4 1/2

One woman known to us until almost the very end as Rachel is kept in a shed. The shed is on the property of serial killer Aidan’s in-laws. When his wife, their daughter, dies, they ask him to move. Aidan is adored in his small town community. He’s always there for people in need, there to help them rebuild or to fix things. No one knows or even suspects that he has a violent secret life. Sometimes his thirteen year old daughter, Cecilia, feels a little frightened of him, but that’s a passing thing. She is his daughter and would do anything for him. And then there’s Emily, running her parents’ restaurant who looks forward to those days when Aidan Thomas sits on a stool at her bar and drinks a cherry coke. The Quiet Tenant is told through the voices of Rachel, Cecilia, and Emily with short chapters in the voices of Aidan’s victims that throw light on the pitiable things that he says to them before he kills them.

Rachel has been living in fear for five years. She’s unclear as to why he’s kept her alive except that it may have something to do with her being unexpected. She knows unexpected things. She behaves unexpectedly. But she knows that she’s living on borrowed time and that the slightest thing could set him off. Moving into a house though is a breakthrough. She’s certain that his teenage daughter will prove to be an ally. Or will she?

Cecilia feels like she is an outcast. People pity her since her mother died. The woman that her father brings to live with them is strange. Weird. But maybe she is also a friend.

Meanwhile, Emily is doing everything she can to get Aidan’s attention. Maybe it’s a little soon after he’s lost his wife, but you can’t succeed if you don’t try.

Clémence Michallon does a stunning job of bringing these characters to life, making the reader care about them, instilling them with hubris or fear. As we learn Rachel’s backstory, we are on the edge of our seats as we wait with her for the “right time” and then begin to wonder if she’ll ever make her move, or if she’ll perish when Aidan’s grown tired of her.

The Quiet Tenant is indeed a page turner, an edge of the seat ride, that I literally read in a day because I needed to know what was going to happen. I haven’t done that in ages. Is there any better recommendation than that?

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start of with a big Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and Clemence Michallon for an eARC of this book for review. Right from the start you are thrown into it and along for the ride. At first I was not sure where this one was going to go and then it all starts coming together. It's a hell of a ride.... I look forward to checking out more from this author.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked how this book was set up, but it took some time getting used to initially. It was interesting seeing how each chapter was set up from the point of views of either a number or whatever the girls status was at the time. It was fairly predictable but an entertaining read and if you’re into thrillers and mysteries, give this book a try!

TW: Rape, violence, language, torture, death of parent, cancer, sexual abuse, stalking, toxic parent relationships, gaslighting

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Aidan Thomas is a hard-working family man and a somewhat beloved figure in the small upstate New York town where he lives. He’s the kind of man who always lends a hand and has a good word for everyone. But Aidan has a dark secret he’s been keeping from everyone in town and those closest to him. He’s a kidnapper and serial killer. Aidan has murdered eight women and there’s a ninth he has earmarked for death: Rachel, imprisoned in a backyard shed, fearing for her life. When Aidan’s wife dies, he and his thirteen-year-old daughter Cecilia are forced to move. Aidan has no choice but to bring Rachel along, introducing her to Cecilia as a “family friend” who needs a place to stay. Aidan is betting on Rachel, after five years of captivity, being too brainwashed and fearful to attempt to escape. But Rachel is a fighter and survivor, and recognizes Cecilia might just be the lifeline she has waited for all these years. As Rachel tests the boundaries of her new living situation, she begins to form a tenuous connection with Cecilia. And when Emily, a local restaurant owner, develops a crush on the handsome widower, she finds herself drawn into Rachel and Cecilia’s orbit, coming dangerously close to discovering Aidan’s secret.
Release Date: June 20th, 2023
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 320
Rating: ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Ummm that cover is nice
2. The promised plot

What I Didn't Like:
1. The story style
2. Too many pov's - ah
3. Feels repetitive
4. I was so bored... Nothing happens
5. Robotic narrator

Overall Thoughts:
I'm not a huge fan of the style of telling the story of the Rachel. It's too matter of fact "this is how it is." I found those parts dragged on.

There are too many pov's. I hate when an author over writes characters and keeps introducing us to new people every quarter of the book. It honestly starts to become confusing. Not every character needs a chapter.


I got 40% into the book before I felt bored. I think it's because you've already heard for the 5th or 6th time that Aidan has made dinner, raped her, and then Rachel sits in her room reflecting. We got a few times where it was changed up and Rachel was allowed to watch a movie/show with Cecilia.

Okay and then the way that Cecilia is just so accepting of Rachel and bonds with her over pads and a period. Like a teenage girl who just lost her mother is just going to be so happy her dad is dating someone a month later.

I will say that the sexual abuse scenes are passed over with just a mention and it's not overly descriptive. So I appreciated that.

Let's talk about Cecilia's shitty grandparents. They kick their granddaughter out of her home right after her mother dies.

"He unties my apron. It’s the hottest thing anyone has done to me, ever."

What?? How is that the hottest thing she's ever experienced? Someone untying your apron is the least sexy thing...


I read 200 pages of this book before I just couldn't read anymore. Ended up just skimming the book.

Final Thoughts:
This book had such high ratings so maybe it's me who didn't like it. I just had some problems with it. The writing style was bland and so slow. Like horribly slow. I kept waiting and waiting for something to happen and it doesn't.

The narration sounded like a robot reading it out. The author writes it in this ugly style that completely takes you out of the story. I honestly did not care if Rachel was killed. I actually was hoping she would be for so long just so SOMETHING would happen. The tone never changes from chapter or characters. You get the same thing with each person. I absolutely hated the changes in pov's from 1st person to 2nd. Pick a lane. I got a headache going from You to mine.

I also didn't understand the point of writing one or a page and starting a new chapter that just carried on with the last sentence of the previous chapter.

Recommend For:
• Fall setting
• Survivor story
• Serial killer books
• Slow burns

IG | Blog

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced copy of the book of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“The Quiet Tenent” by Clémence Michallon is a superb thriller. I was turning the pages so fast to see what was going to happen. The story revolves around three women. Rachel, a woman who was kidnapped and is living in Aidan’s shed. Cecilia is Aidan’s teenage daughter who is trying to navigate her life without her mother. Emily is a bartender who is secretly in love with Aidan.
I don’t want to give away too much, but this was a really great read! It had me guessing until the end. I am impressed that the author is a native French speaker and this is her first book written in English. I can barely order a margarita at a Mexican restaurant, let alone write a sentence in another language. Many thanks to the author, Knopf and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon

I loved this book! It had just the right creep factor and as a reader I was continually worried that the bad guy was just around every corner. Told from multiple points of view, my favorite thing was that the main narrator, the spared victim, her chapter heading changed depending on the time frame and her location.

The story is fairly simple as is the plot, but there is something so creepy about a serial killer that no one would ever suspect. Aiden is likeable and helpful to everyone but it is all a persona that he has created to cover is tracks. When you can eventually walk your captive through town and introduce her as your cousin, someone would have to have serious proof to make them believe anything different.

A great choice for when you need something a little disturbing!

Thanks to @netgalley and @aaknopf for this advanced reader!

#BookReview #Bookstagram #ClemenceMichallon #TheQuietTenant #knopfpublishing #BookishLife #Reading #Bibliophile #BookPhotography #BookRecommendations #Instabooks #BookNerd #ThrillerBooks #Fiction

An enjoyable thriller that keeps you turning the pages, but the ending left me a bit bored. The writing was well done and for that I give it a 3 star.

For fans of Room, Sadie, and Lovely Bones. I’ll admit the title and the cover intrigued me, but did not reveal much about the plot (to me). I had no idea this was a multi perspective story about a serial killer and the women in his life. It was heart stopping and riveting and I devoured it it 2 days. I highly highly recommend this book!

WOW! This book will definitely make my top 10 list for 2023 and I don't even need to wait until the end of the year to say so. After reading the synopsis, the first book I thought of was a 2022 favorite, Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka. Needless to say, I went into The Quiet Tenant with very high expectations. I am happy to say that this book far exceeded those expectations!

The characters created by Clemence Michallon were so authentic and raw. I was instantly drawn into the Woman in the shed's story and completely invested in whether she would survive Aidan Thomas. Once Emily's and Cecilia's points of view were introduced this book became unputdownable. I loved that the only voices we heard were the women in Aidan's life. We only see him through their eyes and this was extremely powerful. Michallon gave the voice back to not only the victim, but the killer's family, who are also victims.

The thing I loved most was Michallon's use of second person for the woman in the shed's POV. This was risky but it paid off exponentially. By doing so, the reader is experiencing the disassociation alongside "Rachel" and feels like this could also happen to them. Bravo for choosing to take this risk Clemence!

We all know the guy. He's a nice guy. He's a funny, friendly guy. The kind of guy you can call and he'll be there ASAP to help you jump your car or help you put your Ikea furniture together. Aiden is that guy.

Aiden has a secret and he doesn't want anyone know about her. He doesn't want anyone to know who he is behind closed doors. Unfortunately, someone DOES want to know, and she had no idea what she's getting into.

Alternating narratives is one of my favourite types of books. And we had (unfortunately for them) plenty of narrators.

A superb thriller. From the start the book captivates you and from there it never lets go. The quiet tenant is a must read for this summer!

This debut packs a serious psychological thriller punch! Told from several points of view and short chapters made this a propulsive story and kept me saying “ just one more chapter”
Aiden Thomas is an average Dad and husband in a town where everyone knows everyone. He is well liked and helps those in need. But there is just one dirty secret, he’s a serial killer. He’s killed before several times and doesn’t plan on stopping. One woman, Rachel, he has decided not to kill and has kept her locked up in his shed. As the story progresses you meet Aiden’s daughter, Cecelia, and Aiden’s newest “ friend”, Emily. These women have a unique way of helping each other in ways they don’t even realize and might possibly put an end to Aiden’s evil ways. I loved this book and it kept my heart pounding until the end. I can not wait to read this authors next book.

Fantastic debut novel that will grip you from the first page. A serial killer has kept a woman captive for five years and the story is told from her perspective and two other characters; not the killers. It made for such a unique, tense, and immersive read that I couldn't put it down.

DNF @ 14%

This was one of my most anticipated reads. The plot intrigued me since it is told from the POV of a girl who’s been kidnapped. I quickly realized that this wasn’t the book for me. My conclusion on this was because of the writing style. It writing was very choppy. Sometimes thrillers do this to make a scene feel more intense. It’s loses the intense factor when it’s done on every page. The writing was also what I call “flowery” or over descriptive for no reason.

Let me drop some quotes to explain my point.

"𝙃𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩. 𝙐𝙣𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙤𝙧. 𝘿𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙨 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙖 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙨. 𝙎𝙝𝙪𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙤𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙢, 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙗𝙤𝙡𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚." 😐 There should be nothing dramatic about this, it’s giving elementary writing style vibes.

"𝙇𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨, 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙. 𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙩. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣, 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨: 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨. 𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮. 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜. 𝙃𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮." You can’t make this stuff up.

"𝙃𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜. 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮. 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚. 𝙃𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩. 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡. 𝙄𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙪𝙨, 𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙤𝙧𝙢. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙞𝙩-- 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙. 𝘽𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚. 𝙈𝙮 𝘿𝙉𝘼 𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙢, 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙚. 𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙨, 𝙩𝙤𝙤."

"𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙤𝙙. 𝙄𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙙𝙤. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙩-- 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙝𝙞𝙢, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙠𝙞𝙙, 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚. 𝘼 𝙗𝙚𝙙. 𝘼 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨. 𝘼 𝙥𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬. 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙚𝙩𝙨. 𝙁𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚. 𝘽𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙛𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙝. 𝙁𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙖 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚. 𝘼𝙣 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧. 𝙃𝙤𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧. 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨. 𝘼 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙬 𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙. 𝘼 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙙 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣. 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙛𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨, 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙢." This is dreadful, use commas!

"𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙥 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙩. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙗𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙥 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙧𝙖 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙥𝙤𝙥 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙟𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙨. 𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚 𝙪𝙥, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡. 𝙃𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥𝙨. 𝙃𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥𝙨." If you think this is good writing… I have no comment.

"𝙔𝙤𝙪, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙜𝙖𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙪𝙥 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙨𝙠𝙮 𝙖𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙒𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪." She is literally just looking up at the sky. This is an example of the “flowery” writing. We also loveeee the run-on sentence🙄

"𝙃𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙤𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨. 𝙃𝙚 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙩. 𝘿𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙪𝙣 𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙗𝙤𝙖𝙧𝙙, 𝙗𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙩. 𝘼 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙥 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝." You don’t have to describe a series of events this way🫠


I understand this was an uncorrected ARC, but there is just no way it was THIS uncorrected. I believe this was intentional. I am blown away that so many people enjoyed this one. I just couldn’t torture myself through the writing style.

I was excited to read this book the cover of this book looked creepy and the synopsis sounded great. I was expecting a horrifying, gritty, nail biting story sadly it wasn't. While it's an interesting story it was a bit slow. I found myself a little bored. Overall it was an okay read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for the E-ARC

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Difficult to follow at times and a little slow. A man who is well known and respected in his community is hiding a horrible secret. He has a girl he has kidnapped years ago hidden in his house. Yet he is so brazen he is willing to introduce her to his daughter?? I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Oh my goodness, what an incredible debut!! I started the audio and knew I was going to love this dark and disturbing read. This is about a serial killer, but is told from the perspective of the victims and the impact he had on them, including the one that is still alive and has been kidnapped for five years. We also get the perspective of his 13 yr old daughter and let me tell you, as this all builds, I was on the edge of my seat hoping it would end the way I thought but I truly didn’t know.

This is definitely in my top list for the year and if you love dark reads like this, you must read it if you haven’t yet. I cannot wait to see what Michallon writes next.

Thank you to Knopf, NetGalley and PRH Audio for the copies to review.

Loved this book! So much that I went to author event not that close to my home. Clemence is charming and interesting. Meet her if you can!

Oh the dark and twisty world of Aiden Thomas - and yet so much more - his daughter, the girlfriend, and Rachel - the one whose voice we cannot unhear. This is her story.

"A pulse-pounding psychological thriller about a serial killer narrated by those closest to him: His 13-year-old daughter, his girlfriend—and the one victim he has spared

Aidan Thomas is a hard-working family man and a somewhat beloved figure in the small upstate New York town where he lives. He’s the kind of man who always lends a hand and has a good word for everyone. But Aidan has a dark secret he’s been keeping from everyone in town and those closest to him. He’s a kidnapper and serial killer. Aidan has murdered eight women and there’s a ninth he has earmarked for death: Rachel, imprisoned in a backyard shed, fearing for her life."

This might be my favorite book of the year so far! I thought it was so good, and I had the hardest time putting it down!

Aiden Thomas seems like the nicest guy. He's always willing to lend a hand to his neighbors. He's recently widowed and raising his 13-year-old daughter. A local restaurant owner has a major crush on him. But Aiden has a dark side. He's a serial killer and a kidnapper. He's been holding Rachel hostage for five years, and she never knows what day might be her last.

This story is told from the POVs of Rachel, Emily, and Aiden's daughter, CeciIia. I liked that through Rachel's character, we got a perspective of what it would be like to be held captive by a psychopath.

Thank you @netgalley and @aaknopf for the gifted e-arc and finished copy of this book!