Keep It in the Family

POSSIBLE TRIGGERS: FAMILY VIOLENCE, GRUESOME MURDERS, DRUG ADDICTION, MANIPULATION
A young couple’s house hides terrible secrets...and not all of them are confined to the past.
Finn and Mia have recently bought their first home. Their new house is in desperate need of a makeover, so they set to work making renovations. Soon after the work begins, Mia learns that she is pregnant. With their dream house nearly ready, they are surprised when an ominous message is left for them. The message speaks of something sinister being connected to the house and Mia and Finn feel that they must investigate. What they uncover is horrendous and beyond all imagination. The house that was once their dream is now a crime scene. Mia is particularly show more disturbed by the dark history of her home, and she feels the need to find out more about the house's past. Piece by piece the mystery of this "house of horrors" comes to light and Mia realizes that their lives could be in danger.

The story is told from the viewpoints of five different characters including the unknown killer. The author also gives us a number of vital excerpts and key articles that were interesting but became somewhat of a challenge to keep track of all the narrators and time periods. I did very much like the mystery and conjecture that surrounded the story. It helped and allowed for my theories, opinions and impressions to take form. I know I came up with some really wild theories and ideas...most of them...wrong. There is a lot of "darkness" in this story that may really, really bother some readers, and could possibly raise triggers. However, as much as some of this was really awful, you can't help feeling that there was a lot of truth in this story. You can actually imagine these things being reported by a handsome, smiling TV newscaster on your 6:00 news report in all its glaring gore.

I was highly suspicious of all the characters, except for Mia. I was Mia's biggest fan from the start, and I desperately wanted her to learn the truth, and still be alive afterwards. My opinion of her husband and his family...??? Well, I won’t say too much more about them other than John Marrs has given "life" to a bunch of "shady characters". Good job, Mr. Marrs...I didn't figure them out until it was too late. I know that sometimes it's skipped but be sure to read the epilogue. It gives the story and the reader, some much needed grounding, AND a shocking final twist. I don't remember when I have had so much gruesome "fun" with a book:)

What stayed in my mind the most when it came to the book was the old debate that surrounds the "nature versus nurture" theory... inherited family trauma, double lives, murder, secrets and psychological tendencies. These were very interesting topics, and I felt that the author really did these dark issues justice. This was a chilling tale, and I was glued to it from the first to the last sentence on the last page. I am certain that this one, along with John Marrs, its author, deserves every single one of these five stars.... maybe even more. show less

Wow, what a rollercoaster ride this book was. I found it really compelling reading. It's intense and intricately plotted, with everyday life slotting in with secrets from the past and present perfectly. Bravo John Marrs!

Mia and Finn buy a house that needs a lot of work doing to it and they set about it with the help of Finn's parents. As the renovation works progress the couple find some macabre discoveries in the house. Pregnant at the time, Mia then goes on to become obsessed with the findings to the detriment of all else, including her baby. The discoveries are shocking, the stuff of nightmares, and it's as Mia delves deeper that more revelations are revealed.

This is such a brilliant book. The current day storyline is interspersed show more with chapters from the past which fill in blanks but also add a lot of flesh to the story and provide very important background information. Just when it seemed as though all the revelations were done with…bam….bam….have a few more. The prologue chilled me to the bone and those chills just kept coming throughout the book. It's a reminder of how evil walks among us and how the scariest things are those that can happen in real life, not in horror films.

A story of family, manipulation, and the age-old question of nature vs nurture, Keep it in the Family is very dark and extremely twisted. It made me uncomfortable and transfixed in equal measures. I don't think I'd want to live in John Marrs' head!! A tense domestic thriller with a very sharp edge, I thought it was sensational. show less

I will admit, I got suckered in to reading this book with the social media IYKYK posts of the one-word chapter. While THAT reveal felt overhyped from all the social media conversation, I was not disappointed with this book at all.

Story jumps back and forth between past and present. A family renovating their new home learns that it was the location of horrific serial killings in the present, mixed in with events from the past where an unknown narrator is slowly sharing more and more details from the killings in the past to help you slowly realize just what the hell is happening.

Gotta say, the last quarter of the book felt like driving downhill on a curvy mountain road at night with the gas floored with all of the threads from the past show more and present weaving together - thrilling, shocking, confusing, and an experience that you don't get a break from until the last chapter leaves you with the realization of what all happened AND what will happen. Thrillers like this make you want a cigarette after the book ends.

Highly recommend the audiobook version, especially if you are the type of person that jumps ahead in a book to see how things play out. show less

One of the BEST thrillers I’ve read this year!

John Marrs will disturb you with his twisted characters and plots, but it’s his mind that is the most terrifying of all! Where does he get these twisted ideas from? I don’t care…keep them coming!

His speculative fiction was my first taste of his writing, with The One. I’ve been hooked since. I recently started reading his psychological thrillers and I haven’t been disappointed yet! He is at the top of my favorite author list and I now have my husband listening to his audiobooks during his work road trips. This author will keep you on the edge of your seat! If you haven’t read him yet, you are missing out!

Mia and Finn purchase an abandoned house that was empty for forty years. show more Mia is pregnant and they’ve been staying with Finn’s parents—Debbie and Dave—and it has been a nightmare for Mia. She can’t wait to move out. Debbie can justly be described as a Monster-in-Law. While renovating, they discover dead bodies hidden in the attic. Mia has an accident which causes her to deliver early and they’re stuck with the in-laws indefinitely. This is a VERY watered-down summary. The actual events are much more complex and intricate!

There are so many unpredictable twists packed into this novel! Keep your eyes open so you don’t miss anything. I guarantee you can’t predict them all! show less

Mia and Finn are buying their dream house. Unknown to them their new home soon becomes a house of horrors.

I've read books by John Marrs before and I always enjoy his thrillers more than the books he writes set in the near future.

This book is told from the pov of Mia, Finn and his parents Dave and Debbie. I have to say this book did hold my interest and I did want to see a positive outcome with what was going on. The plot has a lot of twists and surprises but I did feel towards the end the story had maybe one too many twists and was venturing into thrillerland.

What I didn't enjoy was the subject matter. The crime involves the abduction and murder of children. This I didn't enjoy and yes I finished the book and overall enjoyed it but show more found the subject hard to read.

John Marrs is a good author and I still have some of his books to read in the future. show less

The book is the ideal example of why thrillers will always be my favorite genre. It has everything a thriller should have, and then more. The characters in this book keep you wondering what the hell is actually going on, and the storyline twists and suspense keep you guessing. The ending of this novel just blew me away. I was surprised to learn that a chapter just needed one word to convey its meaning to readers, but John Marrs's writing in Chapter 39 was a chef’s kiss and showcased his talent.

Picked this one up after a social media post recommending it, and it did not disappoint. I did find it a bit repetitive and rambling at times in order to make it longer -me thinks-, but overall it is a good twisty thriller.
Mia and Finn buy this run down house so they can renovate it and make it their home; but little did they know it was a murder house before, that still bears the corpses of several children.
Tied to this nightmare, is the shady involvement of Mias’ in-laws, who aren’t who they pretend to be.
All hell breaks loose as Mia starts poking into the past, and along come the twists and turns you do not see coming until they hit you head on.
Good read. Give it a go.