A completely faultless, 5-star thriller, which is creepy and intense the whole way through – meet The Resident by David Jackson.

The plot:

Thomas Brogan is a serial killer. With a trail of bodies in his wake and the police hot on his heels, it seems like Thomas has nowhere left to hide. That is, until he breaks into an abandoned house at the end of a terrace on a quiet street. And when he climbs up into the loft, he realises that he can drop down into all the other houses through the shared attic space.

That’s when the real fun begins. Because the one thing that Thomas enjoys more than killing is playing games with his victims – the lonely old woman, the bickering couple, the tempting young newlyweds.

And his new neighbours have more than enough dark secrets to make this game his best one yet…

Do you fear The Resident? Soon you’ll be dying to meet him.

The plot is fantastic and very well pulled off, with an unforgettable ending

WHAT AN INTRODUCTION FROM THE AUTHOR. That’s it – you’re pulled into the action from the first sentence and jokes on you if you think you’re reading this in more than two-sittings.

The Resident was one big plot twist, in my opinion, with lots of daring little ones – you’re constantly on edge as the next thing happens. It doesn’t have a dull moment, and it’s pacey with the inner monologue and lots of conversation. The plot is fantastic and very well pulled off, with an unforgettable ending.

It is entirely unpredictable, incredibly sharp and witty and definitely makes you question all those noises at night you hear when it’s dark? The pipes settling? NOPE.

It’s written in first person (Brogan), with an internal monologue which I LOVED. I haven’t seen this style in a long-time (and often it’s the occasional thought here and there), but this adds a new dimension to the read, as you really get into Brogan’s mind.

I often found myself feeling sorry for the protagonist (yes, the serial killer), but on the next page he’s doing some psychotic things sooooo… judge me.

I loved how Jackson just flowed some violence into the writing – he gave you snippets of information casually, pulling you in to Brogan’s past, and giving you enough about previous crimes to keep you intrigued.

It isn’t your typical thriller, and I say this as the biggest compliment. You won’t pick it up and think you’ve read a similar book, and the ending just blew me away with how it was done, and I find that’s often rare with ‘commercial’ thrillers nowadays.

I don’t know if it’s a book I’d re-read in a rush, such as others when you find out the ending (especially if it changes the whole story), but I’ll be first in line for any other books by this author. Sign me up for more thrills, please.

The whole premise of this is my worst nightmare, so I loved it, of course – with the narrative and ending, it made all the difference. Read this book.

The Resident, David Jackson, RRP £12.99 (hardback); Book Depository 

Pages: 309

Publisher: Viper

Genre: Thriller