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Book Review of The Quiet Tenant

The Quiet Tenant
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On Your Mark, Get Set...

Run! Run! Get out of there! Geez... why doesn't she get the hell out of there? -- My brain at more than one point here...

Rachel is "The Quiet Tenant," a woman abducted and held prisoner for five years. Her captor, Aidan, is a respected widower whose thirteen-year-old daughter, Cecelia, has no clue Rachel is being held against her will, nor is she aware Dad is a serial killer. Here's an unconventional family.

The story is structured in an unusual manner-- switching first, second and third person narratives from chapter to chapter. It takes a little getting used to and may be jarring at first, but once you get onto the rhythm, it is really effective. We see Rachel's fragile mindset. We see short disturbing vignettes of victims in their last moments. We see Cecelia's blind love for her father and the unwillingness to recognize his villainy.

As things develop and Rachel seems to have the opportunity to make a break for it, patience is stretched, and her actions / inactions seem questionable. Clemence Michallon does supply us with insight into Rachel's fears and concerns, however. The goal of this type of thriller is for the tension to mount as the inevitable showdown arrives-- and the payoff here was well worthwhile. I found myself reading at a breakneck pace-- nothing was going to stop me from finishing as I sped into the finale. It really was a rush.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.