The Caretaker cover art

The Caretaker

The next mind-bending, twisty horror story from the author of We Used to Live Here

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The Caretaker

By: Marcus Kliewer
Narrated by: Jeremy Carlisle Parker, Corey Brill
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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...

..--- / ..... / ---..

'One of the creepiest stories I've ever read! This twisted tale will haunt my nightmares for a long time to come!' Freida McFadden

'A no-brakes plummet into madness.' Alma Katsu

'Vivid and compulsive in all its ratcheting dread.' Brandon Eldridge

© Marcus Kliewer 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

 Genre Fiction Horror Small Town & Rural Scary
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Critic reviews

A no-brakes plummet into madness. (ALMA KATSU)
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)
The homes Marcus Kliewer haunts aren't merely filled with phantoms, but cerebral spirits and broken-hearted ghosts. THE CARETAKER is quite possibly the ultimate “don't go in there” novel, offering up an apocalyptic final girl for the ages. This is a breakneck book, filled with razor-wire tension, where the reader runs the risk of losing their mind with every flip of the page. (CLAY MCLEOD CHAPMAN)
Absolutely terrifying. Marcus Kliewer's THE CARETAKER gripped me from the first page and didn't let go. I couldn't put it down. (BRANDON ELDRIDGE)

Fast-moving dark ride of a book . . . [a] savage gut punch of an ending. Twisting
and turning but wasting no momentum, this book is for those who like their thriller stories
bowstring taut and their endings pitch black.
Totally up my street, hugely enjoyed. Vivid and compulsive in all its ratcheting dread. Cracking characterisation too.
Praise for Marcus Kliewer's WE USED TO LIVE HERE:
One of the creepiest stories I've ever read! This twisted tale will haunt my nightmares for a long time to come!
Inventive and genuinely scary, We Used to Live Here is the most impressive horror debut I've read in a long time. Marcus Kliewer is a talent to watch.
There is a feeling that a small number of books conjure. It can be distilled to: Oh god, something ain’t right here. Their hallmark is a creeping, unaccountable, jangly dread that seeps into their pages until you almost wish you could stop reading—but of course, it’s too late. You’re in its grip. We Used to Live Here is one of those rare books.
All stars
Most relevant
The performance for this audio book was fine, a bit breathy in places but clear.

The story however was disappointing. Plot points were brought up and never resolved. Characters appeared and then disappeared. I'm a fan of horror stories and I've read some weird stuff, but it needs to make some sort of logical sense in it's own universe. Otherwise it's just scene after scene that doesn't really go anywhere. I really enjoyed how the author wrote about grief and depression but the horror elements needed work.

What happened to the sister? Previous owners of the house? Her Dad? What was the relevance of the various rites, the rabbits? Who were the people on the phone? Why was she given tasks that were impossible to complete? Was this all real or in her head?

The ending was not satisfying and only left questions.

Promising but flawed.

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