This was one creepy and tough to put down thriller!
Aidan is a serial killer. But for some reason he’s kept “Rachel” in his shed for 5 long years instead of adding her to his list of kills. Rachel’s whole life consists of Aidan, the shed and thoughts of survival. And in the meantime Aidan leads the life of a respected man in town with a loving daughter, Cece, and new girlfriend, Emily. We also hear from them and about their relationships with Aidan, in addition to Rachel.

The description of this book is really reminiscent of the book Notes on an Execution (my top book of 2022) but it’s really different in terms of perspective and ultimately its message. I found at least the beginning similar to the tenseness and atmosphere of Room. Rachel’s harrowing existence is tough to read but it’s like a train wreck you can stop watching. The rotating perspectives worked for me and Rachel’s 2nd person narration also resonated with me especially after watching interviews of survivors and noticing they do the same when talking about ordeals. Perhaps it’s a way of self preservation in the midst of trauma. Similar to Room I was on the edge of my seat hoping Rachel would escape and I flipped through the end so fast I went through and re read the ending the next day. I also really enjoyed the themes of women’s survival, how we can overlook the “killer” next door and finding strength and power. Overall a really compelling thriller that I think people will fall for hard come June.

Well Respected Man: "The Quiet Tenant" by Michallon Clemence
Rachel, not her real name, is alive. And doing whatever she can to stay that way. She is the captive of a man she suspects is a serial killer. And he has kept her locked in his shed for five years. He is also a husband and father.
Chained and starved and given only the minimum hygiene capabilities, he still finds time to use her for his own needs whenever he feels like. But she remembers a life before, and it's what keeps her going.

Then things change. His wife has died, her family is kicking him out and he is moving. And taking her with him. Rachel goes from captive to "friend of the family", a ruse invented for Cecelia, his daughter. When Aiden, her captor, takes his daughter to school and goes to work, he leaves her handcuffed in her "room".

Is there hope for Rachel? And what of 13 year old Cecelia? And then there is Emily, a young woman who owns and runs a bar and who can't take her eyes of the shy loner who sits at the bar twice a week. A man who has ingratiated himself in their community and is beloved by everyone, including a local judge.

Ms. Clemence has created vivid characters, both good and evil, and especially Rachel, whom we root for throughout her ordeal. If you are a fan of thrillers, then don't miss this one. It's Ms. Clemence's first novel and it's a stunner! Don't plan on going to bed early, once you start the Quiet Tenant!

Thank you to NetGalley for the DRC!

This one will stay with me for awhile. I loved the story and it kepts me guessing and holding my breath. The character development was top notch. I truly felt like I was in "Rachel's' head as she contimplated surviving, escaping and how her choices affected Cecilia.

This book was a slow burn of anxiety, and creepy crawly goodness. Who was the woman in the shed, and then the house? And how would she fit in with the number 1, number 2, etc POV chapters? What kind of a man keeps a woman abducted in his home with his young daughter living there? It asked so many questions, and was enjoyable at every moment. Even though it took me a minute to like Emily.

This book was so confusing to read.
The name of the woman being held captive kept changing in the chapter titles and I never knew who was being referred to until a few paragraphs in. The disconnected writing style, jumping from tenses, one in the past, one the present was also a downer for me.
The level of creepiness was just too high for me as well.

Holy heck! I loved this book! Once I started, there was no stopping. The ending was not what I thought it would be, I love surprises! I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author.

Aidan Thomas seems to be a great guy. Happily married with a teenage daughter, he seems to have it all. He is an upstanding man, quick to help his neighbors or lend a helping hand when needed. However, he has a dark side. He is a serial killer.

After his wife dies from cancer, her family asks him to leave the house they lived in. Unfortunately, the woman he has been keeping in a shed on the property for the last five years needs to be dealt with. She convinces him to take her with him to his new place. He decides to keep her chained up inside the house and tells his 13 year old daughter that she is down on her luck and will be staying with them.

This is a deliciously twisted and psychological thriller. You won't see the ending coming.

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book!

This was a good debut novel that dealt with a serial killer who was keeping one woman in his shed. He made her call herself Rachel, but that wasn't her name. The story is told from three perspectives - Rachel, the woman in the shed; Cecilia, the daughter of the serial killer; and Emily, the girlfriend of the serial killer. This man was a pillar of his community and well-liked by everyone.

The book read well and really delved into the thoughts and feelings of each of the women telling the story. Unfortunately the blurb used to the describe the book gave most everything away at the start, so I didn't find much surprising.

Thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on June 20, 2023.

This book was really creepy! It was also a little tough to read. Rachel is held captive for five years. It was difficult reading about how she was treated and what she had to go through. It was interesting to get the point of views from the killers daughter and girlfriend. If you enjoyed domestic thrillers, this book is for you!

Thank you NetGalley, Clemence Michallon and Knopf for the ARC!

This book was creepy in the sense that the whole town loved the guy who was serial killer. He walked around in plain sight and got away with killing multiple people.

"Rachel" is held captive for 5 years. Reading how she was treated and what she had to endure was gut wrenching to read. The fear that any day she might be killed if she did something to upset Aidan. Then you get Emily's perspective on how she yearns for this guy and was intimate with him. Cecile is the one you feel so bad for as her mother has died and she is left with a control freak serial killer dad. I enjoyed all the different points of view and gave you insight into the killer.

I am always intrigued by a good serial killer book. I may have been screaming for Rachel to just go out the door and steal the car and never look back. She was given plenty of opportunities and I think once she realized there were no cameras she should have gotten out of there.

Interesting read. Told from the viewpoints of the killers daughter, captive and girlfriend you get a different perspective of how he is viewed by each, and maybe a better view of how we miss them in real life. The characters are well written, and fairly likeable.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley, Clemence Michallon and Alfred A. Knopf for hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

This book was really good. It chronicles the pathway of a serial killer from the perspective of multiple female victims. I found myself equally frustrated, scared, and understanding of the main character's journey through the 5 years that she was held captive by him. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who's interested in the genre and look forwward to reading other work by this author.

3 1/2 stars

Fantastic!! I was engrossed in the plot from the beginning, and it held my attention throughout the entire book. I loved the characters. One of the best books I have read recently.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5/5: I enjoyed it overall, but I did have a hard time getting into it. There are three different character perspectives and multiple timelines, so there was a lot of jumping around. I appreciated the different take on an abduction story, but the abductor got so sloppy towards the end and I’m not sure it was super plausible.

It’s one I enjoyed reading once I got into it, but it’s not one I enjoyed enough to read a second time.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I gave it four stars only because I felt it dragged on in spots. Other than that it was a good read.

This was a really good book. It centers primarily on “Rachel” who has been held against her will for 5 years now by a serial killer named Aidan who everyone thinks is the greatest guy. You also get chapters told from the POVs of his 13 year old daughter Cecelia and his current love interest, Emily.

I enjoyed the dynamics between the characters and could empathize with Rachel’s decisions based on her situation. I thought it was interesting to have a glimpse into the relationship between Rachel and Aidan, and the addition of Cecelia into the mix was interesting. Though Rachel’s chapters are told in the rare second person narrative, I enjoyed the writing style and thought it was engaging. I really liked the end and felt that I could understand the connections between various characters when all was said and done.

Overall, this was a good psychological thriller. I was shocked to hear that the author is a native French speaker but wanted to write the book in English- I didn’t get any indication throughout that the author was not a native English speaker. Great debut book that I would recommend. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. It takes the classic abduction book and flips it on its head with different perspectives. There were quite a few lines about trauma and family relationships in this book that I had to highlight because they spoke to me so vividly.

I loved that this book didn’t have a huge twist at the end or anything - those seem to be a bit overplayed. The ending wrapped up nicely and the entire time I couldn’t put it down. I did get a bit confused or lost in parts, but overall it was a very entertaining read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review!

WOW! I found out from the acknowledgements that not only was this Michallon's debut thriller, but it was also her goal to write a novel in English as a French native. Job well done on both!

This story is told from various perspectives, and I loved all of them. Michallon does an amazing job of making you feel like you are right there in this novel, a tale of brutality, love, strength, and endurance. Aiden is a serial killer, father, and kidnapper who must move his hostage into his new home upon an unexpected move. Each character has a story, and Michallon makes you feel as if you know each one personally. I literally did not want to stop reading this book. I cannot wait to read more of what Clemence Michallon writes next!

I had high hopes based on the synopsis but I didn’t enjoy this. It felt cheesy and the second person point of view threw me off. I didn’t find it suspenseful.

Fast paced psychological thriller about a serial murderer. Slow burn, characters are well developed and had me hooked from the start. Good read!