#143 in Horror
New out April 21, 2026
The Caretaker
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Our view
Marcus Kliewer’s “The Caretaker” builds a dark, claustrophobic horror novel from a strange job advert. Macy Mullins, short of money and supporting her younger sister, agrees to spend three days minding a stranger’s house on the wild Oregon coast. Some readers report an unease that clung to them even when they set the book aside. The remote setting does much of the work.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
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... ..--- / ..... / ---..
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.5 across 106 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 42% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Horror average of 7.5. That is how 7.5 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 7.5 | 106 | 100% |
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