“Mark Edwards always delivers! Taut, gripping, scary and original – a fabulous read!”—Robert Bryndza, #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author
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 – … 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.
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A horribly convincing portrait of the in-laws from hell. I kept wanting to tear my eyes away but had to keep reading.
HERE TO STAY by Mark Edwards is one of the most chilling psychological thrillers I’ve ever read—and that’s saying a lot. I was on pins and needles—uneasy for days, and then blindsided by a brilliant twist. I didn’t see the ever-so-subtle lead-up coming. Then wham! I highly recommend this book!
It’s every newlywed’s hope for wonderful in-laws. In the case of Elliott, a mild-mannered science teacher, his neat, orderly life is turned upside down by the in-laws from hell. A chance encounter with Gemma ends with her saving his life. Four months later, they’re married, and shortly after that, Gemma asks if her parents can move in for a few weeks. They’re coming back to England after being in a France for an extended time and have no place to go.
Having recently finished the remodeling work on his dream home and eager to meet his in-laws, Elliott is happy to oblige. Jeff and Lizzie Robinson arrive along with Gemma’s younger sister, Chloe, who appears almost catatonic. It’s unclear why the three left France—which seems to have been in a hurry—or how they managed before they did. Gemma is tight-lipped and jittery around them, and barely acknowledges her sister. Although Chloe eventually comes out of her shell, it becomes evident Jeff and Lizzie have no plans of moving.
They settle in like squatters. Much like parasites or roaches who invade and take over. These two are revolting—obnoxious, gross, filthy, loud, rude, utterly repellant. Jeff is a bully, Lizzie a piranha. Gemma refuses to stand up to them and avoids them whenever possible even as they start to trash Elliott’s home. They’re brazen enough to haul in paint and start arranging furniture to their liking (side note: if you think the law should be involved, that’s addressed).
Frustration? Yes! I was irritated with Elliott for being so blind about what was happening and refusing to take a firmer stand. He is a likeable protagonist, one who garners sympathy from the reader, but someone you want to see take forcible action. When that moment finally arrives, it’s not in the way I would have expected. But this is a Mark Edwards psychological thriller which means there are going to be numerous curveballs. In that respect, the author delivered several! If that’s not enough, he tossed in a few mysterious murders early in the book for good measure.
Here to Stay is a story about what people will resort to when pushed to the breaking point. This is dark psychological fiction, not something I would normally choose to read. I’ve been a fan of Mark Edwards for a long time, which is why I immediately grabbed the book upon release. Well written, well-told, and certain to wring a host of emotions from the reader, it’s a gripping tale with a dramatic ending. 4.5 stars.
One of the better thrillers from one of my favorites. Terrific building of dread and suspense, well-crafted characters and sense of place make this a book I highly recommend to those who enjoy real page-turners.
Mark Edwards always delivers! Taut, gripping, scary and original — a fabulous read!
I loved Here to Stay, an absolute masterclass on how to build and sustain tension.
I got this in the Kindle Unlimited program but enjoyed it so much I plan to buy it. It is such a crazy story! We put it on intending to listen just a few hours while we did some things around the house. That idea changed pretty quickly. We were so caught up we actually changed plans and kept listening until the end, (along with a lot of talking to each about what was happening). The narrator, James Langton, did a fantastic job with reading it. He really made the characters come alive for us. It is a dark, fictional story so best enjoyed if you aren’t trying to make it nonfiction and you are okay with reading about violence. A twisted read for us.
These have got to be the craziest in-laws I’ve ever seen. Pushy, rude, and very entitled or at least they THINK they are, to Eliiot’s home. I got mad right along with him through this until things switched up near the end and I was left with my mouth hanging open at how fast things unfolded. The book was fast-paced and mysterious in regard to one of the minor characters, which made me want to know more. Then there was that ending! I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more by this author.
This was my free book choice from Amazon Prime for August 2019. It was definitely one of the better free book choices, if not the best so far.
I can’t recall off hand a story that raised my anxiety to such a level that it took everything I had not to flip to the end to see how it ended. So glad I didn’t.
1/17/21 – A great psychological thriller. It starts out normal enough, but when the in-laws move in it goes south very quickly. A wild story, that has you invested and cheering against the in-laws and for the main character throughout. There were a few plot twists along the way as well, though I wished for a little more from the main character (in the sense that I wanted him to do more).
Great – couldn’t put it down!
A thoroughly entertaining and creepy read set in a perfectly common backdrop. Mark Edwards is one of those authors that can take a normal life and make it topsy turvy…causing the reader to say “This could happen!”, and, “What would I do????”.
Could not stand this book
I couldn’t put this book down. I didn’t see the villain until I read it.
This book was really good because I never would have figured out the ending until I was AT the ending! Total surprise!!! It was interesting because when you invite someone in to your home you would never think that trying to get people to leave would be so incredibly hard, especially when it’s YOUR HOME!!! Which I have heard of happening before. This was a great book and I’ll be reading more by this author!:)
Never saw the end coming. I thought the book was a little slow in the beginning, but turned into a real page turner. I got so angry with the inlaws, I felt my blood pressure rising. All in all a great read.
Loved it..it made the reader angry that these people could get away with their duplicitous behaviour.
This book is such a great read. Lots of twists and turns. You will never imagine how the ending is. Add to your library!
Mark Edwards is always a great read! This is truly an “in-laws from hell” story, and the increasing intensity of the protagonist’s plight makes is a real page-turner.