Here to Stay by Mark Edwards
Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 29th June 2022
Published: 1st September 2019
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
A beautiful home. A loving wife. And in-laws to die for.
Gemma Robinson comes into Elliot’s life like a whirlwind, and they marry and settle into his home. When she asks him if her parents can come to stay for a couple of weeks, he is keen to oblige – he just doesn’t quite know what he’s signing up for.
The Robinsons arrive with Gemma’s sister, Chloe, a mysterious young woman who refuses to speak or leave her room. Elliot starts to suspect that the Robinsons are hiding a dark secret. And then there are the scars on his wife’s body that she won’t talk about…
As Elliot’s in-laws become more comfortable in his home, encroaching on all aspects of his life, it becomes clear that they have no intention of moving out. To protect Gemma, and their marriage, Elliot delves into the Robinsons’ past. But is he prepared for the truth?
From the two million copy bestselling author comes a tale about the chilling consequences of welcoming strangers into your home.
“Mark Edwards always delivers! Taut, gripping, scary and original - a fabulous read!” - Robert Bryndza, #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author
MY THOUGHTS:
We're the Robinsons - we're survivors.
Wow! What have I just read?? Ok, so some of it was far fetched and some just a tad OTT but who cares? If it's a gripping storyline, a little creepy with a few twists and a couple of fiendishly hateable characters thrown in, then that's all I need for an enjoyable read to keep me absorbed from start to finish.
I have read a few of Mark Edwards' thrillers, some with mixed results and none of them quite reaching the high standards of the first two of his I read - "The Magpies" and "Follow You Home". Those two remained throughout my favourite of his thrillers. Well, now I can add HERE TO STAY to that list because while it was far fetched and OTT in part, it was so damn creepy and outlandish that made it so damn good. I find the books that get under my skin the most turn out to be those that I also enjoy the most. And get under my skin did it what!!!
So it begins with a mysterious prologue before any of the current events taking place. We know who they are but not what happened, where they are going or why. And so then we're left in the dark while the story moves to London...and this is where it really begins. Or rather, where it begins to end...
Meet Elliot. He's single, approaching middle-age with an established career as a teacher of science and a lovely Victorian home in West Dulwich, which I can only assume is a fairly affluent part of London. He has no family - his parents died in a tragic hot air balloon accident when he was eighteen - and the money he made was from selling a kind of program behind educating kids in science. It was this windfall that enabled him to purchase his beautiful, but very dilapidated, Victorian home on Cuckoo Lane which he then lovingly restored into the home it is today. But Elliot is lonely. He has Charlie, his devoted cat, but even he cannot provide the love of a family that Elliot yearns for.
Enter Gemma. She turns up one afternoon at an "open garden" event in which Elliot took part, opening his beautiful garden to the public. It's like an instant attraction but something in Gemma speaks to Elliot and his nurturing nature. There was something lonely in Gemma too. And then a freak accident leads them to A&E after which Elliot has an epiphany to grab at life with both hands and not waste a minute. After a month, they marry in Vegas and return home to Cuckoo Lane. Life is just perfect.
Then when Gemma's parents, Jeff and Lizzy, arrive with her sister Chloe in tow, returning from France to make England their home again after some fifteen years, Elliot envisioned being part of a family again and welcomed them with open arms. Something that has been missing from his life since he lost his parents almost two decades before. He couldn't have been more wrong. Ever obliging, Elliot gave Jeff and Lizzy the master room and Chloe his office, while he and Gemma moved up to the third floor. After all, it was only for a couple of weeks until they found their own place but clearly, they have no intention of leaving.
It was the worst decision Elliot had ever made, letting the Robinsons cross his doorway. For he soon realises that they are not what they seem and begins to question just who he can trust. Gemma has changed since her parents arrived - closed off and fearful even. What could be so bad that she would fear her own parents? But he soon realises they are all keeping dark and deadly secrets...and soon his unwanted guests have outstayed their welcome and are pushing Elliot to the brink, forcing him to take extreme measures from which he can never come back from. But can he really solve his in-law problem and save his marriage? Before it's too late?
Before I continue, I must say I love Mark Edwards' sense of humour and wholly appreciated the irony in the name in which Elliot's house stands. Cuckoo Lane. Since cuckoos are known for stealing the nests of other birds. I also noted the irony in which both this book and "The Magpies" not only revisit the creep factor in harassing someone totally innocent for their own gain, but for the subtle reference to the two birds - magpies and cuckoos. He certainly has a twisted sense of humour which I thoroughly appreciated.
Now I read a lot. And most are thrillers of some kind. But I can honestly say that I have never detested two characters as much as I did Jeff and Lizzy. They really are vile, abhorrent, loathsome, hateful, manipulative, despicable and completely reprehensible...and even I wished them a slow and painful death! They were just plain evil and made my blood boil and even I was planning on how to get rid of them. But that is what makes this thriller so good. That you just hate them so much that you want to climb into the story and rip them apart, limb from limb. And that is attested to Mark Edwards' skillful writing.
Then as soon as Charlie is introduced, I began fretting about him. I abhor the killing of any animals in a book (even a thriller) in an attempt to ramp up the thrill factor and keep it going. I found myself worrying about his fate because I most certainly didn't trust this couple one iota. But rest assured (spoiler alert), despite threats and the mention of the untimely demise of other pets previously, nothing untoward happens to him. Had there been, I would have sorely disappointed because I don't believe authors need to kill of family pets to keep a thriller...well, thrilling.
Mark Edwards is a fantastic storyteller with his ability to keep the reader engaged with his atmospheric spine-tingling and creepy thrillers. He truly puts the psychological into psychological thrillers. He is able to push the boundaries of the norm whilst placing normal people into extremely extraordinary and horrific situations. And yet, the characters are all equalling annoying in part because of the parts, or lack thereof in some cases, they each play in the story. You will probably find yourself as frustrated as addicted throughout wanting to know exactly what they have done and what they are capable of. And he really does push the boundaries by pushing the central character to take some drastic, and equally not normal, measures. And while some of it is predictable - that is, I could see what was going to happen to some long before it did - it certainly did not affect my enjoyment of it. Because it is, essentially, a cleverly plotted skillfully written tale that easily keeps you engaged throughout.
One of the things I love most about thrillers are short snappy chapters. They keep the pace going at a fast, if not breakneck, speed. HERE TO STAY had plenty of those and I found myself flicking through them at the speed of light. It most certainly is a fast paced entertaining and addictive read from start to finish, keeping readers guessing as to where the final twist lay.
HERE TO STAY is a chilling, creepy and deliciously dark thriller that surprised even me after reading a few others that have not enamoured me quite since the the first two of his books I read and loved - "The Magpies" and "Follow You Home". There is so much tension throughout despite its unbelievability in parts. But I didn't care. It is wildly entertaining and I loved (and hated) it!! Edwards certainly knows how to ramp up the chill (and thrill) factor (without killing off family pets - thank you).
And then there is that ending. Although I suspected the final reveal, it was that final twist that left a delicious taste as I read the closing line. How simply perfect.
If you loved "The Magpies", you are bound to lap up HERE TO STAY...and want to throttle, strangle or deal out a slow and painful death to the evil duo.
HERE TO STAY...one of Mark Edwards' best yet!
I would like to thank #MarkEdwards, #NetGalley and #ThomasAndMercer for an ARC of #HereToStay in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
He has sold more than three million copies of his books and topped the bestseller lists numerous times since his first solo novel, The Magpies, was published in 2013.
His other novels are What You Wish For, Because She Loves Me, Follow You Home, The Devil’s Work, The Lucky Ones, The Retreat, In Her Shadow, Here To Stay and The House Guest. He has also published two short sequels to The Magpies, A Murder of Magpies and Last of The Magpies, and six books co-authored with Louise Voss.
Many of his books have been translated into foreign languages including French, German, Italian, Spanish, Estonian, Thai, Lithuanian, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish and Russian.
In 2019 Mark won The Cat and Mouse Award for Most Elusive Villain at the Dead Good Reader Awards for Last of the Magpies.
Mark loves hearing from his readers and encourages them to contact him. He regularly interacts with readers on his Facebook page, where he hosts book release launch parties and lots of giveaways.
You can follow Mark on Twitter, like his Facebook page or take a peek at his pics on Instagram.
Mark lives in the West Midlands, England, with his wife, their three children, three cats and a golden retriever.
Social Media links:
No comments:
Post a Comment