Nicole Lundrigan

If you enjoy suspense novels, you're going to want to pick up Nicole Lundrigan's latest - A Man Downstairs.
Molly Wynters returns home to her small town as her father isn't well. And her mother? She was murdered when Molly was very young. Being back in town raises all kinds of questions for not just Molly - but for all of those who remember...

Lundrigan tells The Man Downstairs in a now and then timeline. I've always enjoyed this style. With each new chapter, a clue, a memory, an action is revealed, making it very hard to put the book down for the night.

There's a large number of characters, most of them aware of the death of Molly's mother. But as an adult now, Molly questions the past and the part that she and others played in her demise. We, as readers, are privy to chapters from other players. Molly's father has lost his speech with his stroke, but he is given a voice with a 'past' chapter. I have to say that the chapters attributed to 'Him' were so very creepy!

Lundrigan has woven her suspense tale with an exploration of marriage, trust, love, family and loss. This is most definitely a character driven book.

I was so very sure that I had the right character for the final whodunit. And I was happily wrong! I really appreciate not seeing a twist or turning coming.

An excellent suspense tale. I really enjoyed this book and will be looking for Lundrigan's next book… (altro)

Molly is headed back to her hometown after her father has a stroke and needs constant care. Back to where memories of murder still haunt her. A teenager was convicted for the death of her mother, but others are not so sure that Molly's testimony and memory were accurate and some still question what she saw when she was a child. At his new school, her son has decided to dig into a local case for law class and never before has he dug into his homework like he has with this class, and then Molly finds out what case he chose to research and now he is questioning things. Told from various points of view, I could not tell who was guilty and with each chapter it seemed the finger pointed at someone else, then back to a different character, then maybe back to this person. I flew through this novel and just had to find out what really happened that night and how all of these characters were connected as well as the voice with no name. That really added to the story! I enjoyed this one and look forward to reading more by this author. Thank you to Thriller Book Lovers Promotions for the tour invite and to the author, Viking Press and NetGalley for the complementary novel. This review is of my own opinion and accord.… (altro)

As a child of three, Molly Wynters witnessed the murder of her mother. Her testimony helped put the murderer away. Now, forty years later, she has returned to her small hometown to help care for her father, Gil, who has suffered a debilitating stroke, leaving him unable to communicate. When Molly volunteers for a local help line, she begins to get threatening messages accusing her of not telling the truth. She begins to doubt her own memories of what really happened to her mother, especially after she finds evidence that someone has been in her dad’s basement, searching through boxes containing her mom’s old clothes and papers.

A Man Downstairs by Nicole Lundrigan is a slowburn thriller about obsession, memory, and guilt. The story is split between two timelines, NOW which is told in third person from Molly’s perspective and THEN, split between the third voice narration of Gil, and another character, identified only as HIM, speaking in first voice. The story is well-written and interesting. The characters, and there are a lot, are well-fleshed out and complex. The mystery is compelling with plenty of red herrings to keep the reader guessing. Nothing is quite as straightforward as it seems. A very entertaining thriller with an ending that, well, leaves a lot for the reader to think about.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review… (altro)

Those who enjoy the psychological suspense genre should definitely pick up this book. This is the first book I’ve read by this Canadian author, but it will not be my last.

Molly Wynters and her teenaged son Alex move back to her hometown to help care for her father Gil who suffered a debilitating stroke and is unable to communicate. Forty years earlier, when Molly was three, she witnessed the murder of her mother Edie. Molly’s testimony resulted in a teenager being sent to prison. After her return, Molly starts to receive messages accusing her of not telling the entire truth and threatening to hold her accountable. Molly begins to question the accuracy of her memory. Did she accuse the wrong person? And who is her tormentor?

The novel is narrated from three perspectives, one in the present and two in the past. In the present, we have Molly’s third-person point of view; events following her return to Aymes are detailed, as are her reactions. From Gil, in third-person narration, we learn about past events, focusing on his first meeting Edie and their marriage before and after Molly’s birth. Also from the past, the reader is given the first-person perspective of a character identified only as Him. He becomes romantically obsessed with the lunch lady at his school, Edie Wynters.

One of the things that appealed to me is that there is a large cast of possible suspects both for murdering Edie and for harassing Molly. I found myself developing various theories since more than one character behaves in a peculiar way. I did correctly guess the identity of the killer, but certainly not exactly what happened. I loved how at the end, all is explained so that everyone’s behaviour makes perfect sense.

I also liked that the characters are realistic. Villains are not so evil that they are unbelievable; instead, we have flawed characters who are clearly motivated to act as they do. Certainly, I didn’t always agree with people’s choices, but I was able to understand the reasons for them. Perhaps the most relevant comments are from a conversation between Molly and her son: “’just because a person has a shitty life, it doesn’t mean they’re a liar’” and “’just because someone lives a decent life, doesn’t mean they’re always honest.’”

Besides presenting some mysteries and exploring topics like marriage, memory, and secrets and lies, the book also examines parent-child relationships. There are examples of both fairly healthy and rather dysfunctional relationships. What is emphasized is what people will do because of their love for a child or parent.

This is an enjoyable read that kept my interest throughout. I would caution, however, that the ending will definitely leave readers feeling uneasy.

Note: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/DCYakabuski).… (altro)