I was addicted to this book within the first few chapters and stayed up way past my bedtime to finish it. The story reminded me of the book Room about a young girl who is kidnapped and kept in a shed. What I liked about The Quiet Tenant is that the author took us back and forth through how the kidnapper selected his victim, the main characters point of view before she was kidnapped, and many other voices of people who were affected in their own way. It was also interesting to look inside the mind of the victim and see why she did certain things to stay alive and not do the things you think she should to escape. It was a wild ride right until the end.
Aiden appears to all who know him to be a stand up guy, a saint really. His wife died and he's raising his teenage daughter on his own so the town has adopted him and has his back no matter what. What the town doesn't know is that the women Aiden claims is a tenant and down on her luck is actually a young girl Aiden kidnapped years ago and has kept locked up.
When Aiden moves his daughter to a new home he decides to bring Rachel with him but threatens her daily that if she says one word he will kill her, and she knows he means it. During the day and night Rachel is handcuffed to the radiator or the bedpost, and the only time she's allowed out is for dinner and she must pretend everything's normal in front of Aidens daughter. Rachel was locked up for so long that everything is overwhelming, the sounds, the sights, the smells, it's almost to much to bare. Over time Rachel will become more bold and start to look around the house for ways to escape and she'll soon realize she is not Aidens first victim and she won't be the last. There are many opportunities for Rachel to escape but she can't leave Cecilia behind, but she also can't convince her to leave without telling her why.
The Quiet Tenant is suspenseful and the story is always taking unexpected turns that will have you thinking and plotting. I loved that it wasn't predictable and that you get to hear from so many different characters without ever getting confused about who, what, when, where. So good it's bad.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon,Vintage and Anchor for the eARC.
Generally I don't like serial killer books, but there were so many excellent reviews, I had to read it.
Unfortunately, I did not finish. About halfway through I stopped, I couldn't like any of the characters except perhaps the killers daughter and really didn't care what happened next, sorry!

I enjoy reading thrillers and true crime podcasts, so this book seemed like it would be right in my wheelhouse. However, I found it to be a bit more of a character examination than a thriller, simply because the summary of the book tells you quite a bit about the plot.

There aren't tons of twists and turns as you might expect from a traditional mystery. Instead, you get to hear from the women affected by the choices and behaviors of "family man" turned serial killer Aidan Thomas.

These women deserve much more than being controlled or threatened by this psychopath, and the plot is really - whether (and how) - they are going to get out of his grasp.

Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable read, and I think most people will - as long as you understand what type of story you're going to read.

The second-person point of view was an interesting choice and made this book stand out from others in this genre.

This was a fun read! I enjoyed all the parts of the story as well as the characters! I was craving more! A 4 star read for me.

This will easily be in my top favorite reads of 2023. This heart-pounding, spine-chilling novel will have you up til 3am. Michallon’s use of haunting imagery and terrifying narration puts the reader at the heart of the book. I felt like I was in the shed with the woman who was being held captive. It gives you chills and goose bumps in all the right ways. This novel is for anyone looking for the thrill of the year that will have them shaking with anticipation throughout it all!

I absolutely LOVED this book! It was a page turner that reminded me of Notes on an Execution, where we get to see the many sides of a serial killer. I love the different POVs, but wish they wold have gone deeper into the daughter’s POV. By the last 20% I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Loved this one!!

In a series of clipped, Hemingwayesque sentences we are taken into a world that from the outside seems to be the essence of respectability but on the inside is the essence of evil. When a serial killer is captured we wonder how no one saw what was going on. This book takes us inside that world and in the end shows us how difficult it is to describe and understand. A truly outstanding thriller.

My thanks to Net Galley and Knopf Publishing Group for an advanced copy of this e-book. Pub Day 6-20-23

A heart pounding thriller that drew me back to some true life captive stories like Jaycee Dugard and Elizabeth Smart, and captors like Ted Bundy, good-looking and likable.

Serial killer Aidan Thomas is married with a daughter, well-respected in his community, but has a problem he can't stop. At one point, he decides to keep one of these women locked up in a shed behind his home. She is the only "lucky one" of so many who aren't alive anymore. We follow Aidan's and "the woman's" stories for five years. After Aidan's wife dies, he moves into town and decides to bring "the woman" in the house to live with him and his daughter, Cecilia. He has a girlfriend, Emily, who owns a restaurant in town, and seems pretty obsessed with Aidan.

The story plays out through the eyes of "the woman", Emily and Cecilia. So much of this book had my heart pounding and needed to take breaks from reading, despite no graphic descriptions of the horrors of the story. This was a very impressive story written by Clemence Michallon from France, her first book written in English.

Many many thanks to the author and NetGalley for letting me read an advanced copy of this book! I read it in two days- could not put it down! It was written from the perspective of the different female characters in the book but was not confusing at all. Extremely well done, especially for the author’s first novel written in English!

Nestled in a small, sleepy town in upstate New York lies the house of lineman Aidan Thomas and his 13 year-old daughter, Cecelia. Behind the house is a shed. And within that shed, is a nameless woman.

She's been there five years. And she's the one victim whose life Aidan has--for reasons unbeknownst to her--spared.

When Aidan and Cecelia must unexpectedly move to a rental house in town, the nameless woman comes too. Still Aidan's prisoner, but presented to Cecelia as Rachel, the quiet tenant renting out their spare room. As the woman's world expands beyond just Aidan for the first time in years, her hope of escape--however small--returns, but one wrong move under the guise of the tenant could be the end of everything.

Told in various points of view that alternate between the woman from the shed, Cecelia, and Emily, a bartender from a popular restaurant in town, "The Quiet Tenant" is a masterfully-executed story that tells you exactly what it is from the beginning. Perhaps most important is for readers to decide if they're willing to embark on the dreadful march of suspense that this story takes you on knowing full-well what it's all about, because from the onset, there's little to figure out.

At face value, this is a rather unremarkable story, but its execution truly is what makes it remarkable. Michallon's writing is stunning, spine-tingling, and ends chapters in the sort of way that makes you realize you've been holding your breath the entire time. Her characters are plausible, intriguing, and human; which means, in ways, they're unpredictable.

Going into this, I suspected it would be a slow burn but instead found myself finishing it in under a day. Here, Michallon sets herself apart in the realm of abduction thrillers with the sheer sense of humanity she embeds into the story. I loved this much more than I was expecting to and can't recommend it enough.

This book was very well written and was hard to put down, especially as the twists kept building in the middle of the plot. The ending was so good and so unexpected. I enjoyed that it left some things open-ended and really made me think. Great character development throughout the book too - Rachel's character development was very well planned and I liked experiencing her development throughout her story.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book tells a suspenseful story through the eyes of three women and through the eyes of the victims who never got a second chance. Michallon tells a gripping story of a woman held captive by the friendly neighborhood “man’s man”. As three perspectives intertwine, readers will have a hard time stopping while they unveil the story of the quiet tenant.

Sensational! Impossible to believe this was a debut, it was such a page turner.

Aiden Thomas is hard-working family man and also a serial killer. He still holds one woman captive. The story is told from the POV's of his 13 year old daughter, his girlfriend and the one woman he has spared.
When Aiden's wife dies, he needs to move him and his daughter Cecilia, deciding to take the woman he holds captive with him. She will survive, as long as she plays by the rules.

This was terrifying, dark, fast moving and while the details were all so unsettling, I flew through it in an afternoon. I really could not put this down.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon Vintage and Anchor for this gifted review copy.

Oh my goodness, what a story. It is about a serial killer, his daughter, the woman he held as a prisoner in his home for five years and the woman he briefly had a relationship with. It is told in their voices and I had trouble putting it down. It is really remarkably well written, unbelievably challenging and possibly the best psychological thriller I’ve read in recent years. Thanks to Net Galley and Knopf for an ARC for an honest review. Read it!

3.5⭐️ (rounded up). I debated going up or down and decided on UP pretty much because I think it’s deserving due to this being a debut novel from this author. Truthfully if it was a well known author it would probably have only been a 3 star, but overall I am quite impressed with the writing as a debut novel.

The book starts off with a bang and grabs you right away with a feeling of “what the hell”. It’s very twisted and so disturbing that it makes you want to look away at times but you just need to keep reading to find out what’s going to happen. It’s written mainly in three perspectives: Rachel (the tenant), Emily (the girlfriend) and Cecelia (the daughter). There are also some very short chapters written in the perspective of Aiden’s victims. As far as the characters go, I did like Cecelia. Rachel was okay. Didn’t like her, didn’t hate her. I felt so sad for her character and just wanted her to escape but then I really liked how instead of just thinking of herself, she thought about Cecelia. After everything she’s been through, she could have jumped at the opportunities to just leave but she couldn’t bring herself to leave Cecelia with her monster of a father. Then there’s Emily, I wasn’t really a fan of hers at all. She was way too needy. Finally, Aiden…he was evil…there are no other words!

Ultimately the storyline for this one was good. The reason it wasn’t a full 4 stars or higher was because it was somewhat predictable, repetitive and the ending didn’t have any special “wow” moments or shockers. But again, it did keep my interest and I’m glad I read it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Publishing Group for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

To see other reviews I’ve left, check out my Instagram and Goodreads account:
*Instagram - bookworm_traveler808
*Goodreads - Cherihy808

Wow! A compulsive, suspenseful, and nerve wracking novel! I did not want to put this one down. Knowing that this is a debut novel I will be looking out for anything else this author writes!

The Quiet Tenant

The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thinking it was time to read a thriller/suspense, I requested "The Quiet Tenant" when it was offered for review by NetGalley. Not being a fan of kidnapped women who are locked up for years, I was not sure I had made the right decision.

FIRST LINE: "You like to think every woman has one, and he just happens to be yours."

THE STORY: Who would believe that Aidan, the happily married man with the charming daughter, was sometimes someone else? Respected by the community, he was free to continue his activities undetected. The story belongs to 'Rachel', the name Aidan gave her, but is cleverly fleshed out with other female voices. The tension comes from how Rachel has managed to survive when others have not.

WHAT I THOUGHT: I devoured Clémence Michallon's "The Quiet Tenant". The author writes so that you understand what is happening without using common language to describe the dreadful acts. The emphasis is on the thrill of survival with insight into psychological trauma.

BOTTOM LINE: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for thriller/suspense lovers. It's going to be one of my top five favorites for the category in 2023.

DISCLAIMER: I received a free e-copy of "The Quiet Tenant" by Clémence Michallon from NetGalley/Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knopf for an honest review.

Review of eBook

Meet Aidan Thomas, a kind and well-liked. He’s a hardworking lineman, a respected member of the community.

His wife recently succumbed to cancer, leaving him to raise their thirteen-year-old daughter alone.

For the last five years, he’s held a woman hostage in the shed in his back yard. He’s killed several other women.

Will his long-held hostage become his next victim?

=========

Although told from several points of view, Rachel is the main voice in this unfolding story of a serial killer, his daughter, and his victims. The story, both disturbing and heartbreaking, keeps readers on the edge of their seats and the pages turning as quickly as possible. While there are moments when the reader is tempted to give Rachel a good shaking for an ill-advised decision, the overriding hope is that Rachel manages to survive where others did not.

Here, as Aidan’s story slowly reveals the sinister truth, his hostage’s quiet courage and perseverance serve as a counterpoint to his evil. While it may seem that she passed up opportunities to make a dash for freedom, the trauma of five long years must be taken into account. By writing Rachel’s story in the second person, the reader easily slips into Rachel’s place.

However, readers who appreciate stories neatly tied up will find some issues here. Many will wish for some explanation from Aidan for what he has done while others will want to know more about his daughter. Everyone is likely to wonder why he spared Rachel.

Readers should expect to feel a bit haunted by this intriguing tale filled with tension and suspense, a tale that is difficult, nerve-wracking, and, ultimately, triumphant.

Recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Knopf Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knofp and NetGalley
#TheQuietTenant #NetGalley

After the first few pages, I was hooked.
I barely put the book down until the end. Talk about a scary and disturbing ride! A serial killer decides to keep one of his victims alive, and this is her story. I didn't mind the various viewpoints from different characters in this book. What matters is, how can she survive? Although not much detail is given to the serial killer elements, the psychological cat-and-mouse game between the imprisoned victim and her jailer is well done. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Unbelievably great writing. Great storytelling. Each chapter increases your fear bit by bit until by the last quarter of the book you're kinda freaking out.

I think just about every woman has experienced a man who gave you the creeps yet you couldn't quite say why. Someone who looks good on the outside but your instinct says don't trust. Don't touch. Don't be alone with. The ones who don't listen to that instinct are his prey.

This is cleverly told from three different aspects: a dead victim, a live victim, and a daughter victim. The daughter is a different kind of victim than the other two.

I literally cannot wait for a second book by this author. And a third and a fourth. I was extremely disappointed to find out that there was not a backlog of books of hers for me to hunt down.

This is a new voice and one that is loud. Ten stars.