What Lies Between Us by John Marrs

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 lie

(From the book blurb)

My thoughts:
John Marrs did again! Last summer I raved about his futuristic thriller The Passengers which left me with lots of unanswered questions on the nature of privacy and social media. I thought I knew what to expect from this new book of this brilliant author. I was wrong.

What Lies Between Us is a domestic thriller. Most of the action happens inside a house and there are two (unreliable, of course) narrators: 68 year old Maggie who hasn't left the house for the last three years and her 38 year old unmarried daughter Nina. Who keeps her mother chained to a spike in the floor in the attic. Maggie has done some pretty horrible things to Nina and however hard she tries to justify her actions, she does feel guilty about most of them, apart from one. Nina's mind, on the other hand, is made up. Maggie has to serve her punishment of being locked and cut from the rest of the world, deprived of  communication and comfort for twenty one years or until she dies. What could have provoked this extreme hatred? and what exactly is Maggie hiding from Nina?

Gradually the reader discovers the secrets that lie behind this co-dependent love-hate-I know-better-and-I-will-decide relationship. And because this is John Marrs, whenever you think you have it all figured out, there is a twist and you see everything in a different light and re-examine your feelings and your judgement. You begin paying more and more attention to litle details, coming up with theories and letting your imagination fill the gaps, thinking 'Yes! I have figured it out' until...the next twist catches you unawairs and knocks you for a six.

The less you know about the plot and the protagonists and their macabre dance with each other in the name of love, sacrifice and vengeance, the better. It is about a mother and a daughter trapped in their family home and their crazy life.

Fast-paced, riveting, compelling, What Lies Between Us is a rollercoaster of clever twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end. Absolutely unmissable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.