What Lies Between Us by John Marrs
Published: May 15, 2020 by Thomas & Mercer
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Rating: 
Synopsis: Nina can never forgive Maggie for what she did. And she can never let her leave.
They say every house has its secrets, and the house that Maggie and Nina have shared for so long is no different. Except that these secrets are not buried in the past.
Every other night, Maggie and Nina have dinner together. When they are finished, Nina helps Maggie back to her room in the attic, and into the heavy chain that keeps her there. Because Maggie has done things to Nina that can’t ever be forgiven, and now she is paying the price.
But there are many things about the past that Nina doesn’t know, and Maggie is going to keep it that way—even if it kills her.
Because in this house, the truth is more dangerous than lies.
Review: ***Disclaimer*** I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer!!***
I could not get enough of this book. It was similar to seeing a horrifying car crash on the side of the highway. You know that you don’t want to look. You don’t want to see the potentially mangled bodies or the severed head rolling down the shoulder. But you have to be sure that those things aren’t there too. You have to keep looking.
That comparison got rather dark, not nearly as dark as this book though. But this book in a less gruesome way. This was a psychological kind of dark. And just about every page had me sitting on the edge of my seat wondering what secrets I would discover next.
This is a story of a mother and daughter. Both of them have secrets. Both of them have a boatload of resentment and anger. And the two of them are trapped in a house together, punishing each other for their respective secrets and past history.
I really loved this book. I can’t really say too much more about it without giving anything away. This book is deep and layered. The title has layers and nuances. The layers have layers. Just read it, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Written Among The Stars 
Curiosity made me examine some of the non-ARC reviews. This looks unrelentingly grim – I don’t like that trend in books or life. I need to identify with characters.
And I positively hate choppy timelines.
Glad you could hang in there, but it doesn’t look promising. The pandemic – and the state of the world – is enough grim for me. The reviewers didn’t mention hope or redemption.
I totally get it. And no, there is no hope or redemption. This book is grim, followed by deeper levels of grim. That does seem to be a popular trend, right up there with unreliable narrators.
Can’t stand unreliable narrators either.
I’m getting curmudgeonly.
With fiction, I want to live another life. Preferably a fascinating life I would have liked to try out.
As a relentless optimist, I don’t see the point in going after ‘grim.’ It just makes it extra hard to do what you CAN do when in tough situations.
I’m NOT an ‘everything happens for a reason’ type – that phrase drives me nuts. I’m a ‘what is the problem and what can we do’ type – recognizing that the answer is sometimes ‘nothing but making someone comfortable if possible.’
Borrowing trouble isn’t helpful. Wallowing isn’t helpful. Accepting what you can’t change, or choose not to change right now, IS helpful.
So unreliable narrators are not helpful. Maybe it comes from not being badly damaged as a child.
Not Pollyanna – just careful with my time, especially my reading time.
I’m still yet to read a book by John Marrs. I think I definitely need to soon! Great review!
You should definitely check it out, I have been very unimpressed with thrillers lately and thought this was fabulous. It was my first book by Marrs also, I will be going back.