Keep It in the Family

Product Information

In this chilling novel from bestselling author John Marrs, a young couple’s house hides terrible secrets―and not all of them are confined to the past. All of that said, I thought Keep It In The Family was absolutely brilliant and I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s intense and intricately plotted, with everyday life slotting in with secrets from the past and present perfectly. Even when I’d guessed correctly I discovered there were yet more crazy antics to come as this person toyed with their victims further and prolonged their torment with glee.

Following this clue up to the eaves, the couple are shocked to find that their dream home was once a house of horrors. Deliciously dark, marvellously menacing and totally twisted, I am slightly terrified of John Marrs after reading this; though I would love to peek inside his mind to know how he came up with what is his darkest book yet.Keep it in the Family is the perfect blend of fascinating characters, chilling details, and gasp-worthy twists. But the combination of these two when I had no idea who the POV was in the timeline jumps was stressful and made it VERY hard to follow the plot or even want to keep reading. Minna gets sick and wishes her mum was a better nurse; when the tables are turned, who is the better nurse and patient?

Amongst numerous other awards, she is twice winner of both the Carnegie Medal, Britain's most prestigious children's book award, and the Whitbread Award. A note reads “This was the first of what turned out to be several stories about Minna and her unusual family”. I was privileged to interview John at the Deepings Literary Festival earlier this year and he and his books have featured on Linda’s Book Bag many times. In this thrilling novel from bestselling author John Marrs, a young couple’s house hides terrible secrets—and not all of them are confined to the past.However, as much as this was truly awful to read about, I felt there was a line of possible truth to this story. I felt most drawn to Mia, my heart going out to her in particular after the events at the end of part one. Every time you think all the twists have been revealed and you have it all figured out he will pull the rug from under you and turn the world upside down.