The Quiet Tenant

The Quiet TenantONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED NOVELS OF 2023 'From the first page, you can say farewell to sleep 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 Daring and completely satisfying' James Patterson 'An absorbing and addictive psychological thriller I couldn't put it down' Edel

ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED NOVELS OF 2023

'From the first page, you can say farewell to sleep...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... Daring and completely satisfying' James Patterson

'An absorbing and addictive psychological thriller - I couldn't put it down' Edel Coffey

'I was pulled in from the very first page... The plot was masterful, the many threads honed and pulled taut kept me turning pages' Jane Shemilt

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.

Aidan Thomas is a hardworking family man and a respected member of his community. He's the kind of man who always lends a hand and has a good word for everyone. He's also a kidnapper and serial killer who has murdered eight women. And there's a ninth, a woman he calls Rachel, imprisoned in a backyard shed where she fears 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 too, introducing her to Cecilia as a family friend who needs a place to stay. He knows that after five years of captivity, Rachel is too frightened of the consequences to attempt to escape. But Rachel is a fighter and a survivor. 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.

The Quiet Tenant explores the psychological impact of Aidan's crimes on the women in his life through the voices of Rachel, Cecilia, and Emily - 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 novel by a major talent.
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, author of Breaking Point

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

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, bestselling author of Perfect Strangers and Everything and Nothing

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

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

Stunning. Terrifying. Impossible to put down. A remarkable achievement - Lisa Ballantyne, author of Richard and Judy bestseller The Guilty One

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
Clemence Michallon was born in France. She received an MS in Journalism from Columbia University in New York, and started working as a journalist for the Independent in 2018. She has interviewed artists from Judd Apatow to Ben Platt and authors such as Rumaan Alam, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Curtis Sittenfeld. Her essays, features, and reporting have covered true-crime, celebrity culture, and literature.

She moved to New York City in 2014 and became a US citizen in 2022. She now divides her time between New York and Rhinebeck with her husband and their dog Claudine. The Quiet Tenant is her debut thriller.

You can find her on Instagram @Clemencemichallon, where she often posts about crime novels, mysteries, and thrillers, and on Twitter @Clemence_Mcl.