The Man Downstairs serves up some great entertainment as it untangles the answer to the question around if our memories can really be trusted.

I quite enjoyed this little mystery and I really loved the movement back and forth from present day, to the past and early days of Molly's parents relationship, which was not at all what it seemed, and not at all how her father had shared it with her. The ever increasing tension and the mysterious "Him" chapters had me flying through the book to see how it would all come together.

I do love a small town-esq mystery too - where all the characters know everyone else, and where the secrets and bad behavior linger like a fog. Admittedly there were a few "a-ha" moments in this story that got wrapped up a little to quickly and neatly for me, but in the end I was pleasantly surprised by how the final reveals played out.

No spoilers, but this is really easy reading and simple entertainment for your spring reading lists.

Many thanks to the publisher for my copy!

dnf @41%. while i enjoyed the premise, and am grateful to have had access to an advance copy, i can’t say that this was particularly good. the book formatting was distractingly *awful*, indents everywhere, random lines skipped, etc which would not have hindered my enjoyment if i actually liked the book.

i tried to to give it a go, i really did, however, there were no likeable characters, it all felt a little too far removed from reality, and the number of different POVS instead of adding to the plot lent themselves to being confusing, and made my head spin.

thank you netgalley for the ARC.

If you enjoy suspense novels, you're going to want to pick up Nicole Lundrigan's latest - A Man Downstairs.
Molly Wynters returns home to her small town as her father isn't well. And her mother? She was murdered when Molly was very young. Being back in town raises all kinds of questions for not just Molly - but for all of those who remember...

Lundrigan tells The Man Downstairs in a now and then timeline. I've always enjoyed this style. With each new chapter, a clue, a memory, an action is revealed, making it very hard to put the book down for the night.

There's a large number of characters, most of them aware of the death of Molly's mother. But as an adult now, Molly questions the past and the part that she and others played in her demise. We, as readers, are privy to chapters from other players. Molly's father has lost his speech with his stroke, but he is given a voice with a 'past' chapter. I have to say that the chapters attributed to 'Him' were so very creepy!

Lundrigan has woven her suspense tale with an exploration of marriage, trust, love, family and loss. This is most definitely a character driven book.

I was so very sure that I had the right character for the final whodunit. And I was happily wrong! I really appreciate not seeing a twist or turning coming.

An excellent suspense tale. I really enjoyed this book and will be looking for Lundrigan's next book

A Man Downstairs is a slow burn. If constant twists and reveals are your thing, then this might not be the book for you,, but, if you like a layered buildup, full of texture and detail, then you're sure to love Nicole Lundigan's newest release. It;s hard to say too much in a review of this book without spoilers, but, once it grabs you, it;s a race to the finish, because the identity of the real villain isn't as obvious as you think.

A Man Downstairs is a engrossing slow burn, character driven, tangled web of a domestic suspense story. I really enjoyed the dual timeline, multiple POV structure. I’m definitely planning on reading the author’s backlist & will definitely recommend it going forward.

Thank you to NetGalley, Nicole Lundrigan and Penguin Random House Canada for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This kept me interested until about half way and then I lost interest until it started to ramp back up. It was a clever idea and I enjoyed a large majority of the book.

Molly is headed back to her hometown after her father has a stroke and needs constant care. Back to where memories of murder still haunt her. A teenager was convicted for the death of her mother, but others are not so sure that Molly's testimony and memory were accurate and some still question what she saw when she was a child. At his new school, her son has decided to dig into a local case for law class and never before has he dug into his homework like he has with this class, and then Molly finds out what case he chose to research and now he is questioning things. Told from various points of view, I could not tell who was guilty and with each chapter it seemed the finger pointed at someone else, then back to a different character, then maybe back to this person. I flew through this novel and just had to find out what really happened that night and how all of these characters were connected as well as the voice with no name. That really added to the story! I enjoyed this one and look forward to reading more by this author. Thank you to Thriller Book Lovers Promotions for the tour invite and to the author, Penguin Random House Canada, and NetGalley for the complementary novel. This review is of my own opinion and accord.

Love this book. Very fast paced and kept me guessing until the very end. I loved how the author weaved between the two time lines and three points of view leading up to the big reveal. The characters were well developed and felt very real. A must read for any thriller fans! Thanks netgalley for the advanced reader copy.

I admire the way Lundrigan switched her writing style to fit her “then” and “now” viewpoints, making the “then” dialogue and narration sound fitting for the 1970s. The anonymous viewpoint of “him” kept the story intriguing and had me constantly guessing who “he” was. I enjoyed the storyline, but the pace was too slow for my personal liking. The ending brought everything together, but I was hoping for more of a twist.

When Molly was 3 she witnessed her mother’s murder. As an eyewitness, she was the key piece of evidence that put the teenaged perpetrator away. But when Molly returns to her home town as an adult to take care of her recently incapacitated father, she begins to wonder if her memories of that day are real. The book follows the point of view of Molly in the present, her father in the years before the murder, and “him,” a teen boy who had an unnatural obsession with Molly’s mother.

This book was captivating. Every time I thought someone was a suspect, something happened that made me question my suspicion. I think I suspected every single person in this book at one point or another. It’s a great psychological thriller for those who are looking for a book that they can’t put down.

Thanks to netgalley, Penguin Random House, and Nicole Lundrigan for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of this book is a woman, who testified at her mother's murder trial when she was only three years old, has to return to that town to care for her dad. Once there, long held secrets begin to be revealed. The writing perfectly captures the angst, frustration, and worry of the various characters. The plotting is complicated, but clever and I did not foresee the ending. Thank you to NetGalley for the digital Advance Reading Copy. I enjoyed it. 4/5 !

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Cana da for this read. Wow!! This was quite twisty. I found this book was not too long and was very detained to keep me reading. The chapters were not too long so it made it very easy to read.

The story is told with three POVs - Molly in the present, her father in the past and 'him' in the past as well.

It took a bit of time for me to connect with Molly, the character is well developed but the dialogue for everyone in the present timeline isn't strong. Most of the interactions and banter between characters doesn't feel natural.

That being said, I really enjoyed the historical timelines. They were both darker and quiet entertaining. The author is purposely vague with certain details to build a mystery but it mostly works.

I was a bit confused at certain points. It felt like there were an awful lot of supporting characters in the mix for the final reveal but with the way it was written, I lost track of who we were talking about a few times.

My only other concern is that the entire series of events is kicked off decades ago by the testimony of three year old - is that even a thing? Decades later an anonymous caller demands the Molly tells the truth... Sorry what, she was three???

Overall not a bad mystery, kept my attention to the end and had me stumped. Gigantic thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to review.

3.5/5

After loving An Unthinkable Thing, I was quick to pick up Lundrigan's latest A Man Downstairs. I was quickly enraptured by the dual timeline and convinced that nothing was as it seemed.

Molly's story was fascinating - being the star witness at three years old in her mother's murder trial was sensational and horrifying. She was a complex character and I liked that her return to her hometown to take care of her father sparked new memories. The small town felt almost like a character in and of itself with the intertwining characters and storylines.

The dual timeline was done really well. Molly's present-day story was interesting and I liked the added layer of her troubled teenage son. The past timeline focusing on Molly's parents Gil and Edie really developed into something I wasn't expecting and I really enjoyed seeing how everything unfolded. The mystery narrator was also exciting and totally surprised me. I thought I had it figured out halfway through and was pleasantly surprised when the rug was pulled out from under me!

All in all, I really enjoyed this one. It was a bit of a slow burn but I often found myself devouring 100 pages in a sitting and not wanting to put it down. If you enjoy a complex mystery with multiple narrators and dual timelines, this is definitely for you!

Thank you to Thriller Book Lover Promotions for the copy!

The one negative that stuck out to me, was a lack of editing - there were far too many spelling and grammar errors which I hope got resolved before it was officially published and released. Aside from that, I really enjoyed this book. The characters were relatable, and introduced nicely. It left you really thinking, and brings up the reality of false memories, which we’re all bound to have. It’s crazy how our views of our childhood are often not the reality, and how easily manipulated young children can be. Overall, I really enjoyed this story and hated ever putting it down.

Thank you net galley for giving me thie opportunity to read 'A Man Downstairs'.
What can I say but wow!!!
I love the genre the plot kept me guessing of what was going to happen.
Molly is a divorced mother of a teenage boy. They move back to her childhood town as her father isn't doing to well as he had a stroke.
Gil is a man who marries later in life, his wife Edie comes from thw wrong side of the tracks. Gil is smitten by Edie's beauty.
Gil and Edie have a baby daughter Molly.
When Molly is 3 is mother is found dead. Who did it? What did little Molly see?
There was a trial and little Molly is on the stand as a witness. Being only 3 she could be easily manipulated by the adults involved.
Was Gil really Molly's father?
Edie worked in the cafateria of the local high school and the boys had a crush on her.
These are my own opinions.
Excellent read.

A Man Downstairs is a slow burn thriller that utilizes 3 POV’s to weave together a captivating mystery. Perfectly depicting how secrets swirl around a small town, the community of Aymes is still reeling from a murder that took place decades before. Things like that just don’t happen in small towns where everyone knows everyone (and their business!). This book also explored the human condition by showcasing the depths of repairing fractured relationships. It truly was a multi-dimensional novel!

Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

This book would be great for fans of Lisa Jewell! The writing is in third and first person, there was a lot of in depth mystery, and the dual time lines were a nice touch!

I really enjoyed this book! It had the perfect amount of suspense and wonder. I thought I had it figured out but the author did a great job at making me second guess myself.

Would recommend this book to friends!

This thriller had me hooked from the first page. A woman returns to her hometown where her mother was murdered and where her father is currently recovering from a stroke. She not only has to deal with the past but deal with her moody son who is less than thrilled with moving to the small town. There is a dual timeline that I knew would fit into the story but didn’t know how at first. Part of the fun was figuring it out. This is not a light read but exactly what you want in a thriller.