Stranger Dangers!
I am never disappointed with a Mark Edwards book and I tend to go through them super quick which is another bonus. He’s a talented writer who likes to put his very normal characters into very unusual and challenging situations and I love what he does! This is by far my favorite book that I have read from him so far. I am a book junkie and this author has made my fix list. Adam and Ruth are house sitting for Mona and Jack who they met while on a cruise. Jack and Mona are going on to New Mexico. One stormy night Adam answers a knock on the door and finds a young woman, Eden, standing at the threshold soaking wet. Eden explains that she is a friend of Jack and Mona and she was expecting to stay a few days in their home... the home owners gave her an open invitation. Adam allows her to stay since she is the home owner's friend and the three young people become fast friends. But everything is not as it seems. Adam and Ruth are a happy couple and Ruth is an up and coming star. What about Eden who is she what does she want? Need? there is also an old grey-bearded man who seems to be watching the house... who is he and what does he want. There are examples where I feel like Eden is a Mess and I was so right! Ruth ends up going missing and Adam works with the bearded man to find her and the story unfolds. There are so many layers to this story that I couldn’t put it down. Although this review is short there is so many layers to it.

I made several attempts with this book, but it just couldn't catch my interest. There wasn't anything offputting, I just couldn't focus on it. Maybe it's just me, or my mood, or something. I didn't get far enough in to rate it. Maybe one day I'll give it another try.

DNF after about 15 minutes.

Audiobook, via Audible.

I received a copy of the novel from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first novel by Mark Edwards. I enjoyed The House Guest and must say that I was expecting a different type of story. Not really a plot twist, per se, but this novel expanded into something that I did not see coming. I was expecting a tense psychological mystery revolving around the main couple and their house guest, Eden, but that was really only the beginning into a bigger story.

I don’t know whether this was a good or bad development. It really depends on the type of story that you enjoy, as this is more of a thriller than a mystery and I like a healthy dose of “creepy” in my reading. I will say that Mr. Edwards is a good writer. The pacing was excellent, characterization was well done. The story did not drag for even a moment and I finished it in two settings. The narration was cinematic in scope and the way that the pivotal scenes were set up. In fact, I think that The House Guest would make a very good movie.

I am interested to explore more of Mr. Edward’s work. I just added “The Retreat” and “The Magpies” to my Kindle wish list.

Rating: Somewhere between 3 ½ to 4 stars. Loved the author but wanted a more dark and creepy story. You may completely disagree. ( )

Adam and Ruth are house-sitting in New York for a couple whom they met on a cruise. When Eden, a harmless looking young woman, turns up on the doorstep claiming to be a friend of the homeowners they see no reason to turn her away.

Instead they invite Eden to stay until the homeowners’ return. But then Ruth goes missing and Eden may not be who she claims to be, Adam realizes that they’ve made a terrible mistake…

This plot was just so random! While it started off well and I was completely engaged until Ruth went missing. But then, there was such a drastic change in the plot with the inclusion of cult and some random happenings which were too far-fetched, that I began to lose interest.

Also, I did not enjoy or connect with any of the characters. So, while it was a quick read, it wasn’t something that I enjoyed.
( )

A British couple, an aspiring actress and an aspiring writer are invited to house sit in NY and one day a beautiful stranger shows up on their doorstep claiming to know the couple who own the house. Little did they know, that this stranger turned out to not be who she said she was.
The idea of this story really hooked me and I looked forward to picking this one up! Psychological thrillers tend to always be my go-to genre and the synopsis sounded like nothing else I had ever read, however, this did fall a little flat for me. I did enjoy that it was a quick read and was paced really well so I was able to read it in one sitting but felt there were a few things missing. The character development wasn’t done very well and I found I wasn’t super invested in any of the characters well being which I don’t believe was the authors intent. The “big” twist was an interesting concept but I just didn’t think it was executed very well.
Thank you to NetGalley, Mark Edwards, and the publisher for providing me with a free copy so that I could provide this review. All opinions are my own. ( )