The Stranger Upstairs is Now Live!
The Stranger Upstairs
Author: Lisa M. Matlin
Release Date: September 12, 2023
Genre: Fiction/Thriller/Horror
A social media influencer with a secret past buys a murder house to renovate, but finds more than she bargained for behind the peeling wallpaper in this gothic psychological debut.
Sarah Slade is starting over. As the new owner of the infamous Black Wood House—the scene of a grisly murder-suicide—she’s determined that the fixer-upper will help reach a new audience on her successful lifestyle blog, and distract her from her failing marriage.
But as Sarah paints over the house’s horrifying past, she knows better than anyone that a new façade can’t conceal every secret. Then the builders start acting erratically and experiencing bizarre accidents—and Sarah knows there’s only so long she can continue to sleep in the bedroom with the bloodstained floor and suffer the mysterious footsteps she hears from the attic.
When menacing notes start appearing everywhere, Sarah becomes convinced that someone or something is out to kill her—her husband, her neighbors, maybe even the house itself. The more she remodels Black Wood House, the angrier it seems to become.
With every passing moment, Sarah’s life spirals further out of control—and with it, her sense of reality. Though she desperately clings to the lies she’s crafted to conceal her own secrets, Sarah Slade must wonder . . . was it all worth it? Or will this house be her final unraveling?
Lisa M. Matlin
Lisa M. Matlin was a guitarist in a rock band before switching from songwriting to story writing. She lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her husband, pug, and golden retriever. She’s probably rewatching The Walking Dead right now and trying not to laugh at her own jokes. Matlin is a passionate mental health advocate and your dog’s number one fan. Learn more about this author here:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2291040/lisa-m-matlin
Sarah Slade has a plan, purchase the Black Wood House house cheap, fix it up, and sale it for a big profit... but the house has other plans for her! As she and the workers she hired start to expose the bare bones of the house they start to experience unexplainable things, things are downright haunting. Which is to be expected when you start messing with a house that has a murderous past...
As I settled down with The Stranger Upstairs it didn't take long to realize I had stumbled upon a really spooky edge of your seat kind of story... it's well crafted words had me on edge the whole way through. Our heroine has a great plan, but I worried a bit about her safety and sanity, messing with a house with that kind of bad juju is bound to catch up to you... and it does!
This first time read had me gasping in surprise, jumping at every little noise, and dangling helplessly from the edge of my seat the whole way through. I got so wrapped in the words that I forgot about the world around me, and the clock beside my bed telling me I needed to go to sleep... it was impossible to put this one down! And on a side note the loss of Zzzz's were totally worth it! If you like spinetingling tales that hold you captive from start to finish you have to pick this one up!!! Highly recommend!
I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.
Random House Books - Bantam Books, via NetGalley Request
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