The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer
First line: The trail of muddy footprints led off the front stoop, tracked across the gravel driveway, and disappeared into the darkened woods.
Summary: Macy Mullins has bills to pay, groceries to buy and a younger sister to take care of. Unfortunately, the job market is not promising. Then one day she stumbles upon a job listing on Craigslist. Three days of house-sitting for several thousand dollars pay. What could be easier? All she has to do is follow the instructions and she will get a few weeks of relief. It all seems too easy until her first night. While trying to follow the rites she discovers that whatever inhabits the house is trickier than she believed. With each passing hour, the nightmare becomes more and more sinister. Will Macy make it through this weekend? Will the world survive if she cannot follow the rites?
My Thoughts: This book. Dang. I had to remind myself to relax while reading it. I was so tense. Clenching my jaw and muscles tight. I loved every minute of it.
I have been waiting two years for this book to come out. Ever since reading Kliewer’s debut, We Used To Live Here, I could not wait to see what he produced next. This one was just as good as the first. While I struggled with the main character Macy, I completely believed that this is how someone would react in these situations. As a reader, I wanted her to do certain things differently but who can say if we all would follow the rites precisely either. With each new threat, the tension ramped up. Nevertheless, I felt I could never fully trust what we were told. Is this all real? By the end, I was exhausted. It was so much fun and a thrilling ride!
I wish I could say more but I really do not want to give too much away. I could not recommend this one enough to horror fans. I wish I could re-read it again for the first time. Now I have to wait again for Kliewer’s next books.
FYI: Depression, self harm.