I really wanted to love this book, The House Sitter by Ellery Kane. Iris Duncan is a widow who lives alone. She hires Lydia and Seth McKay to live with her to help take care of her and her house. One night, shots are fired and Iris disappears. Who tried to kill Iris?
I didn't find any of the main characters extremely likable. My favorite character was Officer Maureen Shaw. She had depth, while the other characters were extremely stereotypical- the befuddled old lady, abused woman and degenerate gambler and drunk. The ending wasn't believable to me. I didn’t care for the narrator. Iris is seventy, my mother’s age, but she made her sound like a really old lady. There was a character Officer Gonzalez. She read his part in a Spanish accent. Not everyone with a Spanish sounding last name speaks with an accent!
Please read other reviews because I know other people really enjoyed this book. It was a miss for me. I would like to read another book by this author in the future.
I want to thank the author, Bookouture Audio and Netgalley for a complimentary copy of the audio book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

The House Sitter
Author: Ellery Kane
Available: June 14

Iris is an aging woman who offers to let Lydia and Seth live with her to help around the house. The book is a dual timeline story broken into before and after Iris goes missing after a shocking 911 call where shots are fired. Where is Iris and can Maureen, the cop on the case, figure it out?

This audiobook was just ok for me. It was entertaining enough but nothing earth shattering going on here and the ending seemed a bit anticlimactic to me.

Thank you to @netgalley for this advanced copy of #TheHouseSitter in exchange for my thoughts.

I was accepted for a review copy of this audiobook via netgalley and overall it was a good read, I did find something was missing for me to fully grip me but the ended make it stand out from other thrillers as not all bad guys get caught!

The narrator of this book made it easy to listen to and easy to follow, the story came with twists and shocks. Some of which I could have guessed and some that I didn’t see coming.

There is a lot going on this story, a couple of storylines playing through such as the brother who has an addiction to gambling, the old lady who had to hide her job from her husband, each character seemed to have their own back story within the main story which I liked as I felt we got to know the characters a bit more from that.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to listen to this audio book in return for an honest review.
Synopsis
She’s in your home. But can you trust her?

Newly pregnant and down on her luck, Lydia thinks her fortunes have changed when a customer at the café where she works offers her a job and a room in her plush Pacific Heights home.

It’s been years since Iris’s husband Dean died in his sleep and Lydia soon becomes the daughter Iris never had – making her cups of tea, helping her with the bills, and taking charge of Iris’s daily medications now that her memory has begun to fail.

Then one night, someone makes an emergency call from the telephone in the pristine kitchen. The police arrive to find the house has been turned upside down and no sign of Iris or Lydia. Dark and cold, this isn’t the welcoming family home it once was, and why has the telephone line been severed?

As the police unravel what happened that night, they discover a clue in Iris’s past that makes them question whether the two women met by chance after all. But who has everything to lose? And who is really in danger?

This heart-stopping psychological thriller is perfect for fans of Mark Edwards, Minka Kent and Lucinda Berry. As soon as you start reading The House Sitter, you’ll be hooked!

I’m afraid I wasn’t completely hooked on this title at all, it had all the hallmarks of a novel that I expected to have me gripped throughout, unfortunately for me it really fell short, I lost the thread multiple times and I felt like it was a slog to get through. I was quite confused often. The story appears to jump around an awful lot. Only a 3 star from me.

When Lydia and Seth start working for Iris, Iris thinks it is a dream come true but when her neighbor sees her arguing with Seth and firing him. On the same night 911 is called when the police get there there isn’t a victim to be found. Rookie cop maureen and her male chauvinistic partner arrive to find a trail of hundred dollar bills, blood in a painting with no signature Maureen is taking notes informing her own opinion. It’s only she could get past her own trauma from the mass shooting that took her parents Lydia and Seth have their own plans and their first plan is to get back into Arves‘s house. After all that’s what they were living, but the police have other plans. They were taken down to the police station to be interrogated Ronaldo they believe they know more than they say they let them go. I listen to this book until it was over despite the fact I thought they had too many characters with too many traumatic histories. There are a lot of surprises in this book and a lot of things that are very very far-fetched. Having said that I gave this book 3 stars as it wasn’t the best book I’ve ever read but it definitely wasn’t the worst. I think it could’ve been much better if the narrator wouldn’t of made the men sound like cartoon characters Not only that when she did the voice of a homeless man she always made him sound drunk and I thought stereotype much? In any event I do recommend this book to those who like crime fiction and female main characters I think if you like that you’ll like this book. I was given this book by Net Gally but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any errors as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own

My thanks to Net Galley and Bookouture for this audio to review.

What happened to Iris Duncan, a 70 year old widow who was an alleged victim of a crime and hired 2 questionable people as care takers for her home? That is the main premise. That's as far as what interested me.

Narrator was good but I didn't like how each chapter kept going to Before and After. Continuity lost and it was
confusing. Things got very predictable and characters unlikable. Too much going on. CANT recommend.

The wealthy seventy year old widow Iris hires Lydia and her supposed boyfriend to help her in and around the house. Everything seems perfect until one night there is a gunshot. When the police arrive, Iris is missing. Maureen, a cop takes the chance to invest the case.
This is a wild ride that kept me interested I was just sorry, that I figured out the twist so early on in the story.

Thanks a lot #NetGalley #Bookouture Audio to provide me with the free audio version of this book

A solid premise with a host of unreliable narrators with a convoluted story and slow disclosures, I did enjoy this quick compulsive read. As I listened to this book (thanks, NetGalley! Here's your unbiased review!), I found myself more drawn in by the narrator than the story, so kudos to our reader! However, this may have led to some finer details being lost on me, as I felt there were a number of plot holes and "Ex Macina" moments that took away from my enjoyment. With such a short book, a bit more detail would have added to the chain of events so that certain everts would have been explained, or made them more believable; though in honesty it probably would have taken away from the "unbelievable twist" that was marketed to be at the end (which I did see coming still).

All in all, an enjoyable read, but nothing that really stood out.

I wanted to love this book but I could barely finish it. There was way too much going on, but somehow it was still boring. I hated all of the characters too. This might be a good story for someone who has really sharp attention ... But it wasn't for me. I couldn't focus.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC.

I was a but dubious about this, some of the reviews were scathing, some were sterling.

One thing's for sure, what a bunch of truly unpleasant people. My favourite was the guy who owned the car wash, an ex-con. He had it right when he said that no matter what kind of criminal you are, everyone knows that animals, kids and old ladies are off limits.

Good ending, and a nice twist. 3.5 ✨️
Thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for my ARC.

Thank you so much Bookouture, netgalley and Ellery Kane for the ARC of this book.

I listened to parts of this on audio as well as the ebook.

The story was entertaining and had me hooked the whole time. The writing between past and present was a good way to unravel the truth and was told in multiple POVs to keep us entertained throughout.

The pace was a little slow in some areas but once it picked it I couldn't read fast enough.

The narrator of the audio was good and I feel like other than being slow to pick up pace it was a really good read!

The House Sitter's synopsis was intriguing and at different times, it had me gripping my seat to know what happened next. Even though it was a bit predictable, it was still an interesting read. I really disliked Lydia, even though you're probably supposed to feel bad for her. She just seemed so weak, compared to her brother who she always compared to her father.

I found myself getting confused by the characters at times, because there were many and sometimes I get lost when listening on audio. But it all came together at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC audiobook, in exchange for my honest review.

3 Stars~

Lydia and Seth prey on the vulnerable 70yr old wealthy Iris, who owns a mansion in the nice part of town. They move into Iris' mansion and become 'caretakers' of the house and of Iris. Until a 911 call in the middle of the night and Iris goes missing.

Honestly, all the characters were not very likeable, especially Seth, but I think this was intended, to steer your theories towards him, and wanting him to be the 'bad guy'. But that didn't stop me from questioning multiple times throughout the book what had actually happened to Iris.

The ending was slightly predictable but still an enjoyable listen.

I have come to realise it is just standard now for crime thrillers to involve a cop or detective that breaks protocol and the law and generally gets off unscathed, this is the case for 'The House Sitter'.

I did feel there was some overuse of 'one-liners' and way more description than necessary.
And, the narration wasn't great for some characters, felt the voices weren't easily differentiated between some characters. For me, the voice of the elderly lady Iris was painful to listen to.

Thank you Netgalley for the audiobook ARC for 'The House Sitter', in return for an honest review.

When I read the synopsis I was hooked, but unfortunately it didn’t live up to the exceptions! I listened to this as an audiobook and found parts to be rather confusing and uninteresting. I felt that I would have liked reading the book more so than listening to it. The dual timeline makes it difficult to keep track of what was happenings. The ending was twisty so I kept the rating to 3 stars.

If you decide to put up this book please read it rather than opting for the audiobook version.

***** Many thanks to Bookouture (audio), Ellery Kane, and NetGalley for the gifted copy as it was provided to me in turn for my honest opinion.

Iris Duncan is about to turn 70, and is starting to feel it. Having recently broken her arm in a fall, she is also having problems with her memory. Into her life walks Lydia, who offers to help her around the house and look after her, along with her husband, Seth. Within 2 months, Lydia and Seth have made themselves indispensable to Iris - so much so that she has even changed her will and life insurance policy so they will be taken care of when something happens to her. And wouldn't you know it? She calls the police to tell them someone has broken into her house. The 911 call picks up 2 gun shots, and when the police arrive there is blood in her bedroom and her favorite rug is missing from the floor.

One of the cops that shows up on scene is Maureen, a former piano prodigy who is now a rookie cop attempting to heal her wounds after the deaths of her parents during a mass shooting incident. For whatever reason, Maureen takes Iris' disappearance to heart and is determined to figure out what happened to her. I really liked Maureen - she was tenacious! I totally wouldn't mind seeing her in another story.

The whole book we aren't sure who is the culprit. Lydia and Seth seem shady, but are they murderers? Mr. Dorsey across the street seems to be around A LOT, considering he has been pushing the HOA to fine Iris because her yard isn't up to his standards. Vinny, who is owed $20,000 in gambling debts by Seth, would sure benefit from the death of the old lady. And who was the strange man that Iris was seen meeting with in the park?

Eventually I guessed guilty party, but getting there was lots of fun. And with 1 exception, I loved how everything was tied up.

The House Sitter by Ellery Kane - AUDIBLE BOOK- 9 hours
Narrator - Kirstin James - Published date - 14 June 2022

I thought this audible book would be intriguing and was happy my request was accepted. The narrator, Kirstin James, is excellent, with wonderful accents to different characters that are easy for your ears to follow & connect with characters. For me, the narrator is important in allowing atmosphere for your listening experience. I did connect with this audible book but only with the narration. Unfortunately, the plot did not and this book was not for me.

I give a 4 star rating but only for the narration.

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF LISTENING TO THIS AUDIBLE BOOK IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

DNF Narration was very overacted and irritating to be honest. I will give it 3 stars because I didn't finish it to fully review.

This book is full of twists and sprinkled clues throughout. It had its funny and dark moments. It was a good mixture of both.
I really liked Iris and Maureen. Iris is a 70 year old women who was struggling living on her own after the loss of her husband.
Maureen is a rookie officer and she liked to blur the line but I liked how she listened to her gut.
While the plot is a bit predictable I was still surprised by one thing.
The audiobook is narrated by, Kristin James. She did well portraying the females in the book. Especially Iris. She nailed her 70 year old voice well. However, the male voices she seemed to struggle on a few and it would pull me away from the story when she used certain tones and inflections for them.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a murder/missing mystery.
Special thanks to Bookouture Audio and Netgalley for the ALC.

The House Sitter by Ellery Kane was definitely a page turner. This novel is written from multiple perspectives in which each person's motive and perspective is slowly revealed throughout the book. All of the characters are flawed in some way but I was drawn to Iris and felt sorry for Lydia. Lydia, down on her luck and working at a cafe is taken in by Iris and becomes the daughter that Iris never had. Iris and Seth take care of Iris until one night a 911 call is made and a police officer, Miranda is on the case to find out what happened to Iris, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and finished it in one day. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this novel.
Pub day for this thriller is on my birthday June 14!

This story had a gripping plot, well writes characters and an excellent narrator.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - the way that different characters stories intertwined, the use of different time frames to build up the back story and current events. These followed well and were not over used in a way that made them confusing.

The plot is very clever - I definitely thought it was going to go in a different direction at the start and the end. Always the sign of good writing when you can’t fully work things out but you have enough of an idea to guess and not be frustrated.

The narrator was easy to listen to and very clear.