BOOK REVIEW:
THE CARETAKER
BY MARCUS KLIEWER

Come for the spine-tingling scares, but stay for the existential cosmic dread.

Source: Netgalley ARC (Review originally posted on NetGalley in Mar. 22nd, 2026)

Genre: Horror, Thriller, Mystery

Publication Date: April 21st, 2026

Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books/12:01 Books

Our young, down-and-out protagonist, Macy, answers a sketchy Craigslist ad to be the caretaker of a deeply isolated home. The job seems simple enough, until the house compels her to perform specific, bizarre rites in order to keep an unspeakable threat at bay. It is a tough setup that forces a desperate character into a situation where she can't trust her surroundings—or her own mind.

The Caretaker reads like the relentless, supernatural dread of Stephen King’s The Outsider, but hyper-focused on a single house with the intensity cranked up to a thousand. The main character is in an isolated setting, who has fulfilled bizarre routines in a house that seems to have a mind of its own. Readers who love a messy protagonist driven by high-stakes survival will love this book.

I usually figure out most psychological thrillers right away, but this one completely pulled the rug out from under me. The layered metaphors for the routine setup were masterfully done (no spoilers, sorry!) The plot delivers a level of uncertainty that transforms the atmospheric setting into a pure pressure cooker of suspense. Kliewer brilliantly anchors the terror in generational trauma, weaving complex themes of grief into the plot with total authenticity. As a big sister myself, I absolutely loved the nuanced big-sister dynamic. It grounded the story and made it stand out from typical thrillers. The story is a slow-burn, opening with establishing the rules of the house, which might require a bit of patience from high-action slasher fans before the chaos erupts.

This book is a gritty, terrifying, and addictive standout from start to finish. Add it to your TBR immediately.

Thank you to Netgalley, Atria Books, and 12:01 Books for providing me an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.