The House Guest

Written by Mark Edwards

Narrated by Will M. Watt and Stina Nielsen

“Brilliant, shocking and very creepy. Mark Edwards has done it again.” —Elly Griffiths, bestselling author of the Dr Ruth Galloway series

A perfect summer. A perfect stranger. A perfect nightmare.

When British twenty-somethings Ruth and Adam are offered the chance to spend the summer housesitting in New York, they can’t say no. Young, in love and on the cusp of professional success, they feel as if luck is finally on their side.

So the moment that Eden turns up on the doorstep, drenched from a summer storm, it seems only right to share a bit of that good fortune. Beautiful and charismatic, Eden claims to be a friend of the homeowners, who told her she could stay whenever she was in New York.

They know you’re not supposed to talk to strangers—let alone invite them into your home—but after all, Eden’s only a stranger until they get to know her.

As suspicions creep in that Eden may not be who she claims to be, they begin to wonder if they’ve made a terrible mistake…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Jun 3, 2020
• ISBN: 9781799771531

Mark Edwards

Mark Edwards writes psychological thrillers in which scary things happen to ordinary people. He has sold 4 million books since his first novel, The Magpies, was published in 2013, and has topped the bestseller lists numerous times. His other novels include Follow You Home, The Retreat, In Her Shadow, Because She Loves Me, The Hollows and Here to Stay. He has also co-authored six books with Louise Voss. Originally from Hastings in East Sussex, Mark now lives in Wolverhampton with his wife, their children and two cats. Mark loves hearing from readers and can be contacted through his website, www.markedwardsauthor.com, or you can find him on Facebook (@markedwardsauthor), Twitter (@mredwards) and Instagram (@markedwardsauthor).

Reviews for The House Guest

[Sharon Czudak · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really enjoyed this one. His books always keep you engrossed & wondering.

[meboles · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Surprisingly well-written. Taut sentences. Fast-paced. Great plot twists. The formula of beautiful effervescent women and weak/evil men works for this writer - but I find it a bit tiresome.

[vanessa_menez-453497 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Adam and Ruth are house-sitting in New York for a couple whom they met on a cruise. When Eden, a harmless looking young woman, turns up on the doorstep claiming to be a friend of the homeowners they see no reason to turn her away.

Instead they invite Eden to stay until the homeowners’ return. But then Ruth goes missing and Eden may not be who she claims to be, Adam realizes that they’ve made a terrible mistake…

This plot was just so random! While it started off well and I was completely engaged until Ruth went missing. But then, there was such a drastic change in the plot with the inclusion of cult and some random happenings which were too far-fetched, that I began to lose interest.

Also, I did not enjoy or connect with any of the characters. So, while it was a quick read, it wasn’t something that I enjoyed.

[susan.h.schofield · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a super quick and entertaining book. I liked it much more that I expected since I did not really enjoy the last book I read by Mark Edwards - Here to Stay. While this book was highly unbelievable, it was a great escape, suspenseful and easy to read.

[khal_khaleesi · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

After reading and enjoying The Retreat by Mark Edwards, I came across The House Guest by the same author. The synopsis sounded intriguing, so I decided to give it a read. While it wasn't a bad read, it was lacking a certain something.Ruth and Adam are house-sitting for Mona and Jack, a rich couple they met on a cruise. When a woman named Eden shows up claiming to be an old friend of Mona's and Jack's, they decide to let her stay. After all, Eden seems to know a lot about the rich couple, and she seems nice enough. However, when Ruth and Eden disappear after a night of drinking, Adam begins to worry if he made a mistake by inviting Eden into the house. Is Eden actually an old friend or was she actually a complete stranger?The plot for The House Guest really caught my attention. Mark Edwards does a fantastic job of making the story seem original. While many of the plot twists were easily predictable, it was still interesting enough to hold my attention. I did find that the pacing starts off a bit slow and doesn't really pick up until about halfway through the book. All of my questions were answered by the ending of the book and although there's not a cliffhanger, the ending does leave room for a sequel. I must admit that I liked the way Edwards kind of teased that there could be a sequel. One thing I wasn't a fan of was how the narrative would switch from a third person point of view for everyone to a first person point of view when it came to Adam. I would have much rather read the whole book in third person, but perhaps that's just a personal preference. Edwards did great at setting up the world building throughout the book, and when the pacing finally caught up to the action, I was immersed in the story line to find out if my predictions were correct.I very much enjoyed the characters in The House Guest. Ruth and Adam were a likable couple, and it was easy to understand their relationship and what each one was feeling thanks to Edwards' great description of how each character felt about the relationship. I sympathized with Adam feeling like a loser compared to Ruth and her success. However, I could also relate to Ruth and her feelings of not being good enough and other insecurities. Eden was an awesome character, and I enjoyed whenever she had a scene. Her backstory was definitely an interesting one. I never knew if she was telling the truth until towards the end. Callum was a wild card in the story, and I was surprised when his true backstory was revealed. Though all the other characters felt fleshed out, I would have liked to have read more on Gabriel. I believe that he really could have flourished a bit more had he had a bigger part in the story. Saying that, Gabriel still is a fantastic character.Trigger warnings for The House Guest include violence, gun violence, murder, attempted murder, attempted rape (not graphic), mentions of sex (not graphic), getting drunk, mentions of drugs, brainwashing, and abuse.All in all, The House Guest does have some faults, but it's still an interesting read. The story unfolds perfectly, and the characters really draw you into their world. I would recommend The House Guest by Mark Edwards to those aged 17+ who are after a decent psychological thriller.