The Resident

by David Jackson

[zooloo1983]

When I started reading this book initially I kept thinking back to this 90s film with some guy living in the walls stalking someone and I couldn’t remember the name. I easily remembered the film with the same name The Resident with Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Hilary Swank but that wasn’t it. Then I remembered Sharon Stone and William Baldwin and remembered it was called Sliver. This book…isn’t that Lol but it has all the feels from those films.

I was hoping I would be terrified by this book, I wasn’t. It did, however, make me check there were no holes in the ceiling though! Although, from what I’ve been told we do have an open plan loft though stretching the 5 houses -oh god I’m done for!

I did find this book fascinating. We are thrown in the thick of it at the beginning, there is a manhunt for Thomas Brogan. But why we don’t know. We don’t actually see any of the sadistic murders on-page, everything is left out. We don’t initially know what drove him to do this acts of violence until later.

Instead, what we have is an intense 12 days of what Thomas. Is it wrong to find him fascinating? I did have to laugh at some of his inner monologues with himself. I was intrigued by his plans to terrorise the Fairbrights and watch how his lust for one person could change his demeanour.

There is one point in the loft where I actually started to get a bit nervous for him. Yes, I was nervous about the serial killer!! Yes crazy! I became attached to him. I was enjoying the acts he carried out on the unsuspecting couple. Completely messing with their heads and marriage. I found it all quite thrilling and entertaining in all honesty.

The Resident is a different book than I expected. I expected a scary story told from the victim’s point of view. Instead, we are told the story from the killer and I ended up caring about him!!! I enjoyed the random friendship he created with Elsie. I was nervous and panicked when he was walking around the houses, scared he would be caught! Waiting for the fallout.

I was unsure of the book at first, I had to get my bearings before I settled down and devoured it in a day. The only thing I was not happy with was….. the end!! Because it ended. I was so invested, I wanted more I would have happily sat there and read many more pages!

This is my first book by Mr Jackson, here I have found a new author that I am now going to catch up on. I already have done if DS Cody books do need to get cracking. If Jackson can make me care about a serial killer god knows what else he can make me care about!!! I want to find out though!!