Marcus Kliewer is a writer and stop-motion animator. His debut novel We Used to Live Here began life as a serialized short story on Reddit. Film rights were snapped up by Netflix, and it was acquired by Simon & Schuster in the US for publication even before it had been extended into a full-length novel. He lives in Vancouver, Canada.

"Disturbing and propulsive, THE CARETAKER is a gem of visually inspired Gothic storytelling. Marcus Kliewer takes a familiar horror premise and makes it his own, drawing you into a lucid nightmare of a novel. Keep the light on!"--Scott Carson, nationally bestselling author of DEPARTURE 37

"A no-brakes plummet into madness." --Alma Katsu, award winning author of FIEND

"The homes Marcus Kliewer haunts aren't merely filled with phantoms, but cerebral spirits and broken-hearted ghosts. THE CARETAKER is quite possibly the ultimate "don't go in there" novel, offering up an apocalyptic final girl for the ages. This is a breakneck book, filled with razor-wire tension, where the reader runs the risk of losing their mind with every flip of the page."--Clay McLeod Chapman, author of WAKE UP AND OPEN YOUR EYES

"Absolutely terrifying. Marcus Kliewer's THE CARETAKER gripped me from the first page and didn't let go. I couldn't put it down." --Brandon Eldridge, author of THE ESTABLISHMENT

"Marcus Kliewer's Caretaker is an example of taking a quiet idea and making it truly haunting. A book written for horror fans that have always thought they were smarter than the main characters in a story... truly one of my favorite novels I've read in years."--Mike Salt, author of YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE

"With THE CARETAKER, Marcus Kliewer proves he's our new master of uncanny slippage. This book is as full of dread as the sound of footsteps rushing towards you in a dark woods."--Nat Cassidy, USA Today bestselling author of When the Wolf Comes Home and Mary

Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books/12:01 Books

Pub date: 2026-04-21

Length: 320 pages