3.5

Gwen is widowed and her daughter Connie has come to help her, but so has Paul from an organization where they send people to help the elderly in need. Oh Paul is so helpful - so much so Connie feels pushed out. And Gwen now has dementia which makes a bit of the "unreliable narrator" for this character more intriguing as Connie tries to reach her mother without Paul.

As the story progresses things get a bit ridiculous and unbelievable but I do appreciate what author John Marrs is trying to do - shed light on a problem in the UK for the elderly not being well-protected. I always enjoy his books because he finds a real world problem and then writes about it in a mystery thriller.

I will start by saying that I loved John Marrs' books, and this one is no exception. Always clever and witty, Mr. Mars keeps me guessing.

This book has such an intriguing premise: what if someone were to step into an elderly person's life, one with no relatives or heirs, and attempt to inherit their fortune upon their death? When such a terrible person is involved, you can expect they will stop at nothing to get what they want. And this result is this fast paced, twisty thriller in true John Marrs' style. You will be shocked, you will be awed, and you will most definitely enjoy this ride.

Special thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for this advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Stanger in Her House by John Marrs

Human relationships are far way too complex on themselves. Imagine adding it a mother with dementia to the picture. All the care, the long hours, the exhaustion and sadnesses.

Seeing a loved one deteriorating so fast is heartbreaking. But Connie is more that willing to be there for her mother Gwen. She has given up her glamorous job in Italy, creating amazingly lavish wedding for her customers, just to be there for her mom. After all, that’s what love and loyalty are about, right?

Connie is careful and meticulous so as not to invade Gwen and takes care of her with so much love and dignity. It’s admirable!

There’s a sudden twist in the story, and Paul appears as a volunteer sent through their church from a volunteering program for people with disabilities and degenerative illnesses such a Gwen.

Such a relief for Connie, or so she thought. As Paul will show interest no only for taking care of the house chores but for Gwen as well.

This novel is contains a huge variety of serious topics to that need to be dealt with. Mental illnesses and degenerative illnesses are at the top of the list. It is a story that unfolds slowly creating complex issues inside the reader. Moral issues. Is that right? Is that legal? Is that all you can do about it? Those are some of the questions I asked myself.

Some of the characters are beyond redemption. However, I have my own personal thoughts regarding Connie, she hit a nerve and I’m still thinking of her daily. What if? That’s my question. What if?

John Marrs taught me that mother and daughter relationships never must be taken for granted. He taught me that people go above and beyond to get what they think they want and above all he taught me that maybe despite all efforts some people simple never make it.

🖤The Stranger in Her House is out on:
February 13th 2024 🖤

🖤Thank you, John for this jewel you confided me to read! Thank you as well to Thomas and Mercer and NetGallery for the Advanced Reader Copy to review.🖤

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

What a book, had me gripped and couldn’t put it down.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

WOW! This one was great! A dark story - a daughter has come home to take care of her mother who's dementia has taken a turn and she's losing her ability to be home alone. But a volunteer gardener is invited into their lives, to help care for the yard around the house. Connie can't put her finger on what's wrong, only that this new gardener makes her uneasy. Slowly, though, he starts appearing in the house earlier and earlier in the day, then at every meal, then slowly pushes Connie out of the day to day care that her mom needs. Her mom is flirty and giggly with him. What is really going on here?

The story was absolutely full of twists. I did this as an audio and I highly recommend it. The narrators (there are 3) were great, really bringing each POV and pieces alive and keeping the plot tight and fast moving. There were over the top moments, sure, but I was so completely hooked that I rolled with every one. The ultimate ending was great. I loved this one!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

A great thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat! The pacing was fanatic, and I couldn't get enough. I will be reading more by Marrs very soon!

My first John Marrs book and I have heard so much great things about his previous books, so that's why I requested this book.... But I got to say that I was disappointed! The story about this book sounded promising and the first chapters got me hooked.... But then it slowed down it for me... It got very boring and the story didn't made me want to continue with this book, but I still did because I wanted to find out what will happen in the end.... Overall an okey read, but unfortunately it didn't worked out for me...

WoW This book was Sooooo Goood. Hang on! it was Excellent! This was the first book I have read by this author and it just took my breath away!!!

Once I opened my kindle and started to read The Stranger in Her House by John Marrs I was gripped and could not put it down. It is a cat-and-mouse, with lots of twists and turns throughout that will have you questioning just who is using who. WoW! It was one of the best psychological thriller's I have read in a long time.

Can't wait to read more of this authors books. Just amazing and I love the way he writes! Brilliant and highly recommend it. Wow!!!!!

Big Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for my ARC.

Thank you to @NetGalley @AmazonPublishing @JohnMarrs.Author & @ThomasMercerUK NetGalley for the gifted ARC of The Stranger in Her House.

John Marrs is a thriller/suspense MASTER!

Gwen is elderly & in need of help for odd jobs around her home. Her daughter, Connie is there cook, clean & keep her mother company, but then Paul is brought in from a local charity who assist with partnering volunteers to help the vulnerable & elderly with odd jobs. Connie doesn’t trust him from the start, but Gwen adores him. Connie feels like he is just TOO nice & there is something about her that just doesn’t feel right. Gwen loves him more with each passing day & relies on Connie less & less. Connie is determined to find out what game Paul is playing at but keeps coming up empty and she is the only one who seems to sense a wrongness about him. She needs to expose him before it’s too late.

This was a very eerie & atmospheric psychological thriller than kept me on the edge of my seat. It was a very compulsive & fast read. I could very easily relate to Connie’s character & her concern for her mother. There is no lacking when it comes to awful, idiotic characters that you will literally be screaming & cursing at while you read. Trust me, you will HATE almost all of the characters, but you are intended to hate them.

I enjoyed the multiple POVs & especially the short chapters. Short chapters are something I with every single author would adopt.

Marrs delivered yet again with a very intense, twisty & anxiety-inducing thriller. If he’s not an auto-buy/read author for you, WHY NOT?

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This was an absolute brilliant read by John Marrs and it came out on the 13th of February. I received a copy from Thomas and Mercer via Netgalley.

Paul’s just here to help, or so he claims—sent by a charity for vulnerable people to do odd jobs for elderly widow Gwen. But for Gwen’s daughter Connie, there’s just something about Paul that rings alarm bells from day one. He’s a little too kind, a little too involved…Worse still, Gwen seems to have fallen under his spell.

This was a blast to read. Exciting from start to finish. I loved the way the story evolved and how the characters became true people through the pages. It's just one complete flow of reading and once I started I just couldn't put it down. And I absolutely loved the ending - I did not see that coming.

5/5 ⭐

I love every book by John Marrs, and this one didn’t disappoint at all! I was believing the main character, Connie, and didn’t expect her twist at the end of part 1. I’m glad she grew from the experience and fought to get justice for Gwen. Paul was the worst character and man! I was really surprised by the ending as well. I didn’t see Meredith doing what she did, but “Connie” got what she deserved. Walter deserved better than what happened to him. Overall it was a great read, and so many twists!

I genuinely don't know where to start, apart from "Bloody hell!" John has hit us with another hard-core dark thriller with so many twists and turns you might need anti-sickness tablets.

Connie's life is turned upside down when an unwelcome visitor enters her family life and starts to interfere with the care for her Mum Gwen. Is Paul all he seems, or is Connie worried for nothing?

Connie is a character you side with several times throughout the book when she is desperately trying to find out if Paul is keeping a secret.
Paul, oh Paul, how can you describe him without giving anything away? But I will say John's writing of these characters is AMAZING! They have so much depth to them, and how it all comes together in this book is remarkable. I also loved the POV from the neighbours and gave the plot even more substance to it and makes you doubt several times whose side you are on!

Then you get the hard stuff, and I mean shocked face, jaw-dropping antics. I was blown away by how the story progressed, I did not see this coming. One twist, bam, another revelation hits you, throws in another twist, and you are ready for a lie down. There was a point in the book that the hairs were standing up on my arms, and you will know when you have reached this point. My favourite character was Walter, I loved him and I have no words, you know you have broken my heart John 🤣
When you finally feel you can breathe and the rollercoaster ride is over and you hit those last few pages, he bloody does it again, I literally shouted at my book.

@johnmarrs.author is such a lovely fella, I genuinely have no idea how he comes up with so many twisted stories. it's quite worrying. Again, also, this book is clever. It has everything going on but is written perfectly and comes together in a natural way, flawless.

Is it possible that my first book of 2024 is going to be my top read of the year? I'd pretty much lay money on it. I bloody love you, but you don't half give me anxiety and nightmares!

I really enjoyed the buddy read for this one and absolutely loved how much of an easy to read book this was. But there was just something missing for me. The legal aspect of the book wasn’t right and because the book centred around that And it just ruined it for me. I found the way Connie going after Paul when she had done what she had a little bit far fetched as well that said, I kept turning the pages and was heavily invested in the book and do need to remember what I am reading -Fiction!!
as with all the John Marrs books I have read, the writing was tense, intriguing and a great popcorn thriller
The book was a conversation starter and one I couldn’t wait to get back to read when I wasn’t reading it!

Unfortunately I didn’t find this book as good as the previous ones I’ve read by this author. Whilst it was good it just didn’t completely grab me and once the main twist was revealed I just felt the rest of the story dragged on. This certainly doesn’t take away from this authors works as I’ve loved all his previous books and I will certainly be reading more.

Wow, John Marrs has done it again! I had no idea where this was going and then the twists started! From then on, I really couldn't put this one down. My mind is frazzled! Highly recommended ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this one

Like all of John Marrs’s books this was a very quick and gripping read. I still enjoy his thrillers that have a bit of a dystopian vibe more than his “normal” thrillers but I know I’ll always have a good time when I pick up one of his books.

One of the many things I love about John Marrs is damn does he write some unlikable characters 😂 I wanted to scream at them and almost chucked my kindle a couple times. Butttt I freaking loved it. The amount of twists in this book rivaled a dang pretzel. The first twist comes somewhat early in the book and had me wondering what else was gonna happen. Well Daddy Marrs said buckle up bish. The ending had me 🤯🤯🤯 Seriously check this one out if you need a twisty thriller in your

Connie is used to helping out her elderly mother Gwen, but becomes suspicious of newcomer Paul who starts doing jobs around Gwen's house. When Paul moves in with Gwen, Connie fears that she will be pushed out of her mother's life completely.

John Marrs has such a knack for writing a brilliant story that will really surprise you, and this is no exception.

I loved Connie as a character. She is bold and confident even when she faces impossible situations. On the other hand you have Paul, who you just can't help but dislike. The fact that the characters are so well-written makes for such a great read.

I was drawn to this book by the concept of the plot but I had no idea where it would lead. The unpredictable nature of the story really kept me on the edge of my seat and I certainly enjoyed the journey!

If you're already a fan of John Marrs like I am, you will definitely enjoy The Stranger in Her House.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Ahhhhh, I really wanted to like this one, but unfortunately it was not working for me. This just felt like the book that would never end. I really wasn't surprised by the first big twist (which is okay!), but I felt like I needed some sort of shock to make this read more enjoyable or redeemable. It just seemed a bit outlandish and ridiculous, even for me I find that I much enjoy Marrs' speculative thrillers and will likely stick to those in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hard to put down physiological thriller told from the female characters pov. As always it starts of with you thinking a handyman weaving his way into a vunerable women's home and separating her from her daughter. Then omg it becomes so much more full of twists and turns and clever writing and story development that blew me away. At times I was engrossed i forgot it was just a story s it felt sadly this could be real. Enjoyed every second once it revealed itself. Highly recommended to anyone who like a slow burn then a full-blown action packed physiological thriller. The ending especially.
Thank you so much netgallery and publisher and author.