"A debut psychological thriller that delivers one heck of a knockout punch, it’s oh-so clever and beautifully provocative."
This is one of those reads that is wonderfully entertaining while being fiercely powerful and thought-provoking. Pillar of the community and doting father Aidan Thomas is a serial killer, and for the last five years has kept a woman captive in a shed, his life begins to unravel when he is forced to move. My attention was captured from the get-go with the women taking centre stage, allowing you to see Aidan Thomas through their eyes. Questions started to slither around in my head and they kept my thoughts company in uneasy contemplation. There are a number of strands, and a number of stories to tell, the differences between the women highlighting how difficult it can be to decode and understand what is referred to as the nature of good and evil. Clemence Michallon handles the dark side of this novel with huge sensitivity, and she pushed my thoughts into unknown places. The tension increases page by page, and I felt tested, wondering what I would have done, how I would have reacted. Through it all, through the wincing pain and intensity, this is still the most exquisitely readable and thrilling tale which has earned this debut a LoveReading Star Book recommendation. Equal parts mesmerising and terrifying The Quiet Tenant is uniquely satisfying and rewarding, it deserves to fly.
| Primary Genre | Thriller and Suspense |
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He took you and you have been his for five years. But you have been careful. Waiting for him to mess up. It has to be now.
Aidan Thomas is a hardworking family man and a respected member of his community. He's the kind of man who always lends a hand and has a good word for everyone. He's also a kidnapper and serial killer who has murdered eight women. And there's a ninth, a woman he calls Rachel, imprisoned in a backyard shed where she fears for her life.
When Aidan's wife dies, he and his thirteen-year-old daughter, Cecilia, are forced to move. Aidan has no choice but to bring Rachel too, introducing her to Cecilia as a family friend who needs a place to stay. He knows that after five years of captivity, Rachel is too frightened of the consequences to attempt to escape. But Rachel is a fighter and a survivor. And when Emily, a local restaurant owner, develops a crush on the handsome widower, she finds herself drawn into Rachel and Cecilia's orbit, coming dangerously close to discovering Aidan's secret.
The Quiet Tenant explores the psychological impact of Aidan's crimes on the women in his life through the voices of Rachel, Cecilia, and Emily - and the bonds between those women that give them the strength to fight back. Both a searing thriller and an astute study of trauma, survival, and the dynamics of power, The Quiet Tenant is an electrifying debut by a major talent.
The Quiet Tenant features in the following genres: Thriller and Suspense, Debuts, General Fiction, Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Psychological thriller, Fiction, Recommendations, Debut Books of the Month, Star Books, Crime and Mystery, Narrative theme: Death, grief, loss, Fiction: narrative themes
The Quiet Tenant is available in Paperback, Hardback
The Quiet Tenant was written by Clemence Michallon and published by Abacus an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group
The Quiet Tenant has 303 pages
£9.89
