As a trained therapist and a volunteer for a local helpline, Molly's intentions of making a fresh start are quickly overshadowed by chilling reminders of a violent trauma that has lingered in the town's consciousness—her mother's murder, for which her testimony as a child implicated a teenager. Lundrigan masterfully navigates through Molly's journey, challenging the reliability of memory and the devastating impact of secrets long buried. Perfect for anyone looking for psychological intrigue and a compelling mystery.

his was a pretty interesting read. Molly returns to her hometown with her son, after he father suffers a stroke. Through dual timelines and pov, we learn about the tragedy that struck Molly’s family when she was only a toddler. A death, a local teen accused and the secrets that haunt this small town.

I enjoyed this one. It flowed well and made sense; the story was laid out in a way that made sense without being too outlandish.

3.5. A slow, meandering physiological thriller, satisfying at the end but with a cast of truly unlikeable characters. The stories they told themselves to justify their actions were difficult to reconcile, but the character development was good enough that by the end of the book I felt that I knew the characters well enough to confirm my feelings of dislike.

There were a lot of red herrings but by the end, all the questions were answered and the twists made sense. I did wonder who “him” was right up until the end and then I realized I had been fooled by lies he had told early in the book, so I guess that was well crafted.

I would recommend it as a decent thriller but one that leaves you feeling a little icky at the end, a little like I felt after finishing Gillian Flynn’s “Dark Objects”.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada/Viking and Nicole Lundrigan for the ARC of this book

A tightly plotted slow-burn psychological thriller read told in multiple POVs, including a creepy “Him” perspective and in different timelines. Filled with lies, secrets, troubled characters and a great ending with the epilogue revealing the final eerie twist. This one kept me guessing! I also liked the fact that the characters were morally grey, doing questionable things, burdened by secrets of the past. Well-executed, recommended for slow-burn thriller lovers!

Thanks to Thriller Book Lover Promotions and Netgalley for this complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

A 3 yr old whose voice puts a teen in jail
And a woman whose same voice begins to crumble as she tries to remember it all.

Molly and her teenaged son have moved back to her childhood small town to help care for her ailing father. She’s reeling from her divorce and feeling the tumultuous years of raising a teen hard on her heart. But nothing prepares her for the eerie feelings that start creeping in as familiar faces start popping up and Molly finds the memory of her mother’s murder resurfacing …

A book that collects the “ick” as it unravels the plot. It’s easy to assume many characters are guilty or memories foggy… but the problem with memories is that they rarely run exactly how it happened. And old friends are rarely what they seem.

Compulsive psychological thriller with a side of bat shit crazy.

4.5 stars

🫣 F R E A K Y 👀 F R I D A Y 🫣 featuring “A Man Downstairs” by Nicole Lundrigan!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

When Molly Wynters was three years old she witnessed her mother’s murder. Her testimony stating that there was a man downstairs sent a teenaged boy to prison. Growing up with just her father, Molly held onto the impression that she lived a very nurturing and loving life. She remembers her mother in an idyllic light … when really she has NO IDEA who her mother was and what she was really like.

Decades later as an adult and mother, Molly and her son move back to her small town to care for her father after having a stroke. Her return back to town is not received well, and pretty soon she begins to receive taunting threats. Molly volunteers for a crisis helpline and the stalker uses it as a means to communicate to her. As Molly tries to piece the threats together, she begins to question herself. Just HOW truthful was her testimony all those years ago?? And did the RIGHT murderer end up in prison??

HOLY CRAP!! Talk about dark, sinister, gritty, disturbing and twisted!!! The dual timelines and multiple POVS take readers for a wild ride, dropping hints right, left and centre! I love the creepy small town setting that continues to be completely engrossed by the murder decades later! The case looms among the town like a dark storm cloud .. never to be forgotten .. or forgiven!

Thank you kindly to Nicole Lundrigan, Viking Books, Penguin Canada and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on March 5, 2023!

How actually reliable is a 3 year old witness to a murder? This is the question delved into in Lundigran's latest novel. I enjoyed the dual timelines and multiple POV's. Especially trying to figure out who "Him" was. Which by the way, I did not see coming! This one was definitely slower than the last of hers I read putting it in the slow burn category.

I spent most of the book wanting to slap Edie's character. Its not mentioned but it felt like she might have had an undiagnosed psychiatric disorder. Molly I was ambivalent towards. I had no real strong feelings towards her. It was interesting watching her struggle with her instincts and memories of what actually happened the day her mother died. I did guess who the calls were coming from, but was dying to know what they knew. Really all of our characters were flawed, if not unlikeable. But it made for that much more of a realistic read.

The last 20% or so of the book definitely picked up and flew by. And I couldn't put it down. Overall a great psychological suspense, with complex connections and twists.

A Man Downstairs by Nicole Lundrigan is an expertly woven web of a story! Molly and her teenage son move home to take care of her father Gil, who has had a stroke. The town though has a past, and Molly’s mother Edie is a big part of that, because she was found murdered years ago. A local teen was charged with her murder but was let go after some technicalities. Molly was only little when the murdered happened and although she testified in court, even she begins to doubt her memory of the past. We have a few side characters that all play a very important role in this rollercoaster of a ride. Who to trust? That is the big question here.
This story is told by 3 main POV, Molly, Gil, and “Him”. It also goes from past to present. Not once was this done in a confusing way, it was very easy to follow and I found every word enriched this thriller.
I was invested in every single character, and that is something that doesn’t happen very often for me, especially in a book written in this style. It just flowed, the author had me hook, line and sinker.
There were many times I thought I knew where this was headed, nope, I was wrong. Big time wrong.
The epilogue was one of those moments where my mouth just dropped.
I highly recommend adding this one to your list, it is due to be released on March 5, 24.

Thank you to the author, Penguin Random House Canada, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Murder, mental health, family drama, a stalker… sign me up! 𝗔 𝗠𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘀 was everything I want in a thriller. The storyline is told in multiple POVs and in different timelines, and really set the stage for it to be several different people and keep you guessing, because given the title you think you know… but do you? The end had me questioning the familial ties and I freaking loved every second of it. I highly recommend if you don’t mind a slower (but not slow burn) thriller with intricate details and family drama. I can’t wait to read more from Nicole Lundrigan. Many thanks to the author, Thriller Book Lover Promos, Penguin Randomhouse and Viking. 𝗔 𝗠𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘀 will be published 3/5.

Grab your favorite drink, a cozy blanket and sit by the crackling fire for this one! A slow burn mystery with some creepy aspects makes this a great read. Told in different POV from the past and the present. This book will having you questioning your own memory until the very end.

This was my first book by Nicole but I will be reading more!

This is an incredibly slow book. I appreciated the alternating chapters. Not my favorite book though.

Have you ever read a book where EVERY single character was unreliable? While this doesn’t mean they’re all bad, it does lead to a very wild ride. This is my first read from Nicole Lundrigan, and absolutely won’t be my last. If you enjoy a thriller that takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions, this one is for you. Told in two different time periods, you will be guessing until the very end! I truly enjoyed reading this and it will easily be one of my favourites of this year!

Molly moves back to her childhood home town only to discover not much as changed there for her. Her son Alex starts investigating Molly’s mothers murder and the circumstances surrounding her death, when Molly was three years old. Molly volunteers for a phone-in help line and soon a mysterious caller is toying and playing with her in a disturbing way.
I enjoyed how the author made me suspect every character, looking for who was involved or could possibly be involved. The small town pharmacy was a wonderful focal point for Molly’s father Gil’s character Dr Wynter. The small town, the pharmacy, the outlook, the lake are all the backdrop for which we desperately need, knowing what happened all those years ago?
I loved the story, the inevitable unwinding of truth and lies. I could not put this book down!
4.5 out of 5 stars

Thanks @penguinrandomhouse and @netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely loved this book! I could not figure out how the story was going to unfold, and did not see the final twist coming. The author definitely blurs the line between good and evil here. This was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 read in my books. Definitely check this one out when it’s released in early March. ❤️ #avivaandfriendsrecos

✨Spoiler Free Review ✨

Title- A man downstairs by @nicolejlundrigan
Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

After being away for years, Molly returns to her childhood home with her son to be close to her now-elderly father who has been struck by illness. As she rebuilds her life, Molly balances her work as an online counselor with voluntary service at a local helpline but with being back home she can’t help wonder if her memories were lacking around her mothers death and the truth.

This psychological thriller kept me engaged until the very end, with its well-crafted plot and unexpected twists at the very end.

Available for purchase March 5th, 2024📚

Thank you @thrillerbookloverspromotions and @penguinrandomhouse for the advanced copy of this novel by the wonderful @nicolejlundrigan ✨

Rating - 4/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Date Read - February 17, 2024
Publication Date - March 5, 2024

*I received an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review* - Thank you @nicolejlundrigan, @penguinrandomca and @netgalley!

In A Man Downstairs, the reader gets inside the head of a stalker, which is always interesting for me! One thing I really appreciated was that the author made it clear when POVs changed. A big reading pet peeve of mine is when authors don’t clearly mark that there is a POV change! Throughout the book, I was suspicious of everyone and I was constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. There are plenty of suspects to keep you guessing and on edge! I also felt like there was the classic unsettled feeling that good thrillers have, but it was slower paced for the most part.

If you like small town, slower paced thrillers, this is the book for you!

Get excited to read A Man Downstairs, available March 5, 2024! 🎉

*Please check trigger warnings*

Another instant 5-star read from Nicole Lundrigan! I read her 2022 mystery thriller An Unthinkable Thing a few months ago and Oh Em Gee did I Love it! The second I saw this new one, I just had to get on it.

What it’s got:
- well done dual timelines and POV’s
- incredibly realistic characters (both ‘good’ & ‘bad’)
- family dysfunction
- fast-paced “who the heck dunnit?” vibes


I'm already looking forward to what Lundrigan gives us next!

Returning to her home town to take care of her ailing father, Molly is also returning to the scene of the crime. 40 years ago her mother was murdered, and her testimony at thee years old helped put a teenager in prison for it. She has some doubts about her impeccable, unwavering memory at three years old, and returning to town not only is her son researching the case, but she begins to receive anonymous calls implying she was wrong. Everyone around her seems connected to her past, her father nurse, 5r neighbour and her new landlord were all friends of Terry, the boy convicted of the crime. Told between stories alternating between Molly in the present, her father Gil, as he met her mother and the story of their marriage, and “him” the teenage boy obsessed with her mother we learn about the past.

Things aren’t what they seem and everyone has suspicion around them. It’s hard to determine reality from imagination in a lot of the perspectives, and Molly finds she can’t trust anyone. It’s a fun, but slow, ride trying to find out what happened all those years ago and if Molly was right as a child or not.

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for this ARC!

This was a slow burn but had me guessing the whole time! I thought I knew the ending/ killer , that changed, again, and again. Lots of twists and turns ,right to the very end!!

4/5 ⭐️

Thank you to @netgalley for my advance copy! I haven’t read anything by Lundrigan yet but I do have An Unthinkable Thing on the shelf (story of my life) I enjoyed the dual timelines and multiple POVs. I feel like that always works really well for a thriller and keeps the reader guessing. The character development was done really well. I felt like I knew Molly. She was going through so many real life problems I just wanted to reach out and help her. The small town feel added to the mystery and made me suspect everyone. This was a solid thriller and I can’t wait to get to her other work!