything you want in a spooky, Gothic thriller.There is just something about these twins that really sent shivers down my spine! This was my first book by this author but it definitely won't be my last.

It was an intriguing and different kind of storyline. One that I couldn’t figure out and kept me on edge the whole way through. It was a little too slow paced for myself, but it was a decent read.

My thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC of "Let Him In" in exchange for an honest review.
Unquestionably one of the best, most evocative front covers for a scary book this year. In many ways the book more than fulfills the promise of that cover - to take you on a creepy tour of a cursed, possibly haunted house and keep you in a state of unease, dread and worry for its occupants throughout the story.
But any reader who thinks they're in store for decaying corpses, floating sprits and gallons of flowing gore.......this is not that book. Despite all its traditional supernatural trappings, "Let Him In" tends to veer more in the direction of psychological horror, of psychosis spawned by grief, tragedy and all too human frailty.
The Victorian style Hart House, as it's called, bears a reputation every bit as forbidding as Shirley Jackson's Hill House. The history of the first family who inhabited Hart House is filled with murderous calamities. And the current family who've taken up residence there suffer through their own particular miseries - including a background of religious fanaticism and some freakish, tragic fatal accidents.
One of those bizarre deaths widowed Archie and left Sylvie and Cassia, his 8 year old twin daughters without their loving, vibrant mother Pippa. And adding to Archie and the girls' dysfunction as they work their way through their grief, a new presence comes to live among them. . From the twins' synchronized imaginations (or so it seems) springs "Black Mamba, an unseen shape-shifting friend whom they treat as all too real. Uncomfortably, creepily so..
To Archie's growing horror, this invisible entity, who manifests himself as either a man or various beasts evolves from a therapeutic playmate to a sinister evil force......and maybe, just maybe something more than imaginary. Even to the point of unleashing violence.
I should point out here that none of this transpires at any kind of breathless pace, it that's what you're hoping for. "Let Him In" functions as a slow burn, steadily building up its increasing levels of frightening moments to keep a reader shuddering. Personally, I couldn't think of a better book to curl up with under a comfy blanket on a cold dark night. It's clear that author William Friend wanted a cumulative growing sense of anxiety rather than "gotcha" jumps. And I thought he pulled off that difficult, risky task of straddling the line between what's other-worldly and what derives from the dark recesses of the mind.
While I fully embraced and enjoyed what the author accomplished here, I'm aware that hardcore fans may find the wrap-up mild, abrupt and inconclusive. For sure, this is no carnival funhouse ride.....but a more of an unsettling trip through the wounded hearts of a damaged family. And that itself, fellow readers, can be plenty scary.

This slow burn creepy claustrophobic horror was such a pager turner and a quick read.

The twins have seen a man in their bedroom. Months after their mother died suddenly they have a new imaginary friend and it’s making their father lose his mind. When their aunt - their mother’s twin - steps in to help age old secrets start coming to light - about their house, their family, and what creeping terror is haunting their house…

Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this book before publication. My review will appear on episode 28 of my podcast which drops on Monday, October 2. The review will also appear on the episode page on my website and will be posted to Goodreads:

Review:

I love a good haunted house tale. Anything in the vein of "The Haunting of Hill House" or "The Turn of the Screw" (especially the Mike Flanagan versions) will have me throwing my money at them. I love to cuddle up on the couch, turn off the lights, and be freaked out, whether it's with a book, movie, or TV series. I was beyond excited to read this one after reading the synopsis and was happy to be approved for a galley on NetGalley. It's a quick read and while the story is definitely creepy, it didn't fully hit the marks that I was hoping for.

"Let Him In" is a haunting tale that explores the depths of grief and the lengths a father will go to protect his children. It's set against the eerie backdrop of Hart House in London, and while I wasn't completely freaked out, I was engaged all the way through to the very surprising ending.

The story focuses on Alfie, a grieving father who is struggling to raise his twin daughters, Cassia and Sylvie, following the sudden death of his wife, Pippa. When the girls claim to have an imaginary friend who is haunting their bedroom, Alfie dismisses it as a result of their grief. Yet, as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that there is something much more sinister at play.

Friend skillfully builds an atmospheric setting within the walls of Hart House. The old, creaking house holds secrets, constantly reminding readers that anyone who steps foot in the house isn't exactly safe. As Alfie delves deeper into the mystery surrounding his daughters' imaginary friend, the house seems to come alive, revealing its own dark secrets.

The narrative kept me engaged from start to finish. Friend's writing style is descriptive and immersive and paints a vivid picture of the eerie atmosphere, which helps heighten the tension. While there was a sense of malice hanging about, I never felt completely sure of what this presence was until much later in the book. Was it a ghost? A demon? It becomes a little clearer towards the end what we're dealing with, but I wanted more earlier on.

I also felt that the pace was slightly uneven. The first 2/3 of the book seemed to be building toward something big and then fell flat. There were also a few scenes that felt repetitive until finally we were barreling toward the end. I will admit, there were times when I was a bit lost.

The character development in "Let Him In" is probably its strongest element. Friend delves deeply into the psychological effects of loss and creates a sense of unease that extends beyond the supernatural elements of the story. The grief-stricken characters are convincingly portrayed, adding depth and emotional weight to the narrative.

Alfie is an empathetic protagonist, burdened by guilt and haunted by his past. The reader can't help but sympathize with him as he struggles to protect his daughters from the unknown force that threatens them. Julia, Pippa's sister, adds another layer to the story as a psychiatrist who assists Alfie in uncovering the truth. Her own personal connection to the events at Hart House adds an extra element of intrigue, though I will admit, I wanted more here. A chapter or two with more detail as to what happened at Hart House years before would have benefitted the story. I think a deeper dive would have added layers to the overall story and upped the stakes a bit.

While the concept and execution of the story are strong, "Let Him In" falls just short of being genuinely terrifying. While there are certainly moments of creepiness, I was never fully frightened or on the edge of my seat. However, the ending is definitely a shocker. It leaves the reader guessing, and I liked that a lot.

With its well-developed characters, atmospheric setting, and exploration of grief, this book is enjoyable but left me wanting a little more. While it may not reach the heights of bone-chilling horror, the ending will linger in your mind long after you finish.

I liked it but I dont think it was right to catalog it as horror.

If i didnt know that was the category, I woukd have thought it was about a therapist helping her nieces go through the loss of a loved one.

It felt a bit too long, even for a short book. I felt like nothing was really happening.

When the horror things started happening, i loved it. Unluckily it didn't last long.

Loved the ambiguity of the ending.

William Friend’s "Let Him In” is quite possibly one of the creepiest slow-burns I’ve read in a long time. Told from shifting perspectives, it has the reader constantly questioning what exactly is happening and who is to blame.

Widower Alfie is trying to raise his twin daughters after their mother’s odd and tragic death. Of course they are going through some stuff processing their grief. And luckily, their mother’s twin, Julia, is a psychiatrist who is more than capable of treating them. When an imaginary friend joins the girls, Julia dismisses it at a as coping mechanism at first. Then the imaginary friend, Black Mamba, starts causing problems. Is Julia going to be able to help the girls with their psychological issues, or is something deeper and darker afoot?

Twins, an old manor house, a mysterious death... “Let Him In” gives us plenty of tropes we know and love from the horror genre. This is more than just a plain rehashing of old ideas, however. The tropes work to draw the reader in, but the author creates a fresh and dark take that keeps the reader involved. While reading this, I had a new puppy. I’d get up to put him out in the middle of the night. Normally, I’d want to go right back to sleep. With “Let Him In,” however, I found myself opening my Kindle and reading for another half-hour or more! I really wanted to see where the story was going, and it kept me engaged.

I definitely recommend this book to horror fans, and I look forward to the next story from William Friend. I received this book from NetGalley.

Twins is a fascinating subject to read about. If you like to read about dinamics and twin relationships, this story might be for you.
The book tells us about a young woman who has lost her twin sister and now returns to their childhood home where her twin daughters and her husband are trying to put their lives back together.

Let Him In by William Friend

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5, rounded up to 4 for NetGalley/Goodreads

Alfie’s twin daughters have been struggling to cope with the death of their mother. They’ve begun seeing “Black Mamba”, their imaginary friend. But when things with Black Mamba start to escalate, Alfie leans on Julia, his sister-in-law…who also happens to be a psychiatrist, to try and get to the root of Black Mamba.

Wow, this was not what I was expecting in the best way. It was a little slow to start with, and there were moments where I had to go back and reread to make sure I wasn’t misunderstanding, but overall it was an entertaining and wild ending. The last chapter had my jaw on the floor until the last sentence.

The cover of Let Him In is captivating and haunting. Then the weirdness begins with Alfie waking one night to find his twin daughters at the foot of his bed, claiming there’s a man in their bedroom. When no such thing can be found, he assumes the girls had a nightmare. They both had the same nightmare at the same time? Is that a twin thing? It becomes more real as Alfie himself is haunted by visions and feels as if he too is being watched at night.
The twins, Sylvie and Cassia begin an ongoing dialogue about Black Mamba. Surely, this is an imaginary friend created as a way to cope with the loss of their mother. Black mamba becomes more of an issue when he tries to control the girls and replace Alfie.

The little girls claim of Black Mamba takes place 9 months after their mom, Pippa passed away. We are led to believe her sudden passing was a horrible accident. Alfie is barely able to cope with with the passing of the love of his life and raising two girls let alone the intrusion of an apparition, if that what this being is? He enlists the help Pipoa’s sister who is a psychiatrist. This adds quite the twist to the story.

This novel is billed as horror, but I found it to more just be creepy and sinister. I felt the author strayed at times causing me to read rapidly to get back to the meat of the tale. This fact, to me, reduced the tension of the story.
Also, ending was a bit tidy for me. I’d have liked an ending with a little more wow and creepiness..

I recommend Let Him In, as it is a really good story and quite mysterious and edgy due to the ever presence of Black Mamba.

Drawing from the same well of inspiration as Rosemary's Baby and The Haunting of Hill House (loved the "mug of stars"), Let Him In is creepy as hell, but doesn't quite stick the intentionally ambiguous ending. The author clearly doesn't want to fully explain the supernatural events of the book, but they don't coalesce quite enough to make it easy to draw your own conclusion; instead, you're left with a general vibe of creepiness and questions. Still, it's a quick read and one that made me gasp in fear a few times; I'm a sucker for creepy kids and haunted houses and demonic forces. I recommend this one to anyone who just wants to give themselves a bit of a fright on a rainy day.

I wanted to love this book. And for the majority of the time, I did love it. But the ending fell flat and I have a few issues.

First, the supernatural, eerie vibe of Hart House was incredible. The suspense built up over the reality of what was happening was done very well. Getting Julia’s perspective from the psychological side of things made it a very interesting dichotomy of reality vs make believe.
Black Mamba was an excellent villain - is he a figment of their imagination brought on as a coping mechanism for the loss of the their mother? Is he a supernatural being haunting the house? Is he a supernatural representation or Alfie and his absent parenting? Is he a reincarnation of Pippa/Julia’s late father? The sheer mystery behind Black Mamba’s creation and purpose was great and provided an excellent source of creepy, disturbing events.

Warning: the following points contain spoilers for the last 20% or so of the book.
My two main issues with the book, which ultimately led to a four star review dropping down to a 3 star review:
1. The resolution was practically nonexistent? Black Mamba disappeared simply because they went to the cellar and talked about it with Marian? It felt incredibly anticlimactic; especially given the way the antics had ramped up over the course of the book.
2. Julia and Alfie conceiving a child together was appalling. Julia was jealous of her sister all along and so she went and slept with the grieving husband (who in turn also chose to sleep with his sister in law) while his twins were downstairs. And then they just become one big happy family? Talk about a messy dynamic. I was not a fan of this relationship AT ALL.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the e-ARC of this book that will be released in October 2023.

This was one of the creepiest books I have read and sucked me in from the first page ! Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Let Him In was an anticipated read of mine and I was so glad to get an early copy. It follows Alfie and his twin girls in the aftermath of his wife's death. While barely coping with the loss, Alfie's children begin to see a strange man in their room at night.

While this book definitely had moments that really creeped me out, I think it would have benefited from being a tad longer. It was just over 200 pages which, to me, was not enough time to fully build up the tension and the ending fell a bit flat.

Overall though, I really enjoyed the story and I look forward to William Friend's future work.

ʟᴇᴛ ʜɪᴍ ɪɴ
ᴡɪʟʟɪᴀᴍ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅ
ᴘᴏɪsᴏɴᴇᴅ ᴘᴇɴ ᴘʀᴇss
ᴘᴜʙ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ: ᴏᴄᴛᴏʙᴇʀ 𝟹 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟹

Happy Friday🎉! I was really craving a spooky horror story so I searched through my Netgalley shelf and found debut novel 𝐿𝑒𝑡 𝐻𝑖𝑚 𝐼𝑛 by William Friend. This is considered a gothic, psychological suspense, but for babies like me this is HORROR.

𝐿𝑒𝑡 𝐻𝑖𝑚 𝐼𝑛 totally fulfilled my craving, it was CREEPY, chilling and haunting. I was reading this on my kindle, mostly at night, when I couldn’t sleep and well this story didn’t help😱. The begining started off with a bang and I was hooked from page one.

The story is set in an atmospheric haunted house which was passed down between family members. Several bad events have occurred in this house and it’s just full of bad vibes. Our main characters are two young twin girls who claim there is a “man in their room.” This man becomes all the girls can talk about, they woriship him as a God, and does what he says.

The twins have just lost their mother to a tragic accident so their father Alfie and Aunt Julia belive this man is just an imaginary friend and part of their grieving. The narration flips between Alfie & Julia and both hold some serious secrets!

100% reccomend if your looking for a spooky read. Although the ending did feel rushed and there are some unanswered questions this was a solid four star read- add this to TBR for spooky season!

✨special thanks to @netgalley @poisonedpenpress for the early copy! Full synopsis in comments✨
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