Most people wouldn’t buy an infamous murder house to renovate for fun . . . but Sarah Slade is not most people.
A therapist and self-help writer with all the answers, Sarah Slade has just bought a gorgeous Victorian in the community of her dreams. Turns out, you can get a killer deal on a house where someone was murdered. Plus, renovating Black Wood House makes for great blog content and a decent distraction from her failing marriage. Good thing nobody knows that her past is just as filthy as the bloodstain on her bedroom floor.
But the renovations are fast becoming a nightmare. Sarah imagined custom avocado wallpaper, massive profits, and an appreciative husband who wants to share her bed again. Instead, the neighbors hate her guts and her husband still sleeps on the couch. And though the builders attempt to cover up Black Wood’s horrifying past, a series of bizarre accidents, threatening notes, and unexplained footsteps in the attic only confirms for Sarah what the rest of the town already knew: Something is very wrong in that house.
With every passing moment, Sarah’s life spirals further out of control—and with it, her sense of reality. But as she peels back the curling wallpaper and discovers the house’s secrets, she realizes that the deadly legacy of Black Wood House has only just begun.
The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin was released September 12th, 2023 from Bantam Books.
My Thoughts:
I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. It's interesting - comes across as a gothic thriller. The plot moves along at a good clip. I haven't read a character quite like Sarah Slade before. And there are many twists that help to move the plot forward.
Sarah Slade has a shadowy past. What she has done to cause her to flee her home before this one isn't revealed all at once. It feels like she's being set up for an identity twist. As the book goes on, it becomes clear there is more to Sarah than meets the eye.
Speaking of twists, this book has many. I think I anticipated two of the twists. The rest of them surprised me right up to the final twist. This is a good thing.
It's sort of a gothic story. There are hints that the house or something in it may be a character. And there are hints that the town may be conspiring against Sarah. There is sort of a descent into madness that makes you question not only her sanity at the moment, but at every previous moment before that. There are layers to the story which just make it so much more enjoyable.
If you enjoy gothic thrillers, then this would be a good book for you. There are many surprising twists right up until the end. And it's a bit of a page turner. I give 5 out of 5 stars to this debut novel.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion.
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