The Quiet Tenant - Clemence Michallon

Thriller

Rating: 7/10

You might initially believe Aidan is a character straight out of the latest rom-com.

He is a beloved neighbor and hardworking family man in the small town where he lives. He’s charming, objectively handsome, and always willing to lend a hand. But behind the meticulously fabricated veneer, he’s also a kidnapper and serial killer.

He has murdered eight woman and there’s a ninth he has earmarked for death; Rachel a woman he has held captive for five years. And as for the pretty young bartender he is flirting with, her fate is anybody’s guess.

When his wife dies, he is forced to move with his daughter and his captive. A captive who is now being held inside the house and eating at their dinner table. Rachel, whose life has become a tragic crime story, starts to feel hope that she may finally be able to escape.

While we all have reason to shy away from the “serial killer” novels, which have seen a resurgence of popularity in the last year, this one delves a little deeper than most. What is, at a glance, a twisted premise, is in fact a novel that raises unexpected moral considerations.

Ultimately telling a searing and haunting story that focuses on the women. The ones who don’t know the evil that lurks in close proximity, and the ones who are forced to placate a monster to survive.

Be warned, this is not for the faint of heart or those with vulnerability to triggers.

Book Pairing(s):Your Life Is Mine by Nathan Ripley, Dear Child by Romy Hausman, Girl A by Abigail Dean