A Noise Downstairs

by Linwood Barclay

Genres: Crime Fiction; Psychological Thrillers; Suspense

Synopsis

The internationally bestselling author of No Time for Goodbye returns with a haunting psychological thriller that blends the twists and chills of Stephen King and Edgar Allan Poe with the driving suspense of Dennis Lehane and Harlan Coben, in which a man hears sounds that quite possibly emanate from the dead.

Paul Davis is hearing some very strange noises in the night. He hears the clickety-click of a manual typewriter—as if someone is vigorously tapping the keys. The eerie sounds began soon after his wife, Charlotte, bought him a classic antique Underwood. But only Paul can hear the noise coming from downstairs; Charlotte doesn't hear anything unusual.

Is Paul losing his mind? Maybe. Or is something really there? Eight months ago, he stumbled upon Connecticut's infamous "Apology Killer"—a psychopath who forced his victims to typewrite personal apologies to him before he cut their throats—disposing of two mutilated bodies on Milford's Post Road. Most shocking of all, the killer was his colleague, someone he thought he knew. Paul's been seeing a therapist for months to recover from the nearly fatal encounter, but his nerves and short-term memory have suffered since the traumatic event.

There's only one way to learn if the noises are real or a figment of his hyper-imagination. One night, Paul rolls a sheet of paper into the machine. The next morning, when he checks the page, there is a chilling message:

"We typed our apologies like he asked but he killed us anyway."

As he desperately searches to find a rational explanation for the note and the noises, Paul slowly begins to consider the unthinkable: The message is authentic, and the women butchered by his colleague are reaching out to him from beyond the grave.

Release date: September 3, 2019

Publisher: William Morrow

Print pages: 368