I picked up Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell for my “new release” challenge in my book journal, and it hooked me from page one. A few chapters in, I realized the charming man in these women’s lives was the same guy using different names. From that point on, I just waited for his carefully stacked lies to topple. It was a house of cards waiting to do what houses of cards do.
Simon, or Nick, or Justin, or whoever he was pretending to be, was smooth, confident, and completely untrustworthy. I knew he was trouble from the start. Amanda, though, surprised me the most. I can understand wanting to please someone you care about, but helping dismember a body? That’s where I draw the line. At least she eventually came to her senses, even though it cost her everything.
The most disturbing part of the book was Simon’s hold over Amanda, the kind of influence that makes someone do the unthinkable. The letters to Ash were another twist that landed hard. They mirrored the ones from “Nick,” and it made perfect sense once I remembered his obsession with Ash’s father. If he’d orchestrate a murder, of course he’d toy with Ash, too.
I wasn’t unsettled by the story. Psychological thrillers are supposed to mess with your head. But I did learn what a “street stalker” is. Always nice when you pick up new trivia between chapters of murder and manipulation.
The setting in England didn’t add much to the menace; this story could have played out anywhere. What mattered was the tension, the lies, and the way it all unraveled. The ending was pitch-perfect. Simon finally got the reckoning he deserved.
I haven’t read Lisa Jewell before, but I will now. If you enjoy psychological thrillers where everyone’s hiding something and everything feels ready to collapse, this one’s worth your time.
