After meeting The Cunninghams on a cruise, Adam and Ruth jump at the chance to house sit for them in New York City. Ruth happens to be starring in a play, so off they go, the perfect opportunity. When Eden shows up at their doorstep claiming to also know the Cunninghams, Ruth and Adam let a perfect stranger through the door, trusting her word. However, it isn’t long until a drunken night leaves Adam all alone, wondering where is Ruth? And who is Eden really?

This book was a wild ride from beginning to end. Immediately you can tell something is off with Eden, but the real question is what? Adam and Ruth are floating on this happy cloud, but even their relationship feels fragmented beneath the surface. Things really heat up when Adam discovers that Eden took Ruth- mix that with the fact that no one believes him, it’s a psychological thriller at its finest.

In the end, I gave this book 5 stars. Mark Edwards dishes up a real puzzle with this book and it was interesting to the very last page.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Ruth and Adam are offered the chance to house sit in New York. It's the perfect opportunity, Ruth is an up-and-coming actress who's just landed her first job on Broadway and Adam is trying to make it as a playwright. One evening, a woman shows up claiming to know the owners of the house. Instead of turning her away, they invite her in. It's too late when they realise their mistake.

I'll be honest, I went into this book with high hopes as I really enjoy Mark Edwards books, but I'm a little sad to say The House Guest just didn't live up to the others I've read by him.

The story started off well, fast-paced, tension packed, but it fell a bit flat.

I felt the storyline was a little too out there, which I rarely mind because you know, it's fiction, but this time I felt like it didn't quite work for me.

Then there were the characters. Both Ruth and Adam were flawed, but distinctly unlikeable and far too trusting. And don't even get me started on Eden.

I will, of course, still be picking up more Mark Edwards books in the future. He's still a fab writer and this book won't put me off.

Finding myself housesitting while I read this - what a story!
An incredible thriller that captivated me from the blurb on goodreads and didn't let me down one bit as the pages kept turning - and I whipped through them!!!

I cannot wait to read more of Mark's books and be entranced in his masterful storytelling worlds.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Mark Edwards and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an ecopy of this publication which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

Fancy housesitting in NYC? Yeah me too! Adam and Ruth agree to house sit for a couple they met on a cruise. One night a soaking-wet, stranger knocks on the door, claiming to be a friend of the homeowners. They feel they must be hospitable and invite Eden in. Is she who she says she is? Ruth then disappears and Eden has vanished into thin air, leaving Adam firmly in the frame.


A brilliant page turner from Mark Edwards. I would have read it in one sitting if I could!

I love the cover of this novel and the inside. "The House Guest is an exciting novel by Mark Edwards. A page turner for sure.

A brilliant and fast paced read! Wonderfully written with great characters and lots of twists. People aren't always who they seem. ;)

An interesting twist about a cult that is formed to protect each other. Good plot line and characters. Quick read and great book for the beach.

Ruth and Jack are your English young dream chasing fame in New York when a stranger turns up at the door. I found their story a lovely story that stayed true though everything that was thrown at them but I struggled to follow the cult storyline in today’s society. I enjoy Marks books and always love his lack of fear to throw a curve call into the plot but I just could not believe or relate to a lot of this one. It’s definitely worth a read and has you turning the pages quickly to get to what you want to be a happy ending.

This book was completely different than what I expected and I LOVED that fact! I like to be surprised and when I can't figure out the end, it totally makes the book worth reading! I love this author and I like how there is a little cameo I'd one if his characters from a previous book! I highly recommend anything this author writes.

I keep trying with Mark Edwards because I remember so enjoying one of his earliest books. Ever since then, I've been chasing that high. And as is often the case, you can never quite replicate that first hit. I tried really hard and for a long, long time with this one. And it just didn't work. With his more recent work I've found that the premise is almost always intriguing, but then he doesn't quite manage to follow through. He's great with building suspense and dread, but where things fall apart is almost always with the revelation of the motive of the villains. It's never quite up to snuff.

In one novel (not this one) the motive was just that they were inexplicably bad people. Nothing more than that. And when your villains' motives are so thinly conceived, what this means is that often, his characters have to resort to long monologues to explain to the reader why things happened as they did. And when he can't explain an occurrence (a pretty pivotal moment), in this particular book, one of the characters actually says, "I guess we'll never know." That felt like a cop-out, like an author who wrote himself into a corner or realized a plot-hole and couldn't plug it, so simply inserted "I guess we'll never know." And the process through which the criminal mastermind was identified ... oh boy. Beggared belief is all I'll say.

I dunno. I think I might have to call it with this author.

Well I want expecting what I've just read in the slightest.... It was a bit out there, but unfortunately I can't say it's something I would read again. Not that it was a bad book as some of it had me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't wait to see what happened but it just seemed a bit bizzar too!

I thought this was a great idea, but have to confess that I thought Adam was a bit silly and too trusting of people. This affected my enjoyment a little, but I am being fairly critical I guess. Apart from that, it was, as I said, a great idea, and was a usual well written and fairly gripping - I did want to keep reading to find out what was going to happen.

Firstly i must warn readers. Clear your schedule this is a page turner. A knock on the door and you open to a stranger who needs your help of course you listen to their story. Mark Edwards is a master of suspense as you are quickly drawn in to this creepy story. I highly recommend and thanks to net galley for the arc. I will be looking for this authors books. WOW

Started off so well but then went far too unbelievable and far fetched. The story did not live up to the premise.

I was very impressed with this book! The characters were very likeable and there were some twists that I didn't see coming. Another great book by Mark Edwards!

I’m a huge fan of Mark Edwards. He’s able to spin such amazing, unexpected psychological thrillers out of seemingly ordinary plotlines, I can’t help but be impressed. I wasn’t sure how he was going to be able to do the same with the simple set-up of a random stranger coming to the door during a rain storm, but gosh-darn-it, he did it. He really did it.

So as it says, Ruth and Adam are house sitting for some friends when a young woman, Eden, comes to the door during a rain storm, saying she’s a friend of the homeowners. Seeming to know enough about homeowners Jack and Mona to convince Ruth and Adam she’s the real deal, Eden stays and quickly befriends the young couple. But just before Jack and Mona’s return, things go horribly wrong.

I don’t want to give away too many details, because as with any of Edwards’ books, it’s better to go into things not knowing too much. It’s best to experience the twists and turns as they come, fast and furious. And this one, as with his other books, did not go in the direction I thought it would. But I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed it.

The ending was also really great. Just so....creepy. So wonderfully suspenseful.

I still think my favorite Mark Edwards book will always be Follow You Home (OMG READ THAT ONE)- but this one deserves its place in the canon. Another winner here.

Beautifully written book. Builds up the suspense and twists when least expected. The characters are relatable and I can imagine that the plot is close to the truth in some circumstances, especially in america! Another book well done 💜

I love Mark edwards and I was thrilled to receive this as an ARC

As usual Mark does not disappoint

Highly recommended

Well Mark Edwards smashed it again! Another page turning thriller full of his usual craziness and characters you love to hate! Loved the plot and story and everything about it, the twist was brilliant and I’m hoping he’s releasing another one soon!!!!