The Caretaker
WANTED: Caretaker. Three days. Competitive pay. Serious applicants ONLY.
Macy Mullins knows a red flag when she sees one, and this vaguely ominous ad has all the hidden danger of a barbed hook. But after a soul-crushing string of rejected interviews, she's out of options. With rent past due, groceries dwindling, and a little sister depending on her, desperation wins.
Besides, it’s just three days.
Three days isolated in a stranger's home, swallowed by the dense, unforgiving wilderness of the Oregon Coast.
But this peculiar side gig is about to descend into a waking nightmare. Something incomprehensibly evil is festering on the property—and Macy is the only thing standing between it and the rest of the world.
- Macy - Protagonist
- Jemma - Macy’s younger sister
- David - Grace’s husband
- Grace - David’s wife
- Greg - Insurance broker
- Part I Unemployed Trainwreck
- Macy applies for a caretaker job Grace posted.
- During the interview Grace tells Macy that David died three months ago and the job is really to maintain David’s upkeep routines so Grace can leave for a few days.
- Rules: Keep the house tidy. Keep the lights off between 3 and 4 a.m. - if the lights stay off, no other rites should trigger. Keep rabbits outside - if one gets inside, remove it within 10 minutes. If anyone with blue eyes arrives between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., they are a visitor - don’t talk to them, let them see you or let them in. Once the visitor leaves, the phone will ring with further instructions.
- The entity’s power is confined to the property, but failing to maintain the rites will cause a blood red sun to rise, allowing it to spread beyond the property.
- David left envelopes to be opened if a rite is failed.
- Part II Gainful Employment
- Macy meets Lucy while walking the property.
- Macy and Jemma’s father died in a car accident three years ago.
- Macy fails to turn off a light within the time limit and opens the corresponding envelope as a result.
- Inside is a note saying she will face a moderate personal setback within 24 hours.
- Greg tells Macy the insurance company may deny her father’s death policy because they suspect suicide.
- Macy sees a rabbit in the house but fails to catch it within 10 minutes.
- She opens the envelope, which states she must burn the rabbit in the fireplace or face further consequences.
- She lets the rabbit outside instead.
- A visitor in the form of Lucy arrives at the front door, so Macy hides until she leaves.
- Part III Occupational Hazards
- The phone rings again and Macy is told to follow Lucy’s footprints into the woods at midnight. Someone will be there and Macy must calm them and prevent them from leaving the property.
- At the end of the trail, Macy finds a visitor in Lucy’s form searching for her friend.
- The visitor runs into the house.
- Macy gets another call with instructions: keep all lights on, don’t talk to the visitor, rehang any fallen picture frames within 1 minute and keep her heart rate below 150 BPM.
- Macy’s heart rate exceeds 150 BPM, causing every lightbulb to shatter and every picture to fall off the wall.
- Part IV Duties and Obligations
- The phone rings again and Macy is told not to let the visitor touch her and to use any means necessary to defend herself.
- The visitor catches Macy, so she repeatedly stabs it with her switchblade.
- A visitor in the form of Macy’s father knocks on the door.
- Part V Redundancy
- Macy opens the in case of emergency envelope. It tells her to go to the basement and watch the TV.
- The video shows David explaining that she must kill any visitor that takes the form of a loved one.
- A visitor in the form of Jemma breaks into the basement and Macy kills it.
- Macy sees a red sun rising, signaling she failed to contain the entity.
The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer delivers a dark and emotionally charged experience that walks the line between a suspenseful thriller and chilling horror. The book dives into dark topics, but grounds the tension with an eerie atmosphere that lingers over every page.
If you appreciate a fast-paced narrative, this book hits the mark. The short chapters keep the momentum moving making this a quick and compulsive read.
At the heart of the unsettling environment is Macy. Despite the bleak tone of the story, it is easy to sympathize with her. The author highlights the deeply personal and emotional struggles she is dealing with, which adds grounded, human weight to the darker elements of the plot.
A lot of readers didn't love how this book wrapped up, but I personally enjoyed the ending. It felt like a fitting and satisfying conclusion to such an intense, atmospheric story.
- Depression
- Suicide
- OCD
- Grief
- Car accident
ISBN: 9781982198817
Publication Date: April 21, 2026
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
