Ok Louise Jensen, you got me again! I was so convinced I had this one all sussed out… I could not have been more wrong if I tried 😆 I loved this twisty, creepy and addictive thriller and stayed up late to finish it.

Would you stay in a house that a family was murdered in 30 years ago? Newington House is known as the Murder House. An horrific house invasion ended with 3 members of a family being brutally murdered and the house has sat empty even since. Now, James and Cass have the opportunity to be caretakers for the house and live rent free. Too good to be true? Well, strange things start to happen in the house and Cass feels like she is being watched. You will never see what is really happening and it has an ending that will make your jaw drop!!

So very clever, the creaks and sounds of the house had me freaked out! I do love this author, she never fails to impress me with her stories. I loved the authors note on how she got the ide for this story. Well worth a read.

Thanks so much to HQ for my early copy of this book to read. Published on April 11th.

This is a good, twisty, family drama / thriller that maintained my interest.

James and Cass are a young couple with difficult backgrounds who decide to be caretakers of an old house whilst a sale completes and renovations and developments begin. They both sense strange goings on in the house and the story begins with the house's history and why the strange things may be occurring. The writing is good and the chapters to and fro from present day and James and Cass' experiences along with the history of what happened.

It starts really well and has a solid, interesting ending. However, I did find the middle of the book a bit of a slog and at one stage found myself skipping parts and then going back.

Overall though, a satisfying drama and I'm grateful to NetGalley and HQ Publishers for the opportunity to preview.

Wow this book was so atmospheric and spooky, right from the start. It reeled me in straight away and made me feel every little creak or twist.
It didn't turn out how I imagined, I did not consider that type of thing for one moment. At first I wasn't keen but then it grew on me.
The epilogue - what a mess! How ironic that there was now a resemblance to the former residents..... Makes you think, Nature v nurture.
All in all, a good , spooky read which kept me coming back for more.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Over thirty years ago, the occupants of Newington House were horrifically murdered, the house has remained empty ever since.

James and Cass become caretakers of Newington House, they take on the house so they can save for their own place.

Strange things start to happen when they move in and Cass feels the house is haunted, James is unsure and isn’t sure if Cass has some issues.

Just what happened in the house all those years ago? Is the house haunted or is there more to it?

Wow! I devoured this psychological thriller, I just couldn’t put it down.

Both Cass and James have their issues but they have a special connection and I liked the relationship they had.

The author has made the story extremely creepy and tense.

I did think I had everything sussed, but I was so wrong!

The story has some fabulous twists and I was entertained from start to finish.

My thanks to NetGalley and HQ for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Intruders kept me gripped from the first chapter until the last. You know a book is brilliantly written when you find yourself thinking about the it during the day, wishing the day away to be able to get back to the story. Everything from the old manor house setting to the short, pacy chapters made for chilling and addictive reading.

Every twist made me gasp. I really didn't see any of them coming. The plot offers the perfect amount of confusion and intrigue without being too ridiculous that you lose interest. An all-round brilliant thriller and one I will recommend to my friends.

I've loved all of Louise Jensen's books and can now add The Intruders to the list. What a belter of a story!

Just when you think things are fairly self-explanatory the unexpected creeps up and makes one hell of an impact.

Louise is a queen of twists and turns. I gasped a few times while reading this. She's also brilliant at characterisation and recognising no one is fully good or bad. There are shades of morality and evil.

I'm not going to give away any of the plot so as not to spoil an absolute treat of a read.

I loved the house and its gothic feel, the element of supernatural, and how the past shapes the future.

Read this book as soon as you possibly can!

I loved the plot of this book! It has some incredible twists and I loved Cass and Rose’s characters in particular.

This is a great read for all fans of thrillers and it keeps you guessing until the very end. Highly recommend all of Louise Jensen’s books!

This was an amazing read. I love reading Louise Jensen as she is a very talented author who has always kept me on the edge of the seat. The distribution of new facts were given at perfect timing and the characters were so plausible, even though I personally could not imagine living in a murder house for any reason. At the start it is fairly convoluted with the introduction of so many new people but it did not take long for clarity to prevail and everyone fell into the right place. The separate chapters linked the past with the present very neatly and gave so much depth to the story, I loved the introduction of the coincidences and how gradually these were all explained. Although I was able to sort the characters out before the ending it did not detract from the development of this excellent story.
Highly recommend this to any one who loves a good psychological thriller

Cass and James haven’t been together long but, want to spend the rest of their lives together. Cass wants to leave the house that she shares with her father because she has had enough of his stifling ways.
They both decide to take a job as caretakers at a manor house that has been left empty for thirty years. The house is waiting for redevelopment and the job is to look after the place until the works starts getting done. But when Cass finds out what house it is. Locals call it the murder house after a family was slaughtered there all of them years ago and has been empty ever since. She is at first hesitant to move in. But James assures her that he will look after her and they both eventually move in.
Suddenly weird thinks start to happen, and Cass thinks she is not alone. Is it all in her head? Or is there something not right about this place?
At first this was a bit slow to get into but, then it became a tense creepy story with lots of twists and turns and to be honest I didn’t know where this story was heading. Until the last quarter of it with the big reveal, which I need feel a bit far fetched and wanted me to stop reading but I am glad I finished it. This turned out to be a fabulous read. 4 stars from me.

The Intruders by Louise Jensen is a simply marvellous psychological suspense that I just could not put down. This is a book that will make your heart race and the hairs on the back of your neck rise. It is definitely more than a little creepy.
Louise Jensen has constructed an intricate plotline that grabbed me from the start – we know that a family was murdered thirty years ago as the book opens but we do not know why or what was being sought.
The action weaves this way and that as we alternate between present day and thirty years in the past. We hear different voices in both the third and first person. Just as I thought I was piecing it all together – wham! The action veered off piste again! I clung on for dear life – after several twists and turns we sped towards the conclusion and all I can say is … Wow! Just wow! How Louise Jensen comes up with these fabulous stories time and time again is amazing.
I loved the literary device that the author used where the words at the end of one chapter were uttered at the beginning of the next but in a different context. This linked the past and present seamlessly.
There is the theme of nature versus nurture. Are monsters made? Or do we inherit the characteristics? Can we be truly good? Or truly bad? Or are we a grey mixture?
A mother’s love is a powerful driving force. How far will you go to protect your children?
The old house is a character in its’ own right. The creaks and groans – are they natural noises? Or do the dead cry out?
The Intruders is written employing elements of the gothic tradition – the old house, the secrets within its’ walls, dark passageways and more. The weather mimics the action too.
This is a book that will consume. Do not read it alone or at night. This is the stuff of nightmares! It is also utterly brilliant. I adore all Louise Jensen’s’ books. This is possibly, in my opinion, the best yet. Don’t take my word for it, buy your copy today.
I received a free copy via Net Galley. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book by Louise Jensen, the first I’ve read and hopefully it won’t be the last.

The thriller had me hooked from the beginning, kept on my toes throughout the pages and never would I have guess that Fran was Rose!

Well written and the suspense was great. Loved it!

I loved this book. The characters were so easy to get interested in and the plot is genuinely surprising.

Cass and James are about to move into a neglected old house in order to look after it until it is renovated. Having only been together six months it's a big step but they are clearly in love with each other. But immediately eerie things happen in the house - the window that keeps opening by itself, the swing outside that moves as if someone is on it. And Cass keeps hearing singing, laughing, and smelling lemons...

Gradually we find out that Cass has a troubled past. Her GP father, an alcoholic, has supported her through a trauma with the aid of medication, although it takes us a while to find out exactly what that trauma consisted of. Their relationship is very well drawn, with Cass feeling guilty about leaving her dad alone to move in with James, while at the same really wanting a bit of freedom from him and a new start. They clearly have a loving relationship but there's tension and uncertainty at times, which seems rooted in his behaviour when he's drinking.

As her mother died when she was very young, she only really has her dad to rely on in terms of family.

James comes across as a straightforward, positive character, although he is grieving the recent loss of his mum. He also has a fraught relationship with his dad, who seems to be completely uninterested in him, and James bonds with Cass over their mutual family difficulties.

Both seem drawn to the house they are now living in and feel a connection to it. It has a terrible history, as it was the site of a brutal break-in some decades previously where the intruders killed two parents and their teenager. As the book progresses, we learn that James and Cass have links to this tragedy.

There are some really good twists in the novel, particularly as the reader is learning about who James and Cass really are, and there are revelations that I genuinely never saw coming. The truth about what happened in the house is horrifying and shocking, but is very well written and captivating. The ending is also very good.

This is a book with some great, relatable characters and a brilliant plot. It explores just what people will do to protect the people they love, and shows that there isn't really a clear divide between good and bad people. I would highly recommend it.

Cass and James house sit a manor house with terrifying past. A burglary thirty years ago left the inhabitants dead and the house empty. Once they move in strange things start to happen. Will the secrets of the house reveal themselves?

This took me a while to get into but by the half way point I was hooked. There is a creepy vibe running through out the story and then we are introduced to twist after twist! I was glued to the final scenes desperate to find out what happened next and wasn’t disappointed by the ending. The seemingly simple storyline turns into a complex, clever tale. The story in parts may have been slightly far fetched but overall it was an entertaining, dark read and I will be happy to recommend to others who enjoy suspenseful, twisty thrillers. 4.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

One of the best books I've read in a while. It's one of those stories where you want to know what happens next, but you also don't want to rush through it.

Flipping heck. This has to be Louise Jensen's creepiest book yet. And I loved it. From the very beginning you can feel the tension leech from the pages and after a very sinister and dramatic start, it continues to build to a totally unexpected ending. If you like remote houses, stories packed with atmosphere and unexplained goings on, this could well be the book for you.

The Intruders centres around a young couple, Cass and James, who are moving in together after what, to their friends and family, seems to be a bit of a whirlwind romance. Both are seeking something more in their lives, both have lost their mothers, and have found in each other a kindred spirit. As house moves go, theirs is a pretty dramatic one - agreeing to act as caretakers at a remote country house, cataloguing the contents for the new owners in return for essentially living rent free. In a world of rising costs, what better way to start a new life and to provide them with a change to start saving for their own dream home? Well - there is a small catch. The house - long left unoccupied - has a bit of a reputation around the area, being, as it is, the site of a home invasion and multiple murder. So ... are the strange noises and happenings that Cass and James experience just the quirks of a long empty manor house settling, or something else. Something more ... spectral.

I love what the author has done with this story. Nothing is as it might first appear and no-one, Cass and James included, is telling anyone else the full story. It is clear from the beginning that there are big secrets in play, meaning that literally anyone in this story could be a suspect. As to what they might be suspected of, and why they might be having their fun in the old house, is anybody's guess. This is a dual timeline story, told from multiple perspectives, although it is inly when we are with Cass and James that we have absolute surety of what we are reading. That's not to say that we don't know whose the third party perspectives are, but what part they play in the story is only very slowly revealed, and the meaning of that all too shocking opening scene, is well hidden until the perfect moment.

This is perhaps the author's darkest book yet, the truth behind all that comes to pass actually quite shocking. Whilst most of the darkness is kept off the page, the impact is still felt, the story no less dramatic for leaving the worst of what comes to pass to the reader's imagination. It's probably best that this is the case as this is a very twisted tale, and anything too dark would have ruined the flow of the story. I really liked the way in which Louise Jensen has established the characters, drawing us on side with the romance of Cass and James' story, then introducing small elements of doubt and uncertainty. I never felt that they were fooling each other - even if they were not always entirely honest with each other either - but there is much of the plot that remains a mystery until later in the book, and while I had my suspicions, I was often quite wide of the mark.

The setting of the book is perfect, and the backstory - the grisly history of the murder house - makes the reluctance of people to talk about or dwell upon what happened all the more realistic. But being a manor house with such a long history of it's own adds that spooky and atmospheric ambiance that really lends itself to the suspenseful elements of the story. The shadows, creaks and groans which enhance that chill down the spine feeling, elevating an already unsettling tension and feeling to threat that feeds through the narrative. Given a few quirks of Cass's own nature, it is never quite possible to tell what is real and what just exists in her overactive imagination, fuelled by her isolation. It works brilliantly and I can tell that the author really enjoyed exploring this setting.

We've known since the author's first book, The Sister, that she is a master of misdirection and trickery but this takes it to a whole new level as I tried to unpick just what had happened in the past and how it was coming to inform the present. Mystery, suspense and an undercurrent of otherworldliness - what's not to love?

Thank for Netgalley for my ARC of this book.
I am still unsure as to how I feel about this read.
For me at first it was gripping but then it suddenly lost structure and I found myself going who is who and what part are they playing.
It took me a while to read too which tells me I wasn't fully engaged.
The start was very promising, as was the ending but unfortunately the middle was just a little too messy for me

Bit of a mixed response for this one; gripped at the start, middle section was a bit slow, however it was well worth perservering for the ending. Still enjoyed and would still recommend to others.

The start of this book was so good I even took it to the loo with me as I couldn't put it down! I really enjoy the way Louise writes and this book is no different - one of those that you rush through then wish you hadn't read it so quickly as you didn't want it to stop! This is the story of Cass and James who are saving for a place of their own and jump at the chance to housesit a manor house which hasn't been lived in for many years and has a gruesome history with a family being murdered there. From the start the tension is there and as more and more unexplained events start happening you are led as a reader to many different scenarios in your head meaning guessing the end of the book virtually impossible. The book skillfully blends the story of what happened to the family in the house with the modern day and by the end you're left breathless! Really enjoyed this and raced through it. Thank you to Net Galley & HQ for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

The Intruders, a psychological thriller, is tense from the very beginning, which is just what I like when reading this genre of books.
Cass and her boyfriend get the opportunity to become temporary caretakers of Newington House giving them the chance to save for a place of their own. However, right from the start they experience strange happenings that are difficult to explain let alone ignore. This leads Cass to delve into the history of the house and its previous occupants, mainly The Madley family who were horrifically murdered there 30 years ago.
My thanks to Net Galley and the publishers HQ for the ARC of this gripping story.

I've always liked Louise Jensen's novels but I did find this one , the Intruders a bit of a slog. I liked the premise of it but I did jump a chunk of it in the middle and the ending was interesting.