The Stranger in Her House by John Marrs is a very highly recommended clever and twisty psychological thriller. Read this novel, especially if you enjoy psychological thrillers. The Stranger in Her House took me by surprise more than once and just got better with each new twist.

Fourteen months ago, following their move back to England, Gwen Wright's husband, Bill, passed. Gwen, who has vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s had no one to care for her until Connie Wright left her career as a wedding planner in Italy to return to care for her mother, Gwen. When a charity sends handsome handyman Paul around to the house to help clean gutters and trim back trees, Connie soon becomes suspicious of his intentions. Paul seems to be inserting himself into Gwen's life and pushing Connie out. No one wants to listen to Connie's concerns about Paul's encroachment in Gwen's life and even worse, Gwen is under his spell.

The writing is exceptional and clever in this intelligent psychological thriller. The narrative is divided into three parts and is mainly told through Connie's point-of-view with that of various other characters randomly mixed in. Mentally prepare yourself for some shocking major twists that will change everything, and yes, more than one occurs. There is going to be a standoff, but don't even try to predict an outcome as the tone of the plot becomes increasingly nebulous and dangerous.

Connie and Paul are fully realized, well-written characters who feel like real people. Eventually it becomes clear that they are really, really flawed, immoral people. Even the minor characters are portrayed as realistic characters, as their opinions and attitudes change with the rumors that are flying around. The increasingly devious actions of characters will keep you turning the pages as fast as you can.

The plot is complicated and the three parts of the novel are definitely three different huge turns in the narrative. Marrs starts the tension early on and then it just keeps rising with every page until the suspense and anxiety take over. Each twist adds a new dimension to the plot. The final denouement was absolutely stunning and brilliant.
Disclosure: My complimentary review copy was courtesy of Thomas & Mercer.
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OMFG What have I just read?
An absolutely compulsive page turner with bite! Yet again John Marrs has smashed it out the park creating his best and memorable book to date!
This is hands down the most compelling, disturbing addictive book I have read this year!
I don’t want to go into the book description too much as the blurb is all you need to know. As for the rest, it’s a must read as the story gets darker and twistier than a tornado!
The writing and plot are so good time just becomes irrelevant, they suck you in and don’t let you go until either your eyes can no longer keep themselves open or you’ve finished the book it is so good!
Filled with characters that get under your skin and most of them are so despicable they are a real love to hate protagonist and antagonist. You certainly won’t forget them for a while.
And as for the twists, at the end of a few chapters, I knew something bad was coming, so much so I had to put the book down to one side for a breather so I could prepare myself for what was to come!
I know, this review is basically just blowing smoke up the arse of this book, but I cannot express to you how good it really is!! So sorry if you were looking for a review on what happens in the plot but for that, this is 100% a must read for yourself it’s so damned good.
I will say that the book deals with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and that these parts of the book are written with delicacy, care and respect that such horrible disease’s deserve. He has done a fantastic job of highlighting how if affects both sufferer and family and friends.
Also, once you have finished the book, please take the time to read the author’s acknowledgements because it will open your eyes to current UK law about dementia patients and marriage and how the law leaves these people vulnerable to exploitation. For more information on that please visit
https://www.predatorymarriage.uk/
On a lighter note, The Stranger in her House will be published on the 13 Feb 2024 and is available to preorder now
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