The Caretakers

By: Eliza Maxwell

Narrated by: Janet Metzger, Erin Mallon

In the isolated estate she’s found the perfect getaway. But there’s no escaping the past in this chilling novel from the bestselling author of The Unremembered Girl.

Filmmaker Tessa Shepherd helped free a man she believed was wrongly imprisoned for murder. When he kills again, Tessa’s life is upended.

She’s reeling with guilt, her reputation destroyed. Worse, Tessa’s mother has unexpectedly passed away, and her sister, Margot, turns on her after tensions from their past escalate. Hounded by a bullying press, Tessa needs an escape. That’s when she learns of a strange inheritance bequeathed by her mother: a derelict and isolated estate known as Fallbrook. It seems like the perfect refuge.

A crumbling monument to a gruesome history, the mansion has been abandoned by all but two elderly sisters retained as caretakers. They are also guardians of all its mysteries. As the house starts revealing its dark secrets, Tessa must face her fears and right the wrongs of her past to save herself and her relationship with Margot. But nothing and no one at Fallbrook are what they seem.

©2020 by Amber Carter. (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Suspense fans will be satisfied.” (Publishers Weekly)

so many twists I'm dizzy!

This was a fast paced, engrossing read for me. Sometimes I find a twist at the end of a story to feel contrived, but in this book the twists were central to the plot which was slowly revealed. I really enjoyed this book and loved the narrators voice.

Wow! This book kept giving and giving!

I read the reviews before purchasing this one. I was apprehensive because I was also annoyed at the narrator’s voice after listening to the sample but the storyline was still intriguing enough that I wanted to give it a chance. To me, at least, the voice got better and fit perfectly with the character. The other narrator did speak quickly at times, but even that fit the character she was reading for.

At times this book is a mystery thriller and at times it is what I would call a “woman’s drama”. I am a woman myself, but never voluntarily watch Lifetime movies or read books like this. I just don’t go in for that kind of stuff.

That being said, I not only Don’t Regret my purchase, but will be looking for others by the same author. Not everything in this book is perfect (some cheesiness that is difficult to stomach) but DANG! This woman can write mystery! I said in the title that the book keeps giving because it gave my favorite part (a twist) over and over again. I didn’t know it was possible to reach the climax of a book, then find more and more and more. It felt it only got deeper and more complicated and was really, really good.

Excellent read

Captured and kept my attention. Lots of great twists. Heartbreak. Unrequited love. Twisted minds. Everything a girl could ask for in a good book.

Fantastic read!

The characters were very very real, and I could identify with them. Following along as the book opened up more clearly two storylines. The book became more and more intriguing towards the end, and I just could not put it down.

Excellent book!

My favorite book of the year and impossible to put down even after it's over.

Great twist!

The way it goes back and forth between character narration was a little confusing at first. But I finally was able to follow & ended up loving the story! Would love to see this on screen.

WOW !!!!!

The book began good and got even better in the middle and the end . I didn't expect it to end the way it did, however it was a pleasant ending - I totally loved it!

outstanding

keeps you in the dark till the end.
well worth your time.
great character development.

Loved it!! Very twisty, but worked

I liked that it took more than two paragraphs to wrap up the story. cleary the author had a vision from the get-go!

The Story is Okay; The Narration is Tough....

One narrator is in a huge hurry to get to the end. She rushes through every line like she's in a race. The other reads as if reading at story hour for young children. If you can get past that, the story is okay but the author clearly pulled her inspiration from Making a Murderer. The baseline story is ripped right from the documentary; documentary included! The turns it takes are different, of course, but the original thought is not there. I'm about 3 hours in to this 8 hour listen and so far, I wouldn't put it on my "must recommend to a friend" list.