We are following 3 different character perspectives of women who all know a serial killer. His daughter, a woman falling in love with him, and the woman he didn't kill. With these three perspectives, we are able to see how serial killers can live seemingly "normal" lives and how charming and manipulative they are.

I was very excited about the description of this book. Seeing things through three different lenses could really expand on the psychological terror of a serial killer. During the first 1/4 of the book, I kept that excited feeling, but as the book went on, I lost it. The first thing that I wasn't able to connect with was the 2nd person perspectives. It just didn't add anything to the story for me. I also did not enjoy the clipped style of writing. It's hard for me to get invested when I'm reading something that has short, simple sentences.

I did enjoy some of the reflective moments the woman he did not kill had through the book, but I wasn't expecting that this would be something that would seem to be the main focus. I expected creepy, unsettling, and scary. It felt like it dragged sometimes. I felt like I was reading it to get to the good part, but never got there. It had moments that made me want to turn pages, but overall, I felt it fell flat for what I expected.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for allowing me to read and review this novel.

what a fantastic debut from Michallon! she fully immerses you in the mind of a kidnapped woman who has been held captive for 5 years - it can be a difficult read but I was so enthralled all the way through. if you were thrilled by the opening chapter of Local Woman Missing, or enjoyed the concept of Girl A but were ultimately bored by it; The Quiet Tenant might just be up your alley.

I’m not sure what it was but I just did not like this book. The characters didn’t seem fleshed out. Most gripping at the end but too little too late.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read and review this book.

The Quiet Tenant will leave you wondering if you ever really know people in your community..Aidan Thomas is a respected husband and father living in a small town in New York State. When Aidan's wife gets cancer and dies, his life and that of his daughter changes forever. Aidan's new problem is the woman he's held captive in the shed in his backyard for the past 5 years as his in-laws want him and his daughter to move out of the house they own. They've never liked Aidan and want their house back now that their daughter is dead.

Aidan finds a new house to rent and leaves the old one behind. He decides to take his captive, Rachel, to the new house and introduce her as a friend who needs help. Aidan's daughter, Cecilia, doesn't really understand why this woman lives in their house but she comes to accept it. Aidan keeps Rachel handcuffed to the radiator during the day while he's at work and Cecilia is at school. He allows her to come down for dinner with strict instructions. Since Rachel has lived in a shed for 5 years this is a luxury that she wasn't sure she'd experience again. She's used to going to the bathroom in a bucket, bathing from a soapy bucket, and eating whatever leftovers Aidan could bring her without anyone noticing.

Rachel isn't Aidan's only victim. She's the lucky one that he didn't kill. Aidan has dark secrets that no one would ever guess. He's been following women, photographing them, and eventually killing them. Aidan keeps the photos and mementos in boxes in the basement. The basement door is always locked so that no one can see his treasures. Aidan stops by a local restaurant/bar a couple of times a week. He's attracted to the bartender, Emily, and she is attracted to him. They kiss one night and then start texting one another daily. Rachel and Cecilia notice how attentive Aidan has become to his phone while they're watching tv and movies after dinner. Rachel likes him distracted and hopes he will make a mistake that will allow her to escape.

Will Rachel ever escape and return to her real life and real name? Will Aidan finally be caught and brought to justice? What will happen to Cecilia? Will Emily figure out what Aidan really is? The Quiet Tenant is a book that will have you yelling at Rachel to run and escape multiple times. I rate The Quiet Tenant 4 stars as it's a very suspenseful read. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Knopf for an advanced copy of The Quiet Tenant in exchange for a fair review.

This book was reminiscent of “Room” with a kidnapped victim who was being depicted while in captivity. I found it interesting although a little slow at times. This was a smart mystery, that was quite likeable. 3.5 stars ⭐️ rounded up.

I loved this book. "Pulse-pounding thriller", is an accurate description. It reminded me of the movie, "Room". "The Quiet Tenant" is a creepy book that will stay with you long after you read it. It was very creatively written and told through the alternating perspective of the women Aiden was involved with. I highly recommend it if you enjoy psychological thrillers.
I received thisI loved this book. "Pulse-pounding thriller", is an accurate description. It reminded me of the movie, "Room". "The Quiet Tenant" is a creepy book that will stay with you long after you read it. It was very creatively written and told through the alternating perspective of the women Aiden was involved with. I highly recommend it if you enjoy psychological thrillers.
I received this galley from Net Galley. galley from Net Galley.

Get ready for the thrill of the year. Concise prose, nail biting plot, page turning chapters. Trust me when I say you won’t be able to put down this examination of a serial killer and the women in his life.

Aidan Thomas looks like the typical family man on the outside. He’s a recent widow with a teenage daughter, beloved in his town, but he’s harboring some deep secrets, one of which is a very quiet tenant.

It was timely that I read this one as they announced the arrest of the Gilgo beach murderer nearby where I live. They’ve been on the hunt for this serial killer for over ten years and finally made an arrest. To know he was a married man with a daughter was just as creepy as this book.

I very much enjoyed reading this debut novel. It kept me guessing. I loved reading it from the different women’s perspectives.

At first, I thought it was going to be a lot like the book “Room”. However, that thought didn’t last long.

This book was fast paced and things changed quickly. I found it fascinating to see how Aiden was perceived differently by the different people in his life.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes stories about serial killers and women who have perseverance and strength.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Publishing for providing me an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

It took a few chapters for this psychological thriller to grab me, but once it did, all hope was lost. This is an engrossing, terrifying read, and it felt just a little too believable, because the monster in this story is real. They exist out there, and sometimes it’s the one you would never suspect. The story grabs you and never lets go. The chapters are very short and most are written in the first person, which sometimes became confusing. I kept getting the main characters mixed up until some details were clarified. It’s nonstop suspense that at some points had me sitting at the edge of my seat without realizing it. Thank you very much to NetGalley and Knopf for the digital advanced reading copy I was provided. This read was definitely worth my time!

I really, really enjoyed this book. This book is told from multiple characters viewpoints. It is a page turner that will have you strategizing, guessing, hoping and praying for the individuals involved in this crazy plot. The story is so outlandish to imagine happening in real life that it kind of messes with your brain. I highly recommend this book. So much in fact that I think I will reread it which I rarely do.

I was hesitant to read this because I was concerned it would be too graphic but the author did a good job of creating a psychological suspense story without alienating readers. Well done.

What a wonderful, fresh take on the serial killer suspense. Highly recommend. Thank you for the opportunity to review!

This book was a wild ride! It was way outside my usual, following a woman who is kidnapped by a serial killer but has somehow managed to stay alive for the last 5 years. Disturbing and a little too real with the current serial killer in the news, but an interesting thriller.

Yikes! This was a creative way to tell the story of a serial killer and his victims. The way this guy's brain worked just made my jaw drop. He would legitimize in his mind why he did things and he truly believed his reasons made sense. Of course, when it came down to it, he knew it was wrong by the rules of society but he still "needed it" and so it had to be okay.

This was such an interesting way to show a serial killer's side. A father with a child. It's a way to humanize him even as he tries to dehumanize his victims. Also, a serial killer left as a single parent after his wife dies. What an interesting insight. How does such a broken person maintain normal relationships like that? How do they never pick up on it? How does he keep those two worlds separate for so long?

Then you see things from the standpoint of his victims - - primarily the victim he let live and kept imprisoned. He has kept her and scarred her in so many ways that you know it will take her years to ever find her way out of the darkness if she manages to get out alive. It's a horrible thing to imagine and you get somewhat up close and personal with it in this book.

I love unpredictable and usual plot devices but there were a few twists in this one that I felt were unrealistic. However, I still really enjoyed the book and overall felt that it was a good depiction of what this situation might feel like.

Thank you to NetGally for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

This is a story that will leave you with chills, and looking over your should every time you go out. A true nightmare that lives in our world, and a story of it that left me shaken. I enjoyed the multiple POVs, it added depth to the story. Rachel’s tenacity and commitment to survive and do whatever she needed to to be free showed incredible strength. While I didn’t always agree with her decisions, as a few times they made me want to throw my book, they provided one hell of a read!! I highly recommend this book to lovers of Psychological Thrillers, it was truly a great read.

This book was nothing like I expected. It was a good thriller with the “victim” character revealing the truths. The short chapters made it almost impossible to stop reading. I needed to know what was going to happen. I’m shocked this is the author’s first novel because it was a great read.

This was definitely a different concept to the thriller novel but it worked so well and was so well written. It sucked me in from the first page and I couldn’t put it down!

Many thrillers show us the methods and thoughts of serial killers but this suspenseful novel gives us the perspective of those around the serial killer. This leads the reader deep into the mind of one of his victims as we learn how she survives her harrowing and dreadful situation. I read this in a day!

Aidan Thomas is handsome and well liked in his community. He is a father and a husband who works hard and helps others. He is also a kidnapper and a serial killer. He has murdered eight woman and has one woman, Rachel, chained in his shed. When his wife passes away he has to move and takes Rachel with him, introducing her to his 13 year old daughter, Cecilia, as a friend needing a place to stay. After 5 years chained up in the shed Rachel sees this as her chance to escape. Told in alternating POV of Rachel, Cecilia and Emily, a restaurant owner falling for Aidan.

This was different than I expected as it’s really more of a literary thriller/ character study of a serial killer. Normal that’s not my jam but I really loved this one! I could only imagine how terrifying it would be to be in Rachel’s situation and you could feel that on the page. You could also feel how it changed her as a person. Also terrifying is the idea that a serial killer can be anyone you know, someone you already trust or someone new you are falling in love with. I couldn’t stop reading this one. 🖤

Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for an arc for review.

On Your Mark, Get Set…

Run! Run! Get out of there! Geez… why doesn’t she get the hell out of there? – My brain at more than one point here…

Rachel is “The Quiet Tenant,” a woman abducted and held prisoner for five years. Her captor, Aidan, is a respected widower whose thirteen-year-old daughter, Cecelia, has no clue Rachel is being held against her will, nor is she aware Dad is a serial killer. Here’s an unconventional family.

The story is structured in an unusual manner; switching first, second and third person narratives from chapter to chapter. It takes a little getting used to and may be jarring at first, but once you get onto the rhythm, it is really effective. We see Rachel’s fragile mindset. We see short disturbing vignettes of victims in their last moments. We see Cecelia’s blind love for her father and the unwillingness to recognize his villainy.

As things develop and Rachel seems to have the opportunity to make a break for it, patience is stretched, and her actions / inactions seem questionable. Clémence Michallon does supply us with insight into Rachel’s fears and concerns, however. The goal of this type of thriller is for the tension to mount as the inevitable showdown arrives… and the payoff here was well worthwhile. I found myself reading at a breakneck pace– nothing was going to stop me from finishing as I sped into the finale. It really was a rush.

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and to NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #TheQuietTenant #NetGalley