Audiobook Review: The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer

 I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer

Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 3.5 of 5 stars

Genre: Horror

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio (April 21, 2026)

Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins

Author Information: Website

This was my first Marcus Kliewer book, and I was quite excited to tackle it since I’ve heard such great things about his debut We Used to Live Here. And now I can see why his style of horror has garnered him so many fans. The Caretaker leans hard into that brand of eerie, slow-burn horror where you’re never quite sure what’s real and what’s simply the protagonist’s sanity unraveling inside her own mind. But at the same time, the writing doesn’t always complement the story’s goals, often running long and being repetitive in ways that took away from the tension. That said, I also listened to this in audio, so it’s possible that the format might have made these issues stand out more.

The story follows Macy Mullins, a young woman barely keeping her head above water. After her father’s death, she’s left as the sole guardian of her teenage sister, and between the grief and a growing pile of bills, survival has become a daily struggle. Desperate to keep the rent paid and the lights on in their tiny apartment, Macy can’t afford to be picky about work. So when she stumbles across a vague Craigslist ad offering a short-term caretaking job at an isolated coastal property, with suspiciously generous pay, she decides to take the chance. Even if the woman hiring her is evasive about the details, and the job itself comes with a list of strange, unsettling requirements, it’s hard to say no to that kind of money for just a few days’ work.

At first, the rules seem odd but manageable. The homeowner explains they were put in place by her late husband, who insisted they be followed to the letter even after his death, with all instructions recorded on a VHS tape for Macy to watch. Some involve checking lights at specific times in the middle of the night, answering mysterious phone calls, and keeping a close eye on the rabbits that roam the property. Strange, sure, but straightforward. However, it doesn’t take long for things to spiral. Small mistakes lead to escalating consequences, and the written instructions in the event of failure quickly become more extreme, more unsettling, and at times outright unhinged. As Macy struggles to keep up with these “rites” that grow increasingly complex and difficult to follow, she finds her grip on reality slipping, blurred by exhaustion, fear, and the surreal nature of what’s happening around her. What started as a simple job soon reveals itself to be something far bigger, more dangerous, and impossible to escape.

First, the positives. The Caretaker really shines when it comes to concept and atmosphere. After looking into the author, I also discovered that Marcus Kliewer likes to weave mental health themes into his work. For example, OCD features heavily in this story, and the allusions aren’t exactly subtle. You can see it in the way the rites are structured, or the constant dread tied to getting them wrong. As someone with OCD though, I was surprised how strongly these connections resonated, like the constant checking, the double-checking, the second-guessing, and the intrusive thoughts that something terrible will happen if you don’t get it just right. Overall, it’s a clever use of horror that adds an extra layer of meaning beneath the strangeness, and I thought it worked really well.

But now, the elements that didn’t work so well. For me, the biggest weakness was the novel’s longwindedness with certain ideas, such as whole paragraphs devoted to expounding on topics related to Macy’s financial struggles, her cigarette cravings, how crappy her apartment is, etc. The writing had this tendency to keep pressing on things you’ve long already absorbed, and it’s like, “Okay, I get it!” It’s very conspicuous in audio and very distracting, making it easy to lose focus and drift off once the rambling starts.

In the end, The Caretaker is a solid if imperfect novel of psychological horror. It has a unique hook, interesting themes, and some genuinely unsettling moments. However, it’s also weighed down by repetition and an overextended runtime, making the final sections drag on and on. Still, pacing issues aside, this is one to check out if you’re drawn to horror that excels at building a strong sense of dread, and the audiobook is worth a listen as well.