Reviews for The stranger upstairs : a novel
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From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
Perky social influencer Sarah Slade capitalizes on her wildly successful advice book and career as a therapist with the purchase of the notorious Black Wood House. For reasons that remain murky, she’s obsessed with the crumbling mansion where Bill and Susan Campbell died in a gruesome murder-suicide 40 years ago. Sarah’s husband, Joe, reluctantly goes along with her ambitious plans to renovate the house, Instagram the process to promote her brand, and turn a tidy profit. But the house has other ideas: wallpaper that refuses to be removed, doors that won’t lock, stains and smells and strange sounds. Joe hates it there, much as he has come to hate Sarah. The strain is overwhelming and as her marriage and health deteriorate, bodies pile up in the back yard. As if completing a checklist, Matlin hits all the classic notes of the gothic horror genre in her debut thriller: a malevolent house, intimidating neighbors, slippery identities, lurking shadows, and a heroine whose every choice inspires readers to want to call out, “No! Don’t do that!” A spooky, pulse-pounding sleep-robber.
