A Man Downstairs was a creepy thriller that held my attention for its entirety! The story takes place in two different timelines and with 3 narrators. This book is absolutely filled with unlikable characters and unreliable narrators (which I’m only a fan of in thrillers).
Molly ends up back in her hometown to take care of her Father and deep dive into some of her past and her mothers death. I really enjoyed the authors writing style and am looking forward to reading more books by this author in the future :)

3.5 stars

Slow burn thrillers are not my favorite, but they can reel me in every now and then. This one had potential as the reader follows MC Molly and her attempts to decipher the series of events that led her mother’s death.

I did enjoy the multiple POVs and the dual timeline; however, it was difficult to keep track of the number of characters. The biggest issue I had with this book was the pacing as it took around 75% for the plot to really pick up.

The writer has some talent, and I will definitely look out for her next book and give it a try.

After reading Lundrigan's novel An Unthinkable Thing, I was very eager to get my hands on her newest release.

This thriller locked me right from the beginning and kept me guessing to the very end. I enjoyed the small town setting and a suspicious group of characters. There's a past and present timeline to keep close attention on as I got mixed up a couple of times.

I will say this book made my spine chill and gave me the ick in the best way possible. It's definitely bingeable!

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC from Penguin Random House Canada!

I enjoy how Lundrigan changed the tone of her writing to suit her "then" and "now" perspectives, giving the "then" narrative and conversation a 1970s feel. I was piqued of who "he" was because of the story's nameless point of view. The plot was interesting but the pace of the book was pretty slow. The ending was wrapped up nicely but I was hoping for a bigger twist!

This is my first book by Nicole Lundrigan and I am completely blown away by how GOOD this book is! I loved the characters, the storyline, and the ending! Oh my gosh, the ending!! Chefs kiss. I loved it all. I highly recommend!

This was a brilliantly written story. It is split into two parts. One part "now" follows Molly as she moves back to her home town to care for her father after he has an awful stroke. The second part "then" follows Mollys father; from when he met Molly's mum, right up to when she died and he was left a single dad to his 3 year old daughter. A daughter that had witnessed the death of her mother. But Molly soon realises that sometimes your memories aren't always the full story.
I really enjoyed this one and I look forward to reading more from this author.

After many years away, a therapist moves back to her childhood town with her diabetic son to take care of her disabled father.

Memories flash back to when, at three years old, she testified that a teen had murdered her mother. The town knows the real story, but will she be able to really remember it? Did she really witness the murder like she testified so many years ago?

The timelines take us to the early sixties when her parents met and to the present day where the past is catching up.

This book will keep you riveted until the very end.

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

Overall, this was a very likable book. Everybody loves mysterious family drama. The last twist at the end definitely threw me for a loop!! This book is mote of a slow burn, but picks up around 75% in.

This is the first time I read from this author, and for sure, I added her into my auto-read author from now on.

Molly, when she was just three years old, she testified against a teenager who murdered her mother.
Molly and her son now returned home to care for her father, Gil, who suffered a stroke.
The story is presented through past and recent timelines, with multiple POV. It's intriguing as there's one POV that will make you wonder who this person is. The past timeline gives us a background of Molly's parents' marriage before she was born. A few shady, unreliable characters and lots of red herrings along the story make this book an unputdownable one. I loved how the truths are spilled slowly at the end.

A Man Downstairs is a slow burn thriller as Molly attempts to figure out the series of events that surrounds her mother’s death. The story is told from 3 different POVs and 2 different timelines. The POV of the mystery man was very creepy and made you wonder how he properly fit into the story. There were a lot of characters that made it difficult to keep track of. I often found myself trying to remember who certain characters were. There was one reveal toward the end that I wish was addressed or at least resolved in the final chapters, but it wasn’t brought up again. The writing was strong but the story overall could’ve benefited from a little more pace. (3.25/5)

**This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Molly returns to her hometown to care for her father and faces memories of her past. She was only 3 years old and her testimony was the key to the case. Now, her teenage son has taken interest in uncovering facts from the case and she starts to question everything.

This book kept you guessing where it was headed and weaved in the past with present time along with the mysterious “him.” The story was well written and the characters were developed along the way to keep the reader guessing how it would end.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reading copy and opportunity to review this book.

This was my first novel by this author and it was so good! Will be definitely be reading more. This story was told in multiple POVs and dual timelines. To make it even better, there is an ‘anonymous character’ that we get their perspective! Kinda creepy. This was a little bit of a slow burn to start but the story and timelines were woven together well. It kept me intrigued and wondering what would happen next. It did finally pick up and I didn’t want to put it down! I enjoyed the plot and how it wasn’t just the same old story line that’s been overdone. I would consider this a domestic mystery type of book. Another one that I could easily see myself watching on Lifetime Mystery channel! I read this ebook but after seeing so many rave reviews on the audiobook, I think I may just have to listen to that as well!

Thank you to my partners, Thriller Book Lovers Promotion, Viking Books, and NetGalley, and the author. I appreciate the gifted eARC, and I am leaving this review voluntarily!

1. 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 - The things that the kid who is in love with the lunch lady dreams about are a bit deranged. To be able to think that clearly about things that are not actually happening is quite profound.

2. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐁𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐦 - Molly’s mom just might not have been the angel she remembers her as. As the story progresses, the reader begins to see her in a different light. And really, it is alarming how many of the characters are brought into a new light by the end!

3. 𝐀 𝐌𝐚𝐧 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐬 - Now this book title has some interesting implications throughout. More than one character fits this description and each one has a huge part in the plot!

4. 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 - These characters have so much family and friendship drama to deal with in their lives. From the past to the present, the reader is immersed in the laborious efforts that go into keeping the relationships intact.

5. 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 - Molly truly has to grapple with who she can trust in her hometown when she moves back with her son, Alex. So many people have a shady persona and it proves to be the biggest struggle. And even when we think she has it all figured out, that epilogue comes out of nowhere and leaves the reader with an uneasy aura.

Just finished reading “The Man Downstairs “by Nicole Lundrigan.

This book is about Molly, a therapist, who at 4 years old witnessed the death of her mother. She returns to her hometown with her teenage son after her father has a stroke.

Although, she was clear on who killed her mother, she is starting to have doubts about her memories. As we meet the characters in town, we start to think any of them could be a suspect. Everyone seems a bit shady and this helps you not realize the truth until the end.

The multiple points of view in the past and present keep you guessing. Definitely recommend!

Oh, the twists and turns! What a great “coming home” story filled with interesting characters and suspense up to the very end! I wasn’t fully satisfied with the plot line and felt that some ends were left untied, but it was a great read!

After her father is felled by a stroke, Molly Winters packs up and heads back to her hometown with her son to help take care of her father. She hopes that this will be a fresh start for her after just getting divorced, but returning home brings up unwanted memories from her past. The memories from that awful childhood night when her mom was murdered. When she starts working on the local phone helpline, she begins to get threatening calls. She no longer feels safe, and she's beginning to wonder what really happened that night her mom was murdered.

Oh my goodness! This book is so addictive! As you're taken on the journey of the past and present, you begin to slowly piece together the story of Molly's mother and what happened the night of her murder. You're left in a constant state of questioning if what three year old Molly really saw was accurate and if her childhood was all rainbows and unicorns like she thought it was. There's an omnious "him" narrator in the past timeline who is creepy as all get out. When the past and present finally collide and we find out the truth, oh my wow! What a twist. That epilogue!! I about fell off my couch! I didn't see that one coming at all! If you enjoy a slow-burn, character driven thriller, then you need to run and add this to your tbr.

Small town mystery with lots of lies and betrayals - yes please! This novel had a little bit of everything - suspense, family drama, mental health, dark secrets, romance and lots of twist and turns! It is a slow burn thriller, but after about halfway, it was hard to put down! The plot is very character driven with each character almost having their own subplot that all comes together in the end.

I tried to get into this one but it unfortunately fell flat for me. I couldn't get into it at all, it was so slow and nothing truly happened. It never picked up enough for me to get into it. I had to DNF at 25%.

I became an instant fan of Nicole’s when I read An Unthinkable Thing in one sitting. 😂 I’ve been so excited to read more by her and A Man Downstairs didn’t disappoint!

This book was so well plotted and put together. Filled with intricate details that all
work themselves together to tell one compelling story.

The multiple POV and dual timelines perfect well this well thought out plot.

One POV brought the chilling and dark parts that I love in a thriller. I was kept guessing the whole time and wasn’t able to solve the mystery - the best!

This was such a captivating, smart book! From the very first pages, I found it difficult to put down.
I loved that the story was told in alternating timelines, slowly unravelling the years-old mystery while also setting the stage for the present-day reveal. I would most certainly recommend this book to any mystery and/or thriller readers!