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The Quiet Tenant

A Novel

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The Quiet Tenant

Written by: Clémence Michallon
Narrated by: Gilli Messer, Elena Rey, Valerie Rose Lohman, Amber Battaglia, Reba Buhr, Clémence Michallon, Jess Nahikian, Aure Nash, Milly Sanders, Sara Sheckells, Yu-Li Alice Shen
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About this listen

NATIONAL BEST SELLER • A NEW YORK TIMES BEST CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR • GMA BUZZ PICK • “A bravura feat of storytelling...daring and completely satisfying.” —James Patterson, #1 best-selling author

A PULSE-POUNDING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER ABOUT A SERIAL KILLER NARRATED BY THOSE CLOSEST TO HIM: HIS 13-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER, HIS GIRLFRIEND—AND THE ONE VICTIM HE HAS SPARED

"Intelligent and suspenseful." —Paul Tremblay, author of
The Cabin at the End of the World

“All…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…truly unforgettable.” — Alafair Burke, author of
The Wife

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.

©2023 Clémence Michallon (P)2023 Random House Audio
Crime Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller Fiction Exciting
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What the critics say

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • GMA BUZZ PICK • A LibraryReads #1 Pick

One of The Washington Post’s Notable Summer Books 2023

One of Vogue’s Best Books of 2023

One of Goodreads’s Most Anticipated Books of 2023

One of New York Post’s Best Summer Books

One of CrimeReads’ Most Anticipated Books of 2023

One of Apple’s Best Books of the Month–June 2023

"An expertly paced psychological thriller . . . with a white-knuckle climax."The New York Times Book Review

“A gripping psychological suspense novel . . . Michallon’s riveting tale shows a killer through the eyes of the women in his life.”The Washington Post

“Clémence Michallon has written a classic on her first try. The Quiet Tenant is a daring and completely satisfying . . . bravura feat of storytelling . . . Who in her right mind would attempt a novel utilizing the first, second, and third-person? And then have the skill to actually pull it off.”—James Patterson, #1 best-selling author

What listeners say about The Quiet Tenant

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fabulous…..beyond fabulous!

From the first page I was riveted……I loved this book and have recommended it to 20 fellow readers. Anyone who wants to say this is anything but a great book…….well I won’t say it. I’ll only think it. M

Buy this book!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Well written terrifying story

A situation you would never wish yourself or anyone to be in. Written and narrated in a way that exposes how easy it could happen. Applause for all the narration - gripping.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Boring

I felt like the ended was rushed and unsatisfying. No closure for secondary characters. The story was so long and drawn out but the climax was boring

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great listen! Suspenseful and intriguing

Couldn’t stop listening! Great voiceovers from the cast made it very believable and helped you invest in the storyline.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Good premise, but many missed opportunities.

I wanted to like this one, but I didn’t like that I was made to be a main character; the POV being ‘you’, so… ‘me’. I liked the storyline, but I felt like the author skirted around the grit. A woman in this main characters position would have been experiencing psychological warfare, mental distress, defeat, body pain, desperation… even a strong character would have at least had that mental dialogue with themself, and considering the ‘you’ POV, there just wasn’t enough digging into the psyche. That inner strength was muted. If you’re going to make me a character, in this type of scenario, it needs to dig deeper, be raw, be emotional, be rewarding.

The story dragged on and even when it could have been more explosive, it just wasn’t. The character development was only skin deep, there was no digging into the characters histories or motivations. Only one of the main personalities had any real history through the body of book, but again, not enough to be interesting, or demand investment from the Reader. Too many missed opportunities.

I’m not sure that the narration on here influenced my enjoyment or not. The narrator voices were fine, but I don’t think they helped to make this book more interesting.

I’m not sure that I would have finished it if I wasn’t a bit OCD about completing books. I was waiting for the good part, and even though the book is done, I feel like I’m still kind of waiting for it.

Sorry, this one just didn’t hit the mark. I really wanted it to, but sadly no.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Suspenseful. But underwhelming

Lots of on the edge of your seat moments. And some really dissapointing elements. So much could have been done with this kind of story. It’s missing so much back story that you want to scream.
These characters could have had so much more. But…. It also wasn’t boring. You wanted to know what happened and you’re yearning for more.
It’s one of those stories you wanted to be great. But kinda falls in the ending.
I’d have developed the characters more deeply and wished for more background on the characters that only show up for a chapter or a moment.
Narration was wonderful. It just didn’t show up enough.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Couldn’t put it down

Incredible performances & gripping story. 10/10 would recommend this book. Wishing I could experience it for the first time again.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved every minute

Excellent story and fabulous narrations - didn’t want it to end. I’ll be looking for this authors next book for sure!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good suspenseful moments

There was some good suspense a bit like Stephen King’s Misery, but somehow the characters were too weak and flimsy to care deeply about whether they lived or died, like when you see victims in a horror movie who keep tripping and making stupid choices while being chased. Still, the author’s skill in building suspense is masterful enough to keep you going.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good until the end

This kept me interested throughout the entire book, I liked the different point of views. Where it fell short for me was the ending. I needed more from the main characters ending. It felt rushed to me and left me feeling disappointed with how it was left.

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