06/12/2026
Selim, Head of Circulation's Staff Pick is Clémence Michallon's "The Quiet Tenant."
Aidan is a hard-working family man & a beloved figure in his small town, but he has a dark secret. He's a kidnapper and serial killer. Aidan murdered 8 women, & there's a 9th he has earmarked for death: Rachel, imprisoned in a backyard shed, fearing for her life.
When Aidan's wife dies, he and his 13-year-old daughter Cecilia are forced to move. He has no choice but to bring Rachel along, introducing her to Cecilia as a "family friend" who needs a place to stay. Aidan thinks Rachel is too brainwashed and fearful to attempt to escape. But Rachel is a fighter and survivor and recognizes Cecilia might just be the lifeline she has waited for all these years. As Rachel tests the boundaries of her new living situation, she forms a connection with Cecilia. And when Emily, a local restaurant owner, develops a crush on the handsome widower, she finds herself drawn into Rachel & Cecilia's orbit, coming dangerously close to discovering Aidan's secret.
Told through the perspectives of Rachel, Cecilia, and Emily, The Quiet Tenant explores the psychological impact of Aidan's crimes on the women in his life--and the bonds between those women that give them the strength to fight back.
