Quick Synopsis

Most people wouldn’t buy an infamous murder house to renovate for fun . . . but Sarah Slade is not most people.

Publisher’s Synopsis

A therapist and self-help writer with all the answers, Sarah Slade has just bought a gorgeous Victorian in the community of her dreams. Turns out, you can get a killer deal on a house where someone was murdered. Plus, renovating Black Wood House makes for great blog content and a decent distraction from her failing marriage. Good thing nobody knows that her past is just as filthy as the bloodstain on her bedroom floor.

But the renovations are fast becoming a nightmare. Sarah imagined custom avocado wallpaper, massive profits, and an appreciative husband who wants to share her bed again. Instead, the neighbors hate her guts and her husband still sleeps on the couch. And though the builders attempt to cover up Black Wood’s horrifying past, a series of bizarre accidents, threatening notes, and unexplained footsteps in the attic only confirms for Sarah what the rest of the town already knew: Something is very wrong in that house.

With every passing moment, Sarah’s life spirals further out of control—and with it, her sense of reality. But as she peels back the curling wallpaper and discovers the house’s secrets, she realizes that the deadly legacy of Black Wood House has only just begun.

Book Review

The Stranger Upstairs is a debut thriller novel about a social media influencer/therapist who moves into a “murder house” with her husband. They hope to renovate and flip the property for profit, but the unfriendly neighbors want the house to be bulldozed. When strange things begin to happen, is the house haunted? Or is it the bad neighbors? Could it be something more sinister?

I thought The Stranger Upstairs was a decent debut novel that brings the creep factor. Lisa Matlin crafted the plot so that the tension mounts and doom is increasingly present. I do wish the book was more atmospheric and descriptive, especially regarding the house and its surroundings. I think this would have elevated the story and made it more chilling.

Stylistically, Matlin made some interesting choices. The story is told entirely from Sarah’s point of view, until the very end where the big reveal is from another perspective. This was an odd choice and felt clumsy. The book also has newspaper articles interspersed between chapters. For the most part, I think including these helped build suspense. 

The plot has some originality along with some frequently used elements. I love a haunted house story, but I thought The Stranger Upstairs bordered on being too repetitive. I also thought Matlin utilized more tropes than necessary, presumably to create red herrings. I think this took more away than it added. I was surprised by the unique twist and did not see it coming, despite my many theories. However, I could have done without the epilogue, which actually created loose ends.

Sarah, the main character, is the only person really developed, and she is rather unlikeable. Now, I do not condemn all books with unlikeable characters as they can be compelling or wonderfully wicked. Sarah, however, is a miserable person who made her bed and is now aghast she must lay in it. More so, she makes herself out to be a victim and does not attempt to solve any of her problems. For example, she knew that someone was accessing her house and had keys. Did she change the locks? No. Did she try any number of things to figure out what was going on or combat it? No. Instead, Sarah acts as if she has no agency and no responsibility. Instead of doing something about it, she cuddles up with a bottle of wine despite waking up missing chunks of time. (Side note: Why do all women in thrillers drink too much?)

Some other random thoughts: The house on the cover is not gothic, which the text specifically states. If Sarah never thinks there is a stranger upstairs, why is this the title? Can someone explain the credentials required to be a therapist in Australia, because I am concerned?

Overall, The Stranger Upstairs is a decent debut thriller so long as you do not mind suspending disbelief. I would recommend it if you do not need every plot point to be believable and do not mind a woe-is-me character.

Rating

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Writing

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Character Development