I'm really glad I waited to rate this book. When I finished I kind of thought...well, that was ok. However, I haven't stopped thinking about this book. And with most thrillers, I enjoy them and devour them pretty quickly, but this slow-burn is still resonating with me.

Chilling and haunting, and it totally reminded me of Elizabeth Smart and Jaycee Dugard. I recommend.

The Quiet Tenant by Clemence Michallon

Aidan Thomas is a well-respected and hard-working man in his hometown. But no one knows that he has a very dark secret; he’s a kidnapper and a serial killer. He has murdered 8 women total and has a 9th (Emily) he’s planning for but there’s also Rachel – who he imprisoned in his backyard shed. When Aidan’s wife dies, he is forced to move with his 13-year old daughter Cecilia. Aidan moves in Rachel into their new house as a “tenant”, he figures after 5 years of captivity, Rachel is too brainwashed to escape but things don’t go as planned.

I was not prepared for how creepy this book was in the best way possible! We go through multiple points of view; Rachel, Cecilia and Emily. Mostly the chapters alternate between Rachel and Emily. The contrast of their feelings for Aidan was beautiful written. Have you ever watched a scary movie and you’re yelling at the main character to NOT GO INTO THE HOUSE?! That was me with Emily’s chapters. Overall, it was an unique, creepy, and a thrilling book and I hope you love it!

A great thriller debut by Clémence Michallon that would be right up the alley for fellow fans of “airport novel thrillers” such as Gone Girl and The Girl on a Train. A small sleepy town crime thriller with elements of psychological drama, Focusing the multi-narrative structure on the victims was an interesting touch, but one you need to settle into when you first begin reading. Giving the women a voice and female gaze against the male antagonist certainly brings different layers to the unraveling tension and plot, but I do feel like the story runs out of steam halfway through. The Quiet Tenant plays out similarly to a season of You, but if it were with a female lead (and not a likable psycho like Love lol). Definitely a solid recommendation for fans of the genre and any of the titles I mentioned within my blurb.

FANCAST:

Director: Jane Campion/David Fincher
Aiden Thomas: Jake Gyllenhaal/Oliver Jackson Cohen/Chris Abbott/Lee Pace
Emily: Daisy Edgar Jones
“Rachel”: Elizabeth Olsen/Riley Keough
Cecilia Thomas: Ariana Greenblatt/Violet McGraw
Mayor: Jonathan Banks/Clark Peters

"I have to move," he says. Again, you must ask: "What?" A vein pulses at the back of his forehead. You have annoyed him.
"To a new house."
"Why?"
He frowns. Opens his mouth as if to say something, then thinks better of it. Not tonight. You make sure his gaze catches yours on his way out. You want him to drink in your confusion, all the questions left unaddressed. You want him to feel the satisfaction of leaving you hanging.
Rule number one of staying alive in the shed: He always wins. For five years, you have made sure of it.

"Rachel" is who she is supposed to be. But it isn't who she is. He took her and recreated her to who he wanted. She is a prisoner. She never knows when he'll tire of keeping her alive.

He is so well liked and admired in the community. A father. A widower. A serial killer - but there is only one person alive who knows that part.

This is a great story - very creepy and keeps you on your toes!

The serial killer version of the room. This one follows three woman who's lives are intertwined with Aiden a well liked family man beloved in his small town who happens to be a serial killer. The daughter, the girlfriend, and the current woman that he decided to hold captive for 5 years instead of killing her like the others. Dark/twisty sign me up.

This one started slow but the premise had me intrigued and it finally started to pick up the pace about 1/3 of the way in. More psychological than thriller as this was a slow burn.

I loved how this was told from three female perspectives without a goddamn peep from the rapey/kidnappy/murdery dude. I agree with some of the negative reviewers in that the prose was a bit overwrought, but it somehow still worked for me, and I thought the story was fast-paced and upsetting in all the ways I enjoy. This was a strong debut, and I will happily read anything else Michallon writes. Also, this needs to be made into a movie, immediately.

To his whole community, Aidan Thomas is a highly respected citizen. He’s a dad and recent widower. He helps others regularly. You couldn’t ask for a better person to live in your town.

To the woman who has been held captive for five years in a shed at the far back of his property, Aidan is a monster. He keeps her handcuffed and rapes her every night. He’s done all he can to make her submissive to his will, including insisting she use a name he chose for her.

“Rachel” also knows he is a serial killer. For some reason, he hasn’t killed her yet. So she holds on to a glimmer of hope that someday she will break free.

When he is forced to move out of his longtime home with that shed, Aidan takes Rachel with him to his new rental home. He puts her in a bedroom and tells his teen daughter, Cecilia, that Rachel is a family friend who needs a place to stay.

Life has now changed dramatically. It may be almost time for Rachel to find freedom.

The Quiet Tenant switches viewpoints between Rachel, a woman in town named Emily who falls for Aidan, and Cecilia. As the story progresses, bonds form between them in different ways, and Aidan’s carefully curated life veers toward toppling.

This book slowly builds suspense as readers wonder how/if Rachel will escape. But it’s not just a story of suspense; it’s an exploration of the effects of trauma on the women in the story. Each has been hurt in different ways. Each has an opportunity to find inner strength and reclaim who she is. Like its namesake, the book is often quiet, even as the tension ratchets up a bit at a time. I was definitely curious about how things would play out, but I wanted just as much to know how these women would survive what they went through.

A gripping book.

I found The Quiet Tenant to be a story that really pulled me in,and had me rooting for the characters until the finish. The author made an interesting choice to use three points of view to describe our killer and kidnapper at the center of the story: his daughter, his prisoner, and a girl who wants to date him. Plus past victims make occasional and brief appearances. Reading other reviews, this didn't work for some, but I found it a really inventive and interesting take on a story that has been told before in a different form.

Rachel is Aiden's only victim who has survived, and it's been for five years. He's killed others, but he has kept her alive to continually abuse nightly. Rachel has learned to totally subjugate herself in order to stay alive. In the later part of the book when Rachel is given ample opportunities to run, it is hard to understand why she wouldn't, but I think the author did a pretty credible job of getting into her head and explaining why she was terrified to do anything other than what has been working to keep her alive for five years.

The woman at the bar whose name escapes me was annoying, but I've known women like her in my life, sadly. They are willing to do anything and change anything about themselves in order to draw a man's attention. She was aggravating but her character was well drawn out and explained.

Lastly, the daughter who had zero suspicions about her father, was used partially to explain how Aiden passed notice as a serial killer and appeared to be a nice guy to those around him.

I like original ideas and I felt this debut author took some chances and put a new spin on what could have been a familiar story.

Thanks to NetGalley, Clemence Michellan and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

A few of my friends read this and told me how fantastic it was and boy were they right. The dynamic between Aiden, Rachel, Emily and Cecelia was great. At first I struggled a little with Rachel and Aiden's 'relationship', especially when they moved and he allowed her to be part of the family in small ways. Thankfully Cecelia helped Rachel realize that she was a human and not just a thing for Aiden to play with.

It was more than a little scary to realize how someone could portray themselves as one thing but had such a dark secret. A fast paced thriller that I couldn't stop reading.

I am telling everyone I know to read this book. A story of a serial killer told from the perspective of the women in his life, his captive, his daughter, his chosen next victim, and the woman he has already killed.

Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. One of my best thriller reads for 2023 so far! This was everything I love in a thriller dark, sinister, disturbing characters I was completely hooked from the first page and I still cannot stop thinking about it days after finishing it. I was drawn to its unconventional premise, the double life of Aidan our serial killer had me captivated and wondering just how it was all going to end. The story revolves around four key characters: Rachel, a kidnapping survivor who endured five years of captivity, presumed dead, abandoned, neglected, and forgotten. She's not the first victim of the serial killer Aiden Thomas, but she's the only one who managed to escape. Aiden is a cunning, manipulative, and highly dangerous chameleon who disguises himself as a decent human being—a grieving man, a devoted father, and a broken-hearted widower. His 12-year-old daughter, Cecilia, remains blissfully unaware of her father's true identity, hidden behind his flawless facade. She is innocent and unsuspecting. When circumstances compel Aiden and Cecilia to move to a new residence, he convinces Rachel to accompany them, presenting her as an old friend and a quiet tenant to his daughter. Rachel, in order to survive, must follow Aidens rules while seeking a way to establish a connection with Cecilia and help her escape. The fourth character, Emily, she is in love with Aiden and thinks he is the nicest man on earth and just perfect for her. Aiden manipulates and gaslights her, skillfully controlling her like a puppet master as Emily becomes increasingly obsessed with him with each passing chapter. This was a well paced thriller that had me so wrapped up in it it was all I could think about when I wasn't reading it. To describe it as an addictive psychological thriller read is simply not enough but its all I have. #thequiettenant #clemencemichallon #netgalley #tea_sipping_bookworm #goodreads #thriller #getlitsy #thestorygraph #bookqueen #bookstagram

📚 Book Review 📚 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Quiet Tenant by Clemence Michallon

You’ll dive into the world of “Rachel”…the captive, Cecilia…the daughter and Emily…the smitten as they tell us their lives with Aidan…the unknown serial killer. Unlike anything I have read before, we are given an inside look from a captives perspective, those before her, how her captor navigates his double life and how one woman plays by the rules in order to survive.

I was glued to my kindle, reading this every second I could and finished it floating in the pool in silence 😄 I loved the writing, the flow and how you felt for the women. The ending was great but I wished there was just a little more “something” but honestly it was perfect!!

Thank you #NetGalley #clemencemichallon and #knopfpublishinggroup for the ARC

Believe the hype! I saw so many stellar reviews for this one, so it shot to the top of my list and I listened/read it in a little over 24 hours earlier this week. I was looking for something to hook me immediately and this one definitely did.

The audio was truly amazing. Parts of it were haunting. I’m so glad there were so many narrators in this story it really helped to add to the story.

Definitely check this one out if you haven’t already! It’s available now!

Thank you to @prhaudio for my audio copy and @penguinrandomhouse for my copy!

3.5 The way this book was written was unique and kept you guessing as to how it would end. Written from the point of view of the female characters, you get to see all the sides of the villain. A story about survival and the masks that both villains and victims wear to make that survival possible. An interesting read.

A truly unique thriller about Aidan Thomas, widower and father to a teenage daughter. A hard-working man that the town rallies around. He is kind. He is beloved. He is a serial killer.

We see Aidan’s story through three perspectives - Cecilia, his 13-year-old daughter, who is grappling with her mother’s death. Emily, who owns a restaurant in town and has known Aidan since she was a teenager. But now she finds herself growing increasingly interested in the handsome and charming man. And Rachel, the woman Aidan kidnapped five years ago and has been keeping captive in the shed behind his house.

But when Aidan is forced to move he has no choice but to take Rachel with him and his perfectly crafted and controlled life suddenly becomes anything but.

I’m a fan of going into thrillers a bit in the dark and highly recommend you do that with this book. The slow peeling away of the story and of these characters really added to the tension + the mystery + the creep factor. This book is haunting and disturbing and I loved it.

This thriller had me hooked from the first page and was spectacular. Trust me - this is a book you don’t want to miss. Huge thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC.

the writing style was phenomenal - and i was fully hooked into this storyline! I loved the multiple pov’s and how beautifully this story flowed! I am still shook this is a debut novel! BUT the ended left a lot to be desired…it just ended with no explanation and quite a few plot holes that I would have liked tied up in a pretty bow. i still HIGHLY recommend this book and could not put it down - but I just needed MORE in order for it to be a solid read.

The Quiet Tenant is thrilling and disturbing in equal measure, making for a book that is hard to put down.

Aiden Thomas is a beloved widower and father. The entire town loves him, including Emily, who owns a local restaurant and bar. Her crush on Aiden is fierce.

Aiden's daughter, Cecilia, is quiet and a bit of a homebody, but that's the way he likes it. He likes to be in control.

What no one knows is that he has a woman chained up in his shed, and he's killed before. Rachel has survived for 5 years by knowing the rules. Now that his wife is dead, he and his daughter have to move out of their house, and Rachel sees her chance. She somehow convinces him to move her into the new house as a tenant. She's still chained (to the bed at night, to the radiator during the day), but she gets to interact with his daughter and see sunlight again. She knows her chance to run will come. But will it come before someone else is killed?

If you like books about serial killers, this is a good choice! Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

4.5 stars

Clemence Michallon spins a dark and suspenseful thriller about serial killer Aiden Thomas leading a seemingly picturesque life to the outside world while holding a woman hostage in his home. The Quiet Tenant is an intense psychological thriller that keeps you on edge from the moment it starts until the final pages. Told from the perspectives of the three people closest to him—his daughter, girlfriend and victim he’s holding hostage in his home—readers see how he’s perfected his art of playing the roles in his life—dad, boyfriend and psychopath. While not scary in a horror sense, this book is scary in a true-crime all the nightmares and creeping thoughts in the back of a woman’s mind that actually come true kind of sense. It’s truly a nightmare situation where a serial killer “spares” one victim to an isolated life of brutality and abuse. I can’t decide what was hardest in this book—feeling the pain and angst of Rachel’s current existence, watching the monster Aiden fool everyone around him into thinking he’s the all-American family man, or the delve into trauma and abuse that is examined throughout the story. Gripping and thought-provoking, with a sharp look at survival and the bonds between women, The Quiet Tenant is a searing debut you won’t soon forget.

I loved this book! I couldn't put it down! It had all the elements that I love in a thriller...short chapters, multiple POV's, full of suspense. It wasn’t really fast paced but for me I was racing to finish to know what was going to happen. It's a unique read for a thriller because it's more character driven than plot driven and the story is told via second-person POV. I loved every minute of it and can’t believe it’s a debut.

All the stars!

Thank you to Knopf and NetGlley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

WOW, just…wow! One of the darkest, most eerie and bone-chilling psychological thrillers I have read in a long time..or ever. This book is one you will not be able to put down, as much as you may want to at times because of the sinister, disturbing nature of it. It will sink it’s claws into your very soul, and have your eyes glued to the pages and have your fingers frantically flipping to the next page, because you have to know what’s going to happen next. I feel that this is one that will divide an audience into two sides, no in between: you will either love it or you will hate it. I am of the former, because I was completely enthralled throughout the entirety of the book.

It’s a slow burning progression, which will have your heart pounding in anticipation, as you can feel the dread creeping in ever so slowly, with each turn of the page. The dark atmosphere of the novel only added to the overall experience while reading the book.

This is a complex, unconventionally written story, with complex, multilayered characters.

Long after the flip of the final page, I was left haunted and disturbed by the utterly dark and disturbing nature of the story. Furthermore, heart wrenching thoughts about the victims in the story and what they went through lingered in my mind.

The ending did not disappoint. It was phenomenally done and I couldn’t have asked for a better conclusion.

This book was so uniquely written that it definitely stands apart from other thrillers, and is definitely worth the read.

Despite being so disturbed by this novel, it was an amazing reading experience, and I will definitely be reading more of this author’s future work.

***a huge thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eArc of this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest review