Cass and James want to move in together and the opportunity arises when they are offered caretaker jobs at Newington House it seems there dreams have come true but there is a downside as a family we’re murdered there many years ago. Cass is a bit wary as James has to go to work and she’s left on her own a lot mysterious things start to happen has she done the right thing moving there. It’s very intense and has you on the edge of your seat.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ for an ARC

WOW WOW WOW! This was my first Louise Jensen book and it certainly won't be my last!
The Intruders is a nail-biting psychological thriller with INSANE twists that I never saw coming! The atmosphere that Jensen creates throughout the book is amazing. I thought part one was great, but I was not expecting the absolute whirlwind that arrived with part 2. I thought the plot was incredibly unique and I enjoyed reading the author's inspiration for the book at the end! The character POVs really added to the suspense and intrigue and I thought it was done spectacularly.

I loved the ending but it left me wanting MOREEEE (in a good way!) and I'm praying we get a sequel to this.

This book makes it evident that Louise Jensen is a master of creating red herrings and curveballs!

Thank you to Netgalley, HQ Stories and Louise Jensen for providing me with an Arc copy. You have gifted me one of my favourite books of 2024 so far!

I want to thank Netgalley, the publisher and author, for a free copy of this book. In exchange for an honest review.

James and Cass move into a house to become caretakers of the house. Ensuring any unwanted people stay out. Although this house has been empty for 30 years, when they move in, things start to get strange.

I loved the blurb of this story, and it sounded exactly what I was looking for. On starting the book, I felt sucked into the story straight away. I felt I got to know Cass quite well, but for me, there was too much internal dialogue that wasn't needed for her. Leaving feeling fed up of her thinking, almost. But I felt I didn't really get to know James that well. There were a lot of characters and jumping back and forward in time, which could get confusing.

This story had some good twists in part one. However, once part two started, I felt more confused as it went on. Things soon became clear, but it felt like it was two books condensed massively into one book. The ending I didn't see coming.

This is the first book I have read by this author. I will try more by this author, and it hasn't put me off. But I just feel this book wasn't what I wanted it to be.

Newington House is a house with a past, a house where the Madley family were horrifically murdered, it was over thirty years ago, but now Cass and James have agreed to house-sit in this same house. After travelling on the train and becoming a victim of theft by an unlikely fellow passenger, Cass starts to wonder if she has done the right thing, especially on her own while James has to work. When Cass is in the house on her own she starts experiencing some strange and unexplained things happening including the clock always stopping at half past eight, shattering lightbulb in the cellar, the swing in the garden moving of its own accord, the smell of lemons, her paintbrushes being hidden and her hearing Rose's name. Cass doesn't know if all these these are somehow related to the house's past or in her own imagination. Cass and James start to investigate the history behind the previous owners, the Madleys, Jess is always concerned about how this house is affecting their lives but James is always dismissing her fears. As this story pans out it is filled with secrets and lies

This is a really good story, yes it's fast paced with lots of secrets, twists and turns, its also captivating and will keep you up into the small hours, and I truly couldn't put it down. I thought I had worked what happened in the house and what was going to happen at the end, but I was so wrong! Another smash hit I'm sure for Louise Jensen with this book.

#louisejenson
#TheIntruders

A dark and fast-paced thriller that gathers momentum as the mirrored events of past and present race towards each other. Don't underestimate the the twists in the plot - they keep coming right to the end.

Wow! This got a lot darker than I thought it would!
I love Louise Jensen's books, she certainly knows how to write a good family drama!
Ok there are a few coincidences but without them, there wouldn't be much of a story. Some characters from the start I had marked as dodgy. I thought I had it all figured out but about half way through I had to stop and say ok so lets re-evaluate! It all made sense in the end but there were a lot of surprises along the way.
Excellent read but pretty dark.

Wow, this was a terrific read from Louise Jensen, I have read all of her books and enjoyed them all. This book is the creepiest book she has written and showed what a brilliant author she is. There are lots of twists and I must admit I was shocked at the ending. A highly recommended book that gets an easy 5 stars from me.

Probably the best psychological thriller I've read from Louise Jensen! The atmosphere she creates in The Intruders is tense and creepy and I had no idea where it would end up. James and Cass are saving up to buy their own home when they are given the opportunity to stay in a large, long abandoned house for free. The story evolves over past and present timelines and gets pretty complicated but it ends with a great twist.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for the opportunity to read and review this book.

4.25 stars
This is the first book that I've read by Louise Jensen but it certainly won't be the last.
From the very first page I was hooked and the entire premise was an interesting one.
I liked going back and forth from one timeline to the other and finding out a little more about each storyline each time.
I didn't expect the twist and it took me a few minutes to think back to how this would completely change the way that I had read the book and viewed the characters up until that point. So, for me, it was done well.
A few things did feel a little bit unbelievable, such as how Cass and James' lives were so inextricably linked from the very beginning.
In terms of the way that it ended, I felt a bit conflicted. I know that what Rose set into motion was terrible but I don't feel like she deserved the ending that she got. I get this showed that Cass was a lot more like her birth parents than we might have thought but I felt sad for Rose and what she had gone through.
Some of the spooky or potentially supernatural goings on came to nothing as well, which was a little disappointing. It made me wonder why they'd even been included other than to lead us in a different direction.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very great psychological thriller, I was hooked and couldn’t put it down. There was plenty of exciting twists and turns throughout, with a surprising ending that you don’t expect. The characters were interesting, the story itself had enough suspense in it to keep you on the edge of your seat. The style of writing was perfect.
I have read a lot of books by this author and I have loved every one of them..I can’t wait for the next book out.
I would highly recommend this book and this author to anyone that likes reading this genre.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

A creepy and addictive read that keeps you guessing until the shocking ending. Full of shocks and twists, brilliant!

I thought I would like this more than I did. I found the plot too unbelievable, and the twist was obvious from very early on although I have to admit I thought it would be for the other main character. A bit too much going on.

I really dislike giving a low star-rating but I have to give an honest, personal review of this novel and, unfortunately, it was not my cup of tea. I feel the disappointment more due to the fact that from the blurb I couldn’t wait to get started and it sounded exactly like my cup of tea!

I won’t go into too much detail, as I would hate to give spoilers, but the following are the reasons that I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I had hoped to:
- I found the character development hard going- there were lots of ‘inner thoughts’ and questioning (i.e. going round in circles) from Cass, but not much else from anyone else, leaving me not very invested in any of them.
- I didn’t like that the way one chapter ended, another would begin with a similar line. I understand this was purposefully done, perhaps to link different timelines/characters, but it felt like a lot of repetition to me.
- The circumstances were really far-fetched, but I could get on board with the coincidences if they built tension, however, they didn’t and instead there were some spooky happenings which somehow fell flat. Either be supernatural or not, but this was somewhere inbetween!
- A very unbelievable ending. No spoilers, but a vegetarian, animal lover of a character would NOT do any of what occurs.
- Many twists and turns, some brilliantly thought out, but almost too many to keep track of easily. I found myself wanting the book to end.

I’m so disappointed, as I admit I was hooked to start with by this book. I think the premise was great and it started off well, but it just went downhill for me and I wouldn’t recommend it. Also, a lot of words were missing and there were many typos which didn’t help the reading experience.

5⭐️ book right here! This was so gripping and a real page turner from start to finish. I thought I’d figured it all out until I was very much mistaken! Completely unputdownable! Already recommended this to my family and friends. Thanks so much to Netgalley and HQ stories for allowing me the opportunity to read this before publication day. Give it a read! If you like Louise Jensen then you won’t be disappointed!

I wasn't quite sure what to expect but Louise Jensen definitely knows how to create a terrifying and tense atmosphere. I read this at lightning speed trying to unpick each twist and thread as it came up. I couldn't have got it more wrong. What a book! Everything you could possible ask for and more.
The plot spans over thirty years through a series of flashbacks. which are signposted with "now" and "then" chapters. We are introduced to the events through several perspectives: Cass, James and Rose who are all intertwined though we don't find out how or why until the second half.

James and Cass move into an isolated mannor house rent free while they save up for their own deposit. Immediately both start to experience supernatural vibes. A clock that always stops at a certain time. Window left open, things going missing etc . Like the protagonist Cass we too put it down to ghosts of a murdered family.
It is when they are about to move out that Jensen takes you on another head spinning rollercoaster as identities are muddled and revealed.
Brilliant masterclass of how to write a psychological thriller:creepy as hell. That twist at the end is pure evil!

This is the first book I have read by this Author and I like her writing style. I liked the back and forth, the twists and turns and trying to figure out what was going to happen, BUT, the second half fell alittle flat for me after a really good first half. I still enjoyed the book though.

The first half of this book was excellent - I was a bit smug thinking I had sussed it out and then at the end of the first half, found I hadn’t. I didn’t enjoy the second half quite as much - it got a bit far-fetched (okay, it was all a bit far-fetched!) and left me feeling a bit disappointed by the end. That said, I read it in full in one day while travelling - it was a book which completely kept my interest and there were a number of twists and turns which I didn’t see coming - albeit many of them stretched credulity a bit! If you want a book that is out of the ordinary and will keep you guessing, this may well be one for you.

This is the second book by Louise Jenson that I have read and I really enjoyed it. I like the writing style as well as the twists and turns keeping me guessing throughout. I enjoyed the dual timeline and I liked all the characters in the book. I’d recommend this book.

Started well but lost impetus and became muddled.
Thus could have been so much better, if it hadn't sunk into weirdness...it felt like 2 books squeezed into one story, neither of them particularly believable or engaging.
I got to the end, but only by skim-reading the last 30% as I was fed up with the complicated, interwoven tales which gave back-stories to too many characters.
Over-complicated, weird and not really living up to thr expectation of the blurb.

The Intruders
Written by Louise Jensen,

About / Blurb:

They were told to leave. They should have listened.

The perfect opportunity…

A manor house available rent-free to house-sitters is an offer too good to miss for Cass and James, who have been saving for a deposit on their own home for so long.
Although it had been abandoned for almost thirty years, after a home invasion left almost all the inhabitants dead, it is an amazing chance for them to build their future.
But is it worth the price?

Shortly after moving in things take a sinister turn. Objects disappear and turn up in odd places, the clock always stops at the same time, the house is strangely oppressive and sometimes it feels like Cass and James are not alone.
Newington House may have bad energy, and a dark reputation. But surely there’s no reason for history to repeat itself, is there?

What people are saying:

‘Readers are CAPTIVATED by Louise Jensen!’


My Review:

After reading its’ blurb, I was really excited to read this book, as its’ plot sounded so enticing, with dark history, mystery, and seemed like just my cup of tea.
Initially, it was easy to get into, it read well, drew me in, the characters were believable, & the plot progressed at a good pace.
There was some back & forth, between times; as in, the present day (Cass/James), & ‘then’ (Rose), - 30 years ago, before the murders happened. These time & perspective shifts would occur almost alternately, in the progressing chapters.
What I particularly did like about the way in which this was written, was that although the chapters shifted between ‘now’ & ‘then’, the previous chapters closing lines, would make up the opening lines of the new chapter; which kind of felt like a natural progression/continuation, between the 2 times. I felt that this really worked, & was very cleverly written. This continued throughout the whole of the book, through part one, & through part two, and even throughout part two, I really liked this continuous style, which tied one chapter, into the next.
Being honest, once I started reading part two, I did feel a bit disappointed, & at one point, I did feel that the plot had shifted to being much more unbelievable, & I did feel a little let down by this.
I don’t want to give away too much of the story, or any spoilers, so I’ll try to explain this in the best way that I can, but I felt that throughout part one, it was assumed (by myself; the reader), & in the way in which it was written & so was led to assume/believe, that in the reverting time to 30 years ago (Rose), - that Rose was in fact one of the children within the family who used to previously live in the house, before the family were murdered. However, in part two, this was revealed not to be the case. It was at this point that I felt the plot seemed to go off on itself a little, becoming more complex, incorporating the focus & goings-on of two families, instead of the just the one. The family who were murdered didn’t really feature in the plot up until part two of the book. So I felt that in part two, the plot kind of ran away in a different direction. Also, the main event that unfolded in part 2, which gave the motive as to why the family were later murdered, I felt kind of sprung from nowhere, & just didn’t come across as believable.
Another thing which featured within the unfolding part one of the plot, was references to ‘coincidences’, - which I feel this led the opening to what would unfold in part two, & how the couple themselves, (Cass & James) came to be a couple, & how in the present day part of the plot, they had come to be connected. But, there are coincidences, & there are coincidences, & I felt that these coincidences were too much of coincidences, & in turn they felt far too unbelievable.
Overall, I do feel a little let down by this book. I don’t feel it satisfied, & I didn’t find it believable.

Based on a rating of 1-10, where 10 is the highest, I would give this book a rating of 6 out of 10. It’s a Psychological Thriller which I’m glad I read, however, sadly it’s not a book that I would go on to recommend.