A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay

A Noise Downstairs
by Linwood Barclay
Published by Orion (12 July 2018)
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher

Publisher's description

EVERY STEP...
Paul Davis forgets things - he gets confused, he has sudden panic attacks. But he wasn't always like this.

TAKES YOU CLOSER...
Eight months ago, Paul found two dead bodies in the back of a co-worker's car. He was attacked, left for dead, and has been slowly recovering ever since. His wife tries her best but fears the worst...

TO THE TRUTH...
Therapy helps during the days, but at night he hears things - impossible things - that no one else can. That nobody else believes. Either he's losing his mind - or someone wants him to think he is.
Just because he's paranoid doesn't mean it's not happening...

My verdict
Linwood Barclay is one of my favourite authors and has been for many years. A Noise Downstairs was yet another dark read, hooking me from the first page, with his brilliant storytelling, great pace and unreliable characters.

I'm loving creepy crime thrillers at the moment, and this one was particularly addictive and compelling. Some moments were spine-tingly chilling, providing a strong mix of murder, macabre and ghostly goings-on - with plenty of 'bumps in the night'.

I raced through A Noise Downstairs and devoured it within a couple of hours. It's very twisty and certainly kept me on my toes, with an OMG moment - a twist that I genuinely didn't see coming. This book definitely messed with my mind and made my head swirl with shock.

Yet again, as with many crime thrillers, it's very hard to review without giving anything away, so this review is very much about my reactions rather than the plot. If you want to know about the plot, read the blurb and then buy (and read) the book!