“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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3.5 stars This is a plot driven novel so the characters had to jump when told to. I found myself shouting, ‘Don’t do that,’ but they had to. I also skipped many pages.
That said the premise was scary and made you think about who to allow into your home – watch out! Kept me reading and was entertaining
Realistic characters in a story that one can relate to And an unpredictable ending very enjoyable
Here to stay was a great read. I’m usually pretty good at guessing the end but this last twist threw me. Loved it… would recommend.
What a Nightmare!
Talk about edge of your seat, and never knowing what is going to happen next! To the very last page!
Read this in a say. Great thriller
Mark Edwards paints a terrifying picture of new love gone wrong, murder, and mayhem. When Elliott, at the request of his new wife, let’s his in-laws into his home, he finds himself trapped in his worst nightmare. He never bargained for Jeff and Lizzy. As he struggles to deal with his new situation, he finds his whole world slipping away, including his humanity. This story is well crafted and brings a surprise ending that is not an ending at all…just an opening for another nightmare to begin. Well done and very entertaining.
Elliot and Gemma are a happy newlywed couple, and live in the house that Elliot owns and had lovingly restored prior to meeting Gemma. When Gemma tells him that her parents Jeff and Lizzy and sister Chloe are coming back to the UK after residing in France and currently have nowhere to live, he agrees they can use the spare bedrooms until they can find a place of their own.
Weeks turn into months. Jeff and Lizzy are obnoxious, and Elliot soon realises they have no money and no intention of ever moving out. Chloe hardly leaves her room, seemingly suffering from a mysterious illness. Ellliot tries various strategies to get them all to go, which only lead to frightening events he could only imagine in his wildest nightmares.
Well written and with a brilliant twist at the end. I spent quite a lot of the time wondering why on earth Gemma (who knew Jeff and Lizzy’s character traits) would have wanted her parents to stay in the first place, but this does become apparent towards the end of the book. I never came across any errors either, and so it was well edited! A recommended read for fans of psychological thrillers.
I received a free electronic ARC copy of this novel on September 23, 2019, from Netgalley, Mark Edwards, and Thomas & Mercer publishers. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my personal opinion of this work. I am always surprised by just how quickly a good author can suck you into their personal, imaginary world. Mark Edwards is a master. He is an author I am happy to recommend to friends and family, one I am following.
I didn’t see far enough ahead to follow this tale to its conclusion – Over and over I am caught unaware. I found Gemma completely sympathetic, her sister rather pathetic and ineffectual, and the parents totally evil. All the way through. Needless to say, the ending was a fairly complete surprise. I loved the trip and appreciated the ending. Thank you, Mark Edwards, for an excellent escape into the darkness.
Mark Edwards “Here To Stay” was deeply disturbing. I was so uncomfortable while reading it, and yet I couldn’t put it down. It made me squirm and hope it would soon be over. That seems funny now, but while reading this story, it was true!
When the new young wife’s family is invited to move in temporarily because they have no place to stay, I became very suspect of their motives. Every page I turned verified my suspicions. Not going to deliver any spoilers here—but if you want a psychological horror story, this is definitely it!
I found this book to be well worth the read! Outstanding character development and original plot. Makes you wonder if your in-laws should ever be invited to your house!!!!
WOW…just WOW! I listened to this book in the car and actually looked forward to my commute so I could get to the next part. And what a twist…definitely did NOT see that coming! Loved it!
Here To Stay started out a little slow for me and the writing style was not as rich with description as I prefer. However as the story progressed, I became invested in the turmoil that the protagonist, Elliot was experiencing, in-laws overstaying their welcome and turning into squatters in his home. I was shocked to learn that in London, you can have someone come and visit and if they don’t want to leave it can take months even over a year to get them out of your home. I found myself feeling overwhelming frustration and a sense of suffocation on behalf of this poor man. Once I was halfway through the book, I read the rest of it in one sitting.
I really enjoyed this thriller. This is the first time I’ve read anything by this author and I will definitely go on to read more of his books.
I was not a fan of this book which was a shame. The idea of parents staying forever sounded terrifying (ha ha) but I found way too much in the story hard to believe and it was way too long. It was beyond suspension of disbelief. The secrets and plot twists became ridiculous and frankly came at odd times. I was all over the place and sometimes confused. I think the cat Charlie was the one victim I cared for most, and I don’t like cats.
After the beginning, where the set-up was done well, I had to put this book down a few times because it was so hard to care. There are parts that I skipped because it was completely dull with no action or thrust. If one character is over the top, it’s one thing, but when all of them become unhinged oddities, I can’t grab on to their motives. And I have to say a scientist is supposed to be smarter than this, but there were so many unbelievably dumb moves that I wanted to stop reading. I finished out of a commitment to the author’s efforts, but I would not recommend it.
There’s no way this story line could happen. I don’t think anyone is as stupid as this young man was depicted. It was frustrating and I wanted to slap some sense into him. Terrible. Awful ending.
Elliot is a proper English chap with a lush garden and a spacious house. One day lovely young Gemma wanders into his wildflowers and soon becomes his lovely young wife. Elliot dreams of one day having a family with her, and then her parents show up.
HERE TO STAY ups the relatable dread of having your in-laws visit for an extended period to a relentlessly shocking level. The characters are vivid, especially the in-laws whose total lack of boundaries and crude behavior rise to very disturbing levels before Elliot finally fights back.
This would be my worst nightmare. At times I couldn’t breathe out of pure frustration. I felt like leaving notes saying do this and do that but I restrained myself. Unpredictable ending, not the usual boring happily ever after. I was sort of glad it was over because I couldn’t take the stress anymore ha ha. Great story!
Here to Stay is a relentless, chilling novel that never lets up. I’m now afraid to let anyone stay in my house — in-laws or otherwise.
Brilliantly entertaining, deviously plotted, and utterly compelling. I loved it.
Mark Edwards is the king of domestic horror.
A tense, twisted thriller with a fantastic main character and a nerve-shredding story line that will completely mess with your head. Brilliant.