Keep It in the Family
In this thrilling novel from bestselling author John Marrs, a young couple's house hides terrible secrets--and not all of them are confined to the past.
Mia and Finn are busy turning a derelict house into their dream home when Mia unexpectedly falls pregnant. But just when they think the house is ready, Mia discovers a shocking message scored into a skirting board: I WILL SAVE THEM FROM THE ATTIC. Following the clue up into the eaves, the couple make a gruesome discovery: their home was once a real-life murder house, with the evidence still concealed within the four walls.
In the wake of their traumatic discovery, the baby arrives and Mia can't shake her fixation with the monstrous crimes that happened right above them. Tormented by the terrible things she saw, she is desperate to dig into the past to find answers.
Secrecy shrouds the mystery of the attic, but when shards of a dark truth start to emerge, Mia realises the danger is terrifyingly present. She is prepared to do anything to protect her family--but will the previous tenants stop her from discovering their secret?
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✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say *Keep It in the Family* is a dark, twisty psychological thriller blending multi-perspective storytelling with unsettling family dynamics. ...
Overall good book. Just when I thought I had it figured out there comes a twist.
I did get a little confused as to the narrator when one wasn't specified, but that was the point. Early on I thought the "killer" could be a woman.. Just a feeling I had. But the misdirection made me question it. Also Finn, was he involved wasn't he?? Good fun figuring all that out.
Ah, the joys of homeownership. You think you’re signing up for peeling wallpaper, outdated plumbing, and maybe the occasional mouse in the attic. But nope—Mia and Finn manage to score themselves a literal murder house. Forget shiplap and open-concept kitchens; this house comes with cryptic messages carved into the walls and a free attic full of trauma. What a steal.
Honestly, if you find I WILL SAVE THEM FROM THE ATTIC carved into your baseboards, that is not a quirky period feature. That is a run, don’t walk situation.
Mia, who is both newly pregnant and newly obsessed with all things true crime nightmare, decides that maybe obsessively digging into decades-old murder secrets while raising a newborn is a totally healthy hobby. Finn, meanwhile, is playing the role of “supportive but increasingly side-eyeing his wife’s descent into madness.”
Marrs does what Marrs does best: takes a perfectly normal couple and drags them through a psychological woodchipper
The pacing is sharp, and the reveals are gruesome enough to make you rethink ever going into your attic again.
Sometimes the characters’ choices are less “logical adult decisions” and more “oh, so you’re actively auditioning to be in a horror movie.” But hey, that’s half the fun.
If you like your domestic suspense messy, creepy, and dripping with what the actual hell, this book will happily ruin both your sleep and your will to browse Zillow for that perfect fixer-upper.
Honestly, if you find I WILL SAVE THEM FROM THE ATTIC carved into your baseboards, that is not a quirky period feature. That is a run, don’t walk situation.
Mia, who is both newly pregnant and newly obsessed with all things true crime nightmare, decides that maybe obsessively digging into decades-old murder secrets while raising a newborn is a totally healthy hobby. Finn, meanwhile, is playing the role of “supportive but increasingly side-eyeing his wife’s descent into madness.”
Marrs does what Marrs does best: takes a perfectly normal couple and drags them through a psychological woodchipper
The pacing is sharp, and the reveals are gruesome enough to make you rethink ever going into your attic again.
Sometimes the characters’ choices are less “logical adult decisions” and more “oh, so you’re actively auditioning to be in a horror movie.” But hey, that’s half the fun.
If you like your domestic suspense messy, creepy, and dripping with what the actual hell, this book will happily ruin both your sleep and your will to browse Zillow for that perfect fixer-upper.
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