The Caretakers

Written by Eliza Maxwell

Narrated by Janet Metzger and Erin Mallon

In the isolated estate she’s found the perfect getaway. But there’s no escaping the past in this chilling novel from the bestselling author of The Unremembered Girl.

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 are what they seem.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Apr 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781799750338

Eliza Maxwell

Eliza Maxwell is the author of The Shadow Writer, The Widow’s Watcher, The Unremembered Girl, The Grave Tender, and The Kinfolk. She writes fiction from her home in Texas, which she shares with her ever-patient husband, two impatient kids, a ridiculous English setter, and a bird named Sarah. An artist and writer, a dedicated introvert, and a British-cop-drama addict, she enjoys nothing more than sitting on the front porch with a good cup of coffee. For more information, visit www.elizamaxwell.net.

Reviews for The Caretakers

[JENNIFER SCHROEDER · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Outstanding! Couldn't put it down. Eliza Maxwell is a beautiful storyteller.

[zeenia shah · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There were a lot of plot threads in this one, not to mention several mysteries both current and historical. However it all came together in the end in a most satisfactory fashion.

[Jill Jorgensen · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

No, the time period is off and doesn’t make sense. The book is almost over before the plot begins. In fact I would not call it a plot. This is a book where things happen and it doesn’t add up to much. It is a gathering of clichés. I was extremely disappointed.

[Jaime Mann · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The story was not believable and I found myself rolling my eyes a lot. I also didn’t care for the voice of the narrator- trying to do an Irish accent.

[mlcash · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked the story behind the old inherited house and the murdered family much better than the second storyline about Tessa and the man she helped get out of prison. The ending to the second storyline was a surprise, but some things just didn't add up. That said, I read the book in 3 days, so overall it was good.

[amyghilton · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Started off great, but the two different plot lines were totally unnecessary. Inheriting a creepy house with a dark history is enough of a plot line to keep me interested. The other just distracted from the real story. The bickering between Tessa and Margot was also a bit tiresome. I struggled to finish this one, which doesn't happen often.

[amandanan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Solid 3.5 stars. A lot is revealed in the last 10% of the book. I wish it would've been discussed as to why Cora did it, not just "it happened, and this is what happened next."

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ever since I first heard about this book; I have had it on my wish list to read it. Well I finally got the chance to read this book and it did not disappoint. Author, Eliza Maxwell draws me into this book with the seamless, smooth, rich storyline as well as the well balanced character development. Even without really knowing much about sisters, Tessa and Margot, I was already engaged with them. As I got to know them better and their story; I was fully committed to this book. I was rooting for these sisters to reconnect. At the same time, this story was ingrained with a mystery surrounding Fallbrook. What happened so long ago and how does it affect Tessa and Margot? I was fed little tidbits of the truth. The more I became familiar with the whole truth; the more I could not get enough. Author, Eliza Maxwell will have readers spellbound with a rich storyline and engaging characters with The Caretakers!

[khal_khaleesi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As soon as I read the synopsis for The Caretakers by Eliza Maxwell, I was instantly hooked. I knew it was a book that I had to read. It's like it was calling out to me saying "read me...read me." What a wild ride The Caretakers had in store for me!Tessa Shepard made a documentary that helped free a man that she thought was framed for murder. However, when it seems he's killed the police chief's daughter, Tessa's life becomes upended. Around the same time, Tessa and her twin sister inherit a large estate named Fallbrook. There she meets two old ladies who are the caretakers of Fallbrook that have their own crazy story about the past when it comes to Fallbrooks history. With danger lurking around every corner, Tessa must try to survive and figure out the two old ladies' story.I could not fault the plot of The Caretakers at all. It was absolutely solid from beginning to end. With The Caretakers, I felt like I was sort of getting two stories in one which was great! The first story is Tessa's. The narrative follows Tessa as she deals with her conscience about freeing a man from prison who may have actually been guilty. She's also dealing with the fallout between her and her twin sister Margot. With Tessa's reputation in tatters, Tessa tries to stay out of the spotlight and deal with what's going on in her personal life, but it doesn't turn out to be that easy. The second narrative belongs to the two old ladies and caretakers of Fallbrook, Kitty and Deidre. Their story was the most interesting to read about. Kitty and Deidre remember two different accounts of what actually befell Fallbrook when they were children. It was traumatizing for both of them, and at least one of the sisters has blocked out the actual memories of the horrible event that happened there. I found myself trying to guess which events were the true ones. Kudos to Eliza Maxwell for adding so many plot twists to The Caretakers that I never saw coming! I absolutely was thrilled that there were so many plot twists. Just when I thought I had the story figured out, a curve ball was thrown at me making me have to start my guess work all over again. However, all cliff hangers and questions are answered by the end of the book.The characters in The Caretakers were all written fantastically! All were fleshed out appropriately even the minor characters. It was easy to empathize with everything Tessa was going through. She had so much bad stuff going on at one time. Learning her back story, it was easy to see why she thought the way she did. I liked Margot as well. While she's not a main character, she does play a fairly important role in Tessa's life. Sometimes I felt like Margot was a little too closed off when it came to Tessa and her husband, Ben. This wasn't due to bad writing, but quite the opposite. I felt like this was a character flaw that even real life people struggle with. I enjoyed Oliver's character. He made for a fantastic antagonist. Oliver was the one who Tessa freed from prison due to her documentary. Through fantastic storytelling, it was easy to see why Oliver went off the deep end after he was released. I felt bad for him actually. Deidre was an interesting character, and I came to understand why she was wary of strangers meddling in hers and Kitty's business. Kitty was my all time favorite character in The Caretakers though. I was sucked up in her childlike way of acting. She seemed to trust everyone and came across as such a sweet person. It seemed like she was too nice to be unkind towards anyone. I felt like Kitty had the most interesting backstory out of all the characters. The Cooke family, who had previously lived in Fallbrook before it became derelict, had the most intriguing story out of everyone. I really enjoyed reading about them.Trigger warnings for The Caretakers include profanity, murder, violence, drinking, and police corruption.To say I was blown away by The Caretakers is an understatement. Seriously, this book gave me goosebumps and a severe book hangover. That's how great it was! With intriguing plot lines and fantastic characters, it was such a fantastic read. I would most definitely recommend The Caretakers by Eliza Maxwell to those aged 17+. I really believe readers of all genres will really enjoy this book! --(A special thank you to Lone Star Literary Life and Eliza Maxwell for sending me a paperback and Netgalley for an eBook of The Caretakers in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)

[lkernagh · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a good story! It gets high marks from me for plot, atmosphere, character development… pretty much everything. A fast-paced, suspense-driven story filled with twists, turns and shocking reveals, there were times when I was on the edge of my seat, fearful of what would happen next and yet unable to put the book down. A crumbling, derelict mansion – especially when located in a remote area with no cell phone reception - is such a perfect location for a family secrets kind of story. Some readers may find the two alternating storylines and the multiple plots (Tessa’s estranged relationship with her sister, Fallbrook’s mysterious past and the police case/current crime angle) a lot to take in, but Eliza Maxwell expertly brings everything together, striking the right balance between suspenseful action and characterization. Fallbrook’s gruesome past, guarded by the two elderly caretakers, and the crumbling mansion lend a wonderfully Gothic atmosphere to the story. While parts of the story (some of the sections focused on Oliver) have some elements of predictability for me, the overall effect is a highly satisfying mystery suspense thriller. Eliza Maxwell has now been added to my favorite authors list! This one may appeal to fans of Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series of books.I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

[poppyreads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[kathl33n-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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.