Don't Check the Basement: A Psychological Thriller

by Lily Ragley

Getting a secluded vacation rental in rural Pennsylvania is a dream after city living. The forest is lush, the street is quiet, and the neighbors are nowhere to be found.

If only the friend who invited me didn’t bail—leaving a disturbing voicemail about the notorious patient who escaped from the psych hospital across the street.

I tell myself I’m safe inside. There are bars on every window and locks on all the doors. And yet I wake up each night to strange creaks and groans below.

There’s one room I haven’t checked. One room from which no one ever resurfaces. Maybe I should just…take a peek.


Don't Check the Basement is a standalone, psychological suspense thriller.

356 pages, Paperback

First published November 14, 2025

About the author

Lily Ragley is a thriller and romantic suspense author. She enjoys writing about the things that go bump in the night...the ones that make you scream in fright and delight.

Follow Lily for updates at lilyragley.com

Reviews

[Leeanne 🥀 The Book Whor3 🥀 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Several times I almost DNF, but I continued on as most of the reviews I read, were very positive. Alas, this was not a positive read for me. It was all over the place, and chaotic, and I found myself skimming over the pages, just to try to get to the end.
It wasn’t until I got to 75% of the book, that the confusion cleared, and I somewhat became interested.

Unfortunately this wasn’t for me, though I know many readers love it, from all the positive reviews, and of course, I will be interested to check out the author’s other books.

Thanks to BooksGoSocial, the author, and NetGalley who provided me with this ARC, of which I give a voluntary review.

1.5 ⭐️

Available: 14th November 2025

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creepy rentals, escaped mental patients - what a perfect combination for a thriller! However, at some point people have to say enough is enough, especially if said creepy house is on Elm Street lol. I enjoyed following this story with Maria and definitely didn’t see it coming with the layers of her complex character. Most importantly, you don’t want to check the basement in this rental as you have no idea what’s lurking. Overall a decent read, for me it lost its momentum a bit, but was still enjoyable overall & worth the read.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Amy Downey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

Thanks to BookSirens for the ARC!

This book has such a spooky, intriguing setup—a secluded rental in rural Pennsylvania, a friend who suddenly vanishes with a creepy voicemail, and a possibly dangerous escapee from the psych hospital across the street. The atmosphere is tense and eerie from the start, and the mystery of the “one room no one checks” definitely kept me turning pages.

While I loved the overall plot and vibe, I did feel the story got a bit repetitive at times and could’ve been a little tighter. Still, it moved fast enough to stay engaging, and the creepy moments were absolutely worth it.

Overall, this was an eerie, atmospheric read with a compelling plot and a few chills that stuck with me. If you enjoy psychological tension, isolated settings, and stories that make you question what’s behind closed doors, this is worth picking up.
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#booksirens #ARCreader

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Tabatha Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite possibly my all time favorite thriller. The book follows Maria who was invited to a vacation rental. Her friend having left her a disturbing voicemail, never showed. This book had me constantly confused, in the best way. I couldn’t guess who the bad guy was to save my life. The Last 1/3 of the book had my heart pounding. I couldn’t put it down and it has quickly become my number one thriller of this year, I might venture to even say number one ever.

[Kelly Brewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't Check The Basement by Lily Ragley. It had me thinking twice about renting me one them fancy vacation houses in the woods. Because let me tell you it isn't all peace and quiet like them brochures say.

This girl going out to Pennsylvania thinking she is about to have herself a relaxing time after city living. Next thing she knows her buddy is gone and left a crazy voicemail about some nutcase running around loose from the nutty hospital across the dang road.

Now if that doesn't set the mood I don't know what does. I was sitting there reading and started hearing every creak and groan in my own camper trailer. I swear the floor started talking back to me. It got so spooky I almost slept with the lights on, just kidding. The writer has a real good way of making you feel like you are there peeking around corners and wishing you didn't.

And when that part came where she started hearing them noises in the basement boy I was hollering don't do it don't check anything you don't have no business checking. But she doesn't listen and well I'm not going to spoil it. Let's just say I'm not trusting any more basements.

This book has got the kind of scaring that sneaks up on you. Not jumping out screaming but slow and creepy like your own mind is playing tricks on you. It felt real the way fear creeps in when you're all by yourself and think you are safe but no your not.

I laughed more than once because I kept saying she better not go down there. But I kept turning them pages anyway like a dummy.

I give it 4 outta 5 catfish!

[Limpnormal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t Check the Basement by Lily Ragley is a creepy and suspenseful thriller that keeps you on edge the whole time. It’s about a woman who rents this old house out in the woods, hoping to get away from everything for a while. But her friend cancels last minute, leaving this weird voicemail about an escaped patient from a mental hospital nearby. Right away, stuff starts feeling off—strange noises at night, lights flickering, and a locked basement door that everyone says not to open. You can probably guess what happens next.

The story moves pretty quick and keeps you hooked. Ragley does a good job building tension without overdoing it. The house feels alive almost, and you can really picture the creaks in the floor and the silence that makes everything worse. The main character feels real too—she’s scared, but she still tries to figure out what’s going on instead of just running away (even though you kinda wish she would).

There are a few weak spots though. Some of the plot feels kinda predictable, like the whole “isolated house with a dark secret” thing. A few scenes are also confusing, where I wasn’t totally sure what was happening. But the atmosphere makes up for it. Even when you know where it’s heading, it still gives you chills.

Overall, Don’t Check the Basement is a solid, spooky read. It’s not the most original thriller ever, but it’s fun and tense and perfect for a late night when you want to creep yourself out a little.

[Liz K · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this book, I would like to name author Lily Ragley one of the queens of red herring because my oh my, was she good at it!

This book reeked of mystery from start to end, and by end, I mean to the very last punctuation mark, because you think it's leading you one way, then it leads you somewhere else. You think you have a grasp of all the characters, but then you turn around and poof - they're not who you think they are. They mystery aspect is spot on, and the characters are - I get them, I can relate to them, yet she made it so that some of them really gets to your nerves. Good characterization! And honestly, some of the plot themes can be applied to our world today - grass roots corruption, abuse of power, and so on.

I would like to rate the book 5 stars, but there are some times when I am reading where I feel like it is a little bit dragging and some parts would have been okay to not dwell on, but maybe it's just my excitement to get to the end that made me feel this. Overall, I highly recommend this book for people who want to be confused, be touched, and be utilizing their critical thinking skills the whole time. It taught me this most of all - that humanity is very, very important to maintain and uphold.

ARC received from BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.

[Nemiisus · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was able to read an ARC copy courtesy of NetGalley.

This was a nice, quick, easy, and entertaining read! Good pacing and writing, ideal for a new mystery/thriller reader. For a more advanced mystery/thriller reader, this would be more of a familiar appetizer, a read for fun than anything new or profound.

You are immediately thrown into the story following the FMC with no background story and just are in for the ride. A lot of great details to point the reader towards many different routes about what is actually happening. Good steady sense of unease. My favorite part is definitely the very end, that's kinda the only real thrill in the story for me, but a great way to end the book.

One thing that did irk me is the excessive amount of chapter breaks (61 chapter/292 pages). I get they are intentionally placed for dramatic pause, but the pacing and writing are done well enough that it really wasn't all that necessary and continuing the flow of the story would be have been better. And some of the word choices definitely stood out as well, like they were used correctly but most of the story was written in an easy everyday conversation kind of level, when every now and then a word you wouldn't normally use in context would jump out.

But all in all it was a fun read, this author has great potential!


At first I really liked the FMC, she had appropriate skeptical reactions in the beginning, but the more you read the more you really start to dislike her. She really came off self serving, selfish, hero complex, and no way would she ever be a medical professional given her mentality. Her constant in denial and 'why is everyone scolding me about the consequences of my own stupid actions' mentality does not make right even if she was "right all along". Which really feeds into the unreliable narrator bit, especially how she withheld certain information at the beginning.

And I feel like there were so many details amping up to a huge reveal but it was more an okay reveal, I definitely predicted it as one of the reveal options. And the ending felt a little rushed where everything just tied up so quickly, somehow after the traumatizing events the FMC suddenly gained super clarity and tied everything together.

Nothing super amazing but just a fun read.

[Josette Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fast paced thriller that keeps you guessing until the end. I thoroughly enjoyed books that are written about how psychopaths can fit into regular society before getting caught. One persistent nurse decided to do what she could to prove a suspected person was not the killer. The author created such a story that I was never sure what was going on and if Damien was or was not the raving serial killer everyone believed him to be. I consider our mental health system and all things that occurred within this novel are plausible. The doctor allowed his ego to make decisions rather than do what was required of him. Other staff at the asylum helped fabricate misinformation so that when the real killer resurfaced no one was aware of the real circumstances therefore enabling the victims to continue be unheard. Maria was very brave but even she was naive about what was really going on at the asylum. I know she wanted to help Damien but in reality she should have went to an outside source to report the misconduct and wrong doing going on at the asylum. This book had me turning the pages quickly as to find out who was the real killer.

[Annabelle Ring · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don’t Check the Basement is one of those thrillers that immediately pulls you in and refuses to let go. From the first chapter, I was completely hooked, the eerie setting, creeping tension, and constant sense of unease kept me turning pages late into the night. I thought I had the mystery all figured out, but the final twist genuinely caught me off guard in the best way.

Ragley has a real talent for atmosphere; the isolation of the rural Pennsylvania setting adds so much to the suspense. My only small critiques would be that some of the dialogue didn’t always feel completely natural, and a few moments in the plot leaned a little too conveniently into “perfect timing” territory. Still, these were minor in the grand scheme of how gripping the story was.

Overall, this is a really strong novel and a thoroughly enjoyable read. I’d absolutely recommend it to anyone who loves a good mystery with an unexpected ending, and I can’t wait to see what Lily Ragley writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Janine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a free read on NetGalley from the publisher, Kindle (my thanks to both). It’s a strange book, at least to me. Maria Xavier is renting a kind of spooky house in Huntsville. She’s there looking for her friend, and fellow former worker, Ahana. Ahana has texted Maria saying she’s seen a former patient, Damien, who is believed to have escaped the mental hospital where they both worked 10 years ago. Damien is alleged to have killed oeople in his Huntsville neighbor. The book includes dialog from hospital reports and conversations with characters in the book. I personally didn’t see what any of these added to the book.

There are some pretty good scary moments. And the build up to the twist was pretty as was the twist itself. No spoilers here. You have to read the book to find out.

Further, I felt what was missing though were those descriptions or descriptive passages that set the mood or tone. Instead the use of suspicious characters or situations seemed to be what was used to get those effects.

Still I enjoyed the read overall.

[Gerika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plot: I really enjoyed the plot. You have the main character Maria who arrived at a vacation rental to share with her friend, but she never arrived. There has been a lot of weird stuff happening as well...the situation of the rental, people dying or getting hurt mysteriously, and an escaped mental patient. I was very engrossed in the plot...yeah, like most books, there are slow periods, but it was a easy book for me to get through. There was lots of tension...it had me speed reading because I was just excited and tense.

Characters: I enjoyed the main character. I felt she was likeable and had great growth or development over time as she found out more information over what happened to her friend, the house/neighborhood, mental hospital, and more. I felt some of the minor characters stuck out, but they stayed really minor characters.

Setting: Appropriate for the story--small town, a bit rural, MC by herself, creepy house/ neighborhood, mental hospital nearby...it was all approrpiate for the story. I'll give it a 5 of 5.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an ok read but I felt like it was hard to follow at times. It centers on Maria, who is staying at a rural rental house where murders had happened years before. The basement is almost its own character and her fear of it, and the reading behind it, were definitely creepy.

Maria herself was a likable character but her background that led her to the current situation was drawn out to the point where I just didn’t understand how things fit together until later. I almost gave up during the first half of the book. Once I finally felt like I had all the pieces, I enjoyed the book a lot more and I thought that the mystery was sound. I was truly tutored by the twist at the end and thought the author did a good job of creating suspense and then pulling everything together at the end.

Overall, this was the tale of 2 halves of a book. I am glad I stuck with it because I liked the end but I felt the first half was hard to get into. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Maresha Braswell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy

A gripping psychological thriller set in a secluded Pennsylvania rental house that should have been a restful escape except the friend who invited the protagonist disappears, leaves a creepy voicemail about an escaped psych-patient across the street, and then the basement starts creaking. The atmosphere is excellent the isolation, the dark memories, the locked basement door you just know someone should not open. Ragley does well with mounting tension and that feeling of “what exactly is down there?”If I had one caveat: some of the plot feels familiar (isolated house, secret room, strange noises) and a few characters aren’t fully developed. But for a late-night read when you’re in the mood for “creepy house, dark basement, don’t go down there” this delivers.Perfect for fans of haunted-house suspense, solo character thrillers and anyone who enjoys turning off the lights after reading.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

"A renter."
"In that house? Why?"

That was the big question that ran throughout the book. And part of the reason I had trouble getting into the book was that I constantly felt like I was brought into the story mid-way through, like maybe there was a prequel I missed. The narrator was completely unreliable, leading the reader to believe she was renting the "vacation house" to escape the city. [spoiler alert - She was not.]

About 2/3 of the way through the book, I finally understood what was going on and why I upgraded from a 2.5 to a 3. It felt like the characters kept boomeranging between good and bad. I didn't understand the main character staying with someone she only just met, or not going to a hotel, or not calling the cops, or...just...going home. I did like the twist at the end, but it still left me with quite a few questions.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I appreciated learning about this new-to-me author. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Danielle Janiga · Rating 1 out of 5]

𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 ✨

⭐️

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 @netgalley

𝐈 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨. 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐬𝐲𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐮𝐩 𝐛𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐬.

𝐈 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐲 — 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞, 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭.

[TJ Turns Pages · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don’t Check the Basement was an enjoyable read, if not a bit predictable. The story moves at a good pace and has some genuinely tense moments that kept me turning the pages. There’s definitely serious potential here, both in the author’s writing style and in the premise itself.

The main female character came across as somewhat unlikable, though I’m not sure if that was intentional. If it was, it might be a clever setup for an unreliable narrator vibe, which could really pay off in future stories. I did guess the twist pretty early, so I’d love to see a bit more misdirection or buildup in future works to keep readers guessing.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to Lily Ragley and BookSirens for allowing me to review this book.

[Shilo Goodson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like this book started off a bit confusing and slow. I felt like our main character, Maria, was paranoid over nothing early on. The story didn't really get exciting or suspenseful until the final about 15% of the book. Then it's like all the action was thrown into those final pages. I would have liked more of a suspenseful feeling throughout the book.

This book does have some swearing. It probably averages out to 2-3 times per chapter. There's sexual content, and while there is a lot of behind-the-scenes violence, you don't get the gory on the page violence.

I feel like the book ends in such a way that the author is hinting at the possibility of a sequel. I think that would be a mistake. There's not enough there to create a good second book.

I got a free ARC from BookSirens, and I left a voluntary review.

[Christine Choptovy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this mystery/thriller. I had a bit of a difficult time getting through the first few chapters. Very stereotypical at first: a house where the renter feels extremely uncomfortable but still decides to stay, the house is on Elm Street and is adjacent to a psychiatric facility. Get past that and you enter into an enthralling tale where no one is who you think they are! Maria, a psychiatric nurse, travels to Huntsville to spend time with her friend Ahana. When Maria gets to the rental home, her friend is nowhere to be found. Based on their shared employment history, Maria fears the worst has happened to her friend. Strap in for the twists and turns ahead!

I received an ARC of the novel and this review is my personal opinion.

[Sadie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never come across anything by this author before and had no idea what to expect. The book was suspenseful and kept me wondering who could actually be trusted. There were a lot of odd characters, and everyone seemed to have secrets, lies, and even hidden agendas. Unfortunately, I didn't connect with this book as I thought I might. Despite this, I recommend it to other readers as they might enjoy it more.

Thank you, Netgalley, BooksGoSocial, and Lily Ragley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Shelly Turula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't Check the Basement is a nice read around Halloween time. There were parts of the book that made me want to speed read to the end of the chapter to see what was happening and then there were other parts of the book where I found myself losing focus. This book definitely had potential but lost itself to me at times with trying to remember the characters, especially the use of Dominic and Damian. Overall, a solid 3 stars and I would read Lily Ragley again. Thanks to BookSirens and the author for an ARC. All opinions are my own. Expected publication date 14 Nov 25

[Delphia Von Heeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't Check the Basement is A psychological thriller by Lily Ragley. I thought that this book had so many twist and turns that kept me reading until late into the night. The characters are well written and I didn't know what was going to happen next. Maria us an excellent main character and I thought that the author did such a great job of keeping me guessing until the end of the story; snd, I was very surprised at the end. I think that the ending left me wanting more of the story. This thriller is a must read. I received an arc for free and am leaving my review voluntarily.

[Candace Cram · Rating 1 out of 5]

ARC provided by NetGalley

Wow. I’ve never been more confused in my life. The first 75% of this book I felt like I was reading 3 different psychological thrillers in one book. I guessed the ending pretty quickly in the first 25% of the book. Even though the book was swapping and changing every five seconds. I didn’t like the writing style. It felt very childish and being inside the main characters head was torture she was so selfish and had the biggest hero complex. I didn’t like the weird thing going on between her and Dominic it was very confusing and frustrating.

[thrillswithtam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The twists + turns started on page one in this book. I was invested from beginning to end. Read this in less than 24 hours — a great quick read. I was quickly second guessing myself every time I thought I had pieced it together. There were multiple shock factor and “oh sh!t” moments. I was both satisfied and unsettled (especially while reading on break during night shift as a psych nurse).

If you like a psychological thriller that sticks with you after you finish the last page — then this is it.

[Liz Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars
Sadly this book wasn't for me. I saw another reviewer who summed it up perfectly for me: all over the place and chaotic. And that's exactly how I found it. I rarely DNF books, so I did read it all, but it didn't get much better for me and I did skim read the second half, just to get through it. I found the characters underdeveloped and the plot confusing.
A positive though, there were a couple of well executed, tense, scenes that I did enjoy.

Thank you anyway, to Lily Ragley, BooksGoSocial and Netgalley, for the review copy.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Years ago, Maria worked at a psychiatric hospital, where she got a little too close to a patient and helped him escape. Now she is back living at the scene of one of his most heinous crimes and trying to find a fellow nurse she worked with that has disappeared. People say the patient is back to finish what he started all those years ago, but is Damian, "Patient X", really behind everything?
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I loved this book. I have already recommended it.

[Megan Midgette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good! The twists in it had me gasping out loud. There were multiple times that I thought I knew what was going on and I was proved wrong, which I loved. I really liked that not all the answers came out at the end. It was like solving a mystery while a bigger one started each time. I don't like when books don't give any answers until the last chapter, so I loved that this one gave answers but also produced more questions!

The only thing I would say is that I wish there was more closure at the end for the characters Maria and Dominic, but I still loved the book.

[Pheadra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily.
I chose to read an ARC of this book because of the blurb. A woman takes a vacation in rural Pennsylvania and faces two problems. Her friend who invited her has bailed and left an ominous note about a psyche patient from the nearby hospital escaping, and the noises emanating from the basement are disturbing, to say the least.
Good pace but somewhat predictable. 3 and a half stars.

[Jemma Roe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy thriller full of weird noises, suspense secerts, and scares. You know when you watch a horror and shout at the screen why you are going to investigate that sound alone, and you laugh, well this book, this is the written version. Throughly enjoyed this book. Keep me interested throughout and I'd buy this book for a friend who loves this genre.

[Aura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arc reader review.

Oh wow.

As the chapters went on, I had many theories keeping me from focusing on the book itself but I didn't think of this particular theory. Pardon my French but, I quite literally fell on my ass.

The book was well written, it did feel a little long sometimes but it's what is needed to build the tension, right?

Can't help but wonder about the after.