After my relationship breaks down, I agree to house-sit my brother Dexter’s posh apartment whilst he’s out of the country. It will give me some much needed head space.
Sitting on the balcony one sweltering summer’s night in the midst of a power cut, I’m given a secret window into the lives of the residents in the opposite building, and I see more than I should.
I’m drawn to a man in the Penthouse and watch him closely; when a striking woman joins him on the balcony, I can’t tear my eyes away.
The following weekend a woman matching her exact description is reported missing. She’s not been seen since that fateful night. When I go to the police, the man in the penthouse has a cast-iron alibi and denies she was ever there.
I know what I saw and I can’t let it go. The deeper I dig, the more dangerous things become. Someone is watching me too. Just how much can I trust the neighbours?
I haven’t read a psychological thriller in a few months, and this was a great reintroduction to the genre. So many jaw dropping moments as I read, this was really hard to put down. The action started right away and no slow parts at all. There are a lot of characters here but they’re not hard to keep up with. A woman is housesitting her brother’s apartment while he’s gone expecting to get away from it all with a little r and r. It ends up being a bit more than that though. As she gets to know the other occupants of the apartment, she realizes obsessions are running rampant and not just with one person. Many holy cow, did that just happen moments? A real creep factor you’ll feel, and you may just be looking behind you as you read. A very much of a surprise ending that really took me by surprise. An author you absolutely need to read!
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Keri Beevis is the internationally bestselling author of several psychological thrillers and romantic suspense mysteries, including the very successful Dying to Tell. She sets many of her books in the county of Norfolk, where she was born and still lives and which provides much of her inspiration.
“You must be our new neighbors!” Mrs. Lowell gushes and waves across the picket fence. I clutch my daughter’s hand and smile back: but the second Mrs. Lowell sees my husband a strange expression crosses her face. In that moment I make a promise. We finally have a family home. My past is far, far behind us. And I’ll do anything to keep it that way…
I used to clean other people’s houses—now, I can’t believe this home is actually mine. The charming kitchen, the quiet cul-de-sac, the huge yard where my kids can play. My husband and I saved for years to give our children the life they deserve.
Even though I’m wary of our new neighbor Mrs. Lowell, when she invites us over for dinner it’s our chance to make friends. Her maid opens the door wearing a white apron, her hair in a tight bun. I know exactly what it’s like to be in her shoes. But her cold stare gives me chills…
The Lowells’ maid isn’t the only strange thing on our street. I’m sure I see a shadowy figure watching us. My husband leaves the house late at night. And when I meet a woman who lives across the way, her words chill me to the bone: Be careful of your neighbors.
Did I make a terrible mistake moving my family here?
I thought I’d left my darkest secrets behind. But could this quiet suburban street be the most dangerous place of all?
From New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Freida McFadden comes the next installment of the unbelievably twisty, tension-packed and globally bestselling Housemaid series. This book can be enjoyed as a standalone read: and once you start, it will have you up all night racing through the pages until the final explosive twist.
MY THOUGHTS
Having read the other Housemaid books in this series I knew I had to read this book. I was familiar with the author’s writing style and knew what to expect. NOT!!! With this author though you may have read her other books you never know what to expect.
Reading it in one day was what happened, and this book sure didn’t disappoint. I know it’s been said before but, in this case, it’s so true, once you start you won’t be able to put it down. I had a late night reading it, but I didn’t mind.
All of the characters have an important role and the more you read the more you’ll discover their role. This book really took me by surprise.
As you read you believe things to be a certain way but don’t settle in too comfortably because this book will take you on a joy ride you may not recover from.
A must read for fans of psychological thrillers!
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
#1 New York Times, Amazon Charts, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Sunday Times, and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author Freida McFadden is a practicing physician specializing in brain injury who has penned multiple bestselling psychological thrillers and medical humor novels. Freida’s work has been selected as one of Amazon Editors’ best books of the year, she is the winner of the International Thriller Writers Award for best paperback, and she is a Goodreads Choice Award winner. Her novels have been translated into 40 languages.
Freida lives with her family and black cat in a centuries-old three-story home overlooking the ocean, with staircases that creak and moan with each step, and nobody could hear you if you scream. Unless you scream really loudly, maybe.
To hear Freida talk about herself more in the third person, check out her website freidamcfadden.com
She’s here to help my daughter. She wants to steal my life.
I have a gorgeous husband, Scott, two lovely children, a successful career and a stylish townhouse. Anyone would think my life is perfect. But it’s all a lie.
My twelve-year-old Katie has been in trouble at school and won’t talk to me. Desperate, we hire young, willowy brunette Deanna – an expert tutor – to help my daughter. I’ve been so worried and my husband blames me. Have I failed as a mother?
Deanna is our last hope, the only person who seems able to help my precious child. But I’m starting to wonder about her intentions…
She’s in my kitchen, touching Scott’s arm. She and Katie seem to be keeping secrets, laughing as they glance at me. And I see her in my bedroom, watching from the window as I leave for work.
Then I find Deanna in Scott’s study, examining an old, framed photograph. And she begins to ask questions about Scott’s beautiful ex-wife.
I know her game; she’s looking for something that will destroy my life. The life she wants for herself.
But Deanna has underestimated me. I won’t give up my perfect family without a fight, and she has no idea how far I’ll go to stop her…
A totally addictive and pulse-pounding psychological thriller from multi-million copy bestseller J M Dalgliesh. Prepared to be gripped until the final, jaw-dropping revelation! Perfect for anyone who loves The Housemaid, The Woman in the Window, Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train.
Author bio
Jason Dalgliesh is a bestselling British crime novelist. His first book, Divided House, was published in 2018 and was a runaway success topping the Amazon charts in both the UK, USA and Australia. To date, he has sold in excess of two million books across his Hidden Norfolk and Dark Yorkshire series with each book becoming bestsellers in their own right at the top of the Amazon chart.
Rapidly establishing himself as one of Amazon’s most read authors, the fifth book in the Hidden Norfolk series, Hear No Evil, was shortlisted for Amazon’s prestigious Kindle Storyteller Award in 2020. His books have been translated and are available across the world selling copies in sixty-eight countries to date. Work is underway to bring both series to the silver screen by a National Film Awards winning production team.
Born on the south coast of England, growing up in Hampshire, Jason has lived and worked abroad as well as in various parts of the country and in the Scottish Highlands. He currently lives in Norfolk with his wife and two young children.
‘Hello, stranger,’ says the beautiful woman on the doorstep. Pushing past me, she throws herself into my husband’s arms while I stand frozen in shock. I’ve never seen this woman before in my life… but how does she know the man I married?
The colour drains from my husband’s face as she releases him. When Ted says her name – Alice – my blood runs cold. Because I’ve heard her name before. Alice is the woman who broke my kind husband’s heart. Ted told me she vanished from his life after their breakup, but has he been lying this whole time?
I stare at him in disbelief, but he swears he never invited her. Can I believe him? Whatever actually happened, I want her out of my house… but as thunder cracks and the sky turns dark, a huge storm sets in. We’re stuck here: is this my chance to discover the truth?
***
I stare out of the rain-streaked car window, trying to see the Scottish landscape as the car whips past rust-coloured heather and mud.
MY THOUGHTS
Sadie and Ted’s marriage needs a sprucing up, together for over a decade, things just haven’t been the same recently. Sadie is convinced renting a huge mansion in the middle of nowhere in the Highlands for the Christmas holiday is just what they need.
Along with their two daughters the holiday house appears perfect for their little family, and they get inside just as the car runs out of gas and the raging storm starts.
Now as I’m reading this psychological thriller I’m thinking, okay this is pretty tame when is the action starting? As you read you absorb the words you’re reading and have a belief in them, this is how the story will go, you’re walking along minding your own business and then an anchor drops on top of you. You reel back, staggering under the weight of your assumptions and realize, they’re just that and you should never make assumptions as you read because you really never know.
Shocking twists and turns, I felt like I am teetering on the edge of a cliff, one exhale too much and I’d be over the edge! A must read not to miss. It took my breath away!
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
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THE AUTHOR
Rosie Walker is a novelist of four psychological thrillers: ‘My Husband’s Ex’ (2024), ‘The Baby Monitor’ (2024), ‘The House Fire’ (2022), and ‘Secrets of a Serial Killer’ (2020).
Her books mostly explore dark domestic themes: secrets, lies, affairs and revenge. But in real life Rosie is a cheery person who loves rom coms, beach holidays, reality TV, and dog walks by the sea. She lives in Edinburgh with her husband, daughter, and their dog.
Rosie has a Masters in Creative Writing from the University of Edinburgh and an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Lancaster University.
Thank you for stopping in today. Enjoy the weekend.
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.
Freida McFadden is an author I have read 2 books by. I was gripped in the book’s clutches as I read as it had some pretty crazy twists and turns I hadn’t seen coming.
Pub Date Jun 11 2024
ABOUT THE BOOK
“You must be our new neighbors!” Mrs. Lowell gushes and waves across the picket fence. I clutch my daughter’s hand and smile back: but the second Mrs. Lowell sees my husband a strange expression crosses her face. In that moment I make a promise. We finally have a family home. My past is far, far behind us. And I’ll do anything to keep it that way…
I used to clean other people’s houses—now, I can’t believe this home is actually mine. The charming kitchen, the quiet cul-de-sac, the huge yard where my kids can play. My husband and I saved for years to give our children the life they deserve.
Even though I’m wary of our new neighbor Mrs. Lowell, when she invites us over for dinner it’s our chance to make friends. Her maid opens the door wearing a white apron, her hair in a tight bun. I know exactly what it’s like to be in her shoes. But her cold stare gives me chills…
The Lowells’ maid isn’t the only strange thing on our street. I’m sure I see a shadowy figure watching us. My husband leaves the house late at night. And when I meet a woman who lives across the way, her words chill me to the bone: Be careful of your neighbors.
Did I make a terrible mistake moving my family here?
I thought I’d left my darkest secrets behind. But could this quiet suburban street be the most dangerous place of all?
From New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Freida McFadden comes the next installment of the unbelievably twisty, tension-packed and globally bestselling Housemaid series. This book can be enjoyed as a standalone read: and once you start, it will have you up all night racing through the pages until the final explosive twist.
Is this one you’ll be reading as well?
Have a good day. It’s getting closer to the weekend.
334 pages Joffe books October 19,2023 publish date
ABOUT THE BOOK
A NAIL-BITING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER WITH ONE OF THE BIGGEST TWISTS YOU’LL READ THIS YEAR.
After choir practice for midnight mass, college sophomore Rose Grandon takes a short-cut through Harbor Park. Grabbed from behind, she is violently assaulted, beaten and left for dead.
The last thing she hears is someone singing Silent Night.
Several hours later, the police find Rose lying in a ditch. Badly beaten — but alive.
As she recovers in hospital, Rose is told she’s pregnant. She has a terrible choice to make. She decides to keep the baby.
Nine months later, she gives birth to a beautiful baby girl. She names her Mary.
Rose lives quietly in her small Connecticut hometown raising her daughter — the one good thing to come out of her horrible ordeal. She begins to get her old self back.
But her evil attacker has never been caught. He strikes twice a year. Once on Christmas Eve, once on Christmas Day.
And until he’s behind bars, Rose and her baby can never be safe.
But now he’s found out he has a daughter. And that changes everything . . .
AN EXHILARATING BLEND OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE, NAIL-BITING TENSION AND A SHATTERING FINAL TWIST.
MY THOUGHTS
I don’t read psychological thrillers all that often, some can be really hokey and not much of a plot. Not so with this one, it took my breath away.
A young boy, innocent, still barely holding onto his belief in Santa, is hoping Santa will bring him a few gifts this year because he knows his mother won’t. There’s never a tree or any trimmings to make the holidays special. Neglected and unwanted, he knows his mother would rather be sleeping off her drunken fits than even putting food on the table. He is filled with rage and knows what he must do, and he will when he gets older.
Rose is a shy, church going girl, excelling at college, she doesn’t have many friends. A Christmas eve service has her excited to be with a few friends from church as the youth groups plans that evening’s events. Living close to church in a small Connecticut town, she slips out early to wrap a few presents and plans to return for the Midnight Mass as she walks home in the dark that evening. Her route takes her past a dark and deserted park. Frantic, her parents call the police when she is hours late getting home.
An evening search finds her badly beaten and sexually assaulted; the hospital staff not sure if she’ll survive. After months of physical therapy, she’s physically able to recover in body but she will never be the same. Finding herself pregnant from the attack she decides at the last minute to keep the baby and lives with her parents who give their full support to her choices and help with her child.
Deciding to move to her own place when her child is a school age, she enrolls her child in a local school and meets the new teacher, her child’s new teacher, a male. Her daughter and this teacher form a special bond, she is a challenging student but likes her teacher and they just click. When the teacher needs to talk to Rose about her daughter Mary’s behavior, he also makes an impression on the mother.
This is the start of a special friendship that turns into a romance between Rose and David, the teacher. He was the nicest man, always so understanding of Mary, the daughter and they both fall for his charm and kindness. After the wedding they settle into his house.
Rose is kept updated on the Christmas Eve killer every year by the police. He only strikes on Christmas and twice on Christmas Eve. Very few of his victims survive as he strikes along the East Coast of the United States. Rose doesn’t feel safe because whoever did this to her is still out there. Tucked away in her house with her daughter and new husband she feels as safe as she can possibly be with the decorations up and the spirit of Christmas, she should have no worries, right?
A shocking, twist of a story that lulls you into feeling safe and then strikes when you least expect it. Excellent!
Pub Date 12 Oct 2023 I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
An Amazon Charts/Best Selling Author, many of McGarvey Black’s novels are also available in audiobooks and have been translated into other languages. A new psych suspense novel is in the works for next year. Stay tuned.
TWICE ON CHRISTMAS
MY SISTER’S KILLER UK
WITHOUT HER CONSENT #6 on Amazon Kindle in the UK and landed on the Amazon Charts..
THE FIRST HUSBAND, also an international bestseller was re-released in 2023
TRUST ONLY ME
THE WOMAN UPSTAIRS
“I love writing twisty thrillers that keep readers guessing and hanging at the end of each chapter. Nothing makes me happier than when one of my readers tells me I kept them up all night.” —McGarvey Black
Other novels include:
A FAMILIAR STRANGER — a tale of redemption about what happens when you fly too close to the sun.
LOVE ON THE LINE (formerly titled The Fussy Virgin) is a romantic comedy about soulmates finding each other.
Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, McGarvey Black is married with two children and lives and writes in Florida. She loves dogs of any kind and eating ice cream with demitasse spoons to make it last longer.
If you enjoy her books, please leave a review, every single one helps so much. You can connect with her on Twitter: @mcgarveyblack, Instagram: mcgarveyblack1, Facebook: McGarvey Black
A therapist and self-help writer with all the answers, Sarah Slade has just bought a gorgeous Victorian in the community of her dreams. Turns out, you can get a killer deal on a house where someone was murdered. Plus, renovating Black Wood House makes for great blog content and a decent distraction from her failing marriage. Good thing nobody knows that her past is just as filthy as the bloodstain on her bedroom floor.
But the renovations are fast becoming a nightmare. Sarah imagined custom avocado wallpaper, massive profits, and an appreciative husband who wants to share her bed again. Instead, the neighbors hate her guts and her husband still sleeps on the couch. And though the builders attempt to cover up Black Wood’s horrifying past, a series of bizarre accidents, threatening notes, and unexplained footsteps in the attic only confirms for Sarah what the rest of the town already knew: Something is very wrong in that house.
With every passing moment, Sarah’s life spirals further out of control—and with it, her sense of reality. But as she peels back the curling wallpaper and discovers the house’s secrets, she realizes that the deadly legacy of Black Wood House has only just begun.
MY THOUGHTS
Debut author, Lisa M. Matlin writes a psychological thriller that’ll keep you glued to the pages. The “Death House” it’s called, the lovely Victorian mansion she buys to renovate and resell, flipping houses is all the rage now. She knows she can make a nice buck doing it. Never mind a murder took place here forty years ago and the neighbors know not to go anywhere near it.
That’s them and not her though, she’s a social influencer and A therapist and self-help writer, her blog posts about the renovations will boost her followers’ numbers immensely.
Never mind the house has putridly stale air from being closed up for forty years, very few windows and they don’t even open for a good airing.
I could visualize everything I was reading. The book is dark with a gothic feel to it.
From sleeping in a bloodstained room to sounds in the attic, creepy notes found around the house and feeling sicker and sicker all the time. She’s lost her mind; the evilness of the house consumes her. She’s gone into such a dark place, is it possible for an escape without hurting herself or others?
You can’t read this without feeling creeped out. It will have you wondering when you’re alone, what’s that noise, is there someone here. I wouldn’t advise reading this alone at night.
Something is very wrong in Black Wood House, everyone knows it. Will she become its next victim? Looking forward to the author’s next book.
Pub Date 12 Sep 2023 I was given a complimentary copy of the book. All opinions expressed are my own.
My Word Against His: A totally unputdownable psychological thriller packed with jaw-dropping twists
My future hangs in the balance. They’re questioning both of us and every word I say matters. I need to be careful – it’s my word against his, and I can’t afford to lose…
Thirteen years ago. Teenager Lucie babysits our little son Henry. She’s like the daughter I never had. And she believes we’re the perfect family – just me, my husband and Henry.
But Lucie doesn’t really know what’s happening behind closed doors. Until one night, she sees something so awful she leaves. And my family is never the same again…
Now, Lucie has reached out, desperate for my help. It’s been thirteen years of silence, but I would recognise her voice anywhere. She’s back: and so are the secrets she took with her.
What did she see that night? And does she know my side of the story, or only his?
I hope she knows what she’s doing. Because there is no line I won’t cross to protect the ones I love – or the secrets I’ve worked so hard to hide…
An absolutely gripping psychological thriller where no one is who they seem, that will make your heart pound and your jaw drop! Perfect for fans of addictive page-turners like The Housemaid, The Family Across the Street and The Family Upstairs.
I was tense and on edge reading this the entire time. Right from the set up of the story we jump right into the action, we also go to a previous time line with some of the characters, it’s a back and forth. This sets up our story and it explains the characters later behaviors. Our main character is portrayed as an unlikable domineering mother to Henri and she must not have her routines disturbed. Does she have a reason for this? How does her son feel about her smothering behavior and is there any repercussions in their relationship?
Brilliantly written, the author has done a fabulous job of keeping us on edge and giving our brain a workout trying to piece together how it will end. The end…………………. it really was a shock, the last thing I would have expected to happen. I was tense and on edge reading this the entire time.
Right from the setup of the story we jump right into the action, we also go to a previous timeline with some of the characters, it’s a back and forth. This sets up our story and it explains the characters later behaviors. Our main character is portrayed as an unlikable domineering mother to Henri and she must not have her routines disturbed. Does she have a reason for this? How does her son feel about her smothering behavior and is there any repercussions in their relationship? But just because she is portrayed as unlikable does this mean she is responsible for a murder?
Brilliantly written, the author has done a fabulous job of keeping us on edge and giving our brain a workout trying to piece together how it will end. The end…………………. it really was a shock, the last thing I would have expected to happen.
Pub Date 26 May 2023 I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
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About The Author
Lauren writes psychological suspense novels that delve into the darker side of relationships and families. She has a lifelong passion for writing, reading, and all things books. Lauren’s love of psychological suspense has grown since childhood and her dark imagination of always wondering what’s the worst thing that could happen in every situation.
Lauren studied psychology before moving to London where she lived and worked for many years. She now lives with her family in the Suffolk countryside. Readers can follow Lauren on Twitter @Lauren_C_North, Instagram @Lauren_C_North and Facebook @LaurenNorthAuthor
They say they have no children. So who did I see at the window?
My darling little boy Albie adores playing at our new neighbours’ house. And after the terrible year we’ve had, I feel so lucky that we can start over in this perfect place, with new friends who treat Albie like the son they never had. He can’t stop talking about the tree house they’re building him, and the cookies they bake together.
But as time passes, something starts to feel wrong. Why don’t they ever open the front door more than a crack? They told me they had no children, so who does the small pink tricycle I saw in their hall belong to? And why can I hear a lullaby drifting across the garden when I’m tucking my own boy into bed?
Then, one night, I see a small shadowy figure in their bedroom window…
I thought I’d learned my lesson about trusting the wrong people, but now I’m forced to wonder what this perfect couple are hiding.
And if I try to save that little helpless figure in the window, will I do what I’ve always feared most, and put my beautiful boy’s life in danger…?
An utterly gripping psychological thriller from the number one bestselling author of The Marriage and The Girlfriend. If you like Gone Girl,The Housemaid and Lisa Jewell then you will be hooked by The Bedroom Window.
My Thoughts
Starting over in a new place and home is never an easy task. So much to keep you occupied, unpacking and meeting the neighbors. She’s such a busy mom but when her son tells her about the wonderful neighbors he’s met, especially the woman, she’s thrilled. She’s like a second mom to him, treating him kindly, talking to him and thy even bake cookies together. Who wouldn’t want neighbors like that?
They say, “If it seems to good to be true, it probably is.” And in this case, it’s true. This psychological thriller, had me thinking along the lines of all is well and harmonious but in the back of your mind you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop, then it does.
My thinking immediately went off kilter and to a whole new way of thinking as I was on high alert and just had to see how it would play out. Once I started reading The Bedroom Window, I didn’t want to stop. The author brilliantly grabs your thought process and you’re thinking one way and then immediately need to shift gears into high alert. The book took me on a roller coaster ride, and I loved the thrill of it!
Published May 19, 2023 I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
For many years, Kim sent her work out to literary agents but never made it off the slush pile. At the age of 40 she went back to Nottingham Trent University and now has an MA in Creative Writing.
Before graduating, she received five offers of representation from London literary agents which was, as Kim says, ‘a fairytale … at the end of a very long road!’
Kim is a full-time writer and lives in Nottingham with her husband, Mac.
My husband is keeping secrets. I’m watching his every move…
Jake and I were childhood sweethearts. Strong, dependable and with a smile that melts my heart, he is the perfect husband and father to our beautiful little daughter. We have our money troubles – but getting a lodger, Kara, calms the panic I feel about our bills. Jake is reluctant but what choice do we have?
I’m relieved that Kara is so sweet, playing endless games of hide and seek with Elsie and settling into our home. But when I catch Jake and Kara sitting close together on the sofa one evening, they jump apart when I walk into the room. Jake promises it’s nothing…
When I search Kara’s room, I know for sure. My husband is keeping a terrible secret. And it’s much, much worse than I imagined.
Confronting him will tear our marriage apart, but I’ll do anything to protect my precious daughter.
Even if it means putting on a smile as I greet Kara at the breakfast table.
Even if it means lying to my husband’s face.
Even if it means someone has to die…
For fans of The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl and The Housemaid, this is a psychological thriller with a mind-blowing twist you’ll never see coming.
My Thoughts
The thing I love about psychological thrillers is you never know what to expect. I could hardly put this down. It’s incredible. I thought I had things pretty well figured out with the characters, then it hits you…………. A totally unexpected character change. Did I really have the character’s psyche figured out? I think not! I had to go back and reread some of this to connect the characters behavior in the past with the present. Totally unexpected ending. WOW! I just didn’t see this coming. I just love books like this that keep me on my toes.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.
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The Author
ictoria Jenkins lives with her husband and daughters in South Wales, where her bestselling series of crime novels featuring Detectives King and Lane is based. The first in the series, The Girls in the Water is a top 5 US kindle bestseller. She has an MA in Creative and Media Writing from the University of Wales, Swansea.
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