'House Guest' is the new novel by one of the best psychological thriller writers about, Mark Edwards.
Ruth and Adam are summer house sitting in New York, for Jack and Mona a couple they met on a cruise. Young and in love they are having a wonderful time stopping at the house but things start to change when Eden turns up on the doorstep. Eden claims to be a friend of Jack and Mona and tells Ruth and Adam that she was invited to stay in the house whenever she was in New York. With a storm in progress Eden is asked to stay to shelter the weather.
Everything is working out well and Eden is getting on well with the young couple but suspicions are raised that she may not be who she claims to be and that they have made a terrible mistake.

This is an excellent psychological thriller with great characters, good paced plot and lots and lots of suspense.

I would like to thank both Net Galley and Amazon Publishing UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I have read five or six Mark Edwards books in the last few months and this one is probably somewhere in the bottom middle.

I found the premise intriguing...a couple is housesitting for friends and a young woman shows up, claiming to be friends with the owners. She knows enough to be convincing and commences with havoc wreaking.

What's not to like, right?

Except...it felt a little inconsistent and a little lightweight.

I enjoyed it enough and read it in a day, it was easy to zing through and the beginning completely grabbed me but it felt a little rushed. I'm sorry to say this because I am a HUGE fan.

I am, however, incredibly grateful to Mark Edwards, Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

Review:

Mark Edwards has a gift for writing brilliant psychological thrillers that most people would dream to have! His newest book due out on June 3rd is no exception.

This one takes us to the states while Adam and Ruth are house sitting for friends. Edwards details are perfection and as he weaves his fabulous tale and the story starts to come together you realize that this thriller is spectacular! His perfectly placed plot twists makes this a page turning thriller I highly recommend and if you haven’t read any of Edwards previous novels you should!

This was a very captivating thriller! It had me hooked from the beginning. The storyline of the stranger showing up at the door and claiming to be a friend of the owners and being allowed to stay whenever, seemed a bit unrealistic to me. I am excited though to see where the story went and what twists and turns were to come. The book kept me in suspense. I wish the twist of Eden was a bit different but overall I enjoyed the book. Thank you so much for the chance to read this book, netgalley!

A chilling psychological thriller that starts off with a slow burn and keeps building.

Adam and Ruth are house sitting in NY for a couple that they met on a cruise. It is an opportunity for Ruth because she is wanting to work on Broadway as an actress. Adam is a writer trying to find his big break in NY as well. They are an ordinary, realistic couple with a flawed relationship due to their struggles of wanting to be successful.

When Eden, a young woman, shows up at the front door dripping wet on the last week of house sitting and says she is friends with the homeowners and that they have given her an open invitation to stay whenever she is in the area, the couple are unsure what to do. Ruth and Adam can't contact the owners to get approval because they are away on a retreat so they decide the girl is honest looking and agree to let her stay. This is the start to a series of events that are soon to do damage to their relationship, their work, their life and more. A clever and gripping thriller with interesting characters. Somewhat predictable but Mark Edwards always manages to pull a punch or two that is entertaining and satisfying.

Can't get enough of Mark Edwards books! They just get better and better. Chilling book with unpredictable turn half way through. Not in my wildest dreams I would imagine what was about to happen when the unexpected guest turned up on their doorstep. What a ride.. Brilliant.

Yet another fabulous book by Mark Edwards. I just couldn't put it down, as much as I told myself that I had to, I just kept reading it. In many ways this is a typical Mark Edwards book (if you are new to his books, then I recommend that you look at this page https://www.markedwardsauthor.com/new-readers-guide/), but there are some twists. The main twist is that the book isn't set in the UK. It's really good to see Mark setting a book somewhere else and I hope we will see many more set in different locations around this world as I can enjoy (as much as I hope Mark does) the challenge of his style of books being set outside the usual comfort zone.

Unlike with some books I have read recently, Mark always does such a good job of getting you to identify with the characters. Even if they are from a completely different walk of life, he creates characters and situations which you can relate to. This allows you to sink further into the story and, even if there are aspect of the story which are more unbelievable (it is fiction after all), you are in so deep by then, that all you want to know is what happens to the characters... what could happen to you.

I love Mark Edwards’ books so much! Of course I went blind without reading the blurb or any other reviews, additional comments and I invented a new happy dance between Macarena, line dancing, Criss Cross’ “Jump! Jump!” moves to celebrate my ARC!

And of course I had a great time with this unputdownable page turner. It’s one of my easiest reads with action-packed, fast paced, high tension, riveting chapters. It gives you the vibes of Netflix’s Osho documentary “Wild Wild Country” meets Sinner’s second season meets “Eyes Wide Shut”! Yes you got the picture! Welcome to the secret society.

Adam and Ruth, a couple, an actress and an astonishing writer in Williamsburg for home-sitting the friends’ house they’ve met on the cruise. They reminded me of the couple of “Divorce” hmm sorry “Marriage Story’s Charlie and Nicole” but this time, Adam is struggling writer who couldn’t accomplish his dreams (not yet) as Ruth slowly climbs the career ladders after her indie movie’s unexpected success.

As they home-sit the couple’s house (Jack and Mona), a young woman named Eden appears at their door step, soaking wet, insisting that she is friend of the couple, adding she is always staying at their place when she is in NY. So without second guessing, our puffy hearted, naïve British couple believe in her story and welcome her.
What could go so bad? She seems friendly, talkative, respecting their boundaries. And Adam is so stressful after he gets rejected several times for his writing gigs, befriending her, going to the swimming, hanging out at the pubs, taking selfies.

But the very same night, house’s real owners’ arrival, they had tequila shot party goes wild and emotional ends with dancing in the rain, meaningless giggles, hugging ceremony. And the next day, Adam realizes Eden disappeared into thin air and Ruth is also nowhere to be seen. And the worst part is as soon as Jack and Mona come back, they insist that they don’t know anyone named Eden! And they start to think, Adam lies about Eden and he is involved of disappearance of his own girlfriend.

So where did Ruth go? Did Eden kidnap her? Is Adam drugged at that night? Who is the bearded, old man spying on them at the night time?

There are too many twists, surprising realizations and tension building moments made you sit on the edge and biting your ipad, kindle or hardcopy to destroy your gums.

Ending was also, quirky and weird. Only minor thing that bothered me was there were so many unlikeable and irritating characters on the book. ( including Ruth) As a writer I could only empathize with Adam. At least he acted decent and faithful from the beginning.

Overall: Exciting, dazzling, heart throbbing, thought-provoking, mind numbing reading. I’m rounding up my 3.5 stars to 4 ( I cut it for small plot holes and weird characterization)

I love this author’s work and I keep going blind to happily read whatever he creates.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Amazon UK for sharing this nail biter ARC in exchange my honest review.

What would you do if you were house sitting for a wealthy couple, you met on a cruise, in a gorgeous house in Brooklyn, and a very harmless looking girl shows up on the steps, in the rain? Then, she claims to be long time friends of the owners, who have offered her a room if ever she was in town. Do you leave the girl on the steps, soaking wet, on the stoop? Or, see her as kind, harmless, and wet, and let her come in and stay?

That is EXACTLY what our protagonist does. Without ruining the story, that is the premise, and what makes this novel a psychological marvel.

I am currently really fond of thrillers. This didn't disappoint. I was entertained, and finished this one in an afternoon.I took to snuggling up, hiding with my Yorkie, under the covers too scared to see where this was going.

If you love a spooky thriller, I can attest, this is a great addition to your library. He is a very talented writer, who doesn't bounce around and confuse the reader with unnecessary subplots. It was well put together, and enjoyable from the beginning.

*Thank you NetGalley, The Publisher, and Mark Edwards for giving me a free copy in exchage of my honest review.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. The only other book I have read by this author is his book called The Retreat and I couldn’t put that one down, it was a great read but this one I had a hard time with. The first half of the book kept my interest but then the plot went into a different direction and I had a hard time finishing, still overall a decent read and I look forward to reading more of his books.

Thanks for the ARC. What can I say? I didn't want to put this book down once I started reading it. I did but could not wait to get back to reading it. I loved it.

The story begins with Adam and Ruth, a British couple, house-sitting in New York for a couple they befriended on a cruise, when Eden, a young woman claiming to be a friend of the homeowners shows up to stay with them.

The story has a very interesting premise and was a very captivating read for me but unfortunately midway I felt it lost it’s charm and was all over the place.

Adam is the primary narrator with a few chapters interspersed by Ruth too, Adam as the protagonist was very slow and I felt like I couldn’t really care about him.

Also halfway through a very unexpected twist and sort of an explanation came up that was quite a disappointment to me and I lost a lot of interest in the plot.

The plot is a slow burning, psychological thriller but I did not enjoy it.

Mark Edwards is one of my favorite authors and this new book of his is one of my favorites he has written. It’s so unlike any of his other novels, which is pretty cool. All his work is great, but I found this novel to be just so in its own category. I hesitate to say too much about the plot, because I don’t want to give anything away. If you love creepy, suspenseful and exciting books, you’ll love this. I read it in one afternoon- Couldn’t put it down!

I have not read a Mark Edwards book in a very long time and the description of The House Guest looked intriguing. I loved the first 50% of the book but when the plot turn took place (no spoilers here), I thought it was a bit far-fetched and quickly lost interest. Thank you for the advanced copy.

Another wonderfully, gripping book by Mark Edwards, with twists & turns. Whatever you think you know when reading, got it all worked out, you really don’t. A mystery until the very end.......

This was my first read by Mark Edwards. I had a few on my TBR but started with this one since who doesn't love an ARC? I was in a little bit of a reading slump when I started The House Guest and wow did it get me out of it. This book had me hooked the entire read. Multiple twists and turns. My stomach still is anxious while I am reminiscing on my read and writing this. 100% I recommend this to everyone especially thriller lovers. Now I am out the door to go pick up some more books by this wonderful author

I have read most of Mark Edward's novels and find them all to be very well crafted. This latest book is no exception! It is well plotted, with interesting characters who lead us on a journey of intrigue and suspense, along with a few surprises en route. I would highly recommend this book, and would like to thank both the Publishers and Netgalley, for giving me the opportunity of reading this Arc.

This a brilliant, refreshingly different book which had me totally hooked from page one. A young ,would be ,playwright and his beautiful actress girlfriend who is on the cusp of stardom, accept the offer of a house loan , from a couple they met on a cruise . The house, in an upmarket part of New York, is ideal, both for saving them money and for its proximity to the Broadway theatre where Ruth has been cast as the lead in an exciting new play. All is well until a bedraggled young woman , Eden, shows up claiming she is a friend of their benefactors. They cast their initial doubts aside after her convincing performance and invite her to stay. Things take a downward spiral from then on, culminating in Ruth's disappearance and incarceration in a mysterious cult . We are caught up in a frantic battle to rescue her from their clutches ..I swear I didn't breathe during the final chapters! This is a fast paced, well written psychological thriller which will rob you of sleep !

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I enjoyed this story very much and felt like I knew each character personally due to the description of them. I enjoyed the storyline. This is not my usual genre but in this instance I am extremely pleased and grateful for opening up my mind to something totally different. Thanks again.

I love Mark Edwards' twisty suspense thrillers so I was really keen to read this. It was a quick read, but that's about the only positive. Adam and Ruth are a British couple who are housesitting for friends in New York. A friend of the homeowners stops by and said that she was told she could come and stay with them anytime. I found the story quite gripping at first but it becomes so unbelievable that I was desperate for it to end.