In this new noir thriller from the bestselling author of The Missing One and The Other Child, Professor Olivia Sweetman appears to have it all: a high-flying career as a TV presenter and historian, three children, and a talented husband. But her life has spiraled into deceit, and the narrative tracks just how far she'll go to save her reputation.
Wholly original and utterly unputdownable, The Night Visitor delivers a superb story of suspense with a personality all its own. If you love gripping psychological thrillers, quirky and compelling characters, and a story with a totally unique backdrop (an old estate + the world of academia!), The Night Visitor belongs on your reading list. In short: every book should be as fun to read as this one.
Atkins threads the story with a sense of foreboding...ramping it up as the book reaches its climax ... The Night Visitor is a battle of wills ... It’s a riveting and atmospheric story of morality and psychology that will keep you turning pages well into the night.
This is a story driven by character and atmosphere rather than plot. It is not a fast-paced narrative and many of the moments of foreshadowing which avid readers of suspense will spot at once are actually red herrings. However, you will be constantly trying to guess which is which. There are beautiful descriptions of Sussex and the French holiday home idyll, but Atkins has a gift for giving even the prettiest backdrop a sinister tinge ... There are plenty of secondary characters with their own parts to play in the drama, nicely observed spats between couples and friends, humorous pokes at the life of someone thrust into the media spotlight. Underneath the accoutrements of middle class comfort, there are serious issues to be addressed about personal and professional integrity ... the plot itself is not fiendishly complicated and the complex narrative structure being built around it risks overwhelming what is a straightforward storyline. The battle of wits between the two main characters is also in danger of drowning in a wealth of detail about beetles, all-too-vivid nightmares, and Victorian family history.
