Mia and Finn know they've probably bitten off more than they can chew whe they by a house that's been empty for decades. But they are determined to make it work. Then Mia falls pregnant unexpectedly, and there's a new urgency in getting the house family ready. Nor least because Mia can bear the thought of living with Finns overbearing mother for another minute, let alone when the baby arrives. But just as things come together, they discover their house has been hiding a gruesome secret. Mia can't shake the trauma of the discovery or the fear the horrors aren't over yet....

I'm a great fan of Marrs' more futuristic works, but this is a very enjoyable if rather disturbing story. The main outcome is quite easy to guess, but then Marrs comes in with some excellent sucker punches. I can't actually say my issue with the book without giving a major spoiler other than to say misplaced loyalty much!

Definitely worth a read, would make a great holiday read this summer

This is John Marrs’ 9th novel and what I have liked about each one that I have read so far, is that John Marrs hooks you in from page one.

Keep It in The Family was no different and I had to stop reading the prologue in bed, worried about ensuing nightmares.

John Marrs has the knack of creating both likeable, and unsavoury characters, and has a clever and twisted imagination that ensured that Keep it In The Family was a great read and he kept me guessing until the last page.

I give Keep It In The Family 5 + stars.

I went through a serious John Marrs phase at one point and then forgot about him. Shame on me because Keep It In The Family is probably the best book I read so far this year.

It had everything I wanted. A intriguing plot. Twists and turns galore. Likeable characters. Horrible characters. I just love a book that keeps me guessing and I couldn’t put it down.

Let’s go into more detail. This is definitely a dark book. Be prepared for that. In fact, it could be a bit triggering for some readers. While I wouldn’t say the descriptions are very graphic, I don’t think they need to be to be upsetting. The author does such a great job of building an atmosphere and getting into the heads of the characters that he doesn’t need to resort to shock value to get the reader turning the pages.

I found the twists in the story great. While I admit that I saw one or two of them coming, there were others that caught me off guard. I love when that happens in a book. It’s nice to be surprised but it’s also nice to have enough clues to help you figure out the outcome yourself. Without these clues, sometimes the ending can be too unbelievable.

Finally, I found the characters interesting. Although I can’t honestly say they had amazing character development, they certainly don’t end as the people you perceive them to be in the beginning. Besides what happens with the main plot, I like how they all have their flaws. Characters in the grey area always make for a better book.

Honestly I love anything this author puts out! I had such a good time reading this. It’s perfectly paced and I would highly
Recommend it to anyone :)

OMG. The master of Thrillers strikes again. This book is magnificent and I honestly could have devoured it in one sitting but I like to savour my books.

The ending sucker punched me so hard 🥺😮😮😮

This one certainly kept me on my toes and guessing, its a little creepy. I enjoy his Sci-fi thrillers more I think than his thrillers. but I did actually really enjoy this one.

Lots of misdirections and I dont really know what was happening and then bam! The charatcer development was very good, i was invested to find out what happens next. Highly recommend if you love a strong character driven book

Have you ever opened an old attic door and wondered what kind of mysteries lay hidden within it? This is the concept that author John Marrs has explored in his new psychological fiction novel, Keep it in the Family. In this story, Mia and Finn take us through a journey filled with suspense and remarkable plot twists as we uncover the forgotten memories housed in an attic in their new house. It's guaranteed to keep readers up all night eagerly turning pages to find out the answers hiding above their bed!

Mia and Finn were so excited to finally make their dream home a reality - only for an unexpected development: Mia's pregnancy. Little did they know what horrors lie beneath the surface of this seemingly perfect property; upon further investigation, hidden in the attic was unspeakable evidence from dark past events that left them with sleepless nights. As they pieced together clues leaving intentional messages throughout the house, it slowly started to dawn on them just how close danger lurked around every corner as more secrets unravelled before their very eyes...

I am usually a big fan of John Marrs books but this one feels a little short for me. The premise was a good one, Mia and Finn buy a house unseen, never a good plan but especially so in their case. They don’t have much money but embark on the renovation project as best they can until things become more rushed when they find out Mia is pregnant, think Grand Designs and almost every project on there! They go through many twists and turns as they piece things together and there is danger at every turn.

I guessed where the book was going fairly early on and I did enjoy it but it didn’t hold together as well as Marrs’ usual books. The concept felt a little too far-fetched but not in a fantasy-type way, just unrealistic. Perhaps it was a little flirt with horror, but it wasn’t quite there for me, and not quite dystopian either.

I didn’t like any of the main characters, but I did enjoy the bits of podcasts, interviews, and news clippings which added to the story well.

A good book but not the best I've seen from John Marrs.

Another brilliant novel from John Marrs! With twists at ever turn, I couldn’t put this down! John Marrs is the master of the thriller!

Wow it just keeps getting darker and more twisted with every chapter. An addictive read that will keep shocking you till the very end. I loved it!

John Marrs never misses in my opinion! I much prefer his crime thrillers over sci-fi and this was another knock out the park!

I did work out the twist however I was expecting another one which didn't happen so if other people read this and think along similar lines who aren't frequent JM readers this might throw them off the scent!

This was an enjoyable read, but certainly not one of Marrs' best work. It felt fraught with cliches and was very predictable.

Mia and Finn are a young couple who buy a beautiful but worn down house for a shockingly low price. Whilst working on the house, they find a disturbing message carved into a skirting board. It reads "I WILL SAVE THEM FROM THE ATTIC". From there, suitcases are found in their attic containing horrifying contents.

After Mia gives birth, and unable to sell the house, she becomes hyper focused on the crimes committed within the house. Something is incredibly off about the family she has married into, but what? Does her mum in law have something to do with the crimes? Or maybe it's her father in law? Or could it be her husband?

My main issues were that everything was incredibly predictable, from the way that the characters are described as "unsuspecting" to the dialogue between characters and the events that took place. There wasn't anything that left me particularly horrified because they were all plot points that have been written about before, and that have been featured numerous times on television shows and in films.

Having said that, there were a few twists and turns and it was an enjoyable read. It was just also an average read.

However, if you're not someone that reads a lot of thrillers, I would definitely recommend this! I am just very much both an avid John Marrs reader, and a thriller reader.

4.5 stars

My first read from John Marrs and what a great way to start off the year! This book is definitely a dark read with disturbing characters. It’s told through multiple POVs with great character development, past and present. So many twists! My favourite part of the book since this kept me wanting to read. Every twist but one surprised me!

My only reason for not giving this book five stars was the ending. I just felt it dragged a little too long.

Overall, what a well written dark and disbursing book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this review copy in exchange for my honest
review!

The book started of slow i was going to DNF but i am glad i kept reading because as the book went on the speed picked up pace and the ending was great.
This book is a dark and twisted story just up my street.

Multiple POVs and timelines make this super creepy and disturbing thriller a page turner right until the end. Sinister and full of twists, a classic John Marrs read!

Full review to come.

Dark, twisty, gripping and disturbing. A multiple POV book that kept me on the edge and brought to very dark places.
There's some very disturbing part but, even if I was uncomfortable in reading, I didn't stop.
The rating could have been highter but I found the end a bit rushed.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Mia and Finn buy and old house, hoping to renovate it and move out from Finn's parents. All seems to be going well, the house is being renovated, Mia is pregnant. And then, they find the remains of children in the attic, which is clearly the work of a serial killer.
OK, this was a hard book to read. There is a lot of murder, child abuse, neglect. Made me sick to my stomach. What was done really well:the characters and the pacing. We follow 5 POVs:Mia, Finn, Finn's parents - Debbie and Dave, and the killer. Every chapter we switch to a different POV. The killer's chapters are understandably disturbing, but ALL of these characters were just unhinged. Seriously, every one of them. They were really well-written but very unlikable. And that was the issue for me because I didn't care for any of them. The pacing was good because the chapters are short. But there is different side to that too:because the chapters are so short we don't spend much time with the characters and that was probably another reason why I didn't care for them. The plot was good but the twists of the last third of the book came one after another after another and it got a bit much.
All in all, I liked it,it was a fast read, but I didn't love it and it made me sick in places, especially the epilogue.
Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I would firstly like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a read!
Marrs certainly chilled me to the bone with his twisted characters and plots. WHERE is he getting these ideas from?... but I love it!
I have been hooked on this author's books since, 'The One', and there hasn't been a single one yet I've not devoured. I was constantly at the edge of my seat!

Disturbing, complex, emotional, and oh just heart-poundingly intense from start to finish, I can't wait to start another!

John Marrs never misses. This is another exceptional thriller from an author that I can confidently say is my favourite thriller writer,

In this story we are following the stories of two married couples; Finn and Mia, a young couple who have just purchased their first home; and Dave and Debbie, Finn's parents. It is clear very early on that everyone in this story is keeping deadly secrets and it all relates back to a grisly discovery in Finn and Mia's new home called "the Babes in the Attic".

I love the way that the secrets of this book are very slowly teased and revealed to the reader as well as featuring Marrs' signature grisly no-holds-barred twists. I really loved that right up to the final page more secrets were revealed but never feels gimicky or over-played.

Throughout this story we have so mixed media elements with newspaper articles and transcripts that do an amazing job of teasing the story that is to come without ever actually revealing anything. And when I realised that the final article was a callback to an earlier piece... absolute *chef's kiss*

Highly recommend this book for lovers of thrillers and mysteries.

I have loved two of John Marrs previous books, but this just wasn't my favorite. I still finished it, but it felt like it took a hundred years.

Everything John Marrs writes is perfect. He really knows how to write a thriller! This book is so dark and twisty. I don’t want to say too much and give anything away. You will not be disappointed that’s for sure. I’ve already recommending this book to so many people!