Thriller

Review: The Caretaker by Emily Shiner

September 10, 2026

Synopsis:

They found their dream home. It’s the perfect place to die.

Newlyweds Amy and Tim move into their dream home, anxious to put their rocky past behind them and make a fresh start.

But the rambling fixer-upper and its surrounding gardens need more work than they expected, so they decide to hire a live-in caretaker.

Paul seems to be the perfect candidate. But he has an ulterior motive – taking the job is just one part of the deadly revenge plan he’s been hatching for years.

Soon, Amy starts to notice strange things happening around the house. Tim dismisses her concerns, and tension between the couple starts to build. As the rift between them grows ever wider, Paul sets the final phase of his horrifying plan in motion.

Now Amy and Tim are in a fight for survival – and their dream home has become a nightmare from which they may never escape

Review:

The beginning drew me in immediately. It set the stage for a revenge story, and I was looking forward to it, as it created very high expectations.

Amy and Tim were an interesting couple. While I believed they were in love, it became clear early on that their marriage came with some struggles. It did not have the most secure foundation, and when small things started happening that left Amy concerned, while Tim did not take them seriously, it gave me a glimpse of what to expect. As a husband, you should never tell your wife to her face that she is imagining things. He should have known better.

When they hire Paul as a caretaker for their house, the pieces start to fall into place, and the story begins to pick up speed.

This was a very fast-paced thriller that was easy to read and flew by quickly. Some of the elements were a bit much for me, and I think the same outcome could have been achieved with a little more restraint. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I liked some of her other books just a little bit more.

🌙 Recension: The Caretaker by Emily Shiner
📚 Genre: Thriller
📅 Release Date: April 20, 2022
📖 Publisher: ‎Inkubator Books
📱 Read as: Kindle
📗 available in various formats – included in Kindle Unlimited
💸 Bought
🗣️ Language: English
📆 Pages: 290
⭐️ 3/5