The Quiet Tenant
Ratings68
Average rating3.7
Aidan Thomas is a hard-working family man and a somewhat beloved figure in the small upstate New York town where he lives. He’s the kind of man who always lends a hand and has a good word for everyone. But Aidan has a dark secret he’s been keeping from everyone in town and those closest to him. He’s a kidnapper and serial killer. Aidan has murdered eight women and there’s a ninth he has earmarked for death: Rachel, imprisoned in a backyard shed, fearing 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 along, introducing her to Cecilia as a “family friend” who needs a place to stay. Aidan is betting on Rachel, after five years of captivity, being too brainwashed and fearful to attempt to escape. But Rachel is a fighter and survivor, and recognizes Cecilia might just be the lifeline she has waited for all these years. As Rachel tests the boundaries of her new living situation, she begins to form a tenuous connection with Cecilia. 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.
Told through the perspectives of Rachel, Cecilia, and Emily, The Quiet Tenant explores the psychological impact of Aidan’s crimes on the women in his life—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 thriller by a major talent.
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4 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book was a wild ride! Following the three females closest to Adien Thomas, a serial killer. His daughter, his lover, and his victim.
This was a fight for survival that definitely had me anxious at times! The writing was beautiful, almost in the way you see more in fantasy than in thrillers. Rachel's tips for surviving “outside the shed” being tucked away into my memory. This book had me anxious, and also feeling gaslit and manipulated.
This was definitely slower paced for my liking but the short chapters kept me reaching for more. There are somethings the women in this book did that made me roll my eyes a bit. Rachel I gave more grace to than Emily.
The ending tied up nicely and I throughly enjoyed! Can't believe this is this authors debut!
Wow.
I think that's the appropriate response to a book like this. I can't wrap my hand around the fact that this is a debut when it feels like it was written by an author who has been writing books like this for years.
The Quiet Tenant was gripping, heart-racing and so much fun. I was on edge the entire time I was reading this, constantly wondering what was going to come next. It was almost as if I could feel the anxiety and emotions of the characters.
The change of point of view from different characters in each chapter was the highlight for me because I loved reading from their perspectives and seeing how each moment was viewed differently by them all. Each character was so unique but they each were connected by the same man.
This is what you expect to read when you pick up a psychological thriller and I am so happy I was able to receive an ARC for this.
I'm excited to read what comes next from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for providing me with this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Loved the style and hearing about 3 different women in Aiden's life. This reminded me a lot of Room. The only thing was that there was a lot of buildup and the big ending scene felt a little lackluster and rushed.
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