"The Quiet Tenant" is a lesson in fear, womanhood, and what it means to be a victim. Told through the perspective of three women, the book follows the actions of a man living a double life. To one woman, he is a murderer who chains and locks her away for his own sick pleasure. To another, he is a local handyman with great hair, beautiful eyes, and a smile that lights up the room. To the third, he is a father. I was glued to the page and couldn't stop thinking about this book. The plot was quick and shocking, but the characters were infuriatingly dumb. It reminded me of yelling at the screen during a horror movie as the character makes a horrible decision. The ending fell a little flat for me. I wanted justice and confrontation. I suppose that's how the women in the story felt, too.

Couldn’t put it down. Beach read - vacation read - one of those that clips along and you can’t look away. Short chapters told in multiple points of view by women, this novel took off on the very first page. While I had some confusion at the choices the author took at the end of the novel, I enjoyed the experience of finding out how this was going to end for each of the narrators telling the story. Go read this one - it’s a ride.

The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon is a very highly recommended debut thriller about a serial killer and the one woman he kept as a prisoner.

A woman who has been instructed by her captor to call herself "Rachel" has been a prisoner, chained up and locked in a backyard shed for five years. She knows his rules and routines. She lives in constant fear and follows everything he says in order to live. Her captor is Aidan Thomas is a well -liked, hard-working family man and serial killer.

When his wife dies through natural causes, Aidan is forced to move. He takes Rachel with him, instructing her to say she is a friend who needs a place to stay, especially to his thirteen-year-old daughter Cecilia. She has a room/prison cell in the house and has a small measure of freedom in her new arrangements. However, when Emily, a restaurant owner who has a crush on Aidan, begins to try and form a relationship with him, it may unbalance the already tenuous situation.

The well-written narrative is told through the points-of-view of Rachel, Cecilia, and Emily, as well as some chapters from previous victims of Aidan. The Quiet Tenant is a woman-centered novel. Aidan is never developed beyond the superficial, but neither are the women beyond how Aidan influences their lives. Rachel is the most developed, but she is also the most fearful of her captor.

This is absolutely a compelling and an un-put-down-able thriller. It is also, admittedly, a melodramatic novel, but, whatever. The narrative held my rapt attention throughout. It is an intense novel where the suspense keeps building and growing throughout the entire novel. Readers will fell Rachel's fear and trepidation while simultaneously learning how popular and well liked Aidan is in the community. A story of survival and resilience in an incredibly stressful and heartbreaking plot. Michallon is a writer to watch and I look forward to her next novel.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Knopf Doubleday via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, Edelweiss, and Amazon.

Everyone around town knows Aidan - he’s helpful, he’s charming, a loving husband, and a great dad. But with the town doesn’t know, is that Aidan secretly keeping a woman prisoner in his shed, and has successfully abducted and killed others. When he must relocate his family and bring his prisoner out into the open under the guise of “family friend,” Aidan’s secret killing spree starts to unravel in this fast paced thriller.

I am absolutely obsessed with this book - I couldn’t believe it was a debut novel and I read it in less than a day. The short chapters, changing POV, and quick plot kept my attention. But the writing style, the descriptions, the character development truly blew me out of the water because it does not read as a debut, but something I would expect from an established thriller author with 20 published books. I didn’t see half the twists coming, and I felt like the story had a realistic approach to the clear trauma that some of the characters are experiencing. I will be keeping an eye on this author in the future - I cannot wait to see what they bring to the table next.

I have mixed feelings about The Quiet Tenant (out June 20) by Clemence Michallon. While the concept was a creative one, telling the story about Aiden Thomas, a serial killer, from the perspectives of his daughter, the woman he starts dating, and the one victim he held captive, it didn’t completely work for me.

I just could not connect with the first half of the book. Once Rachel is given more freedom by her captor to roam around the house, that is when the story picks up and becomes way more interesting.

I did like the way the story was told by the three women in Aiden’s life and how each one of them saw him differently. I also liked how each of the killer’s victims got her own quick chapter so the reader could experience their last moments.

While not a bad book, I feel that if I had read it at a different time and not right after one I absolutely loved, I might have enjoyed it more.

This is gonna be the next big thing, I just know it. I read this one on an airplane on my kindle app and was white knuckling my phone the whole time!

Wow I loved this book.

A unique take on a serial killer who keeps a woman captive for five years.

Told in three perspectives. The woman, the killers daughter and the killers current love interest

While I at times was frustrated with Rachel, I could certainly understand her fears. I could feel her every emotion.

This isn't an edge of your seat thriller, more psychological thriller, with the emphasis on the psychological aspects. A slow burn to see how it all plays out.

There were a few things I would have liked more detail about at the ending, especially in regards to the daughter.

A great debut novel.

Thanks to netgalley and Knopf for the arc.

The synopsis of the book certainly caught my attention and the opening did not disappoint. How could you not be intrigued about a book about a woman held captive for years by a serial killer. Unfortunately, it was not the thriller I thought it was going to be. There was no mystery or suspense in this book, it was basically the POV of Rachel, the captive, and Emily, a local restaurant owner, who has a crush on Aidan. The ending was confusing and left me with many unanswered questions.

I received this advance review copy from from NetGalley & the publisher for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of the best thrillers I have ever read. I was absolutely glued to the pages, and had to keep reading to find out what happened. I finished it in one day because I was so engrossed in the story. I loved how the story of a serial killer was told from the point of view of the women in his life; his victims, including the one trapped in his house, his daughter and the new woman in his life. This was an absolutely fantastic feminist thriller, with nail biting twists and turns, I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Publishing Group for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Before diving into this book, I was so captivated by the synopsis. A serial killer, trapped woman and clueless daughter? SIGN ME UP. I would rate this one a solid 3.5 stars maybe even rounded up to four, just due to the novel is very character driven, you are very much in the minds of the three women the book follows.

I instantly became hooked in the beginning. As I continued reading the book; I felt like there was no mystery? no really thrilling aspects at all? Did I miss something?? cause the synopsis pretty much gives everything away. Overall it was still good- but wasnt my favorite. but Would still recommend!

I thought this thriller was exceptionally well done and really felt fresh from the usual formula. The three very different perspectives gave nuance to all of the characters and it raised interesting questions throughout. My only critique is that I wish just a liiiiiiittle bit more had been done with the ending - otherwise a great and thought-provoking book!

This was so well written. It was as dark and disturbing as I had anticipated. It was tragic and makes you feel the hopelessness. Absolutely amazing.

4.5 rounded up

Oof what hard-hitting ride! I actually didn’t remember the synopsis to this before I started reading it, and I was like, “oh this is gonna be brutal.” Once I got in the right headspace, I was all in.

I can see where some reviewers thought the writing was robotic, but I thought it worked to convey the detachment and trauma of the main POV. I also really liked the multiple POVs and perspectives used (e.g., woman’s POV in second-person, daughter’s POV in first-person). I thought it was all very successful and added to the air of mystery throughout.

I definitely thought something was going to happen that didn’t, and while I think it would’ve been awesome, I get why the author chose the direction they did. It was a good way to bring together all the different types of girls and women impacted by the same monster of a man, but in a siloed way where you realize that despite a common bond, trauma can make you feel very alone. (Idk if I’m making any sense but either way, I liked it ok!!)

I also appreciated that the author hinted at why the killer did what he did, but didn’t spend much time on his background or personhood. There was some Criminal Minds-esque speculation, but no attempt to humanize him or create any sort of empathy. The story’s main focus was the victims.

I always feel a bit rambling when reviewing a book I loved, so I’ll just end with: read this if you can!

The Quiet Tenant is a psychological thriller narrated by three different women that are close to a serial killer: his 13 year old daughter, his girlfriend, and the victim he kept alive and has hidden in a shed. This is one dark and disturbing thriller. But it’s also a very clever and well written one.

This novel’s greatest strengths are the premise and structure in how it was written. We never hear from the serial killer directly. Instead, Michallon brilliantly writes three very different voices giving various insights into a serial killer and how they are often hiding in plain sight. This is what makes it such a psychologically thrilling read. I really liked how the author quietly gave a voice to the victims. This is a novel that reads like a slow burn thriller, but it is also a study of trauma, power, and survival. Michallon dissects the killer’s psyche through the trauma of his victims.

I think anyone who enjoyed Notes on an Execution and Room (Emma Donoghue) should give this novel try.

Thank you very much for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

3.5⭐️

Following the death of his wife, Aidan Thomas and his 13 year old daughter Cecilia move to a small town in upstate New York. Aidan quickly becomes a beloved figure in the town. He's always willing to lend a hand and is often seen nursing his non-alcoholic drink at the bar downtown. But Aidan has a secret. He has killed eight women and has his next victim currently locked in his house.

Rachel knows her name isn't really Rachel. She knows that the man has rules and that man could kill her at any time. She doesn't really know why he hasn't killed her yet, though. She's surprised when he brings her with them when he and his daughter moves and she's even more surprised when he lets her join them at dinner at times. Rachel thinks she can get away, she just need to wait for the right time.

I had seen multiple reviews about this before starting the book, but underestimated how much it would bother me. A majority of this book is written in 2nd person (you go down the stairs, you listen to the man, etc) and I think the only POV I hate more is an omniscient narrator. There were also chapters where the past victims are talking about the events leading up to the their deaths. The insight was interesting, but I don't think that it really added to the story.

I really enjoyed the storyline and seeing how a serial killers actions affect the three women closest to him: his victim, his daughter, and a possible new love interest. I liked Aidan being a beloved town member and Rachel's horrifying realization that people might not believe her when she says he's evil. Overall I liked where this book was going, but the 2nd person POV really took me out of it.

Thanks Netgalley for providing this ARC to me.

Kudos to Clemence Michallon for delivering a dark, psychological thriller that is hard to put down. Told from the point-of-view of 3 women, captive Rachel, daughter Cecilia and bar owner Emily, The Quiet Tenant is the story of Aidan Thomas, loved by many but secretly a rapist and serial killer, and his vastly different relationship with each of these women. Interspersed among these POVs are short clips of several of Aidan's victims.

This was a great debut novel with wonderful writing and especially impressive as we learn that English is not the author's first language. Thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for this ARC.

Thank you to Knopf publisher and net galley for a copy of The Quiet Tenant. This book was intense in the beginning but, I felt it could of been shorter. The main character is the guy next door, the hard worker, a father of a daughter. But he is another person that a few people get to know. It is a thriller I love the title a friend suggested it and she was not wrong but, I felt it was a little drawn out.

Thank you Knopf and NetGalley for my e-ARC in en change for an honest review. I give this novel 3.5 stars. I did enjoy it and I was not expecting the ending. However, it felt a little dragged on to me. Why did Aiden keep her for so long? The motive was really never answered other than “he was too nice” he kept killing after her though so why hold on to her still? The book was still a quick read and still a pretty good book. I recommend trying it out to see the story unfold!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Clemence Michallon, and publisher Knopf for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest review!

As a woman, this is probably one of the most terrifying books I've ever read. A book about a serial killer told from the perspective of his captive victim, teenage daughter, and new romantic interest? I really appreciated how Michallon centered women's voices in this story, as it not only worked well and was important but also increased the ickiness factor in reading. I enjoyed "Rachel's" chapters the most, as I felt her story was the best developed and complete. This book truly had me on the edge of my seat the entire time reading, and there were several parts that I didn't expect. I wish Cecilia would have had more chapters because I appreciated the juxtaposition of her teenage voice against the older women. Emily, I personally couldn't stand reading about, but I understand the purpose she served in the story. This book was a solid 3.5 star read for me, as it was a great thriller, but parts of the ending and not meshing with the writing of some of the women's perspectives has me rounding it down. I do think this was an important story to tell and truly shows the power of women and the universal horrors that we have to face together.

4.5 stars. Amazing debut. A story about a serial killer - narrated by the women in his life. Rachel (the victim he let live) is quiet strength; Emily (potential new girlfriend) just wants to be noticed and loved; and Cecelia (his 13 year old daughter) is still suffering the loss of her mother. SO good - I loved the characters, the story, everything. This is both a thriller, and the story of surviving trauma.

"Aidan Thomas is a hard-working family man and a somewhat beloved figure in the small upstate New York town where he lives. He’s the kind of man who always lends a hand and has a good word for everyone. But Aidan has a dark secret he’s been keeping from everyone in town and those closest to him. He’s a kidnapper and serial killer. Aidan has murdered eight women and there’s a ninth he has earmarked for death: Rachel, imprisoned in a backyard shed, fearing for her life.

When Aidan’s wife dies, he and his thirteen-year-old daughter Cecilia are forced to move. Aidan has no choice but to bring Rachel along, introducing her to Cecilia as a “family friend” who needs a place to stay. Aidan is betting on Rachel, after five years of captivity, being too brainwashed and fearful to attempt to escape. But Rachel is a fighter and survivor, and recognizes Cecilia might just be the lifeline she has waited for all these years. As Rachel tests the boundaries of her new living situation, she begins to form a tenuous connection with Cecilia. And when Emily, a local restaurant owner, develops a crush on the handsome widower, she finds herself drawn into Rachel and Cecilia’s orbit, coming dangerously close to discovering Aidan’s secret."

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.