06/17/2024
In Mara’s spine-tingling latest (after No One Saw a Thing), a woman finds evidence of a stalker inside her Dublin house. After selling her San Diego consultancy, Julia Birch has returned to Ireland with her ex-husband, Gabe, and their two children. The family’s luxurious new home in a gated community seems ideal until Julia’s 13-year-old daughter, Isla, stumbles on a TikTok video of a black-clad man climbing down from the attic of a house that looks remarkably like their own. Julia passes it off as a coincidence until her nine-year-old son, Luca, reports hearing strange noises and seeing a pair of eyes peering at him through the air vent. When Julia’s childhood friend, Anya, is found dead in her bathtub nearby, the police declare it a suicide, but Julia can’t shake the feeling that the case is connected to her unwelcome visitor. Terrified, she turns to her neighbors for support, but soon worries she can’t trust anyone—and worst of all, that her tormentor might not be a stranger. Mara skillfully weaves multiple mysteries into her bustling plot, with story lines about Gabe’s strange behavior and Julia’s and Anya’s shady pasts ratcheting up the suspense. When it all comes to a head, readers will be equal parts shocked and satisfied. Agent: Diana Beaumont, Marjacq. (Aug.)
Praise for Someone in the Attic:
“[Mara] lays out the pieces of the puzzle with diabolical wit, some good suspense and an unexpected note of sentimentality.”
—The New York Times
“Bestselling Irish crime fiction writer Mara makes her U.S. debut with a meticulously crafted suspense tale replete with fiendishly clever twists and turns and a claustrophobic sense of menace that will have readers themselves wondering about the odd noise or two they hear at night in their own homes. A highly readable suspense novel in the style of Riley Sager, Alice Feeney, and Lisa Jewell, with a dash of Liane Moriarty thrown in for good measure.”
—Library Journal (starred)
“Does for bathtubs what Psycho did for showers. A thriller honed to a fine point, sharp and keen and piercing; it's darkly comic, too, and uncommonly observant.”
—A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window
“A gripping story, beautifully told. Andrea Mara is masterful.”
—Patricia Cornwell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Postmortem
“A tense, terrifying, guessing game. Someone in the Attic twists, thrills and chills. I loved it.”
—Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End
“Someone is getting inside your house. . . It’s a chilling premise, and Andrea Mara executes it brilliantly. This one is an absolute page turner!”
—Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door
“As if attics weren’t creepy enough already, this book will leave you scared of the slightest overhead squeak. Someone in the Attic augments its horrifying premise with shocking twists, complicated friendships and dark secrets. Highly recommended!”
—Ana Reyes, New York Times bestselling author of The House in the Pines
“The tension in Someone in the Attic is meticulously crafted, with a cover-your-eyes creep factor. If you’re a domestic thriller fan who hasn’t yet read Andrea Mara, you might have just found a new favorite.”
—Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push
“This is Andrea Mara at her heart-stopping best. Someone in the Attic is a dark, creepy, twisty thriller full of clever misdirection that would make Hitchcock proud, but it’s also a moving and thought-provoking tale of regret and letting go of the past. A brilliant book.”
—Claire Douglas, internationally bestselling author of Local Girl Missing
“A genuinely chilling concept - told with skill, empathy and wit. I enjoyed every terrifying page.”
—Elly Griffiths, international bestselling author of The Last Remains
“Spine-tingling . . . Mara skillfully weaves multiple mysteries into her bustling plot . . . ratcheting up the suspense. When it all comes to a head, readers will be equal parts shocked and satisfied.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Mara skillfully layers red herrings and discoveries at a satisfying pace . . . Well paced and creepy—especially if you’re alone in the house while you read.”
—Kirkus
“Gripping. . . I'll never look at the hatch up to my attic in the same way again!”
—Clare Pooley, New York Times bestselling author of The Authenticity Project
“Full of twists and surprises, Someone in the Attic is a totally gripping, compelling read that will have you guessing and guessing again. She has a genius for creating situations where our worst nightmares come true. Hugely enjoyable–I couldn't put it down.”
—Jane Casey, author of A Stranger in the Family
“[A] super-creepy, addictive thriller [that] layers mystery upon mystery. Not one to read late at night!”
—Good Housekeeping (UK)
“Creepy and unsettling and I couldn't turn the pages quick enough! Wow - what a story! I'll be keeping the light on tonight!”
—Ruth Kelly, international bestselling author of The Escape
“This is a rich and compelling story with a satisfying conclusion and—best of all—one that I didn’t see coming. Twisty, clever, and scarily relatable. I loved it and I can’t wait to see what Mara does next.”
—Nicole Kennedy, author of After Paris
★ 08/01/2024
It isn't real. That is Julia Birch's initial thought when her daughter Isla shows Julia a video posted anonymously online of a masked figure who seems to be creeping out of the attic of the house Julia and her family are renting in Dublin. Almost immediately after Julia watches the video, it disappears. However, soon afterward, another similarly styled video appears, only to vanish as well. Is this someone playing around with AI-generated images and riffing on a popular reality show game called The Loft? Or is it someone targeting Julia and her family? More importantly, should Julia now be worried about those odd noises she hears late at night? Bestselling Irish crime fiction writer Mara makes her U.S. debut with a meticulously crafted suspense tale replete with fiendishly clever twists and turns and a claustrophobic sense of menace that will have readers themselves wondering about the odd noise or two they hear at night in their own homes. VERDICT A highly readable suspense novel in the style of Riley Sager, Alice Feeney, and Lisa Jewell, with a dash of Liane Moriarty thrown in for good measure.—John Charles
2024-06-15
A TikTok trend threatens a family’s sense of safety—and may be connected to a previous crime.
Most people are probably familiar with this urban legend: a babysitter receives creepy, threatening phone calls and later finds out they’re coming frominside the house. Mara offers a more complex, grown-up version of that legend here, updated to include TikTok and hidden cameras, but the sense of dread is similar: What would you do if someone seemed to be filming themselves insideyour house? Julia has recently relocated with her family from California to Ireland to return to her roots and escape an unsavory incident involving her teenage daughter, Isla. She and her ex-husband, Gabe, are divorced but share custody and living space with the two kids in a luxurious gated community; when an anonymous user starts posting videos on TikTok that seem to show the inside of their house, Julia is spooked but figures it’s probably a really good fake. She’s got a lot on her mind, from Gabe’s secretive behavior to Isla’s teenage drama to the memories raised by her return. She and her three best friends grew up in this town, and it’s also where one of them, Donna, died tragically nearly 20 years ago. When another friend dies of what seems to be an accidental drowning just after Julia’s arrival in Ireland, Julia and her one remaining friend, Eleanor, are forced to confront the pain of the past as they look for clues to who is posting the increasingly alarming videos. Are the neighbors who they say they are? What happened to Donna’s socially awkward brother? Is Julia’s son telling the truth when he says there’s a man watching him at night? Mara skillfully layers red herrings and discoveries at a satisfying pace, sprinkled with a few flashbacks that lend even more insight into Julia as a tough and resilient character. The ending rushes a bit, offering a few too many neat bows to tie up all the threads, but it’s a minor complaint.
Well paced and creepy—especially if you’re alone in the house while you read.
