The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon
🫢 The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon — Too Quiet for a Thriller
⭐️⭐️☆☆☆ (2 out of 5)
Genre: Psychological Suspense / Literary Thriller / Emotional Damage Disguised as a Plot
Warning: 🚨 Full spoilers ahead! And a full rant, too.
📉 Major Letdown Alert: Where’s the Thriller?
Okay. Deep breath.
I was SO excited for this book.
Everyone was hyping it up like it was the next Room meets Gone Girl with a splash of Dexter.
Instead, I got a slow-moving, emotionally moody character study about a serial killer… with absolutely zero mystery. Like, I’m talking none.
If this book had a tagline it’d be:
“Hey, here’s a serial killer. Now let’s watch him go grocery shopping.”
🧍♂️ Meet Aidan: Killer, Father, Professional Red Flag
The book revolves around Aidan Thomas, a small-town handyman, widower, devoted dad, and secret serial killer. (Spoiler: it’s not really a spoiler, they tell you on page one.)
He’s got a teenage daughter named Cecilia, a dead wife who died of cancer, and a local girlfriend named Emily who runs a bar. He seems like the perfect, grieving single dad… but behind the scenes?
He stalks, kidnaps, and sexually assaults women. And he kills most of them.
Except for one.
🚪 “Rachel” Lives in the Basement. You Heard That Right.
One of his victims—May Mitchell—is still alive. He keeps her in the basement and refers to her as "Rachel", like she’s some pet hamster or something.
She’s been trapped for years, doing whatever it takes to survive, including pretending to care about Aidan’s feelings while being literally imprisoned under his house. Aidan makes her eat dinner with him sometimes, and honestly, it’s giving ‘ick’ meets insufferable family dinner from hell.
🏡 Surprise! You’re Moving… With Your Kidnapper
After his wife’s death, Aidan decides to move. But instead of doing the normal thing (ya know, freeing your victim and turning yourself in), he moves “Rachel” with him and tells everyone she’s a roommate.
A roommate.
She lives in a shed, helps with household chores, and even bonds with Cecilia, who doesn’t know she’s living with her dad’s basement hostage.
I wish I were joking.
💔 Emily, the Girlfriend, is Giving Lifetime Movie Energy
Then there’s Emily, Aidan’s girlfriend and the local bartender. She spends most of the book worrying why Aidan isn’t texting her back. (Girl, he’s busy being a SERIAL KILLER.)
To her credit, she does eventually grow suspicious, which leads to a dramatic moment where Rachel attempts to escape, and for a brief second I thought, “Yes! Finally! Something’s happening!”
But Aidan catches her.
Again.
And tortures her.
Again.
This happens multiple times.
🖼️ Finally, Evidence… and Finally, Freedom
Eventually, “Rachel” finds her way into the forbidden area (i.e., the creep cave), where she discovers Polaroids, souvenirs, and other classic serial killer keepsakes. She uses this to escape again, and this time, it sticks.
Aidan is arrested, Rachel/May is free, Cecilia is sent to live with her grandparents, and Emily and May share a conversation about the nightmare they just lived through.
The end.
No big twist.
No shocking reveal.
Just a long, sad journey through survival.
😑 Final Thoughts: I’m Still Waiting for the Plot Twist
If this book had been marketed as a slow-burning literary look at the trauma of surviving abuse, I probably would’ve rated it higher. The writing isn’t bad. The characters are fine. The emotional beats work.
But it was billed as a suspense thriller. And there was exactly zero suspense.
We knew who the killer was.
We knew what he was doing.
We even knew who would make it out.
So I spent 300 pages waiting for a twist that never came.
This was not a thriller. It was a depressing road trip through trauma-ville.
I gave it 2/5. Because the writing was competent, and May’s emotional arc did move me a little. But mostly, I’m just… disappointed.
🛒 Buy This Book (If You Must)
👉 Buy The Quiet Tenant on Amazon (affiliate link)
📚 If You Liked This, You Might Actually Prefer…
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Room by Emma Donoghue — The actual gold standard of hostage thrillers
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The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda — Real suspense, with real surprises
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Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell — Missing girls, secrets, and plot twists that pay off
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Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage — When domestic life gets unhinged
💬 Let’s Chat
Did The Quiet Tenant fall flat for you too? Or am I just expecting too much from my thrillers these days? Drop your thoughts in the comments—especially if you found this more compelling than I did!
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