A Book A Week

It just isn’t summer reading without a twisty thriller that keeps you turning pages long past bedtime. While I’ve read my fair share of great ones this season, I’ve been especially eager for Lisa Jewell’s latest, Don’t Let Him In. Her last novel, None of This Is True, completely floored me, so my expectations were sky-high. Apparently, I wasn’t alone. When the book hit shelves in late June, I placed a library hold right away, only to learn the wait would be “several weeks. Patience isn’t exactly my strong suit, but this week my turn finally came.  I’m happy to report it was well worth the wait. Jewell once again proves she knows exactly how to lure you in and keep you there until the very last page.

The title Don’t Let Him In works as both a warning to the characters and to us, the readers. The “him” in question is a master manipulator. He's magnetic, charming, and deeply dangerous.

To Nina Swann, he’s Nick Radcliffe, an old friend of her late husband who reappears after her husband’s untimely death. Nick is polished, attentive, and always seems to know just what to say. In the fog of grief, Nina finds him to be a comforting presence, and their bond quickly deepens into something more.

To Martha, he’s Alistair, her devoted husband, father to their infant daughter, and the one encouraging her to chase her dream of opening a flower shop. But lately, Alistair has been disappearing for days at a time, always with a reasonable-sounding excuse. The more Martha presses for answers, the more her suspicions grow.

Who is this man really? That question threads through every page, tightening the tension until the truth can’t be ignored. The closer we get to the answer, the more we’ll find ourselves silently shouting the same desperate plea: Don’t let him in.

With Don't Let Him In, Lisa Jewell proves once again why she’s a master of the genre. She’s crafted a tale centered around a despicable man whose true nature is slow to reveal itself. Jewell alternates perspectives between various women, and at first, we’re unsure how they’re connected. Only when we realize the man in their lives is the same person does the dark truth begin to surface. And what a twisty, nefarious truth it is.

Jewell builds the suspense with affable characters we can root for, even as they inch toward the devastating realization we’ve already reached. It all comes together in a karmically satisfying finale that will have you holding your breath. I couldn’t stop reading, and I suspect you won’t be able to either. This is, without question, my favorite thriller of the year so far.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2025, 63)