Thank you so much to NetGalley for an advanced copy of "A Man Downstairs" by Nicole Lundrigan! My review is honest, and if you're interested in it-- it will be released on March 5th of 2024!

A Man Downstairs is a very original and creative thriller, and I spent most of the book trying to guess what the twist was going to be but I was wrong.

However I had the hardest time chugging through this. I'm glad I did finish it, it was worth it-- but lots of it dragged for me. Plus, I was reading a advanced digital copy--and while I know this will be fixed by the time it is published-- it was just very hard to read/navigate sometimes. This was no fault to the author or the story itself-- but it did ultimately affect my reading speed and the pacing of the story for me.

There is excellent character development in this, and I really did care for the characters and root for them. I understood motives for decisions made, but some of the interactions felt a little farfetched for me. I did like the ending though and felt it ended on a thought provoking note.

I really enjoyed this thriller! The main character, Molly, is likeable and easy to root for. The mystery at the heart of the story is layered and not easily guessed, which made for a satisfying ending. I will say that the first half of the book dragged for me a bit, which is why I am giving this 4 stars instead of 5. Overall I would recommend this to any reader.

3.5 rounded up!

This was a fun, quick read. It captured my attention and held it throughout the entire book. It had me second guessing who I suspected then pulled the rug out from under me when I was certain I finally knew who all of it was!

I liked the past/present POVs. I found I enjoyed the past POVs way more than the present. Especially the psychotic POV of “Him”. It did get a bit confusing, albeit I think that was the point. Sure AF confused me haha. Honestly though, in a good way.

A Man Downstairs is a captivating tale of past secrets and human frailties told expertly through different POVs from the past and the present.

Thank you to Netgalley for introducing me to the writings of Nicole Lundrigan. I will be seeking out other pieces of works by

🇨🇦 Canadian Author Alert 🇨🇦 This is my first time reading something from this author and I was not disappointed! I was immersed into this story from the very beginning.

Essentially it's a story about a marriage. Gil and Edie who are married in the 1970's. We learn about their trials and tribulations. The story goes back and forth between the past and the marriage and the present with their daughter Molly. Molly has come back to her small town with her teenaged son to care for her father Gil who has suffered a debilitating stroke. We know Molly's mother was murdered many years ago and Molly's testimony when she was only three years old put a man in jail. Just what really happened that fateful night? Will Molly remember everything? I must say it kept me guessing and I loved the twisty ending!

I liked the writing style and it captured my attention from the start. This is not a real thriller as I thought it might be but there were some thrilling scenes especially towards the end. It's really just a very good mystery with a dash of suspense. I'll certainly be reading something else from this author again. I enjoyed this story a lot.

Told from three POVs: Molly Wynters, her father Gil (in the past), and an unknown person with the chapters titled “Him”. Molly and her teenage son Alex have moved home to care for her father who has suffered a devastating stroke. When Molly starts volunteering on a crisis line, and unknown caller knows an awful lot about her and her past. She was only a toddler when her mother Edie was killed, and her testimony sent the killer to prison.
But what if her memories of that tragic day are wrong? The only person who might provide answers is her father. His inability to communicate in any way means that avenue is now closed. Molly will have to follow the clues, and perhaps unlock her own memories of that awful day.
I really enjoyed trying to figure out what happened in the past and who was taunting Molly in the now. My favorite POV was Gil’s, just because it tells the story of her parents' marriage and Molly’s early life. It’s a small town and everyone remembers Edie’s murder, but someone knows more than they are willing to admit. I had my eye on several different characters each time certain that I had identified the killer. I did figure it out a bit before the author reveal, but the ending still shocked me.
A very engaging read on a cold and blustery Sunday.

I loved how the author kept you guessing along the ride of Gil and Edie’s rocky marriage, and their daughter Molly..

I loved the intricate web weaved throughout this entire novel. The story is intriguing, detailed and yet easy to follow. Jumping from the present to the past and the different POVs made the unfolding of the story very enjoyable.

I definitely thought I had the whole thing figured out and let me tell you I was wrong, more than once.

I highly recommend reading this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an advance copy of this book.

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read and review this book before its March 5th release date. This is my first book by this author and while I enjoyed it, it became very clear to me about halfway through how it was going to end. I felt that even though it was a great story, that it dragged on a little longer than it needed to. The character development was well done and the plot was very easy to follow throughout the book. I did like this author's writing style! I will likely read more books by this author.

This was an excellent, twisty, couldn’t put it down thriller, revolving around trauma, memory, and family secrets. I don’t want to spoil anything but I will say, it’s a fast, twisted read that goes in unexpected places. Perfect for anyone looking for a quick, thrilling beach read this summer or a dark and twisted family tale for the fall.

What an amazing thriller! It was sad, and mysterious, and had me captivated the whole time. I did not see the plot twists coming it was told perfectly to mislead the readers. Fantastic book.

A Man Downstairs by Nicole Lundrigan (An Unthinkable Thing, Hideaway, The Substitute)

Thank you @netgalley and @penguinrandomca for the opportunity to read the eARC of A Man Downstairs!

Pub date: March 5, 2024

What an amazing psychological thriller! Told from multiple POV’s with flashbacks to the past, this book kept me on my toes the entire time. It keeps you second guessing who you think the killer is, and does a great job of hiding who it is.

This is my first Nicole Lundrigan novel, but I will definitely be going back to read her other books! Definitely recommend this one.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
This is a fast paced psychological thriller. I enjoyed the pacing and writing style. All of the characters were multi faceted. The “good” people were distinguished not by their good choices, but by how their bad choices grew to haunt them. I thought there were going to be loose threads, but in the end, they were tied up in the creepiest way possible. This book will keep you guessing!

juneeeee 🥹🥹
gil…
man! the way people back in the day were just pillheads, on that heavy stuff too so casually, blows my mindddd
god like
gil did some fked up stuff
but i liked him? like a lot
i really liked the way his character was written

this book really made you look sideways at
e v e r y o n e. literally. everyone!
i won’t even say who i suspected
and i won’t say if i was right
but i wasn’t
ok i’ll tell you
this author really knows how to write a book and connect everything together cohesively.
so many mysteries were going on at once, past and present were converging, and … +*+flow+*+

A MAN DOWNSTAIRS by Nicole Lundrigan

Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: AN UNTHINKABLE THING which blew me away

Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/9780735242722

Release Date: March 5th, 2024

General Genre: Thrillers, Suspense, Psychological, Murder Mystery/Crime

Sub-Genre/Themes: Small town, teenage boys, marriage, infidelity, memories, ailing parents, neighbors, mental illness, motherhood, high school, buried secrets

Writing Style: Dual timelines and multiple POVs, character-driven, intricately plotted, short chapters, clever/stylish/compelling

What You Need to Know: The author saw me recommending AN UNTHINKABLE THING on social media and offered me a NetGalley widget for this book.

My Reading Experience: Much like my introduction to Lundrigan’s work (An Unthinkable Thing), I was immediately caught up in the intricate web the author so expertly weaves. A quality psychological thriller eases the reader into the lives of the protagonists slowly, allowing time to get to know everything we need to before the suspense begins to change the mood/tone and before our minds start developing theories.

Dual timelines and multiple POVs can be tricky. If one of the narratives is more compelling than the others, it’s difficult to transition out of the one that is holding your attention just to meander through something that doesn’t feel as interesting. But that is not the case with this book. There are essentially three main POVs and all of them had me glued to the page. This author is particularly skilled in dropping breadcrumbs–just little pieces of information that seem innocuous all on their own but triggering enough to alert the reader to hang on to the little crumb for later.

The characters are colorful and vivid. Not all of them are likable, and every single one of them is flawed. This works in the reader’s favor, trust me. In fact, I hate when a thriller tries to win me over with morally wholesome characters, it’s too unrealistic. The story unravels like a movie in my mind. I had this one perfect cast. All the major players are clearly defined with unique, easily distinguishable, fully developed personalities. The female protagonists are especially complex and unpredictable.
A perfect cast of suspicious people against the backdrop of an idyllic small-town setting where everyone knows everything about everyone and there is too much history. Loved every minute of this.

Final Recommendation: Perfect for readers who enjoy complex, psychological murder mysteries set in a small town and featuring a main character who must return to their childhood home (the scene of a crime) to take care of an ailing parent or an inherited estate. The traumatic past of being involved in a small-town murder investigation catches up to them forcing the MC to wrestle with details of the crime they have ignored for so long.

Comps: Dark Places by Gillian Flynn, In the Woods by Tana French, Mare of Eastown (2021) TV show