Iris Duncan, a widowed seventy-year-old woman, lives alone in her fancy Pacific Heights home. When the HOA complains that Iris isn’t keeping up with her home, she is forced to find someone to help her around the house. Iris meets Lydia at a café and invites her and her boyfriend Seth to move in with her and acts as her caretakers. However, it seems like Seth and Lydia may not have Iris’ best interests in mind.

The story is told in a dual timeline. In the present timeline, Maureen, a detective, is determined to find out why Iris disappeared. In the past timeline, we get a glimpse of Lydia and Seth as Iris’ caretakers. The story of what really happened to Iris slowly unfolds. There are a lot of twists and turns with an unpredictable ending.

I really enjoyed this book. It was my first book by Ellery Kane. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars because there were a few times I found myself confused by the dual timeline. Also, I’m not sure the title truly fits the book. However, it was a great thriller that kept me guessing throughout the story. I’ve read so many thrillers that an ending rarely surprises me and this one did. I did not see it coming at all. For that reason, I definitely recommended reading this one if you like unpredictable thrillers. I can’t wait to read more by Ellery Kane!

I loved this one. The title was a bit misleading as there wasn’t a house sitter, more like care givers. Perfect amount of twists and turns to keep you guessing. I listened to the audio book and found the narration to be very good as well. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

Iris has been living alone in her old house in a wealthy neighbourhood of San Francisco. She is struggling to keep on top of things, upsetting her neighbours/HOA for letting the lawn become overgrown, and she is worrying that she might be becoming forgetful and concerned about burglars.
Lydia is a bit down on her luck, living in a shabby motel with Seth & working at a local café where Iris is a customer. When Iris offers Lydia & Seth her spare room in return for help around the house/garden, both women feel they’ve found a new friend and an answer to their problems. Seth looks after the garden, whilst Lydia makes Iris’s breakfast, helps with the bills, and takes charge of Iris’s medications, soon becoming the daughter Iris never had

When an emergency call is made one night from the house, a gunshot is heard by the operator/dispatcher. When the police arrive, there is blood, evidence of a struggle, but no sign of Iris or Lydia or Seth.
Maureen Shaw is a rookie police officer who was one of the first on scene. She believes there is more to this case than her superiors are willing to believe and her energy & determination to find out the truth carries the story. When Lydia & Seth are named as beneficiaries in Iris’s will, it leads to a number of questions. Is Iris dead? If so, who killed her and where is her body? Who are Seth and Lydia really? Did they have hidden motives for befriending her?

The story is well plotted, with plenty of diversion/red herrings as the fast-paced story unfolds. The story is told in alternate chapters between “before” and “after” and this helps the story to emerge bit by bit. There are enough clues to the truth but the book cleverly diverts you to the more obvious possibilities throughout. I enjoyed the tension and the ending is appropriate.
Unfortunately the book is let down by the characters – I liked Iris, but am getting rather bored of incompetent cops, helpless women who can’t/won’t stand up for themselves and misogynistic men. The dialogue is poor & the police investigation laughable. It’s not a police procedural, it doesn’t even feel well researched in terms of what might happen in such a situation!

I think this book will appeal to some readers who enjoy mysteries, but it is not going to make it on my must-read list.

This felt like such a major waste of time, I just didn't see the point one bit.

I'm really glad that there was an epilogue that explained what happened as otherwise I wouldn't have had a clue. I listened to the audiobook on my usual double speed but it just seemed to drag on forever, it should have passed quickly but it felt like double the length it actually was.

Also, I had absolutely no connection with any of the characters whatsoever; they could have all died and I couldn't have cared less.

I actually wish I had DNF'd this as I'll never get that time back.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture Audion and Ellery Kane for the copy of this book. All views are my own.*

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to listen to The House Sitter by Ellery Kane in exchange for my honest feedback. Lies, games and murder. Was Iris too desperate when she decided to have a sibling duo help take care of her and her land?

Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was intrigued when reading the synopsis of this one. I don't really have much to say about it, it was one of those ok thrillers, not a page turner, not a and DNF just what I would call a fairly average read. ⭐⭐ #ellerykane #thehousesitter #netgalley #tea_sipping_bookworm #litsy #goodreads #thestorygraph #bookqueen #bookstagram

So, an elderly lady lives alone in a large house that needs a lot of upkeeping. She meets a down on her luck waitress whose boyfriend is somewhat of a handyman/gardener type. What could be more perfect than having these two young people move in with her to help with the upkeep of her home. Well, all is, of course, not as it seems, will these two con Iris out of her money, home, and maybe even hasten her death? It sure seems that was as this story progresses and gets darker and darker. What made it more fun for me was reading about the Pacific Heights section that borders on the Presidio in San Francisco after just spending a few days in that very area! The audiobook was also well narrated.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookature Audio for this advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was just okay. It had a lot of parts that were just confusing or unrealistic. I couldn't understand the relationship between Lydia and Iris. It just didn't make sense because in my experience, people don't normally develop such strong relationships in such a short piece of time. I didn't like any of the characters. The twist at the end was okay, and I didn't see it coming, but the build up to get there was a bit jumbled.

Lydia begins to house sit for Iris and things get complicated from there. This book was just a hard pill to swallow because I couldn't relate at all to anyone or any situations. Readers will like it, but it's not up to par for me.

The audio was not that great. I despised the voices for Seth and any other male character. The only voice I thought she nailed was the voice of Iris. 3 stars.

Wll this was fun lots of twists and turns trying to work out what was happening and why. It really worked the narration so suited the different characters and really brought the story to life. It was safe to say that I was completely addicted and just listened to it at every opportunity.

I was given a free copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

Good thriller, particularly suited to listening between heavier going audio books. Great narrator. Plot and character development really made the book. Can see it becoming a bookstagram favourite. Have reccomend to friends looking for a good holiday listen/read.

This was a brilliant book. I just loved every minute of it. It was so exciting , thrilling and a amazing page turning novel.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator was brilliant. Really adding to the atmosphere and tension of the book.

I just loved the story line and how there was a great air of mystery even though you might work out part of the ending but I very much doubt you can work out all the ending. I was rather shocked by it. I won't be giving anything away though. 

The pact of this book was medium to fast especially as the story progressed and you felt you could not put it down. 

The characters really developed well and made it more intriguing. I did find the male lead funny at his shear stupidity and very vain. I don't see that at all as a negative because I find it very important in character development to have a varied type of characters as it creates a better story. 

I loved how this book didn't go into details of police procedures at the end as this wasn't the writers intention as it would of taken away from the intended story line and would of made this book unnecessarily longer than it needs to be. So please remember this when reading if you really love police oriented books. I definitely recommend this book to all lovers of books with twists. 

I will definitely be reading more books by this amazing author. 

Many thanks to the author and publishers for creating this wonderful psychology thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed. 

The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/the-house-sitter-by-ellery-kane-bookouture-5-stars either under my name or ladyreading365

Iris finds that she needs help. Nearing 70, currently has a broken arm she is having difficulty taking care of her home. One day at a diner, she meet meets A lovely young woman named Lydia that she ends up hiring as her helper. Lydia has a boyfriend named Seth and while Lydia helps Iris in the house, Seth can do some of the outside chores. It’s a perfect scenario for everyone involved, especially since it appears that Lydia and Seth needed a place to stay. Room and board in place of meeting Iris’s needs seems like a wonderful trade.

However, in one of the opening chapters a terrified Iris makes a phone call. She says someone is in her house and she is truly scared for her life. As the dispatcher is trying to get her help, the call is dropped, but not before gunshots heard. When the police arrive on the scene, Iris is nowhere to be found but the house is in disarray and there is a trail of blood.

One thing is made clear to the reader. Lydia and Seth are con artists and they have an ulterior motive that involves the reason that they have ingratiated themselves into Iris’s home and life. I loved how this book was written with the dual timelines, making me more than curious as to the transitions that were taking place considering that both Lydia and Seth had some sort of plan. The question that continued to be raised in this engaging read is, where is Iris?

With precision and misdirection, Ellery Kane has written quite an intriguing story. I had this review title as an audiobook ARC and it was expertly narrated by Kristin James. This already well-written book was made even that much more enjoyable in this format.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please also enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/uKBCSG7LGvI

Pretty dreadful.

I know this is supposed to be a holiday reading kind of thing, and I wasn't expecting anything more than that, but this was not good. Some of the other low star reviewers express my thoughts much better than I could myself, but just to add I actually had to check the publication date to see if it was from the 80's. Toe-curling dialogue, all the men were misogynists and all the women were underdogs - so dated. The narrator (audiobook) is ludicrous - silly, cartoon over the top accents and characterisation. Like a Disney narrator. Thanks for an advance copy from NetGalley, and sorry not to be more positive.

Thank you NetGalley for the audio copy in exchange for a honest review. Lydia and Seth move in with rich widow Iris to care for her. Then Iris goes missing and there is a lot of her blood. Lydia and Seth are set to inherit everything. Did they murder Iris?

Alone in a big old house, after her husband dies, elderly Iris employs Lydia and Seth to become her caretakers and home helpers. After a brief honeymoon period, things start to go awry and Iris disappears, leaving the couple to face the music. With secrets abound in this novel, the reader is kept on tenterhooks waiting for the next twist and turn. Ellery Kane writes with precision and imagination in this tale of deception and misdeeds.
I listened to this mystery narrated by Kristin James who drew me in with her character’s voices. She performs the parts, rather than just reads them, which makes the rich words of Kane’s character dialogue come alive.

very good storyline, enjoyed the plot twists throughout the book and right up til the end, kept me guessing!

Iris is a widow, living alone in a big house in a fancy neigbourhood, about to turn 70, and struggling to keep up with her house and the homeowner's association on her back.

Not to mention, a burglar seems to be stealing strange items just to mess with her and she's not sure what's real anymore.

A chance opportunity brings Lydia and her partner in crime Seth into Iris's life. The young-and-able pair become her caretakers, taking care of business in more ways than one. But not all is as it seems, of course.

When Iris goes missing, Lydia and Seth continue to look after the house. Newbie cop Maureen has her own agenda and determinedly distracts herself from her own past trauma by obsessing over what happened to Iris. One thing she's sure of is that she doesn't trust the house sitters.

For me, the twists were really obvious. I still found them entertaining, though. This was an easy-going mystery with some fun and interesting side characters. I listened to the audiobook and felt the narrator did a great job executing several different voices. I couldn't stand Iris's warbly voice, but I felt there was good enough reason for it. Overall, I'd recommend giving it a listen if the story appeals. Thanks very much NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to review this story.

This was a very thrilling story to read. You aren’t sure what is going to happen next and it’s full of twists & turns. I couldn’t stop reading to find out about sweet Iris. Although you can’t help but love Lydia too.

3.5 stars

This one was interesting, for the most part, although my interest fell off a bit partway through. I had parts of the twist figured out, although some of the details were still intriguing. I felt like a couple of things weren’t wrapped up as smoothly as I would’ve liked, but that might be because, as previously mentioned, my attention wandered a bit midway into the story. It was pretty good, and I would probably check out other books by the writer.

The book has a dual timeline, which keeps us guessing. It opens with a 911 call wherein an elderly lady is seeking assistance as she is on her own, and there a possible burglar in the house. Gunshots are head, the line goes silent and the dispatcher stays on the line listening.

Iris Duncan lives in a big beautiful house, in the affluent suburb of Pacific Heights. She has been on her own since her husband's passing a few years back and at 70 years of age she has been unable to keep up with the maintenance the house and beautiful garden requires. Iris has also been quite lonely since her husband's passing, and doesn't really have anybody to talk to.

Iris meets Lidia, a waitress at a local cafe, who Iris takes pity on. Lidia is clumsy and keeps getting in trouble with her boss, for spilling drinks and not keeping up with the orders. Iris sees an opportunity and offers Lidia and her husband Seth a job as housekeepers. Iris sees this as a win/win as Iris receives help around the house and companionship.

Lidia takes great care of Iris, cooking for her, assisting her with daily medications, and setting up little reminders around the house for every day tasks that Iris' is forgetting.

Suddenly Iris goes missing, police a called to the scene, the phone line is cut, there is pools of blood at the scene and broken glass. Seth and Lidia are considered suspects. Where is Iris, is she still alive, and what has happened to her.

This is a great thriller, the suspense is epic.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this audio book. This book was available to purchase from 14 June, 2022

4 Stars: I enjoyed it and would recommend it to people who like the genre. I will definitely want to read more books by this author.

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