Book Review: The Stranger Upstairs - Lisa M. Matlin

 

“The Stranger Upstairs” is a mystery/horror debut novel by Lisa M. Matlin. Our hero, Sarah, a successful author and Instagram influencer, decides to purchase a #murderhouse where 40 years previously a murder/suicide had taken place. The problem is that Sarah - and her husband Joe - aren’t really prepared to fully undertake flipping a house that really needs A LOT of work; too much work for them to handle. There’s also the problem of - so many years later - rumors about the house and occupants. Over time, Sarah becomes convinced that someone (or something) is against Joe and her taking possession of the house - from threatening notes, stand-offish neighbors, and weird house noises and smells. I must admit - I read this book in one day, to the point of not really wanting to put it down. This had me wondering what was going on - was it the unfriendly neighbor, was it Sarah spinning out of control, was the house haunted - but Ms. Matlin’s layering of craziness upon craziness was wonderful. I greatly enjoyed the tension being built up and then, blam, laid out there in on the page, but it still was riding a bit of the crazy train. I did have to look up a bit of Aussie slang - thank goodness for Google. There was also a fantastic author’s note included. Four stars.