"Just Stay Away" by Tony Wirt is a gripping psychological thriller that delves into the eerie and unsettling world of domestic suspense. Wirt weaves a suspenseful narrative that will keep readers on the edge of their seats, blending elements of paranoia and mistrust into a compelling story.

The story revolves around Craig Finnigan, a stay-at-home dad who is trying to balance his aspirations as an aspiring writer with the demands of raising his seven-year-old daughter, Alice. When Alice befriends a neighborhood boy named Levi, initially, Craig is relieved as it gives him some respite from her constant presence in his home office. However, as Levi's behavior becomes increasingly strange and unsettling, Craig's initial relief turns into paranoia and fear.

The author does an excellent job of building tension and unease throughout the novel. The story unfolds from Craig's perspective, and readers are drawn into his world of doubt and suspicion. Is Levi really a threat, or is Craig's imagination running wild? This ambiguity adds depth to the narrative and keeps readers guessing.

The character development in "Just Stay Away" is well-executed. Craig's complex emotional journey, as he grapples with the fear that something is amiss with Levi, is portrayed realistically. His inner turmoil and growing sense of isolation are relatable, making it easy for readers to empathize with him.

Wirt's writing is crisp and evocative, creating an atmosphere of dread and uncertainty. The pacing of the story is well-structured, with each chapter adding to the suspense and pushing the narrative forward. The author also delves into themes of masculinity, fatherhood, and the protective instincts of a parent, which adds depth to the story.

The book's tension steadily escalates, leading to a thrilling and unexpected conclusion that will leave readers in awe. Wirt skillfully explores the psychology of fear and how it can fracture relationships and twist perceptions.

In summary, "Just Stay Away" is a meticulously crafted psychological thriller that will keep readers engrossed from start to finish. Tony Wirt's storytelling prowess shines as he navigates the complexities of fear and mistrust, delivering a suspenseful and thought-provoking narrative. This is a must-read for fans of domestic thrillers and psychological suspense.

Just Stay Away by new to me author T. Wirt, published by Thomas & Mercer, is a stand-alone, psychological thriller.
Craig is a stay at home dad with a 7 year old daughter.
And when the neighbor boy befriends her, he's all in.
But strange things are happening. Concerning things are happening and Craig becomes a reluctant participant in a dangerous game.
So here it comes. I liked the story, but I strongly disliked Craig's character. His parenting skills are severely lacking and I just couldn't warm up to him.
All in all an ok read, 4 stars.

Wow! This book triggered all sorts of emotions and anxiety in me. It was quite stressful to read but I just could not put it down. I've seen a few reviews where the reader DNF for various reasons and I can understand why. The beginning was aggravating and monotonous with the constant mind ramblings of Craig's stress to finish his book. I have many choice words I'd like to say about Craig, but I will not elaborate as my review will probably be denied due to profanity. He certainly won't be winning any father of the year awards any time soon. As angry as he made me feel, I realized that this is a win for the author on developing a hated character that consumed my thoughts and feelings. Two hated characters, actually, because Levi is an abomination that should have never been born. If The Omen and Problem Child had a kid, that would be him. I was transfixed with this book. It was like watching a train wreck and not being able to turn away. I screamed many times in my head at the horrible decisions made by Craig and the devilish behavior of Levi. Jail or not, that kid would be toast. I would have loved to have more retribution at the end. I feel that it wrapped up too neatly to satisfy my emotional state. I did enjoy this one though and will be looking to read more by this author.

Thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for granting me digital access in exchange for my honest review!

Having recently moved to a small town in Minnesota with his family, Craig is more or less happy to take on the role of house-husband after his wife gets a major promotion at work.

For one thing, his 7-year-old daughter Alice is a sweetheart. And for another, it will give him the opportunity to finally finish writing the novel that he has been planning to write for ages.

But it's hard to find the headspace for writing when Alice needs so much attention to keep her occupied. So Craig is selfishly relieved when Alice makes her first friend in the neighbourhood - even if it is a rather odd boy named Ryan. The convenient fact is, Ryan's visits to play with Alice give Craig some uninterrupted time to focus on his novel, which he desperately needs to do in order to make progress.

Even more so, when a good friend of his his manages to swing a meeting for Craig with a well-known agent, and that meeting is scheduled to take place in a few weeks time. Craig knows that he must finish a draft of his novel before that, in order to have something substantial to hand over for the agent's consideration.

Unfortunately, what Craig initially wrote off as a slightly odd personality turns out to be a lot more serious than that when it comes to Levi...

This book works very well at the level of ratcheting up the suspense almost continuously in terms of what Levi will do next. And the pattern of behaviour where the young boy is concerned throws up any number of red flags to anyone interested in human psychology.

I did find it frustrating that it takes Craig so long to realise what he is up against. Especially since he is a writer - surely this should give him some degree of insight into human behaviour! Though it is implied that this could be partly explained by the traumatic incident from his childhood that plays neatly into what he is facing with Levi (and his equally bizarre parents) now.

Given that Craig has a good marriage with Courtney, I also found it strange that he would not tell his wife about so much of what was going on. Namely, while some of his tactical errors were entirely understandable, the logic behind others - such as the example given above - don't seem to hold up to logical scrutiny.

The book is a fast read, and fairly gripping, even if you do see some of what is coming. So if you are a fan of the creepy child trope, this is definitely a good choice for you. I give it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

This was a tense read which did keep me on edge throughout. I would definitely read more by this author.

Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the copy of Just Stay Away by Tony Wirt. The book had a great premise, but fell flat for me. This was a good read, but it wasn’t great. It felt like incident after incident as Craig dug himself into a deeper hole as he fixated on his book instead of his family.
Craig made so many mistakes and never came off as being very intelligent. The secret in his past was treated like a throwaway part of the plot instead of delving into how it really affected how Craig behaved, so it didn’t add anything to the story. We never really know anything about Levi and his upbringing or past so more character development would have added a lot to the story. If you want a fast and easy read this is the perfect book for you. 3 stars.

This novel made me anxious which is what the author intended. I found I couldn’t relax as I read about the father being harassed by the creepy neighbor boy. It took a long time to get to a resolution of the impossible situation the father was stuck in. This novel was well written, but not a pleasant read.

Just Stay Away had my stomach clenching and my cortisol spiking within the first chapter. Craig, the protagonist, knows something is very wrong with his daughter's new friend, Levi, but can't prove it. Bad things start happening to Craig and his family, but he can't seem to catch the creepy eight-year-old and no one believes him. This book is an easy, fun read, and was deliciously stressful . When I put the book down, I had to do some deep breathing to get out of the world Tony Wirt created and back into real life.

In the first couple pages, we are introduced to Craig-- a novel writer who is a stay at home dad to a seven year old sweetie who has just moved into a new neighborhood in Rochester, Minnesota. His wife is contending with the somewhat fishbowl-esque nature of the medical community scene and he is trying to write.

When a neighborhood boy comes over to the yard to play with Alice, it seem like a godsend. Finally he can get some writing done!

But the new friend is a bit odd. And Craig can no longer ignore his instincts in favor of writing when things begin to get nasty.

I'm not gonna lie, the first couple pages of exposition were a tad slow. It's only when the neighbor boy starts coming over that tension begins. Craig is a bit of a booby-head. He does ignore some instincts he should have listened to, and then tops it off with some head-shaking moves as a stay at home dad.

Not necessarily bad, but very very unwise in terms of how to handle neighborhood children.

He's not entirely unlikable, just someone you want to slap upside the head, especially when he begins spouting his insane-sounding reasons to not trust the boy to police, etc. Still, once the red flag things started happening, I couldn't stop reading. I had to know what the next escalation was, and I had to know the mechanism by which it was happening. (Craig isn't entirely stupid, he does lock his house.)

And the author sews just enough clues into the mystery pattern to hint at the deadly attempts that culminate in some fairly exciting action scenes at the end.

Just don't start reading it late at night, you might, like me, not be able to put it down again until you see the result of Craig's bad decisions.....