Preview - The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer

The Caretaker

Marcus Kliewer

Copyright 2026

295 Pages

The prologue in this one kicks open the door with every cliché question imaginable. Who? Where? WHAT fresh supernatural nonsense is happening in these woods and why does it feel like the trees are judging me. Something weird is brewing out there — and honestly, if you tell me it’s happening on the coast of Oregon (which sounds like a place you reach only by taking a wrong turn in a fairy tale), I’m not surprised. Nothing is clear. I don’t know what we’re in for, but the vibes are spooky and vibes do not lie.

Enter Macy. Sweet, exhausted Macy, holding herself and her younger sister together with the emotional equivalent of a dollar‑store glue stick. You know the kind — the ones that pretend they’re adhesive but are really just moist disappointment. So naturally, she stumbles into a caretaking job that pays way better than it should. Girl. GIRL. That is Red Flag #1 wearing a neon vest and waving semaphore.

She interviews, and boom — hired on the spot. Red Flag #2 is now doing cartwheels. She leaves with instructions to watch an old VHS tape full of the house’s rules — or, excuse me, Rites. Personally, I would’ve titled it “Follow These Rites If You Want to Live,” which would’ve covered red flags #3, #4, and #5 in one convenient package. But when rent is due and money feels like a mythical creature, you do what you must.

So here we go. We’re taking the job. (Obviously — otherwise this book would be a pamphlet.) And this isn’t a spoiler, it’s a prophecy: there is no universe in which we make it through this weekend without breaking at least a handful of these “Rites.” Am I rite? Yes, I’m ashamed of that joke, but not enough to delete it.

Anyway, I’m off — I need to dive in because things are about to get real messy, real fast, and I cannot wait to watch the chaos unfold.