Oh wow this was another excellent read by John Marrs. I absolutely love his books, and this one was sickand twisted in a really good way. From start to finish I was gripped . Full of twists and turns that has my head in a spin.

I am a massive fan of John Marrs, and this title did not disappoint. I was hooked from start to finish and enjoyed all of the twists and turns in the novel.

Mia and Finn just purchased a home to call their own, Sure, it needs a lot of updating, but it's going to be amazing once all of their hard work is complete. Their timeline to finish their remodel drastically changes when Mia unexpectedly becomes pregnant. But then, everything comes to a screeching halt when a grisly discovery is made in their attic. The police are involved, the baby arrives early, and Mia begins to question everything. And she's right to do so, because everything is definitely not as it seems.

If you've seen reviews about this book saying that it's a wild ride, they were spot on! There were so many twists, turns, secrets, and suspects. Some of the subject matter may be difficult for some to read as it involved violence towards children. The book alternates between the past and present, with some of the narrators being unknown in the beginning. This one definitely kept me guessing!

This is a dark and twisted book. It is filled with twists throughout and has an amazing ending. The story is told from multiple POVs. It is fast paced and kept me guessing all through the book

🗝️ B O O K R E V I E W 🗝️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’ve had this sitting on my netgalley shelf for quite a while now so I was excited to finally pick it up, I had only read one other book by John but knew I was already a fan of his writing

Keep it in the family is a story about a loved up couple who are busy turning a derelict house into their dream home, during the process of renovating the property they stumble across a very dark secret that was once hidden there, with the shock of it all & with Mia having recently fallen pregnant, they’re unsure moving into this once house of horrors is actually a good idea.
After having the baby Mia can’t seem to shake her fixation with the monstrous crime they discovered and her desperation to find answers leads her to uncovering more secrets darker than she could’ve ever imagined

This was an absolute thrill ride, it’s got some very very dark themes so definitely be sure to check out the trigger warnings if you’re worried about that!
The opening chapter of this is written from an unknown perspective leaning into clues about what once happened within the house, when the book starts then obviously we are flipped to present day to read from Mia and Finns perspectives, I absolutely loved the switching between past and present it always makes everything twice as tense.
In terms of the plot with this one it can be quite far fetched at times but that’s what also allows it to be such a thrill so I really couldn’t fault this!

There’s some very unlikable characters which I personally really enjoy in a thriller story, it really gets my emotions riled up 😅 but ye for thriller fans everywhere I’d definitely recommend this one, it’s a very enjoyable dark thriller & I look forward to reading more of John Marrs thrillers going forward 👏🏼

Thankyou to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing Uk for the arc of this book by John Marrs.

5 STARS he has done it again such an amazing book! if you liked his other books you will love this!! so gripping, thrilling and page turner

Debbie and Dave almost buy the old house which came up for sale, but then their daughter in-law Mia seems to be one step ahead and she insists that they should have it - Mia and her husband deserve it more than the old couple. As they start renovating it, dark secrets come out - soon bodies are found in the attic and it doesn't seem to end at all. Mia is heartbroken about all the developments, but somehow her in-laws don't seem to be too affected and instead they are more focused on hiding something from everyone!
What Mia doesn't know is her in-laws and her husband are all hiding secrets, and none of them want her to know a lot of things including the fact that one or more of them could be the reason behind those bodies or are they really innocent?
This was a very intense, disturbing, creepy book I have ever read - thanks to John Marrs, Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for approving the ARC

Mia and Finn purchase an old house at auction, Finns parents actually were first interested in the house but they stepped aside so Finn and Mia could get it. During renovations 7 suitcases are found in a secret room in the attic. The suitcases contains skeletal remains of children, Mia cannot believe it, Finn and his family aren’t as shocked as Mia by this discovery. This book took turns I would have never predicted. I thought I knew what I was getting into as this is not my first John Marrs book, but the ride this book took me on was crazy! ICYMI this is the book with the infamous chapter 39 and you should read this book for that reason alone.

Keep It In The Family John Marrs
After bit of a reading slump, I read this book in two days. I alternated between reading and listening as 3 of the 4 narrators are among my favourites (the 4th was new to me)

As always, John's books are well written, and kept me hooked until the end. I love a bad guy in a book, and this one was a bad as they get!

I loved the storyline and narration, all of it!!

I love John Marrs books and this one was no exception. Completely enthralling and utterly engaging, I couldn't put this down!!

A chilling thriller that will keep you in the edge of your seat.

Mia and Finn are turning a derelict house into their dream forever home but the house hides many secrets. As well as renovating their home Mia and Finn welcome their new baby but after a discovery in the attic can they ever be a truly happy family ?

The more that is discovered about the past the more that is discovered about the present. What history hides in the house ? And is everyone quite as they seem ?

This is John Marrs doing what he does best, a great twisty and tense thriller. If you love books that keep you guessing and have plenty of gasp moments then this book is definitely for you.

Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

Flew through this one quickly! What a family! The beginning took me a hot minute to get deep into, but once I was in, I had a hard time putting it down. Great thriller, not too deep, super for summer vacation reading!

The first 60% of this book I enjoyed, and couldn’t put it down. Right after that, a twist happened, and I felt cheated. I felt cheated because I was believing everything was happening to a specific character. Then, all of a sudden, it ended up being someone else entirely. So the story switched itself right in the middle. After this point, I basically figured out what was going to happen by the end of the book. I couldn’t wait to finish it, and not because I was enjoying it. Rather, I couldn’t wait to finish it because I wanted to be done. 2.5 stars.

I really liked this one. it was my second book by John Marrs and he still knows how to shock. The characters well all super interesting and I loved the alternating POV from the main story line and the killer. Very good!!

⭐⭐⭐

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.

📍 Read if you like:
• Dark And Twisty Stories
• OMG Moments
• Eerie Houses
• Short Chapters

I am a huge fan of John Marrs, I absolutely loved 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘯𝘦 that I told myself I would read anything he writes. I need to work on his backlist titles after… but regarding this book, I may have set the standards too high. It wasn’t by any means a terrible book, it just wasn’t my fav.

This book is very twisty and dark. It’s hard to talk about it without going into spoilers so I would advise looking up the trigger warnings. There is one in particular that I didn't see coming. I wasn’t really aware of what this book was about so that trigger warning caught me off guard… and trust me, it was so difficult to read about.

A lot of the book is focused on this creepy house and its attic. The current owners make a discovery that sets off the whole mystery and suspenseful story. It also goes back and forth between the past and present.

My main concern with the book itself was that it was slow at times. The characters were a bit bland and while yes there were a few OMG moments and twits, I did see some of them coming. Again, the one regarding the past - I don't want to spoil it - was one I did not see coming.

Overall, the book was a quick read and entertaining at times. I may have just set super higher standards since it’s John Marrs, but I would hands down recommend checking out this author.

Thank you Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for the gifted e-book in exchange for my honest review, all thoughts are my own!

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy of Keep it in the Family.

This is the first novel by John Marrs that I’ve read but it definitely won’t be the last. I loved this book. It was a quick read and full of twists and turns. It was exciting and kept my attention throughout.

None of the characters is particularly likeable and it’s hard to decide whose behavior was the worst

I would definitely recommend.

ohhhh John Marrs, how you sing to my soul with your murderous deceit.

Marrs is an author that has delivered back to back 5 star reads. I have obsessed over this man since the first book I read of his, What Lies Between Us.

Keep It in the Family, is at a level all its own. No book will ever be able to compete with this one.

Teaser :

In this chilling 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 chilling 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 dream home was once a house of horrors.

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. Haunted by the terrible things she saw and desperate to find answers, her obsession pulls her ever further from her husband.

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 is it already too late?

I enjoy John Mars very much and I have to say this book was excellent. That being said there is a bit of heavy content here with child abuse and abduction. I think it's important to know that in case you are sensitive to the subject. This is the story of a man and woman who buy their dream home only to discover it was more of a nightmare. I couldn't imagine myself in that situation. How can you go on in a home that you know has seen such tragedy? But that's what makes John Mars such a great writer. I really enjoyed this story although difficult to read at times. The story sucked me in and I found myself sitting there for hours reading and not eve realizing how much time had gone by.

Enjoyment: 5
Total rating: 4.93

How is this for a prologue teaser? "Everyone except their families soon forgets about a missing child. And me. I remember every one of them. Because I am the bait that lures them here."

Twisty, unputdownable, entertaining, mixed media banger of a book. I absolutely love John Marrs, and he never fails to pull me right into his narrative and never disappoints. I open his books, suspend all disbelief in my body, sit back and enjoy the ride.

I find his narrative thrilling and compelling. His pacing is impeccable, and he executes the end-of-chapter cliffhanger so well I call it "to pull a John Marrs" when other authors do it.

Just when you think the title will give it away, he surprises us with a couple and their families and another family later on... You get the gist. The web is cast wide. And as one would expect, every narrator is unreliable. I loved the effective use of mixed media entries to fill in the gaps and offer the reader a more neutral context.

Even though the prose is compelling, the content is dark in all nuances that range from sad to disturbing. Keep it in the Family plays with how far one would go for and from family. Marrs always plays fair, and with the sinuous journey he lays for us, some readers might predict some of the twists. This doesn't bother me at all. I read books for entertainment and look for well-developed characters I can see as real people, an atmosphere that makes my heart pump faster, and a satisfying ending guaranteed to put a smile on my face. I got all that on top of a tightly plotted fair play puzzle.

I can't wait for his next novel.


Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to the publishers and NetGalley for providing a copy of Keep It in the Family.

I rarely read horror books as thrillers are more my style but this has a great blend of both genres. Once I got past the underlying crimes of stolen and murdered children, the storyline really captivated me. I thought I was figuring out what or who was responsible for the crimes, but then I tripped over a stumbling block that changed my mind! It loved both the expected and unexpected twists in this book!