Nicole Lundrigan just got categorized amongst my favourite authors with her latest crime thriller, A Man Downstairs.

One of my goals for 2024 was to read more from authors I love, and after being blown away by Lundrigan's An Unthinkable Thing last year, I jumped at the opportunity to read and review her new release. This book truly solidified what I already expected from her writing: a suspenseful and mysterious plot that held me in its tight grasp, narrators that have me questioning their reliability and deceptively sneaky writing making my mind spin. As an added bonus: unrivaled epilogue usage.

This one is told in three perspectives: Molly, Gil, and "Him" from both now and then timelines, with deliberate similarities among each. For some inexplicable reason, I was drawn to the intrigue of Gil's story line the most, although none of the three were at all lacking in depth. As the story continued to progress, my curiosity continued to be peaked, and I raced through, needing to understand how everything was linked together, all while trying to predict potential outcomes. Multiple times, I found my hand flying to my mouth to cover a gasp, and the next second, I was back to devouring the book.

I consumed this book with a ferocious appetite, thought about it non-stop as I tried to locate the missing puzzle pieces, and every time I thought I had everything figured out, (or at least parts of it), it slipped through my grasp once again; what was constantly niggling in the back of my mind continued to be just out of reach to firmly hold onto.

After the outcome was revealed, and I looked at each of the characters in a new light I wondered if the cost of protecting those we love really helps long-term; who's really the villain in this small town's web of deceit and mistruths?

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada and Viking for the complimentary copies to read and review.

The book is gripping and suspenseful, It has dual timelines and multiple perspectives. Molly is a trained therapist and she returns to her childhood home along with Alex, her son to take care of her father after the revelation of his stroke. After the divorce and moving in her childhood home, she is trying to recall the memories of the fateful night and her memories evoke a feeling of nostalgia. In young age, her mother was murdered and the lake still has secrets. Not only the lake but the childhood home itself is not what it appears to be. While when unthinkable things starts happening and she realises that she is the target, the book becomes complex and suspense grows. The secrets begin to unravel. This is a twisted psychological thriller.

Many Thanks to the Author, Publisher and Netgalley

A Man Downstairs is a gripping, compulsive read populated with unlikeable characters that I loved getting to know through their actions and inner thoughts. Told in multiple POVs, the past and the present intermingle and unwind, culminating in a satisfying ending. While we watch the mystery unfold, Lundrigan also reveals the complexities involved in familial relations -- mother/son, father/daughter, husband/wife.

I enjoy a good thriller and this was no exception. The dual timelines and multiple POV has you wondering what's going on. I do prefer my thrillers to be a little more fast paced and the beginning, for me, dragged a little but once it picked up, I was super invested.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend to my friends who like reading this type of book.

Molly Wynters moves back to her hometown to take care of her father who has had a stroke and cannot communicate. Molly has conflicting memories of her childhood home: both loving and caring experiences with her dad, and the trauma of witnessing her mother's violent murder. Molly's testimony at just three years old, saying there was a man downstairs, sent a local teen to prison. Now, Molly is a therapist, and volunteers for a local helpline while in town. Threats start to roll in, and Molly realizes someone is targeting her, and everyone is a suspect.

This is a slow burn thriller that builds suspense as it goes. Told in multiple POVs and timelines, we get pieces of the truth as we turn the pages. The chapters from the stalker’s POV are creepy and gross! He is truly delusional. After I read books like this with a stalker perspective I always triple check all my curtains, blinds, doors, and windows are fully closed and locked! I mean I do that anyway because hello, anxiety, but then I do it again.

I enjoyed learning about Molly's mother's life leading up to the day she died. It's a reminder that things are not always as they seem and you never truly know what's going on inside someone's home.

I did think this was a tad too long, but still enjoyed it. Read if you like slower paced thrillers that delve into the psyches of the characters as the story unfolds.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

I’m realllyyy torn on how to rate this book.

I can see how people rated this really high, and really low. It is a very, very slow burn. It’s not as dark and sinister as I thought it was going to be, however, the ending was twisted, but I wanted a little more darkness and a bit of a faster pace. There were parts that I was a little bit confused on. I was waiting for the scary man in the basement.

It was good. I do suggest reading this for yourself as you may love it. I just wanted more.

What if the childhood you remember isn’t what happened at all? Molly Wynters was very young when she witnessed her mother’s murder. When she testifies she stated “there was a man downstairs” which sent a teenager to prison. Years later, Molly is back at her childhood home after her dad suffered a significant stroke. She soon is being targeted with threats about the day of her mother’s murder, and someone intends to hold Molly accountable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for a DRC. A Man Downstairs is available now!

A Man Downstairs by Nicole Lundrigan is a clever, slow burn psychological thriller.

Molly Wynters moves back home following her father's stroke to the small town where she witnessed her mother's murder as a child.

Told in dual timelines and multiple POVs, this novel will have you guess until the eerie twist at the end.

Nicole Lundrigan's A Man Downstairs was full of suspense. The first half of the book dragged on a bit too long for me, but the second half was really good!

I gave it a 3.5 stars but rounded up for NetGalley.

Thank you NetGalley, Nicole Lundrigan and Penguin Random House Canada for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of A Man Downstairs by Nicole Lundrigan, published by Penguin Random House Canada

I loved this novel, it was so well written, it was so easy to get into the story, the characters were phenomenal, I loved the plot, it was told in the past and present, and narrated by a few of the characters. The story was easy to follow. The characters were well described and likeable (or not) The whole story was so believable, it deals with mental illness that often goes undetected.
I enjoyed how the story unfolded and we fot to know the characters both present day but also in the past. We become aware of why they did what they did. I wanted to know the ending but didn't want the book to end!
This was such a great read and I'll be following this other and reading more of her books.

This mystery unfolds gradually, featuring characters whose reliability is questionable. While I managed to guess the culprit early on, the journey it took to reach the resolution was certainly unexpected.

My rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 💫

3.5 stars

A Man Downstairs by Nicole Lundrigan is a psychological thriller about a woman who returns to her home town and finds that the death of her mother many years ago, is still at the forefront of the community.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Penguin Random House Canada and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
 

My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Molly Wynters returns to her hometown of Aymes to look after her father, who recently had a stroke.  He has in-home care, but Molly knows that he will not improve, so there are a number of other things that will need her attention.  Deciding it would be better if she and her son stay elsewhere, she rents some rooms not far away from her father, and signs her son Alex up for high school.  She is a trained therapist, and will continue seeing some of her young patients on-line.  She is also persuaded to volunteer for the town's help line.

As they settle in, Molly's memories of her childhood start to return.  The death of her mother by "the man downstairs" haunts her.  Molly's testimony sent a teenager to prison. She starts to wonder if her memories are fact or fiction.

It is a small town, and gossip has always been powerful, and Molly's return has brought a lot of things to the surface.  Someone has decided to hold her accountable for the past, and soon her own life may be in jeopardy.


My Opinions:
I struggled with this one.  I didn't really like any of the characters.  Alex as a rebellious teenager was well written, but just annoyed me.  I didn't trust Russell, Glenn, or Bradley, which I am sure was the author's intent.  Unfortunately, when I read a psychological thriller, I have to have someone to root for, and for some reason, I didn't particularly like Molly.  She was always so angry.

I did like how the story was told in different time frames and points of view.  The "Then" dealt with the relationship between Molly's parents, as well as an unknown "HIM".  The "Now" was about Molly.  I actually liked the "Then" part better, as suspense continued to build, as I struggled to figure out who really killed Molly's mom.

I think the premise of the story was really good, and there were enough red herrings to keep me off-balance.  I do, however, continue to wonder why anyone would believe the testimony of a 3 year old.  

Overall, the book was good, but it moved way to slowly for me.

An intense story of love, hate, mixed memories and a teenager with an impossible crush.
Molly Wynters arrives in the town she grew up in with her teenager son to look after her father who has had a stroke and is totally incapacitated.
The town remembers Molly as her mother died there when she was 3 and Molly witnessed the murder, but was indoctrinated by the neighbor into believing it didn’t happen the way she saw it. After testifying as a 3 year old a teenager went to prison.
But was Molly’s memory correct? It was brought into question by an anonymous caller when she volunteered as a trained therapist for the help line.
The story is full of intricate relationships and of course there is the man downstairs!
A very well written thriller which you won’t want to put down!

OMG! This book was so good. I could not put it down. Nicole Lundrigan is a new to me author and I look forward to reading more from her.
Molly went through some stuff and it all makes since in the end. I will be re reading this book.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #PenguinRandomHouseCanada for the book #AManDownstairs by #NicoleLundrigan. A mother, who tends to be a little out there, is murdered. Her three year old daughter saw it happen. Does she remember it right. Did the right person get punished for this? Great book all the way up to the incredible plot twist.

Molly Wynters moves back to her childhood hometown with her son to care for her father, who has suffered a stroke. Molly had a difficult childhood, having witness her mother’s murder. No one in the town can forget Moly’s testimony as a little girl - “there was a man downstairs”. The more time she spends in town, her memories being stirred up, the more Molly wonders if what she said is actually what happened. When she begins volunteering on a local helpline, threats begin. After all, Molly’s life isn’t the only one that was upended that day…

The premise of this story grabbed my attention immediately - “what if everything you remembered about your childhood was a lie?” I enjoyed unraveling the mystery with Molly, as the past she remembered was brought into question. Told in alternating past and present storylines, with multiple points of view, this story explores the subject of memory. Each of the main characters remembered the events of that long ago day a certain way, and seeing how it played out for each of them and how they all related to each other added a level of suspense. Though to me, it was more of a slow-burn mystery than thriller, “A Man Downstairs” is an intriguing story. If you enjoy character-driven mysteries, check this one out!

Thank you to Nicole J Ludrigan, Viking Books and Thriller Book Lovers for the ALC! “A Man Downstairs” releases March 5, 2024. This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada, Viking and Netgalley for this ARC!

This was my first book by Nicole Lundrigan, but will not be my last.

I am a sucker for books told in dual timelines and this thriller is no exception. Learning about Molly's past kept me very intrigued with this book and kept me guessing with what was happening in the now! The twists were so good and kept me flipping the pages!

Will be recommending.

5 stars

This is a slow-burn psychological thriller that is told in multiple POV, and sprinkled in is a creepy anonymous “Him” character.

Molly needs to move back to her hometown to care for her father who has suffered a massive stroke which left him unable to speak. Molly is recently divorced and is ready to move on and start over. She decides to move back into her childhood home with her son and her father. Molly was reluctant to come back, as this was the home that she witnessed her Mothers murder when Molly was old three years old.

Molly testified in court to what she saw that night, and a local teenager was convicted. Being home again with all of these memories flooding back, Molly begins to doubt if what she testified to and witnessed that night is really true.

This is a dark, psychological thriller where the perpetrator is unclear. Is it one specific person or is it the small woven community harboring disturbing secrets and a decades old murder. This was a slow burn, but a great psychological thriller with hints of mystery throughout. I would definitely recommend this book. It was a 4 star read for me.

I had the honor of reading this ARC thanks to NetGalley , the Author Nicole Lundrigan and the publisher Penguin Random House/ Viking.

This was my first time reading this authors work and I really enjoyed it - looking forward to adding others of hers to my “to read” list.
It’s a dark and twisty multiple POV thriller. Even though it was a TAD BIT of a slower burn it still had me invested from the start. I never had the ended pegged.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Talk about a title to take your breath away and instantly activate your fear senses...

A Man Downstairs

I was giddy with excitement when I received my approval

I want to first point out that this is in fact, a "true" psychological thriller. I personally, get upset when something is labeled incorrectly. A Man Downstairs, is truly, a psychological thriller that will have your pulse racing and heart pumping out of your chest.

Nicole Lundrigan, does an impeccable job thrusting us down the rabbit hole and taking us on a mind bending journey . I doubted everything I once thought would transpire.

If you're looking for a book that will make you jump while reading, this is the book for you. A Man Downstairs releases, March 5, 2024 and you do NOT want to miss this one.

Check out this teaser:

Molly Wynters has moved back to her small hometown to care for her father, recently felled by a stroke and no longer able to communicate. She is ready to make a fresh start with her son after her divorce, but is haunted by both old events and new realities in her childhood home.

What Molly recalls of her young life with her father is full of love and care, even though a violent trauma defined her childhood: when she was a young girl, she witnessed her mother’s murder, and her testimony – “There was a man downstairs” – sent a teenager to prison. This tragic episode is still very much alive in the culture of the town, and the more Molly remembers, the more she fears that what she said on the stand all those years ago might not have been the whole truth.

After Molly, a trained therapist, volunteers for a local helpline, the threats begin. At first they seem random, but soon Molly realizes that she is a target, and even those closest to her seem suspicious, especially as unsuspected links between them emerge. More than one life was destroyed on that horrific long-ago day, and now someone intends to hold Molly accountable.

I really enjoyed this book from the beginning. It's twists and turns were well thought out and had me captivated. I don't know why I don't read thrillers more often. I enjoy the past and present of the POV's in this book, it really helps develop the story into something really incredible. This was my first time reading something by Nicole Lundrigan, but I will definitely be checking out some of her other works.