“Brilliant, shocking and very creepy. Mark Edwards has done it again.”—Elly Griffiths, bestselling author of the Dr Ruth Galloway series
A perfect summer. A perfect stranger. A perfect nightmare.
When British twenty-somethings Ruth and Adam are offered the chance to spend the summer housesitting in New York, they can’t say no. Young, in love and on the cusp of professional success, they feel as … professional success, they feel as if luck is finally on their side.
So the moment that Eden turns up on the doorstep, drenched from a summer storm, it seems only right to share a bit of that good fortune. Beautiful and charismatic, Eden claims to be a friend of the homeowners, who told her she could stay whenever she was in New York.
They know you’re not supposed to talk to strangers—let alone invite them into your home—but after all, Eden’s only a stranger until they get to know her.
As suspicions creep in that Eden may not be who she claims to be, they begin to wonder if they’ve made a terrible mistake…
The House Guest is the chilling new psychological thriller from the three million copy bestselling author of Here to Stay and Follow You Home.
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Be careful who you let into your home. They may not be so easy to get rid of. Smart and twisty psychological suspense.
After reading and enjoying The Retreat by Mark Edwards, I came across The House Guest by the same author. The synopsis sounded intriguing, so I decided to give it a read. While it wasn’t a bad read, it was lacking a certain something.
Ruth and Adam are house-sitting for Mona and Jack, a rich couple they met on a cruise. When a woman named Eden shows up claiming to be an old friend of Mona’s and Jack’s, they decide to let her stay. After all, Eden seems to know a lot about the rich couple, and she seems nice enough. However, when Ruth and Eden disappear after a night of drinking, Adam begins to worry if he made a mistake by inviting Eden into the house. Is Eden actually an old friend or was she actually a complete stranger?
The plot for The House Guest really caught my attention. Mark Edwards does a fantastic job of making the story seem original. While many of the plot twists were easily predictable, it was still interesting enough to hold my attention. I did find that the pacing starts off a bit slow and doesn’t really pick up until about halfway through the book. All of my questions were answered by the ending of the book and although there’s not a cliffhanger, the ending does leave room for a sequel. I must admit that I liked the way Edwards kind of teased that there could be a sequel. One thing I wasn’t a fan of was how the narrative would switch from a third person point of view for everyone to a first person point of view when it came to Adam. I would have much rather read the whole book in third person, but perhaps that’s just a personal preference. Edwards did great at setting up the world building throughout the book, and when the pacing finally caught up to the action, I was immersed in the story line to find out if my predictions were correct.
I very much enjoyed the characters in The House Guest. Ruth and Adam were a likable couple, and it was easy to understand their relationship and what each one was feeling thanks to Edwards’ great description of how each character felt about the relationship. I sympathized with Adam feeling like a loser compared to Ruth and her success. However, I could also relate to Ruth and her feelings of not being good enough and other insecurities. Eden was an awesome character, and I enjoyed whenever she had a scene. Her backstory was definitely an interesting one. I never knew if she was telling the truth until towards the end. Callum was a wild card in the story, and I was surprised when his true backstory was revealed. Though all the other characters felt fleshed out, I would have liked to have read more on Gabriel. I believe that he really could have flourished a bit more had he had a bigger part in the story. Saying that, Gabriel still is a fantastic character.
Trigger warnings for The House Guest include violence, gun violence, murder, attempted murder, attempted rape (not graphic), mentions of sex (not graphic), getting drunk, mentions of drugs, brainwashing, and abuse.
All in all, The House Guest does have some faults, but it’s still an interesting read. The story unfolds perfectly, and the characters really draw you into their world. I would recommend The House Guest by Mark Edwards to those aged 17+ who are after a decent psychological thriller.
The House Guest is Mark Edwards at his spine tingling best. Another instant blockbuster from a can’t-miss king of psychological suspense.
Marvelously gripping. No one can be trusted. No one is safe. The House Guest is psychological suspense at its very best.
Tense, atmospheric, and full of twists and turns right up until the last page.
Brilliant, shocking and very creepy. Mark Edwards has done it again.
I drop everything for a new Mark Edwards and this is a brilliantly-plotted, breakneck thriller with the most spectacular finale.
Crackling with energy, simmering with tension, right turns, left turns, a chin-stroker of an ending…
This is Mark Edwards’s best book yet. An absolutely chilling tale that gripped me from the first page to the last.
If you were the house sitting for an acquaintance, would you let a stranger stay in the house with you? If so, what follows may not test your credulity. Ruth and Adam are extremely gullible and pay the price for opening the door. I also found it hard t believe a “cult” would go to such lengths to “recruit” someone into their ranks–even if the leader does have a thing for Shakespearean actors–in this case, Ruth is also an up and coming movie star who begins to believe Adam–a playwright–is jealous of her success. A pivotal character seems to appear from nowhere (though he has a story). His relationship to the unknown house guest borders on coincidental. The writing is easy to read, the plot has lots of twists, and the conclusion is up-in-the air.
This book screams “STRANGER DANGER” from every angle. A psychological thriller with many elements that could actually happen to unsuspecting people. A warning that people aren’t always what they appear to be.
It was an ok read. It didnt go the way I thought it would but at the same time, the ending was kinda disappointing.
This is a quick mystery read with a few twists along the way. I’ve always enjoyed Mark Edwards, and while this book kept me interested, I wasn’t fully enamored, especially of the last half. The story wasn’t on par with what I’ve come to expect from this author.
A lot of that is personal preference. I’m not a fan of the central plot thread (no spoilers). By the time I realized where the story was headed I was too invested to back out.
Adam, an aspiring writer, and his girlfriend, Ruth, an up and coming actress, are house sitting for a couple they met on a cruise, when a stranger (Eden) shows up at their door, claiming to be friends of the couple. In short order she inserts herself into Adam and Ruth’s life. After a night of heavy drinking, Adam wakes up to find Ruth and Eden have disappeared.
As Adam tries to discover what has happened to Ruth and who Eden really is, he’s met with obstacles at every turn. Many of his actions frustrated me, especially when he was interacting with the detective investigating the case. There were times I had to grit my teeth.
The ending has a clever wrap, but even then I’m not certain how I feel about the final resolution, especially as related to Eden. Many fans of mystery and suspense will certainly gobble this up. It reads quickly and has more high notes than low, but having read Edwards before, this one didn’t quite deliver on the scale I expected.
Got very complicated and weird towards the end
Very unbelievable
Very unbelievable
Good book, full of twists and turns. Didn’t see that ending coming!
A dark, clever, and intense thriller with a modern-day Rosemary’s Baby vibe, The House Guest will prick at your every paranoid fear.
I flew through The House Guest, and loved its innovative twists and turns. Mark is king of the curveball.
Sharp, well crafted, pacy and satisfying.
An impressive, pacy page-turner.
This is a true roller coaster of a thriller. Mark Edwards is a master of the page turner.