Book Review: The Girl Upstairs by Jessica R. Patch

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Raw and gritty thriller by Jessica R. Patch, brimming with secrets and sharp turns.

A town obsessed with Halloween, a murder of crows tracking her every move, and a house with secrets that seem to scream from its joints. This story kept me on the edge of my seat, guessing what the next twist would be.

Gwen is a recently retired police detective. Her husband, Steven, a well-loved and prestigious doctor. Because of some questionable choices in her past, they’re forced to move to the town of Cold Harbor, Maine, for a fresh start—a clean slate. Gwen and Steven hope it will bring peace and help stabilize their faltering marriage.

But when Gwen and Steven arrive at the house, which they purchased almost sight unseen, she senses a crushing darkness. Unexplainable things keep happening. Including a little girl no one else seems to see who keeps appearing and warning her to run, but the detective in her can’t let it go—no matter how much her husband or the townspeople beg her to stop.

Gwen is a deeply flawed woman who longs for peace, but the darkness won’t leave her alone. Instead of running, she digs deeper, searching for answers—because if she can’t find them, she won’t be able to live with herself. Justice must prevail.

The Girl Upstairs kept me guessing until the last chapter. Well done, Jessica! Unforgettable 5-star read!

Preorder The Girl Upstairs at most retailers, or find it for sale on Amazon.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Jessica R. Patch and Harlequin - Romance | Love Inspired Trade. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Book Blurb:

She bought this house to save her marriage. Unearthing its secrets might just claim her life.

Gwen McDaniel’s life is broken. But she knows the perfect place to fix it. Cold Harbor, Maine, an idyllic small town with views of Acadia National Park, is where she used to vacation with her parents as a child. Here, she and Steven can start over, renovating their cliff-side fixer-upper while patching up their marriage. Soon, everything will be better.

Except from the moment they arrive, Gwen sees and hears things, and it’s more than just the drafts and shadows that are part of any old house. Steven downplays her fears, warning her not to fixate on problems as she has in the past. But Gwen spent years as a homicide detective, and her instincts don’t lie. Something happened here. Proof comes when she rips up the attic’s carpet to discover a chilling message carved into the wood underneath.

As Gwen delves into the history of the house and the Cold Harbor community, she begins to piece the fragments together. And gradually, a terrifying picture emerges: A missing girl. A house of horrors. And a dark, decades-old nightmare that is more haunting than Gwen ever imagined…