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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
The Resident by David Jackson.. what can I say? This book is brilliant! It is nothing like previous books of his but that is ok. I was expecting a far scarier and dark read. Don’t get me wrong, it is dark and scary but it is also funny and addictive. I read this book in one night, staying up late to finish it.
The main character of this book is Thomas Brogan. He is an evil and sadistic serial killer... and you can’t help but like him. He is on the run from police, after a brutal murder. He breaks into an abandoned house and discovers a shared attic space across 4 homes, the perfect hideaway for a fugitive. He watches his new housemates and sneaks in when they are not there for food and showers. He likes to mess with their minds and play games with them. They don’t even know that he is there and it is creepy! Imagine this happening to you. I have to admit the noises in the night while I was reading this did make me jump!
This is a fun but creepy read and I cannot recommend it enough. Thanks so much to Viper and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read.
The main character of this book is Thomas Brogan. He is an evil and sadistic serial killer... and you can’t help but like him. He is on the run from police, after a brutal murder. He breaks into an abandoned house and discovers a shared attic space across 4 homes, the perfect hideaway for a fugitive. He watches his new housemates and sneaks in when they are not there for food and showers. He likes to mess with their minds and play games with them. They don’t even know that he is there and it is creepy! Imagine this happening to you. I have to admit the noises in the night while I was reading this did make me jump!
This is a fun but creepy read and I cannot recommend it enough. Thanks so much to Viper and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read.
Finished reading: February 16th 2022
"He knew what she was looking for, because he had tried to find it many times in the depts of his own pupils.
She was searching for the madness."
It's no secret that I love a good serial killer thriller, and I've been wanting to read The Resident ever since I first heard about it. I mean, have you read that blurb?! Simply imagining a serial killer could be hiding in your attic, spying on you and plotting your murder... It sounds absolutely terrifying, and we don't even have an attic in our home! But did that stop me from staring at the ceiling and imagining: 'what if?' Most definitely not. I was literally hooked as soon as I started reading The Resident, and cancelled all plans just so I could keep turning those pages. The premise of this story is SO simple, with a limited setting and a limited amount of characters, but I think that is actually part of its power. We only have the four terrace houses, and the main focus is on the serial killer Thomas Brogan, the elderly Elsie and the couple (Colette and Martyn); simple, but very effective as you really get to know both the killer and the couple this way. It was especially fascinating to learn more about Brogan and the conversations inside his head were brilliantly done. The way he worms his way inside the heads of the couple and drifts them apart is ingenious, and it turns out that both Colette and Martyn have more than one secret to hide. I had such a fantastic time with The Resident, and this story has definitely been one of my reading highlights so far this year.
Oh my goodness! I barely know where to start with this review - I’ve never read a thriller about a serial killer quite like this one, EVER!
Thomas Brogan is a serial killer who loves to play some seriously twisted games with his victims before killing them, the games are the best bits as far as he’s concerned.
The book starts with him on the run after a series of brutal and gruesome murders. He hides out in an abandoned terraced house and soon discovers that he has access to the attic spaces above the other houses in the terrace.
Here Thomas can spy on the people living there while, alongside the dark voice he hears in his head, he plans who will be his next victim.
It’s a chilling premise, a terrifying plot, yet......at the same time the author injects lethal doses of black humour throughout the book and I found myself laughing, yes LAUGHING, at some of the banter between Thomas and his alter persona. Not only that, as the layers peeled away and the author deftly reveals Thomas’ back story and what events triggered his behaviour pattern, I also felt a sense of sympathy for Thomas and I actually grew to LIKE him!
It’s an incredibly clever book and I simply could not put it down. I urge you to read it (unless you’re massively squeamish, in which case don’t!) A well deserved 5 stars from me!
Thomas Brogan is a serial killer who loves to play some seriously twisted games with his victims before killing them, the games are the best bits as far as he’s concerned.
The book starts with him on the run after a series of brutal and gruesome murders. He hides out in an abandoned terraced house and soon discovers that he has access to the attic spaces above the other houses in the terrace.
Here Thomas can spy on the people living there while, alongside the dark voice he hears in his head, he plans who will be his next victim.
It’s a chilling premise, a terrifying plot, yet......at the same time the author injects lethal doses of black humour throughout the book and I found myself laughing, yes LAUGHING, at some of the banter between Thomas and his alter persona. Not only that, as the layers peeled away and the author deftly reveals Thomas’ back story and what events triggered his behaviour pattern, I also felt a sense of sympathy for Thomas and I actually grew to LIKE him!
It’s an incredibly clever book and I simply could not put it down. I urge you to read it (unless you’re massively squeamish, in which case don’t!) A well deserved 5 stars from me!
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
✨ "People are selfish. Love is always a mistake. The things I've done are nothing in comparison to what I've seen couples do to each other."
Wow, this book is so deliciously addictive! It's one of those thrillers where you keep telling yourself 'Just one more chapter...' and before you know it, you've gone through a chunk. The short chapters, fast pacing and writing style made this such an easy + fun binge!
The story is told entirely from the antagonist's POV and it was so interesting being in his head. There was a lot of buildup so I was expecting the climax to be much more explosive, but I felt like everything suddenly happened very briefly and quickly after all that tension. However, there were some things that I definitely didn't see coming so thumbs up
Ooh this was a fun read! It is eerie and fast-paced. Having a serial killer as the main protagonist only increases the unease as you read on. I loved how I found myself beginning to like Thomas, despite the awful things he has done and wants to do. He tries to fight his instincts and there is a real ‘will he, won’t he’ feel. Attics are inherently creepy and this book has only made them darker!
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Elsie lives alone in a terraced house. She’s elderly and has carers coming in every day but recently she’s been getting a visit on a night from a man she believes to be her son Alex even though he died in a car accident several years ago. Colette and Martyn live at the other end of the terrace. Colette blames Martyn for moving things she had hidden - pictures of her former fiancé who committed suicide, her old engagement ring; Martyn thinks Colette is losing her mind as he had no idea she had these things in her possession. What they don’t realise is that Elsie’s Alex and the person pranking Colette and Martyn is serial killer Thomas Brogan. He’s on the run and ducked into the empty house at the end of the terrace, next door to Elsie. When he discovered that he could move from one house to another through the attic he decided to play some games. When is movements are restricted by builders and he decides to have some fun with Colette and Martyn it doesn’t quite turn out the way his killings usually do.
Absolutely loved this book. A fantastic read from start to finish and the twists at the end were superb. Highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley, Viper Books and David Jackson for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
Absolutely loved this book. A fantastic read from start to finish and the twists at the end were superb. Highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley, Viper Books and David Jackson for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
Character - 5
Atmosphere - 5
Writing - 4
Plot - 5
Intrigue - 3
Logic - 2
Enjoyment - 4
Rating: 4.00 / 2 stars
Atmosphere - 5
Writing - 4
Plot - 5
Intrigue - 3
Logic - 2
Enjoyment - 4
Rating: 4.00 / 2 stars
This book was disturbing, creepy and completely twisted. I absolutely loved it!
We all hear noises that houses make in the night. We all have those feelings that we’re not alone. And we’ve all had the feeling that someone is watching us. But what if they weren’t just feelings and a serial killer was living in your attic, watching every aspect of your life? This is a reality for Colette and Martyn when serial killer Brogan takes residence in their attic and things are about to take a dangerous turn.
Full of suspense and tension this book kept me on the edge of my seat. I will definitely be recommending this to you everyone.
We all hear noises that houses make in the night. We all have those feelings that we’re not alone. And we’ve all had the feeling that someone is watching us. But what if they weren’t just feelings and a serial killer was living in your attic, watching every aspect of your life? This is a reality for Colette and Martyn when serial killer Brogan takes residence in their attic and things are about to take a dangerous turn.
Full of suspense and tension this book kept me on the edge of my seat. I will definitely be recommending this to you everyone.