The Perfect Tenant

by A.J. Carter

Would you trust a total stranger?

They say no good deed goes unpunished, and Ellie is proof of that. When I first meet her, she’s just a young woman in desperate need of a home, so I lower the rent and let her move in to my spare house. She’s the perfect tenant… in the beginning.

The very first time she babysits for me, I realise I’ve made a mistake. My son reveals a new bruise on his arm, and that’s the first of many problems on my street. Within a single week, properties are damaged, someone is murdered, and all evidence points to Ellie. But there’s something else. Something far bigger than I can endure.

England’s most notorious, yet unidentified serial kidnapper is on a path towards our town. I’m keeping my son close to me, but my boyfriend thinks I’m being paranoid. I don’t care how much it affects our relationship, because I suspect Ellie is that kidnapper, and she will never take my son. Because I’ll do anything to protect him.

Anything.

THE PERFECT TENANT is the new psychological thriller from Bristol author AJ Carter, whose books are bursting with mystery, danger, and multiple dark twists.

Genres: Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Suspense, Ebooks, Mystery Thriller

330 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 9, 2023

About the author

AJ Carter is a psychological thriller author from Bristol, England. His first book, The Family Secret, is praised by critics around the world, and he continues to regularly deliver suspenseful novels you can’t put down.

Sign up to his mailing list today and be the first to hear about upcoming releases and hot new deals for existing books. You’ll also receive a FREE digital copy of The Couple Downstairs – an unputdownable domestic thriller you won’t find anywhere else in the world: https://BookHip.com/WAXFLLP

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book read by this author and was recommended by another author
I’ve read ‘a few’ psychological thrillers 😎 and have to be impressed by a book that led me the wrong way ( totally ) and surprised even shocked me with the ending, I got it totally wrong…..as the author cleverly intended
The story is tense, the characters on the whole unlikeable ( again as intended ) and special mention has to be made to the 2 insufferable neighbours who make an impact early on, great busy bodies who you love to hate. Irresistible in a book!
Some aspects of the book I did query in my mind but then makes sense as that explosion of an ending happens
I will definitely read more from this author

[JWinter · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I didnt see this twist coming, I am annoyed with both the MC and the twist character. The MC was very gullible, and annoying, The twist character could have easily gone to the police and done everything legally, resulting in none of this chaos, bloodshed or idiocy. Frankly, by the climax of this book, I no longer cared about any of the characters or the plot in general.

[Missy · Rating 4 out of 5]

surprised

Well I definitely didn’t see that one coming! Great read! Book kept me intrigued and wasn’t a boring read at all!

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not impressed

Found it a hard slog. Not my style m with a lot of twists in the last chapter, which came out of nowhere

[Martini Dozier · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oof, not sure why this book got so many good reviews. The dialogue is childish. I had to actually check to see if this was written for children, that’s how elementary it is. Characters are unlikable and condescending even when they are supposed to like each other.
I’m sorry, this author is just not for me. I need more substance, better dialogue, better characters, better plot. Just an awful book all around.

[AGilden · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another one of those novels in which first-person characters lie to the readers throughout the book, and then right at the end they say, "fooled you, fooled you, I'm actually very different from what I pretended to be." That's not a plot, it's a cheat. Having first-persons lie to us just for the sake of creating a surprising twist at the end is putting me off twists for good. I mean, Stephen King, Dean Koontz ... some of the best authors of this generation don't use "twists", they just write good, honest novels.

[Mark · Rating 1 out of 5]

I enjoy psychological thrillers with a good twist or two. But sometimes the first-person formula just doesn't work. Freida McFadden's "Never Lie" has the same exact problem as this book. The author lies and cheats the reader by way of the characters thought processes. This is not fair play or enjoyable to read. And besides, I actually did suspect the final twist.

[Kelsie Potochney · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing in this book was so immature and juvenile. If this wasn’t a book club pick I would’ve DNFed. The “twist” was unrealistic and happened in the last 10 pages. TRASH 🗑️

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twists and turns

Wow, talk about twists and turns. I never saw this one coming. If you like psychological thrillers with a few twists along the way and a major one at the end, you need to read this book.

[Bob Bransdon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uninspiring

This book was rather poorly written. The characters and events simply did not make sense. I really don’t know who the Perfect Tenant as referred in the title actually is. And the timelines seemed out of proportion to the events as they occurred. Even though the ending had somewhat of an unexpected twist the rest of the book was uninspiring. I can’t say I will be racing out buy another of the author’s books.

[J Barkess · Rating 1 out of 5]

Total rubish

I managed to read half of this but the writing got worse and worse.
I never expect much from Amazon free books but this is amongst the poorest.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW The Perfect Tenant a psychological domestic thriller by A J Carter has an absolutely amazing dark twist finale which will shock you to the core.

Alice is a single Mother to six year old Cody and is quite comfortable moneywise since her husband died. She owns her own house and has a vacant property just a couple of doors down.

Alice accidentally befriends Ellie a young lady in her mid-twenties in her local shop and Ellie is in need of a roof over her head as she had recently split up with her boyfriend and Alice takes pity on Ellie and rents out her property to her.

Alice is in a relationship with Max who lives in the same street as her and Ellie and he works as a mechanic on several cars outside his property.

Not long after moving in Alice engages Ellie to babysit one evening whilst Max and herself dine out. Later on after returning home she finds a bruise on Cody's arm and Cody is somewhat reluctant to explain how he got it and Alice is more worried that Ellie had not divulged the incident on their return.

Alice's suspicions are aroused even more when there has been a murder committed in her neighbourhood, plus vandalism of her property. Alice's chief suspect is Ellie as it had only happened when she had moved into the neighbourhood and suspects that Ellie has caused the bruise to Cody's arm.

The situation has not been helped by the news bulletin stating that England's most notorious unidentified kidnapper is still on the loose and heading for her neighbourhood. Alice's Mothering instincts are on red alert and she feels that Ellie may well be responsible and keeps her at arm's length.

[Amyleigh Watts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible twist!!!

[Ciara Bibey · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

[Angelica · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story line was ok. The writing was basic/juvenile. Definitely needs more development.

[Shelley Whipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another absolute knockout from AJ Carter!! I could not put this book down from start to finish, I read it in one day and I can honestly say you will not be disappointed. The way he develops the characters and the storyline in a way that you think you’ve guessed the ending by the time you get there but I can assure you, that will not be the case, it leaves you on the edge of your seat. The story really does grip you from the start!! Truly recommend for any thrill seekers out there. You NEED this book!!

[Steve Riley · Rating 1 out of 5]

The last couple of chapters made an absolute mockery you the whole book, and made it a complete waste of time reading it. The book wasn’t that well written to begin with, and I’m astonished to see so many high ratings. How can half the book be in the mind of the main character, who then contradicts almost every emotion and action she’s taken throughout the whole story? Utterly ridiculous. The whole Max storyline was daft, I mean, he’d go to the police on day 1, not start an 18 month plot resulting in kidnap. No redeeming qualities what so ever. I don’t usually like leaving negative reviews as we all interpret things in different way, but this book was just plain awful, and made absolutely no sense.

[Mel · Rating 1 out of 5]

1⭐️
The Perfect Tenant centres around single parent Alice and her son Cody, Alice’s boyfriend Max and her tenant Ellie. The street they live on must be the most drama filled street, with a lot of issues that didn’t really flow and were quite random. I didn’t get a feel for any of the characters and the format of the book didn’t make sense. The chapters alternated between Alice and Max’s points of view, with some odd chapters being from the perspective of another random neighbour; that didn’t add anything to the plot at all. Unfortunately even the massive twist at the end was disappointing and predictable.

[Christopher Aumick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read all of AJ's except his current which I'm hurtling through and so far The Perfect Tenant is my favorite he grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go til you finish the last page

[Monica Mil-Homens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Opinião: Sinto-me completamente enganada. Fui completamente enganada pelo autor do inicio ao fim. Que viagem louca foi ler este livro! A.J Carter começa mesmo a ser cada vez mais um dos meus autores de topo na escrita de Thrillers Psicológicos. A protagonista do nosso livro sofre às mãos de uma inquilina que ela sentiu que era perfeita na altura em que lhe arrendou a casa que tinha vazia na mesma rua onde morava. Ellie parecia ser uma rapariga boa, que precisava de ajuda e assim começou o inferno naquele bairro que já de si não era pacato no que compete à vizinhança… Com um raptor de crianças à solta e supostamente a dirigir-se para aquela zona residencial, com ninguém a acreditar nas coisas que a protagonista vai relatando, incluindo o namorado que a adora e faz tudo por ela e pelo filhote pequeno, tudo começa a ruir nas vidas de todos e preparem-se para serem completamente enganados no final mais surpreendente que li nos últimos tempos. Nem é uma reviravolta é mesmo um estalo na cara que nem sabemos de onde veio. Só existe em inglês, mas eu RECOMENDO MUITO!!!

ENG REVIEW: I feel completely deceived. I was completely deceived by the author from start to finish. What a crazy trip it was to read this book! A.J Carter is increasingly becoming one of my top authors in writing Psychological Thrillers. The protagonist of our book suffers at the hands of a tenant who she felt was perfect at the time she rented her empty house on the same street where she lived. Ellie seemed to be a good girl, who needed help and so all hell broke loose in that neighborhood that was already not peaceful in terms of neighborhood... With a child kidnapper on the loose and supposedly heading towards that residential area, with no one believing the things that the main character is reporting, including her boyfriend who adores her and does everything for her and her little boy, everything starts to fall apart in everyone's lives and get ready to be completely deceived in the most surprising ending I've read in a long while. It's not even a twist, it's just a slap in the face that we don't even know where it came from. It only exists in English, but I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!
@bibliotecamil_insta /bibliotecamil.wordpress.com

[La Femme Readers · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I first met Ellie, she was a young woman in desperate need of a home, so I lowered the rent and let her move into my spare house. I realized I'd made a mistake the first time she babysat for me. Within a week, properties are damaged, someone is murdered, and all evidence points to Ellie. But there's something else. England's most notorious yet unidentified serial kidnapper is heading toward our town. I'm keeping my son close to me, but my boyfriend thinks I'm being paranoid. I don't care how much it affects our relationship because I suspect Ellie is that kidnapper, and I'll do anything to protect my son.

THE PERFECT TENANT is a story about a suspicious tenant who may have connections to the kidnappings in England and a mother who will do everything she can to reveal the truth. A single mother, Alice has been struggling with work and caring for her adorable son. When her new boyfriend, Max, comes into her life, she finally has someone to enjoy life with. At first, Alice comes off as compassionate when she helps Ellie move into her spare home. But as time goes on, Alice is gullible and annoyingly naive. I could tell she loved her child deeply, but some of her parenting choices were questionable. As for her boyfriend, Max, I didn't hate or love him. He was just there, like furniture, until he started acting like a typical a-hole. 

As a whole, I didn't care for the main characters or the secondary neighbors. The action did hold my attention because the suspense was quite eventful. I wanted answers, regardless of how I felt about the POVs. The finale pleasantly surprised me, and it wrapped up nicely, solving lingering plot holes. But would I recommend this to someone who is an avid thriller reader? No. It was basic and forgettable. It lacked that razzle dazzle I usually look for in psychological-related themes.

[Ramona Ziemele (grāmatu lāde) · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5⭐️
This was very dissapointing. While i love good twists all of these were so farfetched that it made them all silly and even childish.

First of all, the inconsistency of the timeline. At the beginning Max states that he is seeing Alice for a few weeks now. So it is very confusing that a single mom who is seeing a guy for only a few week puts him on the school register so he can pick up her son when she is unable to do so. Closer to the end of the story it is stated that they know each other for 18 months already.
Also the all Max character - he is so annoying and unlikeable. Talking about all the women he meets almost jumping him, sending naked pictures and so on. Max is made as an unrelieable narrator but there is nothing about that - just author changing everything he ever said, did and thought for the story's sake. It's not unrelieable. It's straight lying to readers.
When Max takes Cody it is so cringy to read how they return to Alice's house. It's a stupid move alltogether but stating that Ellie can't notice their return just being accross of the empty street? Stupid.
Everything that happened in the forest - why would Ellie and Alice choose to lie about it to police when it was a self defence? If Alice hadn't hit Max with the branch he would strangle Ellie. Why would they lie about it? Why there was need to cover it up? Also policeman stating that "man died in the forest" when actually he died in the ambulance car on the way to hospital?
And the end twist... we now realise that even Alice was unrelieable narrator. And also not in a believable way but just changing everything about all her actions and thoughts.
This book is full with plot holes and it makes it really bad. I don't recommend it.
1.5⭐️ only about the pacing and minimally interesting middle part.

[James Russell · Rating 1 out of 5]

How did this get over 2,600 ratings with an average of 4.16 on Goodreads??????

This just doesn’t work for me, in fact it’s the kind of book that puts me off psychological thrillers.
The idea of a serial child kidnapper making their way to the neighbourhood is quite good especially when there’s a 6 year old involved. We know what’s coming, but that’s as far as the tension gets. A neighbour is murdered, there’s a burglary, some vandalism a car chase, blah blah blah, but really who cares? Not me. It has to be one of the three main characters who are very two dimensional so there’s no interest in them. The kid is annoying and the dialogue is poor. I could go on.

The main fault is the set up of the of the book. The chapters are written in the first person from alternating character’s POV. The three of them lie throughout. So twists aren’t twists, just deceptions. The whole point of this genre is that it keeps you guessing, trying to work out who the killer is. That’s not smart writing that hooks a reader, that’s cheap and cheating. If I was Annie Wilkes I’d be looking for my sledge hammer.

[Anita · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know that everyone likes a clever "twist", myself included, but lately it seems that the twist, especially the final ones that upend whole novels, has become the only goal - believable plot-lines be damned apparently. At first I liked the idea of this book and I was all in for the ride, but personalities seemed to change abruptly just to throw the reader off. That's not really clever, that's just lying to the reader - but I was still willing to see it through - and then the last pages brought the ultimate twist - a total betrayal of everything the character, and presumably the story itself, stood for - and for what? A momentary surprise? All it managed to do in my case was put the final nail in the coffin of this silly story. Seriously, stop with the twist for twist's sake and get back to more authentic story telling.

[Nattie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is awful.

You ever read a book and for some reason you would just know it was written by a man, even if you didn't already know? This is that book. It's also that book where you wonder if the author has any idea how to write a psychological thriller.

The big twist was something I'd considered about 20% in, and if even I can see the twist that early on then you've certainly messed up.

I don't want to get into the actual story because it was terrible, but I will definitely say I didn't enjoy the constant age shaming of older people and making fun of their need to sometimes use the bathroom frequently at night. There's nothing funny about that.

It was also outlandishly absurd when a character said gaslighting was a term the kids use these days... as if the term gaslighting hasn't been used at least since the days of film noir.

[Pamela Pavkov · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Perfect Tenant is a very powerful story written by A.J. Carter. The characters are very strong and well developed. The storyline takes many twists and turns and when all is revealed the shock you are left with is overwhelming. As you read this story you will grow to love these characters, then hate some, but in the end the sorrow will just leave you shaking your head.

I was not given a complimentary copy of this book to read and review. I was not approached to post a favorable response and all opinions are my own. I have rated this story with five stars for meeting my expectations of a wonderful story that I can highly recommend to others.

[Tracy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Perfect Tenant by AJ Carter

Thought the Perfect Couple wasnt too bad of a book to kill time, so decided to read more AJ Carter. Gosh almost DNF this. The book was repetitive, excessive descriptive text. Plot doesnt make sense.

I literally skimmed every paragraph skipping to the sentence with quotations to just want to know what the dialogue was. All the excessive descriptions did not make the book better.

It should be a solid one star. I gave it 2 for the effort to put a twist in the last few pages. At least it didnt just end with the previous twist, which sucked.

2⭐️⭐️

#theperfecttenant #ajcarter #psychologicalthriller #kindle #kindleunlimited #bookreview

[K.M. Lowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by this author. I usually love a good psychological thriller, but this one leaves me undecided. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. I disliked the main character, Alice. She was gullible and just over the top, I guess I should have seen the twist coming...but I didn't. It's one of those books that once you've read it makes you wonder why you read it, because the whole book was false and nothing was as it seemed. If you like that kind of thing then this is definitely a book for you.

[Elizabeth Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, I gave this author a try…. While the last 1/3 of the book keeps you in suspense and gets twisty, it ends. Boom. Done. He died. Period. Um, excuse me….i have questions! What? How? Where? ……
And I’m reviewing the second in a series that isn’t a series. So not only do I not get answers to my questions in the next book, I get to be frustrated I spend time reading a book thinking there was some sort of reflection to the first book that made things make sense.
Good author and writing, but terrible endings.

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely shocking!yt

One of the best books that will offer you total shock and surprise! The suspense level alone will keep you reading, the shocking ending will leave your mouth hanging open! Alice doesn't know who she can trust. She is trying to live her life with her son. Is it her new tenant that is behind everything, is it her boyfriend, is it just one of many neighbors? All these questions will be answered, but you will never see the ending coming!