Book Summary and Reviews of The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer

The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer

The Caretaker

A Novel

by Marcus Kliewer

  • Readers' Rating (2):
  • Published:
  • Apr 2026, 320 pages
  • Rate this book

About this book

Book Summary

Follow the Rites...

Nothing less than the survival of humanity is at stake.

From Marcus Kliewer, a new "titan of the macabre and unsettling" (Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author), comes a supernatural horror about a young woman who accepts a caretaking job from Craigslist, only to discover the position has consequences far greater—and more dangerous—than she ever could have imagined.

Exciting Opportunity:
Caretaker urgently needed. Three days of work. Competitive pay. Serious applicants ONLY.

Macy Mullins can't say why the job posting grabbed her attention—it had the pull of a fisherman's lure, barbed hook and all—vaguely ominous. But after an endless string of failed job interviews, she's not exactly in the position to be picky. She has rent to pay, groceries to buy, and a younger sister to provide for.

Besides, it's only three days' work…

Three days, cooped up in a stranger's house, surrounded by Oregon Coast wilderness.

What starts as a peculiar side gig soon becomes a waking nightmare. An incomprehensible evil may dwell on this property—and Macy Mullins might just be the only thing standing between it, and the rest of humanity.

Follow the Rites...

Follow the Rites...

Follow the Rites...

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"With The Caretaker, Marcus Kliewer proves he's our new master of uncanny slippage. This book is as full of dread as the sound of footsteps rushing towards you in a dark woods." —Nat Cassidy, USA Today bestselling author of When the Wolf Comes Home and Mary

"Disturbing and propulsive, The Caretaker is a gem of visually inspired Gothic storytelling. Marcus Kliewer takes a familiar horror premise and makes it his own, drawing you into a lucid nightmare of a novel. Keep the light on!" —Scott Carson, nationally bestselling author of Departure 37

This information about The Caretaker was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own reviewwrite your own review

Janine_S

Creepy, scary horror
This is indeed a creepy, scary horror story. There is a lot of craziness as the "house" is seemingly infected - not haunted per se - but something is there that must be kept quiet and if you don't follow "the rites" something cosmic may happen. Macy Mullins needs a job to pay the rent and groceries as well as take care of her sister, Jemma but nothing comes until she sees an ad for a caretaker for 3 days at Grace Carnswel's house - and the salary makes it hard to turn down. However, in order to take care of the house, there are specific rules (the rites) that must be followed, left by Grace's deceased husband, David. Follow the rules and it's easy peasy - don't follow them and you will be punished.

Macy is struggling with grief over her father's death and her sister's shoplifting. As the novel moves on and Macy makes mistakes, her grief turns to paranoia making the psychological aspect of the book more intense. We see Macy coming apart - she believes as did David she must save the world and keep whatever is creeping out at bay.
I was disappointed at the ending. I had a sense of what it was but I'm disappointed when books leave you to conclude the ending. Nonetheless, this is a great horror story, tantalizing, creepy and immersive.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read this ARC.

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Author Information

Marcus Kliewer

Marcus Kliewer is a writer and stop-motion animator. His debut novel We Used to Live Here began life as a serialized short story on Reddit. Film rights were snapped up by Netflix, and it was acquired by Simon & Schuster in the US for publication even before it had been extended into a full-length novel. He lives in Vancouver, Canada.

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