Title: You Let Me In
Expected publication: out now
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟1/2
"I am
no trespasser, I remind myself. You let me in."
Book Description:
Nothing has felt right since Elle rented
out her house . . .
I’M IN YOUR HOUSE
There’s a new coldness. A shift in the
atmosphere. The prickling feeling that someone is watching her every move from
the shadows.
I’M IN YOUR HEAD
Maybe it’s all in Elle’s mind? She’s a
writer – her imagination, after all, is her strength. And yet every threat
seems personal. As if someone has discovered the secrets that keep her awake at
night.
AND NOW I KNOW YOUR SECRET
As fear and paranoia close in, Elle’s own
home becomes a prison. Someone is unlocking her past – and she’s given them the
key…
My musings:
I love psychological thrillers that feature
“haunted” houses – not necessarily of the ghostly kind, but where the house serves
almost like an extra character in the story. So when I stumbled across the
premise of Clarke's latest thriller, I was instantly intrigued.
Have you ever thought about renting out your
house on Airbnb? I don't really like the thought of strangers living in my
house, but after this story I will definitely think twice about it! What if
your houseguests had some ulterior motive? And your house suddenly feels no
longer safe? This is famous author Elle Field's reality after she returns to
her luxurious seafront house on the wild Cornish coast after renting it to a
family whilst she was overseas. Come to think of it, no one has actually ever laid
eyes on the tenants, but they have certainly left behind a presence – things appear
in the wrong places, Elle feels watched constantly and suddenly everything
seems to go wrong for her. The worst thing is that the changes are so subtle
that Elle’s fears sound ridiculous even to her own ears. Is there something
sinister going on, or is it all in her mind?
I admit that whilst I enjoyed the story, I had
a bit of trouble connecting with Elle, and I found her stand-offish and
irritating at times, which made me somewhat intolerant of her frequent
complaining. Not only had she managed to totally peeve off her neighbours by
building a huge mansion that blocked their ocean view, but she also has some
demons she is keeping from her nearest and dearest. Despite this, I thoroughly
enjoyed the role the house played in the story, and thought it could have been
exploited even more to make the story creepier. Whilst the final reveal was not
as mind-blowing as I had hoped, it held a few unexpected surprises.
Summary:
All in all, whilst it didn’t blow me away,
You Let Me In is an enjoyable mystery in
the vein of Simon Lelic's The House, or The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney.
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