The Caretaker: A Novel

by Flint Maxwell

Something happened inside this house.

At only twenty-two, Harper Hudson has already lost so much. Her mother, her father, her education, and most recently, her minimum wage job at the local roller skating rink.

So when an old flame re-enters her life and tells her of a housesitting job opportunity, she thinks it’s too good to be true. For a life changing amount of money, all Harper has to do is make sure the beautiful home doesn’t burn down and the pets are fed.

But as the days turn to nights, strange incidents begin to happen. Shadows move beneath doors, the cats see things a person can’t, and disembodied voices whisper in the dark.

Harper soon begins to realize she isn’t as alone as she thought. There are secrets hidden here. Dark secrets.

Because…something happened inside this house.

Something terrible.

**The Caretaker is a supernatural psychological horror novel perfect for fans of Stephen King, Noelle Ihli, and Jason Rekulak.**

Genres: Horror

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2024

About the author

Flint Maxwell was born and raised in Northeast Ohio and still lives there today with his beautiful wife and daughter, and their four furry best friends.

He primarily writes horror fiction, but has been known to dabble in many different genres.

Reviews

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Caretaker : A Novel
By Flint Maxwell
This story grabbed me right away and lead me on a twisted road. I tried to be a step ahead of the story but that just set me back, way back. It has a great creepy atmosphere from the beginning and varied it accordingly. I read it in one big gulp! It has suspense, lots of secrets, a mystery, ghosts, romance, and adorable cats. Also, a ghost cat!
I really enjoyed this. I have read a lot from this author and I think this is my favorite. It's one of my favorite books this year too!

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty quick read, and it had it's intriguing moments for sure! I really liked the first parts, where we get to know the MC and learn about her life. I liked Eddie too, and the two of them together were great. The start of her time in the house was good too, I loved the spooky vibes and the black cat being a weirdo.

It was a bit too fast after that. I feel like once she found the journal pages, we raced straight to the end without enough build up. It went so quick.

Also...I can't really figure out what the purpose for Randy was. Were we meant to think he was the killer? Was he a red herring? That part made no sense to me.

I did like this okay though, and I'll look into more by this author!

[Ian Biss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable

I have been a fan of Maxwell since his zombie series and have read most of what I have found of his books that are on kindle. This one was a little disappointing. I won’t give anything away and still recommend that you read it, but don’t expect to be wowed by this story. There were a few interesting turns it could have taken with other characters that didn’t happen, and none of the relationships of the main characters were well defined. The story was so obviously predictable that I felt as though I’ve read it before. Overall this was not the best work from the author.

[Tam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spooktastic! Wildly imaginative! Great, multi-faceted characters. Suspenseful plot. Vivid descriptions. A REALLY great, creepy read perfect for the Halloween season!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

[Lady Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this guy and I can’t wait for his next one ….

Super fast read, hard to put down! The beginning started out like a young adult romance book, but then quickly transgressed into fear and shock!

[michelle deveau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

Awesome story!!! I wish it was longer! I didn't want it to end!! I love this writer so much!!!! The story had ending that led Me to believe another book should follow...

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

I enjoyed the characters, story flowed well. Strange about Rodney being such a prominent character I thought he would be the antagonist. Got me good! Lol
Would recommend this author.

[Marlys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story to read during this time of year. I was drawn into the story from beginning to end. I read an ARC from the author and this is my voluntary review.

[Tracy J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nope

Definitely not his best. Unoriginal.. Very unoriginal. Elementary. Predictable. A non story. I skimmed most of it. Cannot recommend sorry.

[Courtney Davis · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was such a strange novel with zero character development. A quick read to be sure, but by the time you figure out what is happening the book ends.

[Paul Hillier · Rating 2 out of 5]

All I can say is this is not up to Flint Maxwell's usual quality. It feels like it was either written quickly or not as much thought went into it. Halfway through the book before the main character even became the "caretaker", and before you know it the book was done. Not much plot to it at all. If you want a great series, read Whiteout, also by Maxwell. A definite higher quality of writing.