Hardback: 456 pages
Genre: Mystery,Thriller, Contemporary Psychological Thriller,
Publisher: Penguin Random House 2025
Source: Tywyn Public Library
First Sentences: The house is spectacular. A huge white stucco villa on three floors plus attic rooms, a direct view of the sea visible through tall windows that frame the vista at the back and the front.
Review Quote: 'Lisa Jewell is a STONE COLD GENIUS! Don't Let Him In is a PHENOMENAL achievement' MARIAN KEYES
My Opinion:
Over the years that I have been reading this genre Lisa Jewell has become one of my go to favourites. In my opinion she is the queen of the contemporary psychological thriller.
In ‘Don’t Let Him In’ we meet a man of many names, Nick Radcliffe being one of his many pseudonyms and it this persona that finally brings him down. The man is a chilling and frighteningly plausible character, whose behaviour will shock you. To quote, ’He’s the perfect man. It’s a perfect lie.’ The women he has tormented over the years always fall for his charms and welcome him with open arms. Until one day someone starts to question his motives and his creepy world starts to fall apart.
If you have experience of the (author’s words) 'terrible men in this world' of which sadly there are some, you might find this rather a raw read. Worth doing so as the author successfully explores the psychology of such men. Highly recommend this novel to fans of the genre.
Links to Previous Reviews: Then She Was Gone, Watching You, The House We Grew Up In, The Family Upstairs, The Night She Disappeared, The Family Remains, None of This is True
Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:
He’s the perfect man. It’s a perfect lie.
Nina Swann is intrigued when she received a condolence card from Nick Radcliffe, an old friend of her late husband, who is looking to connect after her husband’s unexpected death. Nick is a man of substance and good taste. He has a smile that could melt the coldest heart and a knack for putting others at ease. But to Nina’s adult daughter, Ash, Nick seems too slick, too polished, too good to be true. Without telling her mother, Ash begins digging into Nick’s past. What she finds is more than unsettling…
Martha is a florist living in a neighboring town with her infant daughter and her devoted husband, Alistair. But lately, Alistair has been traveling more and more frequently for work, disappearing for days at a time. When Martha questions him about his frequent absences, he always has a legitimate explanation, but Martha can’t share the feeling that something isn’t right.
Nina, Martha, and Ash are on a collision course with a shocking truth that is far darker than anyone could have imagined. And all three are about to wish they had heeded the same warning: Don’t let him in. But the past won’t stay buried forever.
Author Profile:
Lisa Jewell is an internationally bestselling author of successful novels, including, Then She Was Gone, I Found You, The Girls in the Garden, and The House We Grew Up In. Her debut novel in 1998 Ralph’s Party, was an instant bestseller. In total, her novels have sold over 2 million copies across the English speaking world. Her work has also been translated into sixteen languages. Lisa lives in London with her husband and their two daughters.
For more biographical information check out her Goodreads Profile
Photograph, Trailer and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.
Amazon Author Page Lisa Jewell - Official Facebook Page Wikipedia - Lisa Jewell
Twitter Profile Goodreads Author Profile