“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?”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of The Intruders by Louise Jensen. The Intruders will be published by HQ later this week (that’s Thursday 11th April 2024) and will be available in paperback, audio and digital formats. I chose to read a free eARC of The Intruders but that has in no way influenced my review.

Louise Jensen is one of my favourite, auto-buy authors. I read Louise’s debut, The Sister, shortly after damppebbles’ inception in 2016 and was blown away by its hugely compelling, twisty plot. Since then I have read and enjoyed every single one of Louise’s psychological thrillers. They’re always full of very believable characters, have lots of wonderfully deceptive red herrings and there’s always a perfectly placed twist (or ten!) in the tale. I’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of The Intruders for some time now as you can be sure with a Louise Jensen that you’re going to be thoroughly entertained. And what a ride it was! Creepy, so much darker than I ever expected and with Louise’s trademark twists. It’s another winner from a very talented author.

Newington House seems the perfect solution to James’ problem. He’s about to be evicted from his flatshare and his girlfriend of six months, Cass, lives hundreds of miles away with her ageing dad. But James has found a solution that could be the answer to all their problems. The only thing he has to do is convince Cass. And it’s going to take a lot of convincing! Because Newington House has a dark history of its own. Thirty years ago all but the youngest member of the Madley family were brutally murdered. Since then the house has sat empty and decaying. Now Richardson’s Retreats plan to turn the house into an exclusive, high-end retreat and while they’re ploughing through all of the red tape, they need caretakers to keep an eye on the place. It couldn’t be more perfect. Cass and James will be paid to live in the house whilst saving for a deposit on their own home. But there’s no escaping the dark past of Newington House. Particularly when strange things start happening…

Another thrilling, shocking tale from the brilliant Louise Jensen. Cass and James are starting out on their life together but they’re both carrying the burden of grief. Cass desperately wants to know more about her mother who died when she was only a baby. Her secretive father refuses to talk about his wife though which only makes Cass crave answers all the more. She has vivid memories of being trapped in a cupboard and can’t help but question how she got there. Did she hide in the cupboard herself or did her alcoholic, angry father have something to do with it? James is still mourning the recent death of his mother. James is desperate for comfort from his own father but that’s not the type of man he is. He’s always been cold and distant to James and the death of his wife won’t change that. When the opportunity to live at Newington House for a few months arises, the couple can’t help but feel it’s going to be a fresh start, a new beginning. Allowing them to leave the past behind. But it’s far, far from it. Circumstances mean that they can’t turn their backs on the past and the need for answers becomes even more urgent.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. The Intruders is a cleverly written, engrossing psychological suspense thriller and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I thought I had it all solved but I couldn’t have been further from the truth. Jensen is a master of deception. Lulling her readers into believing they know the score when really they don’t have the foggiest! Cass is an interesting character. I don’t think I particularly liked her but I did feel for her as everything she thought she knew came crashing down around her. Violence is never the answer to anything but oh my goodness, I wanted to thump James. It’s his idea to move into Newington House, something he applied to do without Cass’s knowledge or permission. He neglects to tell her the truth about the house until it’s too late. He gets her to move from one end of the country to the other. He’s not there to meet her when she arrives, due to his work. And then he spends most of the book away from home, again, due to work. Personally, if I were Cass, I would have hopped on the next train home! The Intruders is told from both the past and the present as Cass and James search for answers. It’s deliciously creepy, helped by the macabre history of the house. But that’s only half of the story. Things take a very dark and twisted turn as you approach the end of the book and it goes in a direction I never expected. I think it’s safe to say that this is Louise Jensen’s darkest, creepiest book yet! All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed The Intruders from its chilling prologue which made me want to double check all of the windows and doors were definitely locked, to the shocking, jaw-dropping denouement. With secrets and revelations galore, I was completely immersed in Jensen’s smart storytelling. You really cannot go wrong with a Louise Jensen thriller! Highly recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of The Intruders. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Intruders by Louise Jensen was published in the UK by HQ on 11th April 2024 and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | Foyles | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

Louise Jensen has sold over a million English language copies of her International No. 1 psychological thrillers ‘The Sister’, ‘The Gift’, ‘The Surrogate’, ‘The Date’, ‘The Family’, ‘The Stolen Sisters’, ‘All For You’ and ‘The Fall’. Her novels have also been translated into twenty-five languages, as well as featuring on the USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestseller’s List. Her next thriller publishes in Spring 2024.

Louise has been nominated for multiple awards including Goodreads Debut Author Of The Year, The Guardians ‘Not The Booker Prize’, best polish thriller of 2018 and she has also been listed for two CWA Dagger awards. All of Louise’s thrillers are currently under option for TV & film. She has also written short stories for various publications including ‘My Weekly’, ‘Hello’, ‘Best’ and ‘The Sun’, as well as having stories featured in multiple anthologies.

Louise also has a penchant for exploring the intricacies of relationships through writing heart-breaking and uplifting stories under the pen name Amelia Henley. ‘The Life We Almost Had’ and ‘The Art of Loving You’ were international best sellers. ‘From Now On’ is her latest Amelia Henley release.

Louise lives with her husband, children, madcap dog and a rather naughty cat in Northamptonshire. She loves to hear from readers and writers.