A fast-paced mystery and intriguing and unputdownable. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC.


The story follows the protagonist Tessa, a journalist who helped to get a wrongfully accused man out of prison. Until that man abducted the daughter of the lead police officer who was responsible for his incarceration. Saddled with guilt and feelings of responsibility for his freedom, as well as the press firestorm, she seeks refuge at an old estate that her mother left her and her estranged sister.
But nothing and no one at Fallbrook are what they seem, so does the house that she is staying in.


Am excellent mystery read and a bit scary for me. And with well constructed characters.
The plot twist was just unexpectedly amazing too.

Drew me right in to it’s web so many twists and turns,Stayed up late reading trying to figure out what was really going on.#netgalley#lakeunionpublishing

Eliza Maxwell’s The Caretakers will draw in one’s ghoulish tendencies as it involves the complicated secrets of a family violently slain long ago. When Tessa Shepherd finds herself the heiress to an old estate, she decides there’s no better time than the present to see why her mother had kept it a secret. As Tessa meets the caretakers of Fallbrook, Deidre & Kitty, she plunges head first into a history full of familial dysfunction, love, jealousy, and most of all, murder.
If Maxwell had kept the plot primarily focused on Fallbrook and the past, I think it would have been more engaging. Unfortunately, there is simply too much going on - Tessa’s relationship with her estranged sister Margot, Tessa’s present troubles with a documentary gone horribly wrong...the reader is left wondering where to focus their attention and sadly, what is a fascinating story of the Cooke and Donnelly families is heavily diluted.

The Caretakers by Eliza Maxwell is a book about secrets, sisters, friendship, and mistakes. It was definitely a page turner and kept me up reading late into the night. The ending did not disappoint!

3-4 stars.

The Caretakers has two seemingly unconnected storylines. The first is that of Tessa Shepherd a TV documentary maker and how her life unravels 18 months after making a programme about the false imprisonment of Oliver Barlow. The second concerns the caretakers of Fallwood House, elderly sisters Kitty and Deirdre Donnelly. Fallwood is now very dilapidated and has not been lived in since a terrible event happened there many years ago. What unfolds is a dramatic collision between past and the present.

First of all, the writing is high quality and there are some really good descriptions, some creepiness and moments of suspense. Some of the characters are well crafted especially the elderly sisters. You get a real sense of the atmosphere of Fallwood, it’s occupants and what happens in the past. There is a sort of ghastliness to Kitty’s story which I like very much. However, I feel there is far too much going on in the story and sometimes the switching of storylines is confusing. There are a couple of scenes that I feel are very over the top, stretching credulity though they are certainly dramatic!

Overall, I did enjoy it particularly the storyline from the past, it’s that one that intrigued me the most and the one I will remember. I think Tessa’s story works less well and ultimately I would have liked the book to be more pared down. After much internal debate I’m giving the book the 4 stars rather than 3 because it is so well written and enjoyable.

This my kind of book! It started off with a bang and kept my attention to the very end. It alternates storylines and I will say I felt a bit confused at times. Finally it all clicked and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. It finishes with a bit too of a twist too. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a copy of this book to review !

The Caretakers
by Eliza Maxwell

The Caretakers is a multi layered mystery with several different time lines. Beginning in present day with the main character 'Tessa' who has recently completed a documentary which helped to free an innocent man from prison after being wrongly convicted of murder. Or was he?

The story moves back and forth from the present to the early 1900's and the lives of the 'Cooke' family and their hired help the 'Donnelly's' within the walls of a mansion named 'Fallbrook' .

The book had a very slow start and it was difficult to stay with it until about 25% in, then the story started to make sense and made it worth staying with it.

It took awhile before the various people, times and places began to connect. Once the connections were made, the story was captivating. However, additional twists and turns convoluted the story at the end, leaving the reader unsatisfied.

To sum it up, The Caretakers had too slow of a start and too many twists at the end. Loved the middle of the book and found it difficult to put down. A more simplistic ending would have made this book a much more satisfying read and would have made it a 5 star book for me.

I have held off writing this review for days because I just wasn't sure how to rate this. I've settled on 3 stars but I'm still not feeling vetted to it being either higher or lower. Let me explain. Several years ago I read The Grave Tender which, I believe, might be the author's first book. (?) Regardless, that book just blew me away. It was unlike anything I had read in a very, very long time. That book was so beautifully written that I found myself instantly moved to tears by some sentences and sometimes just stopped dead in my tracks by the complete juxtaposition of the darkness of the story and the bright beauty of the writing. I found myself stopping to reread sentences over and over again just to try and capture that original clutch of emotion the author had given me.

So moving on to this book. This book cannot compare to my previous read. Gone are the beautiful prose and the gutting emotions. Does that makes this a bad book? Nope. Not at all. This a great mystery filled with great characters. It has two storylines, past and present, that are woven together in a very interesting way, with enough twists that it really kept me engaged. Is it written well? Yep. It absolutely is. But, did it give me that completely immersive experience I found reading the author's first book through her gorgeous prose? No it did not. Honestly, when I started reading this I had to go back and check who the author was because I thought I was reading someone else.

Hence my trouble with my rating. Once an author gives you one thing, are they then bound to always provide it? I think I believed they were when I started this book. Now I'm not so sure. It's made me think about other authors I read and do they always deliver me the same thing? I want to say yes - when it comes to their writing. Maybe I'm wrong. So how much of my angst with this book was really just my own expectations? Maybe all of it. Maybe none of it. Is it fair of me to judge this book based on a previous book? I just don't know.

But don't let my experience and expectation deter you from reading this. It's a great book and if you just want to dig into a really solid mystery that will keep you turning pages and guessing right up to the end, then definitely pick this one up. You won't be disappointed.

If you like suspense, mystery and some craziness all rolled in one novel, then look no further!
This book will have you on the edge of your seat as you attempt to figure out what is going on and who is guilty and perhaps who is not!
The dual timeline is at times confusing, but let me add "Keep Reading!"
You will understand and be shocked!
Definitely an interesting and well described plot alternating between the past and present as their paths converge.
You will be looking over your shoulder for quite awhile!

Thank you Netgalley for providing me this ARC of The Caretakers by Eliza Maxwell.

Tessa Shephard is a journalist who helped to get a wrongfully accused man out of prison. All seemed well until that man abducted the daughter of the lead police officer who was responsible for his incarceration. Saddled with guilt and feelings of responsibility for his freedom, Tessa seeks refuge at a crumbly old estate that her mother left her and her estranged sister. And while this case that Tessa works on has secrets, so does the house that she is staying in.

I did enjoy this book, but for some reason the storyline felt thin. It's strange to say that because there was a lot going on, but maybe that was the problem. The hole was wide, but not very deep. I felt like the author could have cut out a few side stories and dug deeper in the main story.

The title of this book, The Caretakers, tells it all. In this fast-paced mystery within mystery/thriller, relationships are forged anew, broken, and unraveled.

At the reading of their mother’s will, Tessa and Margot, twin sisters who have been estranged for many years (Tessa blaming herself for a terrible accident that left Margot severely injured), they learn, to their astonishment, that their mother had been adopted and that they are heirs to a dilapidated estate somewhere in the wilds of Pennsylvania, a place where the only possible source of cell phone reception is on top of a hill, and even that is dicey.

Tessa, a documentary filmmaker, has just found herself embroiled in a scandal when a man wrongly convicted of murder, who Tessa had helped had his conviction overturned by a film she did about him, apparently and suddenly goes mad and kidnaps the police chief’s daughter.

Tessa tells Margot she has got to get away from the press firestorm, and eventually both women, who are working out their differences and returning to the close relationship they had growing up, find their way to the estate they have inherited; a dark, gloomy, roof-collapsing, stair and floor rotting, overwhelmed by the natural world, home for birds, spiders, and who knows what other natural creatures. The former grand estate is literally dying, turning to dust so as to return to the dust.

At the estate, the meet Kitty and Deidre, ancient crones, one demented, who live in the caretaker’s cottage, their original home when their mother was housekeeper at the estate. Kitty talks to ghosts but has periods of lucidity. Deirdre is sharp as a tack, and not thrilled with the arrival of Tessa and then Margot.

The tale spins out in many directions; too many to keep track of, sometimes, including some red herrings and surprises that add nothing, in my opinion, to the story. While I read the book in one day, I was ultimately disappointed. The writing and character development overall was excellent, except for some characters that were so outrageous as to be caricatures (the police chief, for one), and the stories that wind around this book are fascinating. I just thought there was too much coincidence. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable read.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

In The Caretakers, Eliza Maxwell has crafted a totally atmospheric and chilling mystery which weaves between the past and present to create a totally addictive reading experience. The novel focuses on Tessa Shepherd, a film maker whose work exonerates an innocent man. But when he is involved in another murder case, his innocence and Tessas reputation is put in jeopardy. At the same time, Tessa suffers a personal tragedy, along with the unraveling of a twisted family past which sends her fleeing to Fallbrook. Little does she know just how deep the secrets here run…

The novel follows two different threads, flashing back and forth in time to tell the story of Tessa in present day and The Cooke Family and the slow reveal of what befell them at Fallbrook estate in the past. Sometimes with dual timelines in novels , I find myself more invested in one or the other but in this case I was equally interested in both stories and reading how it all played out was so enjoyable. As well as the dual timelines, the novel also makes use of a number of perspectives which was also highly effective in maintaining the air of mystery and the suspenseful and slow trickle of the story.

As well as the central mysteries in the novel, the story has a strong focus on family and the often difficult relationships therein. Tessa and her twin sister Margot have been estranged after an incident in their youth, but over the course of the novel they slowly begin to rebuild their relationship and work things out. This isn’t easy however as theres years and years of resentment and misunderstanding between them. I feel like this is realistic and adds another layer of complexity to the narrative.

I thought Tessa was a relatable and interesting character and it was refreshing to read the portrayal of a character who deals with severe anxiety. I can only speak for myself but I feel like this was well done and it was encouraging that she finds coping mechanisms and manages to overcome the anxiety, resulting in a hopeful ending for her.

Overall, The Caretakers was a truly great story with some twists and turns I didn’t see coming. I thought there was also some interesting character work and I’m definitely interested in reading more of Maxwells work in the future. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy unique and twisted thrillers with complex characters.

The first thing I need to say is that this book is AMAZINGLY written!!! Such good writing, I’m speechless.

Loved the book, the way a chapter flows to the next one with a connect line or subject, amazing! And the last chapter also was brilliant! There were some plot twist I didn’t see coming, a very mysterious book, I didn’t want to stop reading!

The Caretakers by Eliza Maxwell is a mystery with creepy elements and weirdly eccentric characters. An ending that quite literally didn't see coming. An enjoyable read.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

I have never read this author. Thank you for allowing me too. This book to be interesting with some twists not expected..

Filmmaker Tessa Shepherd helped free a man she believed was wrongly imprisoned for murder. When he kills again, Tessa’s life is upended.

She’s reeling with guilt, her reputation destroyed. Worse, Tessa’s mother has unexpectedly passed away, and her sister, Margot, turns on her after tensions from their past escalate. Hounded by a bullying press, Tessa needs an escape. That’s when she learns of a strange inheritance bequeathed by her mother: a derelict and isolated estate known as Fallbrook. It seems like the perfect refuge.

A crumbling monument to a gruesome history, the mansion has been abandoned by all but two elderly sisters retained as caretakers. They are also guardians of all its mysteries. As the house starts revealing its dark secrets, Tessa must face her fears and right the wrongs of her past to save herself and her relationship with Margot. But nothing and no one at Fallbrook is what they seem.

I liked the book. It began with a slow start for me. But, then it was a read worth the wait. I will give it4.5 stars. I truly loved the ending.

4 stars!! The only thing keeping it from being a 5-star read is that it took a bit for me to really get into it. When I did, though, it was a WILD ride. I loved the fact that the novel had interweaving stories. Although Tessa's role in freeing an innocent man from prison was a big deal, you quickly learn that the real story is with her family. The writer did a phenomenal job with the mystery - telling you JUST enough to keep you guessing but not quite enough to make it obvious. The last few chapters had my heart racing. I'm so glad I gave this one a chance! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity.

Atmospheric, mysterious and unputdownable! The Caretakers sits somewhere between thriller, general and historical fiction.

This is perfect if you're wanting to dip your toes into something mysterious, with plenty of suspense. Each character in the book is believable and compelling; while the story follows the protagonist Tessa, you'll care about everyone she interacts with as well.

Maxwell takes her time with the plot - nothing feels rushed, which is essential for this genre. Often endings can feel tacked onto the end or sped along, but that's not the case here.

Overall, a very enjoyable read!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an excellent mystery read. It wasn't so scary and that is great for me! I enjoyed it and could not put it down until the end!
Anyone who likes a great mystery or historical fiction, this book is for you.
The author did a wonderful job keeping you in suspense and taking you back to the beginning of Tessa's family but not giving anything away!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.

Wow! This book.... loved everything about it. The characters and the atmospheric setting really made the story come alive. It was amazing. I particularly enjoyed the present and past stories being told from the various characters points of view. I’m not sure which genre I would put this book in; thriller. Historical, general fiction. If you like any of the aforementioned categories I would strongly encourage you to read this wonderful story. It’s not often a book stays with me after reading but this one has. Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.