A loving father. A grieving widower finding new love. A monster. What do these men have in common?

The first narrator in The Quiet Tenant is a woman initially identified only as “the woman in the shed”. She has been taken and kept prisoner for the last five years by a stranger, a man who assaults her and terrorizes her, wielding complete power over her. She has learned what she needs to do, what she needs to say, in order to stay alive.. And she keeps alive the hope that somehow, some day, she will find a way to escape. She becomes “the woman in the house” and finally “Rachel”, but we won’t learn her real name till the end of the story.

Then we meet Emily, a quiet and lonely young woman who bartends at the small town restaurant that her parents opened and ran, until they both died unexpectedly and Emily was left with no option but to take over. The highlight of her week is when Aidan Thomas, a handsome and introspective widower, stops by her bar twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) for a Cherry Coke. As she juggles the never ending responsibilities of a small business owner, temperamental staff, and customers who can be hard to satisfy, these regular interactions with Aidan are the best part of her day. In time, she acts on her growing feelings towards Aidan, and a relationship slowly develops.

Next, we meet a woman, a prostitute we know only as “number one”. She describes how she was killed by a young college student who had hired her, how his nervousness made her think that she is his first kill….but that she suspects she won’t be his last.

The narration trades off between Rachel and Emily, with another brief chapter (this time from “number two”), before we hear from Cecilia. Cecilia is the 13 year old daughter of Aidan Thomas. Her mother died not long ago from cancer, and Aidan is raising her as best he can. Money is tight, although the community has come together to raise some funds for them. Aidan is the guy who can always be relied upon to help them out in ways large and small. Jumpstart a dead battery, fix a leaky roof, etc….if needed, he quietly shows up and fixes the problem. He is devoted to Cecilia, and well-liked by the people in town.

The lives of Rachel, Emily and Cecilia are beginning to intersect. The terrorized captive who clings to whatever coping and survival skills she possesses to stay alive is plotting a way to escape, and Cecilia may be the exact person she needs to make it happen. Emily’s attempts to find someone to love and value her may be risking more than her heart…she may be putting herself in the crosshairs of a serial killer. They are (in some cases unknowingly) forming bonds with one another that will set in motion a desperate flight to freedom.

The Quiet Tenant is a thriller, pitting a woman exuding amazing inner strength against a sadistic monster who wants to exert complete control over her. How and why did he choose her? What is the trauma in her background that led to her capture? Will she find a way to escape, or will she become “number nine”? It also is a novel about how the crimes of one man impact the lives of the women in his life. How can they not recognize the monster in their midst? Would you or I be able to do it? And finally, can the ties that women form with one another be strong enough to save them from the danger around them? Once I picked this novel up, I read it straight through till the end. The characters are well-defined, flawed yet sympathetic, even the killer himself in some ways. I could not help but think about (in fact, Rachel herself mentions) women captives in real life who have escaped from sadistic captors and been celebrated as heroes, like the three women in Cleveland who escaped back in 2013. And of serial killers like Dennis Rader, the serial killer known as BTK. The Quiet Tenant is reminiscent as well of Room by Emma Donoghue, where we saw the life that a woman held captive was able to create for herself and her child against all odds. Fans of that novel will certainly be drawn into this story as well. Readers of Mary Kubrick, Chevy Stevens and Jodi Picoult may also find it to their liking, as will those who have followed the true stories of young women like Elizabeth Smart and Jaycee Dugard. This is a fascinating debut novel, all the more special because it comes from an author for whom English is not her native language. Brava, Ms Michallon! I highly recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Books for sharing an advanced reader’s copy with me.

Enjoyed this story and read it in less than 24 hours. I kept trying to guess where this was going. There were a couple of scenes where I was holding my breath. I was excited to get to the end, but found the end a little underwhelming with some unanswered questions.

.Thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knopf, NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Quiet Tenant is a book which readers won't keep quiet about. Anyone who reads this book will shout to the world this is an instant classic. It is. It really is. Clémence Michallon has crafted a fresh take on the serial killer novel. It is deftly plotted and a welcomed addition to the genre. The use of different narrators is sheer genius and gives the book powerful poignancy. It's a splendid example of a book you won't be able to put down once you start. I look forward to embracing the next book by Michallon. Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, Anchor, and NetGalley for the advance reading copy in exchange for my honest opinion. #TheQuietTenant #NetGalley

I enjoyed this slow burn thriller and found the perspective and construction very unique in this genre.

That being said, novels that revolve around kidnapping where a lot of time and plot is devoted to the experience of being “taken” aren’t my favorite as I find them a bit slower and hard to continue to describe these scenarios in any novel way. I do think this is my favorite read of this sub-type of thriller, and I found the slow wait/ progression to be impressive in how it mirrored the main characters waiting for her escape plan.

Overall, a great debut!

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the copy of The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon. This is probably a love it or hate it book. Well, I'm on the love it team and I was mesmerized by the writing and the story. This is a new take on the serial killer story. We never actually ‘see’ the killings, but we do see the victims’ POV, even though I’m not sure that was necessary.
The POV in the second person was a bold (and divisive) choice that was hard to relate to but showed just how detached Rachel was from her situation. Cecilia was a great character and her self absorption was typical of a teen girl, and it was sad that she didn’t seem to have any friends or participate in any activities.
Emily was an odd character and I never warmed up to her or her story because she seemed so needy, and was her ‘relationship’ with Aiden a real relationship?
I was disappointed with the ending because it focused on Emily and Rachel instead of Cecilia and Rachel because Cecilia was by far a more compelling character and had more invested in what happened than Emily did. In general the ending was NBD anyway and was kind of an anticlimax. If you’re looking for twists, this might not be for you. If you’re looking for a tense, suspenseful read, this book fits the bill. What a stunning debut novel!

The Quiet Tenant is the best thriller I've read in recent memory. The POV characters were perfect and the writing was solid. Michallon introduced some freshness into a genre that can sometimes feel stale. I will absolutely read more from this author,

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Quiet Tenant.

When I read the premise, I thought, "OMG, I have to request this now. Or last year. I need to read this."

Sadly, The Quiet Tenant didn't meet my expectations, and I think it had more to do with the characters than the premise.

Told through the POV of three women; the survivor, the daughter, and the stalker girlfriend, the readers are given insight into the serial killer murderer and rapist, father, and widow.

First, Rachel's POV is told through the second person, which is so annoying and distracting. For a few paragraphs, it was okay, but as you kept reading, it got irritating. Thankfully, the chapters are short.

I guess the author chose second person POV to remind us that Rachel is a captive and her captivity has almost dehumanized her, which is why she views her current circumstances in this way.

It would have been easier (and just as powerful if Rachel's POV was first person or third person).

Second, Cecile, the daughter's POV, is superfluous. Take her out of the narrative and we lose nothing, plot wise.

She's mourning her mother, with no sibs to turn to for solace or help, she's Daddy's little girl, her only friend is her dad, which in this case is creepier than usual.

What's even more annoying is that Cecile's voice disappears at the end of the novel.

Where is she? In foster care? With her grandparents? How does she feel after her father, the man she idolized, is outed as a serial rapist and murderer?

Denying her a voice to speak out at the end of the novel undermines her place in the narrative.

Third, Emily is, in some ways, just as disturbed as Aidan is.

Her POV is split into two halves; talking about her dad, how wonderful he was, but spent so much time at the restaurant he built up and talking about how hot Aidan is, how perfect he is, stalking him, wondering about him, where is he, what's he doing, why isn't he returning her texts?

Emily obviously has daddy issues and Aidan is her substitute since her daddy died.

The author's mentions Emily was 13 when he first meets him when he's at the restaurant with his wife years ago.

Why is she so obsessed with him from the get go? Because he said something nice to her?

Emily has serious issues (her antics creeped me out nearly as much as Aidan's) and being attracted to a serial murderer and rapist is the least of them.

And let's talk about that corny ending: Emily and May hugging?

I get they have a bond no one can ever understand or ever want but I'd be a little wary to be near a woman who was attracted and stalking a pervert.

This was a great premise, though I wished some of the good guys were less creepy than the bad guy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Quiet Tenant
Author: Clemence Michallon
Source: NetGalley
Pub. Date: June 20, 2023
😳
Oh, Holy Hell...this is a harrowing story about a young woman who is taking a retreat from college when she is abducted and held captive by a serial killer. Aidan has just lost his wife to cancer, leaving him with a 13-year-old daughter, Cecilia, and for the first time in a long time, he doesn’t kill the abducted woman; he starts to control her and use her and abuse her and break her spirit. He’s murdered so many women, but he decides to keep one, and he does so for over five years without anyone, including his daughter finding out. Like many serial killers, he is a beloved neighbor, a great father, and very good-looking. Behind the mask, he’s a monster. It takes a long time for Rachel, the name he gives her, to devise a plan to escape, and it’s one of the most harrowing stories I have ever read. The author of The Quiet Tenant is Clemence Michallon, who crafts a wicked good story with so many twists and turns. The tension keeps going up and up and up until you are not sure how this will end. No one remains the same; the town is in shock, the almost girlfriend and next victim is apoplectic with rage, with the daughter’s life permanently affiliated with this horrific person. Yes, the book has triggers. But also, this is a horror story told with exacting details that is a superb psychological thriller—well done and scary AF.
😬
I received a complimentary copy of this ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to Knopf Publishing Group, NetGalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this book. Pub. Date: June 20, 2023.
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#TheQuietTenant @Clemencemichallon @aaknopf @netgalley #thriller #mysterythriller #serialkiller #fiction #adultfiction #abuse #suspense #crime #psychologicalfiction
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#book #books #bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #booksbooksbooks #readersofinstagram #reader #booklove #bookreader #reader

This is a dark mystery written by a talented author. The characters are frightening. The story moves quickly, but there are many red herrings. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review.

Wow! This was a 5 star read for me! My heart was racing during this thrilling debut by Clémence Michallon. The novel tells the story of "Rachel" a woman who has been help captive for five years by serial killer. Told in alternating points of view by other woman in the serial killer's life this was hard to put down. I really enjoyed it!

Reading this at the beginning has me wondering how does someone survive 5 yrs being kidnapped...then it changes to why hasn't she ran from him when given an opportunity? The more I read the more I realized she had survived 5 years because she knew how to survive him. She knew how far to push him and when not to. When she had opportunities to escape fear took over which is understandable but then she eventually wasn't surviving for her own accord. She was surviving for her captures daughter and any women after her. She had so much mental strength that helped her endure all those years.
I completely loved this book. I felt my own heart racing in specific moments like I could feel"Rachels" heart pouring when sneaking around and just trying to survive him. I'm going to reccomend this book to all who hear me.

I was so excited to go into this book, because of the reviews, being so high, and it being a debut novel. I have to say that the writing style and the alternating perspectives shifting from first person and second person just turned me off from this book. The writing style just wasn’t for me.

Pulled an all nighter on this fabulous thriller. What a stunning debut by Michallon. “Clean cut family man”. is a serial killer. The words in this book flow off into the creepy universe of the poor victims.
Thank you Net Galley for this ARC!

The Quiet Tenant grabbed me and would not let go. I finished this book in less than 24 hours. Told from the three females that center around a serial killer: his captive, his love interest, and his daughter. It keeps you engaged the entire ride. Absolute pins and needles and you can feel the walls closing in around you. I'll be raving about The Quiet Tenant for a long time. Five stars! Thank you to Netgalley for this wild ride of an arc!

THE QUIET TENANT
BY: CLEMENCE MICHALLON

Five ++++Sparkling Stars!

I did something right before reading this mesmerizing, and excellent written debut novel, from the promising writer, Clemence Michallon, which is something that I don't typically do right before reading a particular novel. That was to take a peek at what some of the other reviewers' opinions were. I saw a couple of people who decided to execute a *did not finish*, which had me saying to myself, oh no. I saw one other Five star rating, and the rest were approximately solid four stars. So I am thrilled to say, that I found this to be an intelligently, and tastefully written thriller featuring a serial killer, and the women in his orbit. It was never gratuitously, or graphically descriptive in its scenes regarding how he killed his other victims. The only reason I knew that he had taken the lives of other victims, is because the Woman he has abducted, and renamed her Rachael, discovers some boxes of trophies, when she finally dares to take a look around in the basement in some of her kidnapper's boxes. I think it briefly mentions that there are others who, haven't been so fortunate as Rachel has, if I dare call it that.

Perhaps, regarding Rachel as fortunate is the wrong way to refer to her. She had been walking on a deserted road, in the country when, she was abducted from this middle aged serial killer. He took her in broad daylight, and forced her to cover her eyes with a bandanna. He kept her hidden in his shed for about five years in a rural area that is sound proofed. At this house that was owned by his dying wife's parents, there aren't any neighbors around to rescue her, if she got up the courage to scream. When we are introduced to Rachael, she has no idea where she is, and is so frightened of him that she is complacent, and her goal is to stay alive, not become another of his victims. She is afraid of him, and I was, too. The hope is that if she survives, she can get away somehow, at least that was my mindset, that I may have transferred onto her.

This guy is creepy, and I was afraid of him, since he has choked her, put her in his truck, driven her out to the middle of nowhere, at random times. so I had developed this menacing feeling, about him, throughout reading this captivating narrative. When you think about it, this is a realistic scenario, that could happen to any of us that, run or walk down stretches of road, where there aren't a lot of houses with people home. I live in an area where I take for granted, that I am safe where there are homes every quarter of a mile, or so when I go running. Unless you know some martial arts, or carry mace, I have had it occasionally pass through my mind while out running, how easily I could get scooped up, disappear, if someone decided to target me by knowing my routines. I could scream, but it's relatively wooded without houses, I am just saying it has happened before to three teenagers, that were kept prisoners, by a twisted man that I have read about in their memoirs after several years' until one of them escaped. Nobody thinks that it could happen to them, that's what's so frightening about this novel. It is eerie because, like in this story we all think it could never happen to us, yet like Rachael, the man who took her had a dying wife, a young thirteen year old daughter named Cecilia, surrounded by a community of people that he has managed to falsely give them the impression that he's harmless. If anything, our minds tend to see the good in people, most often. We just aren't wired to think that there exists in society, some people who aren't as innocent, that are looking for an opportunity to do us harm. This thriller managed to scare me, because I never knew what this evil man was planning to do with Rachael.

After his wife dies, he convinces his daughter that Rachael is a family friend, when they move giving Rachael her own room handcuffed to the bed. His daughter Cecilia, is apathetic towards their guest, mostly keeping towards focusing on her self absorbed interests, as any young, trustful, and unsuspecting daughter would. Aidan, the serial killer, and kidnapper kept me in fear, engrossed, and just as brainwashed as Rachael was, believing he had hidden cameras which, told from mostly Rachel's point of view, I was kept off balance, as much as she was. He thought of everything, always lurking around, coming home often unpredictably, I could never relax, just never knowing if he was testing her. One day she realizes that he didn't handcuff her to the bed. I was screaming in my mind to Rachael--RUN! Here's your chance to escape, but we both suspected he did that on purpose, and suspected, that he was going to be waiting for her, and I totally understood her weighing out the scenario, of him killing her as glorious, and miraculous it would be to escape. Freedom if that's how it turned out, would be the answer to her prayers. If he was expecting her to flee, and set a trap on purpose, to him he would justify swiftly killing her, if she did what he thought she would. It could be his way of seeing if she failed his test, with him waiting for her if she left that bedroom, knowing all along that she would attempt to escape. He is cold, he is ruthless, he would kill her if she tried to get free of him, so she just freezes, and she doesn't dare risk it. Rachael is a survivor, she needs to stay alive and plan for a safer opportunity, hoping that she has a guarantee of freedom, and until she does she will wait for something to present itself, that is a safer option.

Aidan has started stopping by for a drink in the restaurant where Emily works as a bar tender. A mutual attraction develops, or does it? They start texting one another, also they begin with spending small snippets of time getting more comfortable with one another, stealing moments together becoming more intimate. Emily is very interested in the charming, handsome widower. He is the well liked guy in the community, who nobody suspects anything nefarious about Aidan. Nobody has a clue that nestled in this safe town, that there exists this dangerous psychopath, who easily blends in, and that he has been secretly keeping a prisoner in his home. Is Aidan tiring of Rachael, having earmarked his next victim, in his new interest with his latest choice who it appears could be Emily? This is an enticing thriller, superbly written with an economy of language.

Even though this calculating, dangerous serial killer held my attention, by always managing to stay one step ahead of me, I was turning the pages of this clever writer's, striking, creepy thriller as fast as I could. It is haunting, chilling & unforgettable. This new writer managed to hold me spellbound, in this intellectual, unique thriller that frightens, leaving me enthralled but, intriguing me to read it in one sitting. It's just disturbing enough to realize, how to be more cautious, because it's effective in its ability to give goosebumps without becoming graphically gruesome. I never expected to love it, but I do. I am definitely going to read, this gifted writer's future work. It's a masterful accomplishment for a debut, and the title, including the characterization & plot are pure genius. Suspense is driven by its understated beauty! In my humble opinion, I wouldn't change a thing, and feel it's deserving of my 5+++ Stars rating! The kind of thriller that is one that I would love to read more of, that is rare to find with contemporary realism without the gore, which elevates, "The Quiet Tenant well above anything that I have read, recently that far exceeded my expectations.

Publication Date: June 20, 2023

A huge generous Thank you to Net Galley, Clemence Michallon and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for providing me with my ARC, in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#TheQuietTenant #ClemenceMichallon #KnopfPantheonVintageandAnchor #NetGalley

First off I would like to say thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Knopf for sending me an ARC copy of this book and giving me the chance to not only read this book but to also provide honest feedback.

The Quiet Tenant is about a young girl Rachel who is kidnapped and has been chained in a shed for five years. The captor ? The towns favorite nice guy who has also suffered the loss of his wife, Aiden Thomas. Once the death of his wife happens he comes up with a plan to move Rachel in with him and his daughter at their new home. During this time she will pretend to be a friend of Aiden to not draw any questions from his daughter , even though she’s still living her life as a captive.

As Rachel is being held captive she has always had the same questions , Was anybody actually looking for her? Did her family find a way to live without her? Why did he keep her and not the others? What was so special about her? Is it because she was compliant?

Now, I don’t want to go any further out of fear that I will accidentally spoil the book for someone, but that is the basics of this book. I’ve seen that this book has caused a lot of divide for a lot of people, you either really like it or you don’t. In my opinion i like how descriptive this story was and i also enjoyed the multiple perspectives the author wrote in. This book provided insight inside everyone’s mind and i really enjoyed that. I do agree with some that at times the writing didn’t make sense , like there was alot of unnecessary details in the book which I think is why i mainly rate this book only 4 stars.

I do think that this book is different from many others in the fact that it tells the story from the victim, the almost victim as well as someone close to the murderer himself. Lots of books normally focus on the killer and maybe have some input from the victim but this book changed it up a bit (at least out of the books that i have read).

Thank you @netgalleyfor the ARC of The Quiet Tenant. This book made me so uncomfortable. I read sitting on the edge of my seat. It was tense and unique because it was the point of view of the people who lived with the serial killer and his victims. My only complaint is that I'm not a huge fan of the second person.

Aiden seems to be an upstanding citizen in a small community. His wife recently died and he is raising his teenage daughter. However, he has a secret, that he as killed multiple women. There is one who he has kept as a hostage for 5 years. His world becomes precarious as he and his daughter has to move and the woman has to live in the house with them.

The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon review - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars.
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If only I could find the words to describe how awesome this book was. It kept me on my toes the entire way through and I was actually mad that I had to adult and work instead of read to finish this.
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This is a story of a serial killer, narrated by his victim, daughter, and love interest.
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If you have read The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell- this has almost the same narration style. The good thing is, the story isn’t difficult to follow, it just completely swallows you whole. If you like a tense thriller suspense, this book is perfect for you.
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I received The Quiet Tenant from @netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on June 20, 2023. A must read for 2023 for sure!

Just don't, DNFed and that is something I don't do. I’m disappointed because the premise seemed like it would be a winner, but I couldn’t get past the writer’s robotic writing. I'm usually a HUGE lover of serial killer stories but not this one.

**A big thank you to Knopf Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

Aiden Thomas is a husband, father, and well-liked member of his community. What no one knows though is that he also has his secret, one of which is in the shed of his home. Aiden is a serial killer, killing 8 women and keeping another, ‘Rachel’, tied up in a shed for the last 5 years. When Aiden’s wife dies, he and his daughter are forced to move and his arrangement with his prisoner must change. He is forced to introduce ‘Rachel’ to his daughter as a family friend in need of shelter, assuming that handcuffs and the emotional and mental abuse ‘Rachel’ has received over the last 5 years will keep her obedient. But ‘Rachel’ is stronger than he gives her credit for. While his attention is diverted by a new relationship, she becomes determined to save herself and the other women in Aiden’s life from him.

This book rides the line between thriller and regular fiction. While the plot is definitely dark, it doesn’t have the same kind of suspense and twists that a regular thriller has. Starting this book, you know right away what’s happening and have a good idea of how things will end, and while you are drawn to see what happens next, it’s not the normal buildup of suspense that a thriller would normally give you,

However, with that said, there still is a draw to see what happens. The premise is fascinating and disturbing. “The Woman”/aka “Rachel” is the primary narrator of this story and the reader gets to see not only how she copes in her current situation, but also snippets of who she used to be before her abduction. Cecelia, Aiden’s daughter, is innocent and naïve in her thinking, someone who doesn’t see anything off because of her blind trust in adults. Emily, the new relationship, is almost comical in her crazy girlfriend thinking that just makes you shake your head. Dispersed between these three voices are the voices of the 8 women killed. Each help define who Aiden is since we never hear directly from him.

I also think the writing style here is excellent in helping the reader feel like she’s in each woman’s mind. Short sentences for “Rachel” when she is locked up matches her lack of mental stimulus staying in one room for 5 years. When she gets a look outside, her thoughts expend. Cecelia is written with a juvenile touch, while Emily obsessively over thinks things.

I was waiting for a big twist, and at least for me, that never really That would be the biggest criticism for this novel, but even without it, the book kept me hooked throughout, and is one of the better thrillers I’ve read in awhile.