Today I am so excited to be reviewing The Girl Downstairs and published by Inkubator Books. Thank you to Zoe-Lee from https://zooloosbookdiary.co.uk/zooloos-blog-tours for organising this tour and to Iain Maitland and Inkubator Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
Synopsis
Rosie is homeless and winter is closing in. So she can’t believe her luck when a total stranger, Mr. Adams, invites her to stay.
But Mr. Adams has a secret. He has chosen Rosie because she reminds him of someone very special from long ago. Maybe she can even help him recapture that distant happiness.
Of course, she might need a little encouragement, but that’s fine…
What he doesn’t realise is that Rosie has a secret too, a secret that will have horrifying consequences for them both.
So instead of the heaven he had hoped to find, Mr. Adams finds himself fighting to escape the special kind of hell created by… the girl downstairs.
The Girl Downstairs – the stunning psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Mark Edwards, K. L. Slater, Miranda Rijks.
My Thoughts
The Girl Downstairs is heavily character driven and full of suspense. It pushed my zones of ‘comfortable reading’ whilst making me question how I form initial perceptions of new people.
Told from the perspective of Philip, a lonely man who has lost his daughter and wife and lives a very solitary existence. He becomes obsessed with a homeless girl he meets on the pier and ends up providing a place for her to stay. But both Rosie and Philip harbour secrets!
From the outset we are introduced to Philip through his thoughts and experiences of the world around him. He is haunted by nightmares and seems to struggle with work and social skills as well as grieving for his wife and daughter whilst trying to avoid a nosey neighbour and keep his head down. He’s a complex character to figure out and many of his thoughts and feelings set alarm bells ringing in my head and really put me on edge.
The novel is atmospheric and tense and is a slow burner but riveting and addictive. Things are not always as they seem and I was constantly torn between thinking Philip was a good guy and Philip had an ulterior motive for wanting to rescue the young girl.
An unusual narrative style and compulsive storytelling make this a great read and a new author for me that I cannot wait to read more of.
Author Bio – Iain Maitland
Iain Maitland is the author of three previous psych thrillers, The Scribbler (2020), Mr Todd’s Reckoning (2019) and Sweet William (2017), all published by Contraband, an imprint of Saraband. Mr Todd’s Reckoning is coming to the big screen in 2023.
Iain is also the author of two memoirs, Dear Michael, Love Dad (Hodder, 2016), a book of letters written to his eldest son who experienced depression and anorexia, and (co-authored with Michael) Out Of The Madhouse (Jessica Kingsley, 2018).
He is also an Ambassador for Stem4, the teenage mental health charity. He talks regularly about mental health issues in schools and colleges and workplaces.
Find out more about Iain at www.iainmaitland.net and twitter.com/iainmaitland
Follow him at:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/iainmaitland
Website: www.iainmaitland.net
Herding Cats 
Big thanks lovely for your review and for taking part in the tour xx
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Enjoyed this new author. Thanks for having me
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