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The Quiet Tenant
Author: Clemence Michallon
Source: NetGalley
Pub. Date: June 20, 2023
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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.
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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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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.

This book was so well written. This was a first book of Clémence Michallon and I can tell you it won't be my last. This book was fast paced and I didn't want to put it down. I can tell you there are moments when you just go OMG!! I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a good thriller that will have your heart racing.



Thank you NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for allowing me to read this ARC in advance for my honest opinion.

I was so excited to read this one! The synopsis highly intrigued me. It was an easy read and I liked all the different point of views, but I got bored half way through. I wanted so much more! I know Stockholm syndrome is a thing but I got frustrated so many times because she could’ve ran and didn’t! Just shows you the true power of manipulation.

I received an ARC of The Quiet Tenant that will be available June 20, 2023.
From the description, this book sounded like a book that I'd typically love. I was excited to read it.
The story's premise sounds like it'd pull you in:
ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED NOVELS OF 2023 - "A bravura feat of storytelling...daring and completely satisfying." --James Patterson, #1 best-selling author

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.

“All…of the expected suspense and psychological tension, but offering a story about women—the ones who didn’t know the evil that lurked within, the ones who tried to placate or fight but still perished, the ones who might actually survive. Haunting but never prurient…truly unforgettable.” — Alafair Burke, author of The Wife

Aidan Thomas is a hard-working family man and a somewhat beloved figure in the small upstate 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 13-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. After five years of captivity, Aidan is betting on Rachel 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.

Told through the perspectives of Rachel, Cecilia, and Emily, The Quiet Tenant explores the psychological impact of Aidan's crimes on the women in his life-and the bonds between those women that give them the strength to fight back. Both a searing thriller and an astute study of trauma, survival, and the dynamics of power, The Quiet Tenant is an electrifying debut thriller by a major talent.

I rarely DNF a book but I couldn't get into the back and forth on the being told from multiple viewpoints and jumping back and forth from 1st person to second person.

I do believe that this is a book you'll either love or DNF. I can see how some people would love it.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC.

Dark, thrilling, twisted... right up my alley! I was worried I would not be able to finish due to the slow burning start, but WOW, I'm glad I stuck with it.

I’ve been striking out on finding a five-star book lately, but I finally found one, and it was everything I didn’t even know I needed! I flew through this in two hours…once I started, I couldn’t stop turning these pages.

I had to go back and reread the synopsis to make sure I’m not spoiling anything with my review, because this book gave me such pleasant surprises that I want others to feel! The synopsis gives a lot, and is what made me pick this book to read next. This is a story that’s similar to real life horrors that have been in the news: a woman is kidnapped, and for five years, held hostage by a man who is also a serial killer.

This man’s name is Aidan, and he’s your typical friendly, nerdy suburban dad. He and his wife have a 13-year-old daughter, Cecelia, and completely normal lives. Nobody knows what this man is capable of, except for the nine women he has killed, and his hostage, who he calls Rachel. When his wife dies, Aidan must move … and bring Rachel with him. Hiding the truth from his daughter becomes the biggest challenge; he can’t ever let her find out about his other side.

The characters in this were written phenomenally (the whole book was well-written, especially for an author not writing in their primary language) and grab your heart. Aidan is a monster, but Rachel and Cecelia were strong characters who really pulled at my heart. The story is quickly paced, but the suspense is also drawn out slowly, through a variety of POVs. We even hear from the women he has killed, and it just adds an extra layer of tension to the whole story.

Basically, this book was fantastic. It was the perfect end to my mediocre-book streak, and even though it’s a scenario that has been played out in books and in the news, this was super fresh. This tackles so much - not just kidnapping/rape/serial killing, but also a touch of Stockholm Syndrome and the struggles of a teen girl who just lost her mother. Very thoughtful, thrilling and compelling, this gets all the stars!

(Thank you to the Knopf Publishing Group, Clémence Michallon, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be published on June 20, 2023.)

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf Publishing for this ARC!
This was my first ARC, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to review The Quiet Tenant.
Overall Rating: 3.37/5⭐️
Character Development: 3/5⭐️
Plot: 3.5/5⭐️
Ease of Reading: 3/5⭐️
Overall Enjoyment: 4/5⭐️
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The Quiet Tenant is told from multiple perspectives:
A young girl, called Cecelia, who is the daughter of a man.
A young woman who owns a restaurant, named Emily, that serves that man a Cherry Coke every Tuesday and Thursday.
A young woman, called Rachel, has been kept in captivity for five years by the man who drinks Cherry Coke and has a daughter.
And the murdered victims of the man who drinks Cherry Coke, has a daughter, and has held a woman captive for five years.

Aiden Thomas is beloved by everyone who knows him. He is handsome, charming, helpful, but he carries dark secrets with him everywhere he goes. He keeps one of those secrets locked in a shed on his property, his wife and child blissfully unaware they are in the presence of a monster.
Until his wife dies, and the woman in the shed is told that he is moving, he has to leave the house. And she convinces him to take her with him. Because that’s how she stays alive.
The Quiet Tenant is a gripping tale about Rachel’s battle for survival, Emily’s overwhelming desire to be loved, and Cecelia’s innocence.

*One thing to note before I dive in- I was granted an Unedited Copy by the publisher.

Let’s start with what I liked about this book:
I think the plot is great, the idea that a person could hide one of their victims in plain sight, and no one would ever know. Michallon does a wonderful job of displaying the imbalance of power, the psychological distress, and the waging war between captive and captor. Battling with your instinct to survive but also your desire to run is not an easy fight and I think that Rachel’s perspective demonstrates that wonderfully. The last 30% of this book consumed me completely- I did not want to put it down!
There was great character development and you are able to understand the motives behind the three women in the story pretty clearly. You understand why they make the moves they make, say the things they say. I think character development was good, the relationships between the characters detailed in a comprehensive but not overly exhausting way. I got a good feeling of the setting in the town, of the climate and the way things are done.
I ignored a lot of grammar/spelling/punctuation mistakes keeping in mind that this is an unedited ARC. And there really weren’t that many mistakes I could see. But it was easy to follow and not overly complicated.

Now let’s get into the things I didn’t care for in this book-
Rachel’s perspective is told in second person. I appreciate second person in small doses, as a chapter where the main character is having an out of body experience or as a short story meant to grip you with plenty of imagery (like a short scary story). But the multiple chapters of second POV just wasn’t my favorite. I didn’t dislike it, but I would have preferred third person or first person POV.
Cecelia’s chapters were far and few between, and to be honest, I felt like they didn’t really add anything to the story. You could skip her chapters entirely and still know exactly what is happening in the book. They were a semi-interesting addition, but not necessary at all in my opinion.
Emily’s slightly obsessive personality was good for the story, but her inner dialogues about her family were a bit…overdone? I stopped caring about her overworked father and distant mother pretty much as soon as it was talked about. And there were some dramatic, kind of kitschy quips about her life, her thoughts about Aiden, and her family that made me roll my eyes. I think her obsessive personality about Aiden is just really….weird? Really off-putting and some of the writing about Aiden from Emily’s perspective literally made me write “major ick” in the margins. Besides the fact that he’s a serial killer, there were so many things that I was like?? People like this guy?? Emily is obsessing over him? Gross.
I felt like there was a pretty big lull in the middle, where not a whole lot was going on and it was mainly a lot of Rachel’s background, which was important, but boring. I think some of the chapters could be edited out or down.

Overall, I quite enjoyed this book. I would recommend it, but I am also interested to see how the edited version turns out.

1.5 rounded up to 2.

Sometimes you read books quickly because they're so dang good you can't put them down. Other times, you read books quickly because you're obligated to finish since it's an advance reader copy and the publisher is counting on your review to be posted within a certain timeframe and you just want to get through the damn thing. This book definitely falls into the latter category for me.

There are so many issues with this thing, I'm not even sure where to begin.

This is about a woman who is kidnapped and abused by her captor over the course of 5 years prior to us entering the story. Throughout various chapters parts of the story are told through different character's perspectives, including the main protagonist ("Rachel"). Rachel's chapters are told in second person. Odd choice for sure. Everyone else is told in first person. The POV thing isn't so much a problem as the fact that all these characters have the same voice, they all seem to think the same, and they all share the same speech patterns.

As the story progresses, Rachel has a few chances that are very obvious in which she can escape. She even contemplates taking them but always decides not to for reasons that just don't make a damn bit of sense. Frustrating. Near the end she even acquires a gun but decides to purposely leave the bullets behind. C'mon, man. Really?

This last gripe I feel a little bad about but it needs to be mentioned. The writing is just not good. We all know someone who likes to talk just to hear themselves - it's as if this author likes to write just to see the words spring up on the page. Not only that, but there are so many oddly phrased sentences and sentence structures it made me wonder how this person ever got a book deal in the first place. At the end in the acknowledgments I learned the author speaks/writes English as a second language (French is their first) - which is why I feel a little bad about this complaint. That said, I do think they should potentially stick to writing in French and have a translator help them get things into English if they want to start selling to the English-speaking folks.

I did need to know how it all ended though, even though it was obvious that the dude would get caught from the jump. At about 60% through the story though I realized I really did want to finish not because I cared about the characters, only to see how the author decided would be a good way to put the story out of its misery.