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Everhaven
I knew something was wrong the moment they locked the door.
What I didn’t know was how far the truth would go to stay buried.
When journalist Samantha Watkins moves her great-aunt Nancy into Everhaven Memory Care, she tells herself it’s the right decision. The old Victorian mansion turned care home looks comforting enough—until the locked doors close behind them.
Then come the whispers. The sudden deaths. The body bags leaving in the dead of night.
As Nancy’s memory unravels, Sam’s instincts flare. Something inside Everhaven isn’t just wrong—it’s deadly.
And when she meets Detective Joel Luciano—whose grandmother is also a patient—an unexpected pull forms between them, a connection that deepens as they uncover a string of disturbing “accidents” no one wants to talk about. The closer they get to the truth, the closer they get to each other. The deeper they dig, the closer Sam gets to a truth that could destroy her—and everyone she loves.
Because in Everhaven, memory isn’t the only thing that can be erased.
From the world of The Resident—a new psychological medical thriller that will leave you breathless.
What I didn’t know was how far the truth would go to stay buried.
When journalist Samantha Watkins moves her great-aunt Nancy into Everhaven Memory Care, she tells herself it’s the right decision. The old Victorian mansion turned care home looks comforting enough—until the locked doors close behind them.
Then come the whispers. The sudden deaths. The body bags leaving in the dead of night.
As Nancy’s memory unravels, Sam’s instincts flare. Something inside Everhaven isn’t just wrong—it’s deadly.
And when she meets Detective Joel Luciano—whose grandmother is also a patient—an unexpected pull forms between them, a connection that deepens as they uncover a string of disturbing “accidents” no one wants to talk about. The closer they get to the truth, the closer they get to each other. The deeper they dig, the closer Sam gets to a truth that could destroy her—and everyone she loves.
Because in Everhaven, memory isn’t the only thing that can be erased.
From the world of The Resident—a new psychological medical thriller that will leave you breathless.
270 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 21, 2025
45 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
November 26, 2025
Sad story
After reading this book it gave me an insight to ways, that other than a prison, people can be locked up. Whether it be physically or mentally the invisible bars can be there.
After reading this book it gave me an insight to ways, that other than a prison, people can be locked up. Whether it be physically or mentally the invisible bars can be there.
November 26, 2025
From the moment you begin, this gripping thriller pulls you into a world where nothing is as safe—or as gentle—as it appears. Behind the quiet halls of a memory care facility lies a chilling mystery, one that turns every page into a pulse-pounding revelation.
With compelling characters, relentless tension, and twists that keep you guessing, this is a story you won’t be able to put down. An unforgettable, edge-of-your-seat read.
With compelling characters, relentless tension, and twists that keep you guessing, this is a story you won’t be able to put down. An unforgettable, edge-of-your-seat read.
December 19, 2025
Reporter finds newsworthy story while trying to resettle her elderly relative - 5 stars
Just after returning from an overseas assignment, Samantha ("Sam"), gets a call from her great aunt's assisted living facility saying that her Aunt Nancy will be evicted in 30 days. Aunt Nancy has taken a quick turn for the worse and needs to relocate to a memory care facility. (This story was an eye-opening view of surviving with older relatives who need full time care.)
The need to find a new facility, move, and stay in touch with her Aunt Nancy included several sleep-depriving messes in an intense 24-hour period. If it wasn't so awful for Sam, the strange behavior of Aunt Nancy could be considered dark humor. Dealing with health and memory issues is a process that no one wants to take on. The crisis was settled quickly. The new facility seemed to be clean and attractive. Accepting the need to keep the door to the main building locked to prevent their residents from walking away, the facility was set up for the safety of people who needed to be supervised 24/7.
In a short time, Sam noticed two incidents of body bags on gurneys quietly leaving the facility. Sam was awakened by an urgent phone call in the middle of the night; she was asked for her permission to rush Aunt Nancy to a hospital. Sam was happy that her friend was a staff physician at that hospital. Her doctor friend noticed that Sam was fainting and arranged for Sam to be treated while Nancy had her airway opened and stomach pumped.
Sam had a nagging feeling that there was a problem at the Everhaven memory care facility: two people died in Aunt Nancy's memory care facility in her first week. Sam talked with Joel, the son of another Everhaven guest, who was a detective with the Philadelphia police department. Using both journalist and police resources, along with helpful medical support, Sam and Joel started an investigation that found data indicating that there was a higher-than-normal incidence of death at Everhaven. In fact, Everhaven's death rate had climbed significantly in the last few years.
Something was seriously wrong at Everhaven; it was not clear if the problem was institutional or just bad luck. As the worry for their loved ones kept increasing, their data suggested a pattern. Joel considered a plan to find proof that the problem was caused by a single employee rather than the whole institution.
Just after returning from an overseas assignment, Samantha ("Sam"), gets a call from her great aunt's assisted living facility saying that her Aunt Nancy will be evicted in 30 days. Aunt Nancy has taken a quick turn for the worse and needs to relocate to a memory care facility. (This story was an eye-opening view of surviving with older relatives who need full time care.)
The need to find a new facility, move, and stay in touch with her Aunt Nancy included several sleep-depriving messes in an intense 24-hour period. If it wasn't so awful for Sam, the strange behavior of Aunt Nancy could be considered dark humor. Dealing with health and memory issues is a process that no one wants to take on. The crisis was settled quickly. The new facility seemed to be clean and attractive. Accepting the need to keep the door to the main building locked to prevent their residents from walking away, the facility was set up for the safety of people who needed to be supervised 24/7.
In a short time, Sam noticed two incidents of body bags on gurneys quietly leaving the facility. Sam was awakened by an urgent phone call in the middle of the night; she was asked for her permission to rush Aunt Nancy to a hospital. Sam was happy that her friend was a staff physician at that hospital. Her doctor friend noticed that Sam was fainting and arranged for Sam to be treated while Nancy had her airway opened and stomach pumped.
Sam had a nagging feeling that there was a problem at the Everhaven memory care facility: two people died in Aunt Nancy's memory care facility in her first week. Sam talked with Joel, the son of another Everhaven guest, who was a detective with the Philadelphia police department. Using both journalist and police resources, along with helpful medical support, Sam and Joel started an investigation that found data indicating that there was a higher-than-normal incidence of death at Everhaven. In fact, Everhaven's death rate had climbed significantly in the last few years.
Something was seriously wrong at Everhaven; it was not clear if the problem was institutional or just bad luck. As the worry for their loved ones kept increasing, their data suggested a pattern. Joel considered a plan to find proof that the problem was caused by a single employee rather than the whole institution.
December 13, 2025
The latest mystery, psychological thriller by KJ Kalis is called Everhaven,and brings out all the horrible things you hear about in memory care residential homes. The story is a continuation of what happened to Dr. McKenna Forbes in The Resident, and now follows the story of one of her patients, Samantha Watkins (Sam). Sam’s great aunt Nancy has been living in an assisted living facility, but now that she has signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s she needs to move to a memory care home. That is when the mystery and problems begin. The descriptions of the horrible frustrations of the person living with dementia, but what the caregivers experience is equally frustrating. You can empathize with both Great Aunt Nancy and Sam’s misgivings that she is doing the right thing.
Then KJ brings in the addition of strange things starting to happen in the memory care facility as the number of residents dying increases, people are getting sicker rather than improving. The suspense just keeps increasing from that point on until Sam and her new friend Joel can solve the mystery. This is definitely a page turner and well worth reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Then KJ brings in the addition of strange things starting to happen in the memory care facility as the number of residents dying increases, people are getting sicker rather than improving. The suspense just keeps increasing from that point on until Sam and her new friend Joel can solve the mystery. This is definitely a page turner and well worth reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
December 18, 2025
Samantha Watkins great aunt Nancy has been living in an assisted living facility, but now that she has signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s she needs to move to a memory care home. They want her out of the home immediately, so Sam goes to one of the memory care homes and can get her aunt a room. But she must keep her at her apartment overnight while they move her aunt’s furniture to the new place. Sam is stressed by her aunt’s actions. While she is staying with her, she goes in Sam’s room and takes her stuff out of the drawers and throws it onto the floor then gets in bed and urinates in it. While Sam had some concerns about the new place after one night at her place, she just wants to get her in the new place.
During her first visit to her aunt, she meets a detective. They see one of the residents has passed away and is taken out in a body bag. On the next visit her and the detective notice another resident leaving in a body bag. This begins Sam and the detective trying to find out what’s going on.
The author makes you feel like you are there. I highly recommend this book.
During her first visit to her aunt, she meets a detective. They see one of the residents has passed away and is taken out in a body bag. On the next visit her and the detective notice another resident leaving in a body bag. This begins Sam and the detective trying to find out what’s going on.
The author makes you feel like you are there. I highly recommend this book.
December 19, 2025
I received an ARC through "Booksprout" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
The story begins with Sam and Mac having coffee when Sam gets a call from the assisted living facility where her great aunt Nancy lives. She is told that she has to move because they can't handle her anymore. Her aunt had walked away from the facility and because of her actions she is being evicted. Sam has to now locate a new place to have Nancy live. She locates a memory center, Everhaven, where after visiting it decides to sign her up. Sam needed to have Nancy stay with her overnight before she could move in, what an experience.
Nancy moves into the facility and Sam makes sure she is set before leaving. When she visits later, she starts getting an uneasy feeling about that place. Things get worse after she spots several incidents of the same event. Sam meets up with Joel, a detective, whose grandmother is in the same facility. Later after another event, the two get together to try and figure out what was going on.
The story is well done and keeps the reader's attention right till the end. This is well worth the read, don't miss out!
The story begins with Sam and Mac having coffee when Sam gets a call from the assisted living facility where her great aunt Nancy lives. She is told that she has to move because they can't handle her anymore. Her aunt had walked away from the facility and because of her actions she is being evicted. Sam has to now locate a new place to have Nancy live. She locates a memory center, Everhaven, where after visiting it decides to sign her up. Sam needed to have Nancy stay with her overnight before she could move in, what an experience.
Nancy moves into the facility and Sam makes sure she is set before leaving. When she visits later, she starts getting an uneasy feeling about that place. Things get worse after she spots several incidents of the same event. Sam meets up with Joel, a detective, whose grandmother is in the same facility. Later after another event, the two get together to try and figure out what was going on.
The story is well done and keeps the reader's attention right till the end. This is well worth the read, don't miss out!
November 28, 2025
Everhaven by KJ Kalis
Samantha “Sam” Watkins is a journalist. Busy traveling around the world for work. The only family she has left is her great aunt Nancy, who is in assisted living, until now. Sam gets a call that her aunt has thirty days to move out. She’s gotten worse and needs more care, memory care. So, Sam gets recommendations for a good home and can quickly move her aunt. Aunt Nancy really did take a turn for the worse that fast.
Sam feels uncomfortable at Everhaven, but what choice does she have? In the few weeks Aunt Nancy has been there, Sam has seen too many body bags leaving the building. Is that normal? As she meets Joel, a detective who visits his grandma at the home, they both notice things aren’t right. And they need to get to the bottom of it before any more body bags are carried out, especially since it could be Aunt Nancy or Grandma Rose.
Well-written and fast-paced. The author’s writing of how Aunt Nancy acted made me feel as if I were the one dealing with her.
https://justjudysjumbles.blogspot.com...
November 29, 2025
Are they more interested in keeping people in, or keeping something out?
Sam is still recuperating from the virus that she picked up in French Guiana while investigating for Pulsepoint Media. Now, when she thinks she can get back to work, her great aunt Nancy must be moved from her current accommodations due to memory issues. Everhaven is very ready to have her move in, but it all seems to be moving very quickly.
Somehow, even with the move accomplished, the problems continue. ER visits, body bags being secretly moved out, unexpected illness for Sam and the list goes on. Something or someone is killing off people at Everhaven. What could possibly be behind all this?
This incredible psychological thriller was received throughBDM, LLC and BookSprout. These thoughts are my own and were in no way solicited.
Sam is still recuperating from the virus that she picked up in French Guiana while investigating for Pulsepoint Media. Now, when she thinks she can get back to work, her great aunt Nancy must be moved from her current accommodations due to memory issues. Everhaven is very ready to have her move in, but it all seems to be moving very quickly.
Somehow, even with the move accomplished, the problems continue. ER visits, body bags being secretly moved out, unexpected illness for Sam and the list goes on. Something or someone is killing off people at Everhaven. What could possibly be behind all this?
This incredible psychological thriller was received throughBDM, LLC and BookSprout. These thoughts are my own and were in no way solicited.
December 14, 2025
There is a lot that is relatable in this story; it's never easy to take care of those who are losing their memories and therefore are not able to look after themselves. There's a loss of a life lived together, and family around them have mixed feelings about leaving them with assisted living. Sam's great aunt was moved to Everhaven and although she was responsible for the move she did not feel totally comfortable with the place. She'll see people dying with more frequency than it should happen and as an investigative journalist she starts to investigate and what she'll find, together with the detective who also has his grandma in Everhaven will make her blood run cold. Fast-paced, this story is not an easy read but it's totally worthy reading! Highly recommended!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 1, 2026
Is Everhaven as such a wonderful place as it seems to be? Samantha decided to move her great aunt to this memory assisted facility but in the surface it all seems perfect but she keeps having this nagging feeling that something really bad is going on there. A feeling that gets even stronger when residents start dying in numbers higher than usual, what is going on at Everhaven?
Samantha is helped with the medical issues by Dr. Mac Forbes, remember the main character in The Resident? She’s finally happy in her job and in her marriage after the nightmare from last year.
The story is so engrossing that you cannot put the book down, I like the way the book is written, the character development and the tension that grows throughout the story until the unexpected ending.
I can’t wait to read more books from KJ Kalis, she never disappoints.
Samantha is helped with the medical issues by Dr. Mac Forbes, remember the main character in The Resident? She’s finally happy in her job and in her marriage after the nightmare from last year.
The story is so engrossing that you cannot put the book down, I like the way the book is written, the character development and the tension that grows throughout the story until the unexpected ending.
I can’t wait to read more books from KJ Kalis, she never disappoints.
December 28, 2025
You would expect maybe one death in the memory care unit but not 2 within a few days. When Sam has to move her great aunt from the location she is living to a memory care facility, she has no idea that someone there is killing the residents. And when both her aunt and her get sick and go to the ER, Sam's reporter instincts take hold to solve this case. And to make this even more fun to read, will a relationship happen between her and the detective whose grandmother is also a resident. You will have to read this to find out.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
December 21, 2025
Sam is working on writing her story from her last adventure at a local hospital when she gets sucked into a new story and potentially deadly story. She needs to place her great aunt into a memory case home as her dementia has gotten worse. A soon as she finds a place she has a bad feeling about the place. Those feelings intensify after she sees a few people leave in body bags. This is a gripping tale of something not right. Can Sam get to the bottom of it before someone else dies?
I loved this story, it was very hard to put down.
I loved this story, it was very hard to put down.
December 15, 2025
I loved it! The twists and turns. The realities of memory loss. It was good to see where Mac ended up and to get to learn more about Sam since we last read about them in The Resident. KJ Kalis has done it again!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
December 16, 2025
This is a tragic tale of what could happen inside a memory care facility. How easily the perpetrator does it is incredible. I was engrossed in this story from beginning to end, and this time I’d managed to work out who it was just before it was revealed. I loved it. What are we going to have next I wonder, cannot wait to find out. Highly recommended.
December 22, 2025
Great read! Although I thought I solved the mystery early in the book, I was pleasantly surprised that I was wrong. Everhaven is a sequel to The Resident, but it isn’t necessary to read it before Everhaven. The only thing that didn’t jive is that one of the characters seems to be too young to be a holocaust survivor.
December 4, 2025
A slow burn mystery/thriller. I did figure out early on who the real villan of the story is. The reason was a surprise though It was an enjoyable enough read.
I received a copy of this book via the author and am voluntarily leaving my opinion of the tale.
I received a copy of this book via the author and am voluntarily leaving my opinion of the tale.
December 8, 2025
A slightly different genre for KJ Kalis, my favorite author. This is a psychological thriller, that takes a bit for the hero and heroine to crack. A few near misses, but finally the truth is discovered. A worthwhile read.
December 18, 2025
A good continuation from the first book in this series. It centers around some events is a retirement home for those suffering memory problems in later life. It also presents work related problems for journalist Sam Watkins. An easy read that doesn't need you to have read the first in the series.
December 30, 2025
This was a disturbing read and it kept my attention. It is completely frightening to see how another side to care homes and the author wrote the story very well.
December 18, 2025
When journalist Samantha Watkins moves her great-aunt Nancy into Everhaven Memory Care something in her gut tells her that all is not as it seems.
Sam's journalistic instinct smells something amiss.
I enjoyed the book overall but found the main character a bit annoying. She continually whines about the pressure she is put under dealing with her great-aunt and her job.
The interaction between Sam and the police detective is fun and the way they work together on the case is enjoyable.
The wrapping up of the case is all a bit fast for me, it could've been stretched out for an extra couple of chapters to add some more tension.
All-in-all this was an interesting read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Sam's journalistic instinct smells something amiss.
I enjoyed the book overall but found the main character a bit annoying. She continually whines about the pressure she is put under dealing with her great-aunt and her job.
The interaction between Sam and the police detective is fun and the way they work together on the case is enjoyable.
The wrapping up of the case is all a bit fast for me, it could've been stretched out for an extra couple of chapters to add some more tension.
All-in-all this was an interesting read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews