The Stranger in Her House by John Marrs
Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 11th February 2024
Published: 13th February 2024
★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)
DESCRIPTION:
A stranger has infiltrated your family…and now he’s taking over.
Paul’s just here to help, or so he claims—sent by a charity for vulnerable people to do odd jobs for elderly widow Gwen. But for Gwen’s daughter Connie, there’s just something about Paul that rings alarm bells from day one. He’s a little too kind, a little too involved…Worse still, Gwen seems to have fallen under his spell.
The last thing Connie wants is a stranger meddling in the safe routine she’s built around Gwen. She loves being the one Gwen turns to for cooking, cleaning and company. But the more Paul visits, the more Gwen is relying on him. By the time he conveniently finds himself between homes and has no choice but to move in, Connie is certain he’s trying to push her out completely.
It’s her word against his, though, and as her attempts to unmask him become ever more desperate she’s not the only one left wondering if she’s lost her grip on reality. But when events start spiralling rapidly out of her control, should Connie wage all-out war on Paul and risk losing Gwen forever—or has that been his plan all along?
MY THOUGHTS:
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.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
John Marrs is a former journalist from Northamptonshire, England, who spent 25 years interviewing celebrities from the world of television, film and music for national newspapers and magazines. He wrote for publications including The Guardian’s Guide and Guardian Online; OK! Magazine; Total Film; Empire; Q; GT; The Independent; Star; Reveal; Company; Daily Star and News of the World’s Sunday Magazine.
Now a psychological thriller writer, his debut book 'The Wronged Sons' (also titled 'When You Disappeared') released in 2014 is a tense psychological thriller with over 240 x 5 star reviews on Amazon. His second book 'Welcome To Wherever You Are' is a suspense thriller and an Amazon #1 best seller, 'The One' (previously 'A Thousand Small Explosions') was relaunched in January 2017, 'The Good Samaritan' published in 2018 with his latest 'What Lies Between Us' published in May 2020.
He recently gave up his job to write novels full time. His first car at the age of seventeen was a three-door, Ford Escort with a Batman sticker in the rear windscreen. He thought the sticker was cool at the time.
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