A Noise Downstairs: A Novel

Linwood Barclay

Jul 2018 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

The New York Times bestselling author of No Time for Goodbye returns with a haunting psychological thriller that blends the twists and turns of Gillian Flynn with the driving suspense of Harlan Coben, in which a man is troubled by odd sounds for which there is no rational explanation.

College professor Paul Davis is a normal guy with a normal life. Until, driving along a deserted road late one night, he surprises a murderer disposing of a couple of bodies. That’s when Paul’s "normal" existence is turned upside down. After nearly losing his own life in that encounter, he finds himself battling PTSD, depression, and severe problems at work. His wife, Charlotte, desperate to cheer him up, brings home a vintage typewriter—complete with ink ribbons and heavy round keys—to encourage him to get started on that novel he’s always intended to write.

However, the typewriter itself is a problem. Paul swears it’s possessed and types by itself at night. But only Paul can hear the noise coming from downstairs; Charlotte doesn’t hear a thing. And she worries he’s going off the rails.

Paul believes the typewriter is somehow connected to the murderer he discovered nearly a year ago. The killer had made his victims type apologies to him before ending their lives. Has another sick twist of fate entwined his life with the killer—could this be the same machine? Increasingly tormented but determined to discover the truth and confront his nightmare, Paul begins investigating the deaths himself.

But that may not be the best thing to do. Maybe Paul should just take the typewriter back to where his wife found it. Maybe he should stop asking questions and simply walk away while he can. . . .

Ratings and reviews

Several months ago, Paul Davis was attacked by a killer with a shovel. Somehow he survived the massive head wound he received. The killer was a friend ... a colleague ... and it was just happenstance that he saw two women's bodies in his friend's trunk before they were hidden and buried. Now Paul suffers severe panic attacks, short term memory loss. But the most terrifying are the noises he hears that no one else does. Most recently, his wife bought him an old typewriter. At night, he swears he can hear it typing .. by itself. It is suggested that he insert a sheet of paper and see what happens. And what he finds sends him into a massive spin. The women that his friend killed were made to type out an apology to the killer. Those apologies are now being typed on his typewriter with no one around. Is this the actual typewriter that the killer owned? Are the messages from beyond the grave? Is Paul hallucinating? Is he paranoid? Either he's losing his mind - or someone wants him to think he is. His therapist is firm in her belief that he is not going crazy ... on the other hand, she doesn't believe that dead women are contacting him through type written messages. But who would want to torture this man .. and to what end? This one goes to the top of my favorite books this year! It's a well-written psychological thriller that is riveting in its edginess and features standout characters. Expect fast paced action with this one. The twist at the end is one that will knock you off your feet. Many thanks to the author / William Morrow Books / Edelweiss for the advanced digital copy of this psychological thriller. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

some solid twists when you least expect them. really enterta8ning read.

Read this in one sitting. So good!

About the author

Linwood Barclay is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous previous novels and two thrillers for children. His books have been translated into more than two dozen languages. He wrote the screenplay adaptation for his novel Never Saw it Coming and his book The Accident has been made into a TV series in France. His novel No Time for Goodbye was a global bestseller. A native of Connecticut, he now lives in Toronto with his wife, Neetha.