MY REVIEW
I am still amazed that I only recently came across Jessica R Patch. She is a prolific writer and her books fit in perfectly on my book shelf. She has now become an automatic read whenever I see one of her books available.
Gwen McDaniel’s life is a mess, so, WTH, why not buy a rundown house in Cold Harbor, Maine…that is in dire need of a renovation? Their marriage could use an overhaul too. Immediately we are drawn in to drafty rooms and music playing, yet no one is there.
I was immersed in the ominous mystery. The pacing kept the suspense rising, the further into the book I got. The twists and turns gave me many aha moments, sometimes wondering why I didn’t see that coming. That is how good Jessica R Patch’s stories are. She sneaks those nuggets of emotional turmoil below the obvious, amazing me as she delivers blow after blow to Gwen. The danger rises and there are those who will do anything to stop the secrets being exposed. I didn’t know whether to race through the pages to find out what happens, or relax and enjoy the journey.
Many thanks go out to NetGalley, Harlequin, and Jessica R Patch for the opportunity to read The Girl Upstairs.

GOODREADS BLURB
he bought this house to save her marriage. Unearthing its secrets might just claim her life.
Gwen McDaniel’s life is broken. But she knows the perfect place to fix it. Cold Harbor, Maine, an idyllic small town with views of Acadia National Park, is where she used to vacation with her parents as a child. Here, she and Steven can start over, renovating their cliff-side fixer-upper while patching up their marriage. Soon, everything will be better.
Except from the moment they arrive, Gwen sees and hears things, and it’s more than just the drafts and shadows that are part of any old house. Steven downplays her fears, warning her not to fixate on problems as she has in the past. But Gwen spent years as a homicide detective, and her instincts don’t lie. Something happened here. Proof comes when she rips up the attic’s carpet to discover a chilling message carved into the wood underneath.
As Gwen delves into the history of the house and the Cold Harbor community, she begins to piece the fragments together. And gradually, a terrifying picture A missing girl. A house of horrors. And a dark, decades-old nightmare that is more haunting than Gwen ever imagined…
- Genre: Christian, Fiction, Halloween, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Suspense
- 384 pages, Paperback
- Expected publication April 28, 2026 by Love Inspired Trade
ABOUT JESSICA R PATCH

Publishers Weekly Bestselling author Jessica R. Patch is known for her dry wit and signature twists whether she’s penned a romantic suspense, a cold case thriller, or a small-town romance. When she’s not getting into fictional mischief with her characters, you can find her cozy on the couch in her mid-south home reading books by some of her favorite authors, watching movies with her family, and collecting recipes to amazing dishes she’ll probably never cook. Sign up for her newsletter “Patched In” at www.jessicarpatch.com. Jessica is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary Management.
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