Here To Stay
"...Edwards has littered the story with red herrings to keep you turning the pages."
Synopsis:
Gemma Robinson comes into Elliott's life like a whirlwind, and they marry and settle into his home. When she asks him if her parents can come to stay for a couple of weeks, he is keen to oblige, he just doesn't quite know what he's signing up for.
The Robinsons arrive with Gemma's sister, Chloe, a mysterious young woman who refuses to speak or leave her room. Elliot start to suspect that the Robinsons are hiding a dark secret. And then there are the scars on his wife's body that she won't talk about.
As Elliott's in-laws become more comfortable in his house, encroaching on all the aspects of his life, it becomes clear that they have no intention of moving out. To protect Gemma, Elliot delves into the Robinsons' past. But is he prepared for the truth?
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Review:
It sounds like a nightmare scenario; newlyweds settling down to married life and the in-laws suddenly need a place to live. In the hands of Mark Edwards, this is just the beginning of the nightmare, and it's going to get much worse. Told in the first person, we see the story unfold through Elliot's eyes - a man who has lived alone for the majority of his life, with no family. Within months he has a wife and three other members of his new family living under his roof. He's overwhelmed, suffocating, and trapped. The in-laws really are grotesque people. They're loathed from their first appearance and as they inveigle their way into Elliot's world they get worse. I could feel my blood boiling as I read. Mark Edwards has a wonderful ability to create rounded characters with minimal description. He knows his characters inside out and forces you into the action as if you're a part of the story. That's what makes him such a frightening psychological thriller writer. However, it wasn't long before I was in Elliot's shoes and screaming for him to throw this monstrous couple out. 'Here To Stay' is a fast-paced novel and Edwards has littered the story with red herrings to keep you turning the pages. I have never felt such anxiety reading a work of fiction before, but that is the power of Edwards skill. Like the title, he is here to stay, and I cannot wait to see what darkness he comes up with next.