LoveReading Says
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.
About The Quiet Tenant
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.
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Clemence Michallon Press Reviews
From the first page, you can say farewell to sleep, conversation, Netflix. This is Room meets Notes on an Execution, a brilliant, breathtaking thriller with characters you love - and love to hate. I didn't know whether to tear to the end or savour every page - Abigail Dean, bestselling author of Girl A
Clemence Michallon has written a classic on her first try. The Quiet Tenant is a daring and completely satisfying mystery; a one-of-a-kind; a bravura feat of storytelling - James Patterson
Breathtakingly brilliant. I tore through it and was absolutely hooked from the first chapter. It tells us so much about how gender works in our society, about power dynamics in relationships and what can lie behind the illusion of a good husband, father and neighbour. An absorbing and addictive psychological thriller - I couldn't put it down - Edel Coffey, bestselling author of Breaking Point
I was pulled in from the very first page. The plot was masterful, the many threads honed and pulled taut kept me turning pages. I loved the dynamic between the protagonist and victims, which is very truthful and powerfully told. It's an extraordinarily accomplished debut and I know will do very well - as it deserves to - Jane Shemilt, bestselling author of The Patient
This impressive debut follows the escape plan of a woman held captive in plain sight by an outwardly respectable serial killer - Janice Hallett, Crime Reads
Immersive from page one, thrilling, at times unbearably tense, intelligent, electrifying and moving. I loved it - Catherine Ryan Howard, bestselling author of Run Time
An extraordinary and utterly original debut. Michallon has created a modern masterpiece. I can't wait to read what she does next! - Victoria Selman, bestselling author of Truly, Darkly, Deeply
The tension in The Quiet Tenant grips from the very first page. The novel's emotional intensity never lets go, keeping hold until the very last page. A wonderful debut' - Rob Gold, author of Eleven Liars
I loved this book so much. So disturbing but so beautifully written. Clemence Michallon is an author to watch out for. A truly outstanding debut. - Khurrum Rahman, author of the Jay Qasim trilogy
Clemence Michallon has managed to re-imagine the serial killer novel, delivering all (and frankly, more) of the expected suspense and psychological tension, but offering a story about women - the ones who didn't know the evil that lurked within, the ones who tried to placate or fight but still perished, the ones who might actually survive. Haunting but never prurient, The Quiet Tenant is truly unforgettable. Read it - Alafair Burke
Clemence Michallon's The Quiet Tenant is a spell-binding Trojan horse of a novel, bracing and beguiling. A dangerous man and his unforgivable crimes are its seeming center but, in Michallon's nimble hands, the novel soon reveals itself to be a story of female strength, cunning, depth and power - Megan Abbott
Stunning. Terrifying. Impossible to put down. A remarkable achievement - Lisa Ballantyne, author of Richard and Judy bestseller The Guilty One
The Quiet Tenant seethes with male anger and aggression and yet its beating heart is about the strength of women and our ability to survive. I was desperate to find out what happened to Rachel and all the characters because I was so invested. Beautifully written and observed - Araminta Hall
A mystery that is at once riveting and heartrending, The Quiet Tenantis a sharply insightful look at what it means to live and love as a woman in this harrowing world. It is truly extraordinary - Kimberly McCreight, New York Times bestselling author of Friends Like These
The Quiet Tenant is a humane thriller, one that doesn't shy from asking the most difficult questions of its characters and its readers, and dares, ultimately, hopeful answers. Intelligent and suspenseful, I couldn't stop turning the pages - Paul Tremblay, bestselling author of The Cabin at the End of the World
The Quiet Tenant is an absolutely brilliant, incredibly delicious, edge-of-your-set thriller. Imagine Jodi Picoult meets Jeffery Deaver and then watch as Clemence Michallon exceeds every one of your expectations. She's that good. The book is that good. And the ending is a killer! - Brad Thor, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dead Fall
In this dazzling debut thriller from journalist Michallon, handsome Hudson Valley family man Aidan Thomas has a ghastly secret in his shed - and even worse ones hidden elsewhere...The ensuing match of wits and wills between Rachel and Aidan becomes almost excruciating in Michallon's skillful hands, and as challenging as the going can get, it's impossible to look away from. This is a smart, female-focused inversion of the serial killer thriller perfect for readers who otherwise wouldn't give the genre a second look - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
While a widowed man falls for a bartender, the woman he's held hostage for years plots her escape in this fast-paced thriller . . . A twisted premise that raises unexpected moral questions - Kirkus Reviews
