★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

Oh, what tangled webs we weave when first we practice to deceive...

My goodness. Another reviewer had it right. Every single one of these characters were awful and as readers we may have to suspend belief on more than one occasion throughout this whole sorry tale...but gosh, like her, I couldn't put it down! John Marrs has that inane knack for drawing you in and keeping you there, no matter how awful, how despicable his characters. More than once I wanted to hurl my kindle at the wall during Part One. It was so damn frustrating! But then he gives us cause to sit back and pause...

What if someone was slowly working their way into the life of your loved who was vulnerable and blind to their misdeeds? What would you do?

Connie has put her life on hold in the sunny climes of the Amalfi Coast of Italy to return to England and care for her mother Gwen who has dementia. She's rented a little cottage in the village and every morning she arrives at Gwen's modest home she had once shared with her beloved husband Bill to bathe and dress her before setting about her other duties for the day. Some days it's doctors appointments, others it's cleaning the house or maybe laundry or popping into one of the nearby villages via "the hopper" to run some errands for her mother.

And then one day as she arrives at her mother's house, Connie notices a van in the drive. Upon entering the house and exchanging a few confused words with Gwen, Connie discovers that the van belongs to Paul, a volunteer with a charity offering their services for free to those who may need it. But as soon as Connie meets Paul she sees the smirk on his face and the twinkle in his eye and feels sure he is laughing at her. And something about him raises alarm bells. But what, exactly?

On the surface, Paul is a genuine nice guy offering his free time to help those in need. A noble cause, I'm sure. And it isn't long before he has slowly inveigled his way into Gwen's life, cutting Connie out completely. First, it's the doctor's appointment she was meant to take Gwen to, then it's redecorating the house to day trips to the seaside without clearing it with her, supplying Gwen with a mobile phone and failing to give Connie the number to removing her authority completely. Connie feels sure he is up to something. But no matter what she does, Paul is always one step ahead of her and Gwen seems to have fallen completely under his spell.

“I was prepared for the dementia to take away a little bit more of her every day. But I didn’t expect another person to rob me of her.”

Wow. What a cat and mouse game this psychological thriller is! Paul and Connie are both about as despicable as each other could get and yet I still found myself feeling sorry for her. But wait! This is John Marrs and he hasn't finished with you yet! You're bound to get whiplash from all the twists. The cat and mouse game that ensues will have you questioning just who is using who?!

The plot itself is well written and skillfully done but if you're like me and have (or had) a loved one wit dementia then you are bound to find this very triggering, Part One especially, which is a tough read and more than once I wanted to hurl my kindle at the wall in frustration. But Marrs has handled the subject sensitively (as one can with such an awful disease) and if you go on to read his notes at the end, his purpose was to highlight the need for a change in UK legislation that still (in 2024) allows someone with dementia to marry when they have lost all ability to make those kind of lifechanging decisions. There were many instances in which I was shocked at what played out thinking surely no way would that happen under the circumstances. In my country (Australia) I doubt half of what took place would be considered legal which is why I found it so difficult to believe. But if the UK still allow such things to happen regardless of one's obviously ailing cognitive abilities, opening them up to exploitation. It's shocking!

As difficult as the first part is the plot takes an unexpected twist, so out of left field that I think I have whiplash, at the end of Part One. After that, the read gets easier to digest (if not stomach). The story plays out over three parts, all skillfully plotted, and unfolds primarily through Connie's perspective with various others peppered throughout. The final chapter was something of an eye-opening twist leaving the reader with no doubt as to who is checkmate. And then that final little twist thrown in right at the end. Genius.

A tough one for me to rate due to how triggering it was for me throughout on many levels, and for this reason only I drop half a star but round it up to 5.

I love John Marrs' psychological thrillers which are always deliciously dark and ingeniously twisted.

I would like to thank #JohnMarrs, #Netgalley and #AmazonPub for an ARC of #TheStrangerInHerHouse in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

So, John Marrs always takes a very important, hot topic and weaves it into one of his excellent thrillers. This was no exception. Wanting to spread light on the lack of protection the UK fails to give their elderly. Its heartbreaking. My MIL has Vascular dementia, and we had a very eerie situation with a shady caretaker in the beginning of her diagnosis, so this book rang close to home. It is disturbing and Marrs writes about Alzheimer’s/Dementia as someone who is familiar with the disease.

As the story progresses more twists reveal that things aren’t at all what them seem, with anyone. I was shocked and literally gasped out loud a few times. This was captivating and would make a wonderful book club book as it would bring about a really good discussion.

Thank you Netgalley!

Many thanks to #thomasandmercer, @amazonpublishing, and @netgalley for my #gifted (free) copy.

I am a huge John Marrs fan, so I was so excited to get a copy of his newest book. Unfortunately, this is one of my least favorites from him. The reviews for this one are amazing, so I think it was just me, so I definitely recommend reading this one because it was by no means bad at all. My problem was that I figured out the big plot twist very early on in the book so there were no surprises or big moments for me, which was unfortunate. To be honest, I just got a little board with the cat and mouse game. Like I said, the reviews are already great, and John is an amazing writer, so I definitely think this is worth reading.

Connie moved to be closer to her mom, Gwen, to help take care of her because she has dementia. One day, Connie looks out the window, and somebody is doing yard work at Gwen's house. He introduced himself as Paul, and he is with a company called Help For Homes that helps older people with chores around their homes. Connie is convinced Paul has an agenda, so she starts to investigate him. Is he as good of a guy as he makes himself seem?

John Marrs is definitely one of my MUST READ authors, and few things thrill me more than being gifted one of his ARCs. In true Marrs fashion, his latest book is creepy and thrilling and twisty and oh, SO clever. This is quite the game of cat and mouse, it's a he said/she said that will have you questioning who's the villain and who's the victim. For starters, every single one of these characters are abhorrent. And I do mean Every. Single. One! But Marrs will take you on a bumpy and stressful journey that will not only give you a severe case of whiplash, but will also leave you exhausted from the tension. And I am here for all of it! This was another Marrs win in my book! A huge thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the gifted ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A brilliant, BRILLIANT, page turner, with twists in abundance!

Connie is caring for her Mum, who has dementia and is concerned about the charity volunteer, Paul, who seems to be getting a little too close for comfort.

The characters and the compelling writing style drew me right in and when the first, massive twist smacked me hard in the face. I was floored. Completely stunned!

And it didn’t stop there! Twist after twist after twist, right up to the last page - fabulous!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, John Marrs and Thomas and Mercer, for an ARC in return for an honest review.

4.5🌟
What if someone was slowly, methodically working their way into the life of a loved one? What could you do to stop them?

Connie's life is on hold as she cares for her mother Gwen, who’s in the grasp of dementia.
Suddenly the handyman always seems to be ever-present around Gwen, and more than happy to help out...perhaps a bit too helpful.
Gwen loves all the new attention, but Connie thinks he’s surely up to something…she can just feel it!

John Marrs is at it again! Delivering a super twisty novel that had my anxiety ramping-up as the story unfolded! Don’t get too comfortable thinking you know where this is headed…because chances are you’ll be wrong!😂

In the beginning I had some difficulty reading about Gwen. If you know someone with dementia, or lost someone to the disease (as I have😢) it’s a bit triggering. But I simply couldn’t walk away from a John Marrs’ book. He handled the subject matter sensitively. Be sure to read the acknowledgment at the end of the book.

Fan of John Marrs? (How can you not be) don’t miss this latest!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer

When wedding planner Connie learns that her mum Gwen has had a devastating diagnosis, she drops everything to come home and care for her. She is pleased to see that her mums church has organised a handy man, handsome Paul, for her through a charity that helps elderly, vulnerable people keep on top of those little jobs, meaning she can just focus on her mum. But it doesn't take long for suspicions to arise and for Connie to wonder how this stranger seems to be taking over her spot.

This was a tough read for me. I sadly have first-had experience of the effect that Alzheimers can have on a family and the authors note at the end gives a shocking insight into how, although this is fiction and at the more dramatic end of situations, this kind of thing is happening to vulnerable people in society. I really appreciate the author highlighting the issue.

Connie and Paul are both wholly unlikeable, but you can't argue with the perfect characterisation and reading about there to-and-fro game of one-upmanship was very entertaining. With some classic Marrs twist and turns this made for a dark, compelling read.

Wow. I still can't believe this happened to be honest... John Marrs is one of my favorite thriller authors, so I fully expected this newest story to be another winner. It's true that more domestic focused psychological thrillers don't usually work for me anymore, but I thought this particular story would be an exception because I always love whatever this author comes up with next. I guess I was wrong. Instead of adding a new favorite, this story mostly made me SO angry and frustrated that I wanted to throw my kindle against the wall. In fact, the only reason I kept reading was because I was curious just how much of a trainwreck it was going to be for me... Newsflash: the outcome wasn't good.

Don't get me wrong, I still love the premise and idea behind The Stranger In Her House. Part of me wonders if I was just in the wrong mood to properly enjoy this story, and the fact that more domestic thrillers just don't seem to work for me anymore probably didn't help either. BUT. This doesn't take away the fact that I struggled considerably to finish this story. Things technically should have improved for me once the plot reaches the second part, because the story takes a complete different direction once certain plot twists are revealed... But by then it was too late for me.

I think my negative reaction to this story has a lot to do with the cast of characters. The Stranger In Her House uses a multiple POV structure, but we mainly stay with Connie. To say that I didn't like her was an understatement, and that was even before the truth about her identity was revealed... Although it was pretty obvious there was something wrong about her from the beginning. I despised Paul from the start as well, and while I know that he is supposed to be unlikeable, it definitely didn't help improve my feelings for this story. Unlikeable characters aren't necessary a bad thing in thrillers, but in this case they really ruined the story for me.

I wasn't sure what to make of the plot structure either. Sure, the story is divided into parts, but they all had such a different vibe that it almost felt like reading three different stories at once. More domestic focused psychological thrillers aren't my thing anymore, so the first part highly frustrated me. Especially since it's SO obvious what Paul is doing and Connie is at the same time extremely unlikeable and impossible to warm up to, so I didn't particularly care. After certain reveals, things became more interesting without a doubt, but it kind of went way over the top way too fast and it just wasn't credible anymore. I don't mind suspending my disbelief when I'm enjoying a story, but in this case I couldn't convince my brain to do so. Probably thanks to the fact that I wasn't having a great time at all so far... And I honestly couldn't care less about what happened to any of them.

I can't deny that some of the twists were plenty clever, and as I've become used to with John Marrs, nothing is as it seems. Just when you think you know how everything ends, something else will pop up that will change everything... But between the extremely unlikeable characters, domestic vibe in the first part and lack of credibility in the rest of the plot, I just couldn't make myself to properly enjoy those twists. I'm still very much surprised by this reaction, because the majority of his books have received between 4.5 and 5 stars so far... But The Stranger In Her House was an outlier for me, and most definitely not my cup of tea. I seem to be in the minority though, so if you don't mind the issues I mentioned, the chances are high it will work better for you.

Don’t let the slow start of this book fool you. Before you know it, you’ll be unable to put it down. It took some time before I really got into this story. It was interesting right away but not thrilling or gripping. I guessed the first twist right away. Just when I was feeling disappointed with the book, I was suddenly reeled in. Connie and Paul’s war got really intense and I was desperate to know what would happen. The end is long and reveals so much about each character. I loved how drawn out it was. I was disappointed in the end at first but then as I kept reading, I realized it was the perfect ending. I definitely recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced copy!

Marrs seems to have two kinda of novels, near future sci-fi & messed up domestic thrillers. This is the latter. He also is one of the best authors I’ve gotten into in the last few years. I love his books!

What a great book! So many twists, so many turns. The cat & mouse game between Gwen & Paul is a lot of fun. Then there’s a really cool surprise for the ending which I found deliciously satisfying. The biggest complaints readers might have is unlikeable protagonists & elder abuse, those are both pretty prevalent. If you can get past those I think you’d like this book. Marrs is a go to author for me & I will continue looking for his books.

This story does not disappoint and will keep you up all night reading. Not knowing what to expect this story was slow moving to start but impressively pulls one in once the Paul character charms everyone and does not believe the daughter when she accuses him of taking advantage of her mother with dementia. It isn’t until he moves in, redecorates the house, and changes the locks do you know he has an agenda, although it is too late for Connie. Connie who we believed as the caring daughter, turns out to not be who we think she is. Quite a twist of story and enjoyable game of cat and mouse, with each one upping one another. I did not see any of the twists and turns coming and was surprised by each new shock. This is one of the first John Marrs books I enjoyed minus the terrifying tongue removing scene but this one does not disappoint.

John Marrs doing what he does so well...I love John Marrs books, the near future /dystopian novels are amazing and really make you think, but the present day "Oh my goodness this could really happen!" are my absolute favorites.
The Stranger in Her House hooks you in and messes with your mind trying to work out who what is happening with twists and shocking turns. It can be an uncomfortable read in some ways dealing with old age and dementia and people taking advantage - but that is unfortunately the world we live in and in many ways makes it all the more believable. Great read and I'm already thinking that I need to reread this and his other books.

So many twists in this book my mind is reeling. So so good! John Marrs always keeps you guessing and it’s impossible to put this book down.. Just when you are rooting for a character there’s a twist and you are left picking up your jaw off the floor. A must read.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc

This is a straight-up popcorn thriller, complete with over-the-top twists, reprehensible characters, and short punchy chapters. I flew through it in a day, was a little bothered how clearly twist #1 was telegraphed from the get-go, and still enjoyed it immensely. There's a fun cat-and-mouse game between the two main protagonists, though I was a little frustrated how dim-witted our antiheroine was. I appreciated Marrs's note at the end, highlighting the dangers of elder abuse, and thought the middle third was the strongest part of the book. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a digital review copy.

You know the old saying....What tangled webs we weave? This saying was made for the characters of this book. Oh my gosh!! I am not sure that I'd call any of the main characters likeable. Connie turned out ok I suppose but barely. I usually need at least one extremely likeable character BUT John Marrs did not disappoint with this book.

The characters Connie, Gwen & Paul...Gwen is suffering with dementia, Connie is her carer/daughter and Paul he's the handy man sent by a charity to help with lawn/outdoor things.

Doesn't sound crazy but TRUST me IT IS!!

This is another book that John Marrs has hit way OUT of the park!! Thanks to the author, Netgalley & Thomas & Mercer for allowing me to read this ARC!!

3.5

I feel a bit mean with the star rating but my reasoning was this. I watched a programme not so long ago that didn't mirror the start of the book, it was virtually identical. Daphne Franks mother was befriended by a much younger man, they married despite the woman having diagnosed dementia and after her death she was buried in an unmarked grave - all of which her daughter could do nothing about.

The plot of this book certainly mirrors this very closely to start but then Mr Marrs develops the plot into something far more sinister and we have several twists as we head towards the final part of the book which turns the plot on its head again. All of which jogged along at a good pace with more twists throwing you off track every so often. It's a bit like being on one of those fairground attractions with the moving floorboards.

Certainly our protagonist Connie seems just as bewildered by each turn of events. However Paul - the man who marries Gwen cutting Connie out of the inheritance is the one in charge - or so it seems. But for me a lot of his later actions seemed a little over the top and (for me) somewhat laughably ridiculous at times. Hence the missing star and a half.

On the whole it's a typical John Marrs and if you liked his books before Marriage Act (which for me was a little different to his usual fare) then you'll love The Stranger in Her House. It's pretty dark, there's tons of twists, the dialogue is believable, the plot is a bit OTT and there's even a nice final little twist at the end. I certainly enjoyed most of it although not quite as much as Marriage Act. I'd still recommend it for fans of the twisty thriller genre.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance review copy.

This is the second book I’ve read by John Marrs. The first was What Lies Between Us and I enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this one that much. I want to start off by saying I’m an outlier with my thoughts as the majority of the reviews for the book are 5 stars. The story started out great. I was into it and liked the premise. Then came the first big twist and it lost me. I also didn’t care for either of the main characters and found them both to be extremely annoying. So there was no emotional investment because of that which is something that typically makes me want to keep reading if nothing else does. Every time I thought the book was going to redeem itself, it just got even more ridiculous. This one just wasn’t for me.

Although this isn’t my favorite by John, it is still very good! It has a very interesting storyline with a few murders, a few twists. Short and easy to read chapters. I didn’t want to stop reading. The ending was very good and surprising.

Thank you @thomasmerceruk @johnmarrs.author for the #gifted ebook!

John! What are you doing to me?! I cannot stop reading your books! 🤪 This one is ahhhh-mazing in true John form. I could-not, would-not stop reading this book! This book is addictive, compulsive, heart rate inducing, sweat producing, stress causing and I loved every minute of it. The first twist I was jaw dropped. I think I even said “wait whaaaaaaa?!” out loud while reading it. The first major twist comes about 40% of the way through and I kept thinking what else is he going to add, there is so much more left! Don’t you worry…John simply makes this book bonkers! You have a forever fan! Bravo for keeping us all on our toes the entire way through! I LOVED this book.

I truly felt so frustrated for the first bit of the book and was infuriated with The Stranger in Her House! I think I kept thinking about how easy something like this could happen in real life. 👀 It’s truly terrifying. What am I talking about? I won’t tell you! You have to read the book to find out! 😝

I am a fan ,and have enjoyed each book I have read by this author .I did find that this was not my favourite book by Mr M if I am honest. I didn't really take to the characters, so it made me less invested in them. Still an okay read ,but just lacked something for me.