The Quiet Tenant
Author: Clemence Michallon
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Rating: 5⭐️

Synopsis: Rachel has been stuck with the same man for 5 years. She can’t get away even if she tried. Being locked in his shed for all those years will do that to you. When the man’s wife passes away, he is forced to move Rachel to a new house as a “family friend.” But who will find out about the other first: the teenaged daughter, the new love interest, or the girl he keeps locked up?

Thoughts: I always enjoy when the story is told from different perspectives. In this one you get three: the daughter, the bartender love interest, and the kidnapped woman. I could not put this one down and couldn’t wait to read more when I could. I flew through the pages and my heart was pounding at the end.

Read if:
* You love stunning debuts from authors
* You like being kept on your toes

Thank you to the author and publisher for an ARC!

In this, her debut novel, novelist Clemence Michallon manages to pull off a fantastic feat: creating an absolutely suspenseful story and writing it in English, her second language.

Aidan Thomas is the poster child of looks that can be deceiving. A quiet widower who is raising his thirteen-year-old daughter Cecilia in a small town in upstate New York, he appears to all the world to be a hard-working family man. Still, Aidan is harboring a dark secret: he is also a serial killer who stalks and kidnaps his victims. Five years ago, he kidnapped Rachel and for reasons known only to him, decided to keep her captive in a shed on his property. When he and Cecilia are forced to move, he continues to keep Rachel alive and stashed in a small bedroom, telling Cecilia that Rachel is a friend down on her luck. By now, Rachel has figured out how to please and manipulate Aidan into keeping her alive on a day-to-day basis. She is also initially too afraid to attempt to escape but as she and Cecilia grow closer, she now fears for both their lives and is determined to free them both. What Rachel doesn't know is that Aidan may be replacing her with his next victim, Emily, the owner of a restaurant in their small town.

Told from the viewpoints of Rachel, Cecilia, and Emily, the story unfolds as we get to know the characters. The suspense is heightened as the reader is immersed in this dark, unusual take on a serial killer. I don't consider this a thriller; it's more of a finely-turned psychological study of human interactions and the cost of survival. It demonstrates that no matter how damaged Rachel is, she can still feel compassion for the other women in Aiden's life. The story is deftly told and beautifully written.

I loved this book so much! It hooked me from the beginning and was a very interesting storyline.the characters were very developed and interesting.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for this unusual ARC. This story is about a serial killer. But it’s more importantly about the lives of those around him: his captive, his daughter, a woman in love with him, his other victims, a community who believes him to be something he isn’t. You never hear his point of you, only those of the women around him. This is done so deftly, and unusually, it’s a powerhouse of a book. All three females are relatable in various ways. Through his reactions and interactions with them, you gain insight into his behaviors, need for control, and even a little sympathy as he tries to remain a good father. The author shows, in variety of ways, how women are taught or evolve through experience in how to tip toe around men to protect themselves, the inner strength of women and the will to survive in unlikely circumstances. Read this book; it’s a little disturbing but very well written.

This is quite a dark, disturbing read that will stay with you for some time. As a parent, this preys on your biggest fears - a serial killer stalking your child and keeping them captive in his basement. There is really few scenarios that terrify you more and this book certainly takes advantage of that. It also brings in several other elements - a daughter, a possible girlfriend - that add complications and twists and turns to keep you riveted. There are multiple POV's with time changes that are sometimes confusing but this trope doesn't get in the way of a entertaining thriller. If you love dark thrillers and true crime, you won't want to miss this one. Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf Publishing Group for an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

DID NOT FINISH--20 percent

I have been trying to finish this book since April 17, 2023. I finally put a pin in it yesterday when I got back from another vacation. My brain would not engage on this. I was sitting out on a deck enjoying the sunset and realized that life is short, and I refuse to keep making this book happen. I had a rolling list of books I finally just said nope to this weekend.

"The Quiet Tenant" is just a lot. I don't even know what to say. If you go to the book page on Goodreads there's a lot of all caps and discussion of how pulse pounding it was...it was not. We follow a man named Aiden (hiding something dark) and his 13 year old daughter Cecilia. When Aiden's wife dies they move. There enters Rachel...the quiet tenant. I think what kills me the most is that the summary on NetGalley did not spoil me, but the Goodreads page did. And I wonder if that is will killed any interest I had in this book. You can read the plot details for yourself if you click on the book link.

The characters in the 20 percent I read though were just bland as heck. Aiden. Bad. Cecilia. Well she' 13. Rachel. Got nothing. Another woman is thrown into the mix and I just hard passed. Telling this story via second person point of view threw me. If any book screamed for a first person point of view via different characters, this one did. I just could not engage at all.

This had me screaming at the MC multiple times. While I do understand the headspace of a victim in their situation I couldn’t imagine not acting on impulse!
Such a good book in all the ways that matter. The multiple POV’s were clean and not confusing, their was on story and timeline going on, most importantly it was bordering realism which was wonderful.
We pile definitely recommend!

In this sleepy psychological thriller about a serial killer, Clemence Michallon completely flips the genre. The story is fed to the reader in bits by the women in his life, the victim he can’t let go, his 13 year old daughter and a the woman who is desperate for a romantic relationship with him. Chilling and an absolute page turner!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC and @crimebythebook for the recommendation.

This is such a unique read! I think if you have any interest in true crime or want to read a book that looks at both the victim and the villain and kind of shows the complexities and completeness of the villain as a whole person, I would highly recommend this book. I will say, I wouldn't consider this a thriller. It's a slow burn psychological drama with thrilling moments/elements, but I wouldn't consider it a thriller at all.

I received a DRC from Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I feel it is important to state that the subject-matter of this novel may be difficult for some readers. The story focuses on Rachel, who was kidnapped by a serial killer. The reader follows them as the rest of the community thinks the kidnapper is a model citizen in the community.
I appreciated that the story is basically told from Rachel’s point of view. As the focus was on what she did to survive. I connected with her right away.
I look forward to reading more from this author. It’s hard to believe this is a debut.

I was very excited to get my ARC of this book. Reading the description and reviews that called it “suspenseful” “sick” “sinister” so on and so forth. Ummm it was none of that? Yes… he’s a murderer and keeps the woman in a shed, but everything was very predictable and not suspenseful. Also, Emily is one of the most idiotic characters in a novel I have read in a long time. It kept my attention some of the time and was easy to read.

WOW this book.. WOWOW
This was a fast pace thriller read and it had me in a WTF the whole time! This book touches on woman’s strength and Stockholm syndrome, and the will to survive! It’s dark, but such an interesting read!! This is a summer tbr must!! I am so happy to have read this! It was fast paced and left me wondering what will happen next.

This book was so incredibly irksome in the very best (worst??) way. I felt such an incredible sense of claustrophobia while reading this book, as if I were the one who was being held captive by Aidan.

I can’t help but draw the conclusion that the author must have done quite a bit of research to really dig into the psyche of this creepy ass serial killer character. He felt so real and I was genuinely getting nightmares at night about being stuck in a room with a scary person.

This is so much darker than your typical thriller and I really enjoyed it a lot!

Holy moly, I just found your new favorite psychological thriller! This one had such a grip on me while I was reading, and as I was approaching the end, I simply COULD NOT put it down. I also liked that this was a thriller that wasn’t “scary” in the sense that I wasn’t scared to read it alone at night😂

Obviously it’s hard to say a lot about a thriller without spoilers, so I’m just going to generalize what I liked. The MC “Rachel” was so strong and savvy, and her thought process throughout this book was impressive, especially for someone in her position. There were times while reading that I was thinking, “what are you doing?!?”, but this only furthered the suspense for me. The multiple POV was great, and I liked seeing Aiden and the whole situation from these specific perspectives.

If you want a suspense-packed, contemporary thriller, pick this one up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Publishing Group for the advance copy!

I loved every minute of this taut, fast paced, edge of your seat thriller!! I cannot wait to read every word Clémence Michallon writes!!

Wow! What a read! Totally enjoyed this dark and devious novel taking a deep look into the human psyche. Crazy great characters that kept me invested from beginning to end. What a harrowing experience as both the reader and characters. This was dark and creepy for sure!
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

The Quiet Tenant is absolutely going to be in my Top 5 of 2023. WOW.

The story is told through three perspectives, a woman who has been held captive for 5 years, the daughter of the Aidan, the man holding her captive, and a woman who owns a restaurant where she starts to fall for Aidan. Through these perspectives, we learn how Aidan appears to his small town, and everything the woman in the shed knows about him, which includes the stories of the women he has killed. He forcefully "renamed" the woman in the shed Rachel, and while she knows how to act compliant with him, she's never given up on the possibility of a way out.

When Aidan's wife dies, he is forced to move to a new house, and decides to take "Rachel" with him, introducing her to his thirteen year old daughter Cecelia as a friend of a friend who needs a place to stay. The longer "Rachel" spends in their home with them, the more she learns. Maybe one day, she will find that perfect moment that is the right time to attempt an escape.

The Quiet Tenant is a mesmerizing story that is at once thrilling and full of heart. Michallon examines trauma with spellbinding prose while also taking you on a nail-biting journey. I enjoyed every second of reading it, and the climactic scenes hade me on the edge of my seat, turning pages as quickly as I could.

Fans of Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka, Don't Look for Me by Wendy Walker, or the TV show The Patient will devour this one!

I liked this book. I felt for the victim. I'm sure this happens and it takes a very strong person to survive something like this. I'm glad we had the resolution we got. I just thought the way she went about it was unnecessary. Sometimes, the simple easy way is the best way.

Aiden Thomas is a respected part of his close knit community where he lives with his daughter, 13, after his wife dies of cancer. Aiden is also a serial killer (not a spoiler). The book is told from the perspective of “Rachel”, the one woman he took captive but could not kill, his daughter and a new love interest. That’s it. That’s all I am telling you.

My Thoughts: 5 stars; so well done! The tension in this book kept me on the edge of my seat. So disturbing, complex and really made me think. I also love that Aiden was not a narrator and did not have a voice. This reminded me of Notes On An Execution (a five star of 2022), but it is different and completely stand on its own.

I predict this one will be a hit. Put it on your TBR and prioritize it, especially if you are a lit fiction lover. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Thank you @aaknopf and for a gratis copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are honest and my own.

Wow! This story is told from the perspective of the victim and the daughter of a serial killer. If you read this, be prepared for feelings of horror and for moments of anxiety as the victim tries to find a way to survive…and possibly escape. This was packed full of suspense!