I was provided a free advanced copy of this book from @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Gwen is suffering from dementia and has good days and bad. Some days, she doesn't even remember that Connie is her daughter. When Paul shows up as a volunteer sent by an agency to do odd jobs, Connie has a strange feeling about him. After all, it would be easy for someone to take advantage of Gwen in her state. But with no one else around it turns into a he said she said situation, and Paul always seems to be one step ahead. What will happen when Connie has to leave for work? What is really going on inside Gwen's house? Who is this stranger in her house?
This was a mystery, suspense story, with quite a few twists and turns! There were things to work out and I definitely felt one (or two) steps behind the whole time! I did figure out one of the surprises pretty early on, but not the others! I have only read one other John Marrs book, The Passengers, and I liked it better. This one felt like other books to me, and I wasn't a big fan of Connie or Paul. I definitely want to read more of his work though!
This one was published earlier this month, so check it out if you like twisty mysteries!
#NetGalley #TheStrangerInHerHouse

The Stranger In Her House John Marrs

Having read all of John's books to date, I was delighted to get my hands on this book.
Connie is one of those characters I wanted to hate and yet couldn't, I was even rooting for her by the end, the sign of very clever writing.
I love a good villain and I can safely say, all boxes were ticked in this book.
I look forward to discussing these characters in the library I work in, where I'm sure this book will be a massive hit.

Another unsettling, creepy psychological thriller from John Marrs, intertwined plot lines and multi-layered twists.

After a slow burn start, introducing the thoughtfully-developed characters (not all likeable by any means) and the setting, the pace quickened. The tension starts ramping up and never really gives you a chance to catch your breath. Hearing the story from a variety of perspectives was interesting, offering alternative views and feeling the frustrations and helplessness of the main character.

There are some very dark areas covered, exploitation of vulnerable elderly people with dementia, including manipulation, along with some quite brutal scenes of violence, which may be triggering for family suffering from this awful condition.

I was gripped by the final two-thirds of the book, tense and anxious. This is a thought-provoking and shocking, compulsive read.

Authors notes on the English Legal system really hit home with a final punch.

I am quickly becoming a fan of John Marrs.

Connie cares for her aging mother, Gwen as Alzheimer's begins to take its toll on her. When handyman Paul steps into the picture, Connie is immediately suspicious of his motives, and something seems off.

This one was a wild ride! It was definitely slow and steady through most of it, but I did not see the ending coming. The push and pull/cat and mouse game between Connie and Paul kept me interested and motivated to keep reading.

Be prepared that this one gets pretty unrealistic, but just go with it,

Marrs’s thrillers always give you a little reprieve from the tired and overused tropes plaguing the genre, and this one was no different! a fun ride where none of the characters are what they initially seem, and it gets darker as it goes on.

Thank you #thomasmercer @amazonpublishing for the complimentary DRC

3.5 stars rounded up

When I read thrillers I want to be kept guessing. I know when I pick up a John Marrs book that even when I think I have it figured out, I will never be 100% accurate. A couple of the scenes in A Stranger in Her House are literally the type of things that keep me up at night, or wake me up in a cold sweat, it definitely had the creep factor. I loved the premise, and while it started off great, in the middle it seemed to slow down a little too much for my liking. It picked up again for the ending and I really had no idea where it would take me. While I love twists in my thrillers, this one had just one too many, the ending went in a completely different direction than I expected and took me out of the storyline that I was invested in. Overall, I enjoyed this but was a little disappointed in the ending. Looking forward to The Family Experiment coming out June 18th.

Connie has a tough life, eking out a living by walking dogs and taking in ironing while also caring for her mom Gwen, who has vascular dementia. The day a handsome stranger shows up is the day it all starts going off the rails. Paul has been sent by a charitable organization to help with some yard work, but he’s soon wormed his way far deeper into the women’s lives and to say his motives appear suspect would be putting it mildly. As things start spiraling out of control, Connie fears she’s at risk of losing on the inheritance she’s been counting on.

Holy crap, John Marrs! It’s a good thing I can tell from Bookstagram that he’s such an awesome person, because otherwise I would be seriously concerned about where these twisted stories come from! He’s got such a compelling writing style that sucks you in immediately and doesn’t let go. The plot is intricate and clever and there’s a palpable sense of dread running just under the surface that will keep you racing through the pages. The gaslighting and cat-and-mouse interplay between Connie and Paul are dark and disturbing and kept me off balance as much as they kept each other dangling. I know Marrs is always going to have a curveball up his sleeve that I couldn’t possibly predict, so I didn’t even try to guess how this story would turn out, I just hung on and enjoyed the ride!

I read this book in two sittings. I started then went to bed and woke up 2 hours later to finish the book off.
The chapters are short and draw you in making you think “just one more chapter”
There are lots of twists and turns. Maybe one too many as it seemed a little unrealistic but books don’t have to be realistic !
I liked the premise and it really made you think about what would happen if you were on different peoples situations.

3.5 stars

It pains me to say anything negative about a John Marrs book, but I’m afraid this one fell a little bit short for me. I was expecting his trademark thrills and twists but had to settle instead for a slow burn that never really caught alight.

It started well, with a great premise and instant intrigue.

Connie has moved back from abroad to take care of her elderly mother Gwen, who suffers from dementia. When handyman, Paul, turns up, sent by a local charity to carry out jobs around the house, Connie senses something isn’t quite right, and her suspicions are confirmed when Paul starts cosying up to Gwen, taking over her care, and forcing a wedge between mother and daughter.

There’s a building sense of unease, as Paul cleverly inveigles himself deeper and deeper into Gwen’s affections, setting in motion a classic game of cat and mouse, as Connie and Paul use all the tricks in the book to try to outwit each other.

There are twists aplenty, accompanied by sinister undercurrents and some startling and unsavory revelations about both main characters. But this all plays out in an oddly prosaic, meandering way that never quite delivers those heart-thumping, jaw-dropping moments I’ve come to expect from Marrs.

It was only out of respect for the author and the firm conviction that the big twist had to come any page now that I didn’t abandon this halfway through. My perseverance paid off — to a degree — as the pace picked up somewhat towards the end, but ultimately this story finished on a whimper rather than a bang.

I’m disappointed. I expected more. I wanted more. And maybe if I wasn’t such a fan, this might have been good enough for me. But with success comes expectation. And with expectation, an ever-higher bar for the author. Which, on this occasion, Marrs didn’t quite reach.

I have no words! Wow!!! What a book! What an ending! I was not expecting that ending at all. I’m so speechless. I do feel bad for Connie; she just didn’t have luck after everything she had been through since she was born. In the end, no matter if Paul went to jail, he still got what he wanted. This was such a great book. Go read it; you won’t be disappointed. My heart is still pounding.
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer for the gifted copies provided through NetGalley.

I chose to read a free eARC of The Stranger in Her House but that has in no way influenced my review.

Warning: this review will contain a LOT of exclamation marks!

Oh. My. Word! This book. This book!! I am lost for words (which is a bit of an issue when my task is to write a review!). I don’t think a book has EVER provoked such a strong, visceral reaction in me! I’m not one for violence. It’s fine in fiction, I read quite a lot of dark literature but in real life, it’s a big, fat no-no, but reading this book, I was ready to commit GBH towards one of the characters. My notes on this one include ‘I can’t stand him, want to thump him!’, along with ‘aaarrrrgggghhhhh’. And oh boy, it takes real writing chops to get that kind of reaction! Let’s go back to the beginning though so I can explain my thoughts and feelings in more detail rather than just ranting about an unknown, unnamed character. The character I want to wallop is called Paul. He is sent by a charity to help elderly Gwen out around the house and garden. All sounds quite acceptable so far, right? Gwen suffers from vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s so some days are good, others not so much. Gwen’s daughter, Connie, has recently moved back home to take care of her mum. Walking away from a successful career as a Wedding Planner in Italy. Connie does everything she can for Gwen so when Paul appears out of the blue, uninvited, she’s a little put out. But handsome Paul is charming and begins to worm his way into their lives. The longer Paul spends at the house, the closer Gwen and Paul become, eventually completely ostracising Connie. After all she’s done for her mum, Connie refuses to let this stranger take over. But that’s only the beginning of this twisty, highly compelling tale. A fraction of the story to whet your appetite as there is so much more to this novel than meets the eye. The characters aren’t likeable but they’re not supposed to be. They’re superbly written. Pitched just right to get under the reader’s skin. To irritate and infuriate. And oh my gosh, that’s exactly what they did to me in the best way possible!

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. If you’ve read any of this author’s books before you will know that a John Marrs novel is always entertaining and chockful of well-penned twists. The Stranger in Her House is no different. Paul’s insertion into Gwen’s life is fairly unremarkable to start with but builds gradually creating tension and a sense of threat, of malice and of manipulation. Connie is pushed further and further to the periphery, leading to explosive reveal after explosive reveal. Expect the unexpected as a barrage of shocks and surprises batter you about the head! The pacing is spot-on, the characters are so well-drawn and I was swept away into this dark and devilish story from the get-go. I desperately want to say more but I’m scared I’ll say the wrong thing, reveal more than I should, so I’ll wrap this review up now (there will be reviews out there that say far too much, I don’t want that to be me!). All in all, a twisted, twisty rollercoaster of a psychological thriller that evokes all of the emotions. My heart broke for Gwen. She was pretty much the only character I liked – from the start, all the way to the end. I honestly don’t know how this author keeps coming up with these clever, original and downright immersive thrillers. Every single one is a winner. Riveting, evocative and bursting with razor-sharp, perfectly pitched suspense. Highly recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of The Stranger in Her House. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Rating - 3.5 stars rounded off to 4

Grabs you instantly, but your jaw might not hit the floor.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer, NetGalley for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Synopsis -

Gwen, an elderly widow needs help around the house. Paul, a volunteer from the charity is just the handyman she needs. But Gwen’s daughter Connie suspects Paul’s integrity from day one. To her horror, Gwen seems to have gotten attached to Paul as he slowly infiltrates every aspect of her life & takes over her needs. To what lengths will Connie go to get rid of Paul?

Review -

Marrs has very cleverly employed the ‘interloper taking over’ trope in this book. The opening instantly got me hooked to the plot & I was very intrigued about the bizarre relationship Connie had with Gwen & the introduction of the helper, Paul.

Soon, multiple POVs are brought in, which slightly altered the momentum of the plot construction. However, there are enough elements of suspense to keeps us turning the pages by mid-way.

The cat & mouse chase that ensues between Paul & Connie was handled very well with dark, vicious undertones & creepiness - each of them being two steps ahead of one another. But if you are looking for the ultimate twist, with a high level of shock factor, then you might be a bit disappointed – as my initial guess turned out to be the biggest reveal with only a few more surprising threads, that weren’t the sucker punches I expected.

Marrs’ book usually come with very smartly built storylines making it impossible to guess with knock out twists. So since the bar was high in this regard, this fell short. Or it could be that as a seasoned thriller reader, my expectations were pretty high! But if you are a fan of the author, you could still give this a read.

On the other hand, I appreciated how Marrs handles the subject of dementia here with the care & sensitivity it requires - exposing the loop holes in the laws, that puts the vulnerable elderly folks at risk for fraud & financial exploitation w.r.t will & lawful inheritance. Hence my rating.

Connie is a wedding planner and has been working in Italy for a while when she learns that her mum Gwen is ill, so she drops everything to move back to the UK to care for her, here she meets Paul who has been sent by a charity that helps vulnerable people to do some work around Gwen's house and, at first, she thinks he's a nice guy, but he's beginning to get his feet a little too firmly under the table and she's concerned when her mum appears to be falling for his charm and relying on him more than her. Does Paul have an ulterior motive and can Connie get rid of him before he ruins everything?

This latest thriller by Marrs is narrated mainly by Connie but we also hear from a number of Gwen's neighbours and family members. The story is centred around the main characters of Gwen, Connie and Paul and highlights, in perfect detail, how dementia can destroy not just the life of the person diagnosed with it, but of all those close to that person too and how easily the one with the disease can be duped by others. Paul was an extremely unlikeable character who frustrated and angered me on many an occasion throughout this story and, although Connie had done some underhand things, I found myself swaying towards her more in how I hoped this sorry situation would conclude. This is a fast paced tale with short chapters, a well crafted cat and mouse plot and some great twists and, even though I really enjoy this authors speculative stories, (The One being my all time favourite) thrillers like this one are Marrs at his absolute best and I devoured this in a matter of hours. Another great read which I definitely recommend.

I'd like to thank Amazon Publishing and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads and Amazon.

Connie cares for her elderly mother Gwen. When handsome, helpful handyman Paul turns up to help, sent by a charity for vulnerable people, Connie and Gwen are delighted. However, he's a little but too kind, a little too involved. Alarm bells are ringing for Connie while Gwen seems to have fallen under his spell.

If you've read any John Marrs thrillers you know you are for a long, dark, twisty, bumpy ride.

This is a dark and twisty book, probably much darker than you'd think from the blurb. Personally, I found it a little long, there are plenty of tangents but there's no denying the depth of plotting or character, or the quality of the writing.

I really enjoyed it overall and I know John Marrs fans will love it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer

John Marrs has done it again! His new book, “The Stranger in Her House” is a brilliant, dark thriller! The story winds its way through the lives of damaged, middle-aged protagonist Connie, her mother Gwen, who has dementia, and a nefarious handyman Paul, who infiltrates Gwen’s life, earning her trust and Connie’s fury.
The roller-coaster plot has some astounding twists, turns and jaw-dropping revelations! The story is populated by many unlikeable characters, who lie, deceive and, acting on their own agendas, manipulate their victims.
I like the first-person POVs of multiple narrators--it is very interesting to get in their heads and then realize that they are not all they seem! The short, punchy chapters add to the rapid pacing and edge-of-your-seat action. While there is, at times, the need to suspend disbelief, the twists are excellent, often surprising, and contribute to a great story arc.
I could not put down this cat-and-mouse tale until the last words of the last chapter! I recommend this enthusiastically to readers who like a twisty thriller and I look forward to John Marrs’ next novel!

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

This is just a standard thriller. A cute guy starts hanging around a elderly lady's house and her daughter knows he is a turd but can not prove it.

It was a decent read but kinda like a potato chip book.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review

This one will be a little hard to write without giving anything away.

Gwen lost her husband a while ago and now dementia has set in. Her daughter leaves her life in Italy to come home and care for Gwen.

Paul is a volunteer who does odd jobs to help out people in need. When he seems to be around too much, Connie becomes concerned.

A lot of books claim to be jaw dropping. In a rare occasion for me, I actually had my jaw drop a few times.

Characters were well written and the sense of doom throughout the book kept me turning the pages. Did I like the characters? Not too much. Did that stop it from being a great book? Nope.

I have read one previous by by Marrs and it is clear I need to read more. If you haven't read any of his books, you really should.

I loved this book.

Thanks to netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the arc.

This unforgettable journey went beyond the pages, proving that a story's ability to evoke deep emotions is what truly makes it remarkable. This book wasn't about delight; it was a powerful force that left an indelible mark on my heart. It didn't just tug at my heartstrings; it skillfully shattered expectations, breaking my heart in a way that ensured I would never forget its emotional impact. From the beginning, I found myself on an exhilarating emotional ride, balancing on the edge of suspense and savoring the slower, more nuanced moments.

As the story unfolded, unexpected twists seamlessly defied my predictions, adding layers of intrigue that showcased the narrative's brilliance. The journey reached its pinnacle as the story concluded, leaving me with a heart full of emotions.

It's rare for a thriller to evoke such deep feelings, but this one did it effortlessly. What sets this book apart is its ability to transcend the typical confines of the genre. It's not just a thrilling tale; it's a literary journey that resonates on a profound level. The storytelling didn't just capture my attention; it held me captive from start to finish.

In the world of thrillers, this one stands out, proving that a well-crafted story has the power to not only entertain but also touch the heart in unexpected and profound ways. The twists, not just confined to the end but often scattered throughout, add an extra layer of intrigue, making it a testament to the power of a well-crafted narrative.

THE STRANGER IN HER HOUSE blew me away and helped get me out of my reading slump. When I started this one I went in blind, so I didn't know what to expect. I can tell you that I was hooked from the start. I liked the fast pace of the story, multiple plot twists, and the speechless ending. This is a well played psychological thriller that you won't forget. I cannot recommend it enough!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my gifted ARC!!

My review will be shared to my Instagram account (@coffee.break.book.reviews) during Publication week.

When I first started reading this book, I was like, "ho hum, another book about a dementia patient being conned." I thought I knew where this book was going. But I should have known. I was reading a John Marrs book and he was not going to let me down that easy!

At about halfway through the book the twists just started coming and they didn't let up! Each one could have been a story on its own. I winced every time poor Connie encountered another obstacle and I was rooting for her. Was she a bad person? Oh yes! But was she less bad than some of the other characters? By a long shot! Marrs writes a character who is so damaged that even when she tries to reform, her circumstances prevent it. I could easily suspend disbelief knowing that some of these scenarios could happen in real life.

Even when you think it's the end of the story, there's another convoluted twist and I'm sure I have permanent jaw pain from gritting my teeth as I stayed up into the wee hours so I could finish this book.