The Tenant by Angela Lester
Genre: Psychological thriller, Noir, Suspense
Read: 6th May 2022
Published: 8th May 2022
★★★ 3 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Amy is the perfect landlady. But she does have some ground rules…
Kate has always dreamed of a life in music. And now she’s finally done something about it – giving up her steady job, moving to the city to enroll in a degree program at a prestigious college.
Needing a place to live, she answers an ad and moves in with Amy who seems a nice lady – mothering and protective.
At first Kate is glad to have some support in this strange city, but gradually Amy’s presence becomes more and more stifling – it just seems so hard to get away from her. And every time Kate tries, something terrible happens…
As her life spirals downwards, Kate struggles to understand what’s happening. Is Amy plotting against her? Or is she simply buckling under the stress of adjusting to her new life?
Fearing for her sanity, Kate knows she needs to get some answers and begins to look into the history of the creepy old house she shares with Amy. What she finds is beyond her worst nightmares…
The Tenant - the terrifying psychological thriller perfect for fans of K L Slater, Jane Renshaw, Teresa Driscoll
MY THOUGHTS:
Home is a place of safety...a place of refuge. But what if it's not?
A former librarian, Kate left Carlisle and moved to Cardiff for a fresh new start. So she quit her job and used her savings to to university to pursue her dream of becoming a music teacher. She finds an ad near the uni whose owner was looking to rent out her spare room and is soon enticed by the inexpensive rent offered. Amy is a writer working on a novel based on her own life of growing up with an alcoholic mother. Initially, Kate felt at ease with Amy who welcomed her into her home and the two women soon become friends.
Then as the weeks go on, strange things begin to happen and Kate starts feeling ill and extremely fatigued. The following morning Amy would report on Kate's behaviour during the night - sleepwalking, rages, drunkenness - followed by excessive sleeping. Added to this is the stress factor of uni - her essays and assignments and being asked to play piano for the choir...in front of an audience, which only adds to her anxiety. As Kate's health deteriorates, so do her her new-found friendships from university. Given that they often end up in the pub after lectures, Amy is forced to remind Kate that maybe these friends are not all that good for her if they are adding to her stress and encouraging her to drink, when she obviously has a problem.
Then come the accusations. The rages. The confusion. And the blackouts. Swiftly followed by reparations as Amy helps her by cleaning up the messes she's made during these blackouts. Even almost killing them both in their beds! Amy seems like the perfect friend caring for her during these bouts and insisting she rests and stay away from parties and gatherings in the pub where she may be tempted to drink again. Soon every day begins to feel like Groundhog Day as it becomes a repeat of what has gone before.
But secrets and lies are always uncovered but, when revealed, will it be too late?
It's hard to describe this book as a thriller, despite having some thriller elements to it, as I spent most of the book waiting for the hammer to fall and for something to happen. The pace was steady but still a little slow in parts as the entire plot just seemed to be on constant repeat. I can appreciate what the author was maybe trying to do with this story but I found that there was something missing...though I'm not entirely sure what. It could have been faster paced, certainly, and maybe the tension could have been more palpable. Because I didn't feel like I was on the edge of my seat throughout. More like wanting to slap Kate for being so gullible and quick to believe what she was being told and maybe pulling off Amy's fingernails with a pair of pliers. Both characters frustrated me endlessly.
A slightly creepy book, THE TENANT is a tense and claustrophobic read. I enjoyed it for the most part while at the same time believing it could have been better. It certainly had potential, that's for sure. But it was very predictable. From the start the reader can see where the plot is heading...even if we don't quite know why just yet. But when the reveal comes, it's not mind-blowing as such...more like, "ah yes, now it makes sense".
Overall, THE TENANT is a fairly enjoyable read that has elements of creepiness and a few spine-tingling moments...but nothing earth-shattering.
I would like to thank #AngelaLester, #InkubatorBooks and #ZoolooTours for an ARC of #TheTenant in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
A philosophy graduate, she came over from Germany in 1991 and has lived in Cardiff ever since. She plays the piano, sings in a choir and loves walking in the great Welsh countryside. She has worked as bookseller and translator, but her real passion is writing. She has written short stories and novels in German and English. The Tenant is her first published thriller.
Social Media links:
Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
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