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A noise downstairs : a novel by Linwood…
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A noise downstairs : a novel (edition 2018)

by Linwood Barclay

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
5415845,192 (3.76)1 / 59
Fiction. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:

The New York Times bestselling author of No Time for Goodbye returns with a haunting psychological thriller that blends the twists and turns of Gillian Flynn with the driving suspense of Harlan Coben, in which a man is troubled by odd sounds for which there is no rational explanation.

College professor Paul Davis is a normal guy with a normal life. Until, driving along a deserted road late one night, he surprises a murderer disposing of a couple of bodies. That's when Paul's "normal" existence is turned upside down. After nearly losing his own life in that encounter, he finds himself battling PTSD, depression, and severe problems at work. His wife, Charlotte, desperate to cheer him up, brings home a vintage typewriterâ??complete with ink ribbons and heavy round keysâ??to encourage him to get started on that novel he's always intended to write.

However, the typewriter itself is a problem. Paul swears it's possessed and types by itself at night. But only Paul can hear the noise coming from downstairs; Charlotte doesn't hear a thing. And she worries he's going off the rails.

Paul believes the typewriter is somehow connected to the murderer he discovered nearly a year ago. The killer had made his victims type apologies to him before ending their lives. Has another sick twist of fate entwined his life with the killerâ??could this be the same machine? Increasingly tormented but determined to discover the truth and confront his nightmare, Paul begins investigating the deaths himself.

But that may not be the best thing to do. Maybe Paul should just take the typewriter back to where his wife found it. Maybe he should stop asking questions and simply walk away while he can. .… (more)

Member:DaveWilde
Title:A noise downstairs : a novel
Authors:Linwood Barclay
Info:New York : William Morrow, 2018.
Collections:Your library, Wishlist
Rating:****
Tags:None

Work Information

A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay

  1. 00
    The Breakdown by B.A. Paris (tim_mo)
    tim_mo: Essentially the same premise
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 Book Discussion : A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay: Chat16 unread / 16Sergeirocks, December 2018

» See also 59 mentions

English (59)  French (1)  Dutch (1)  All languages (61)
Showing 1-5 of 59 (next | show all)
Psychological
  BooksInMirror | Feb 19, 2024 |
Didn't keep me awake to listen but I enjoyed it. Liked the narration by George Newbern ( )
  daaft | Aug 13, 2022 |
A NOISE DOWNSTAIRS is a book that just didn't work completely for me. I usually love reading Linwood Barcley's books and I'm not saying that this isn't well written. It's just the story didn't convince me. If it had been an author like Stephen King might I have bought the haunted typewriter, but in this case, I just waited for the truth to come out. The logical explanation. And, that kind of made the reading experience just not as enjoyable as with his previous books.

On the plus side did I enjoy Barclay's writing, I always do. He has such a grew flow, even as with this case the story isn't rocking my boat. I just breezed through the pages. Alas, I missed the suspense from his previous books.

Then comes the last part, here Barclay both surprise me and at the same time disappoint me. Yeah, I'm a bit on the fence about the ending. In one way it's WAY TOO typical on the other hand there is a twist that I did not see coming that made me go WOW. That's the way to go, Barclay, chock the reader. So, I'm a bit on the fence when it comes to the ending, I loved part of it, but not the whole deal.

A NOISE DOWNSTAIRS is a book that has an interesting premise. The writing is top-notch. But, ultimately I just couldn't find myself loving the story. However, I did like it and I would recommend the book.

I want to thank William Morrow for providing me with a free copy through Edelweiss for an honest review! ( )
  MaraBlaise | Jul 23, 2022 |
An enjoyable thriller about a college professor badly injured with a head injury who tries to move forward from the assault but finds himself spinning a bit out of control down a dark hole. The ending is a bit far-fetched, but also satisfying in tying up loose ends. ( )
  Randall.Hansen | Mar 13, 2022 |
Spoilers ahead!

****

This Linwood Barclay thriller contains an element of the supernatural. Paul Davis is on sick leave from his job, healing physically and mentally from being nearly murdered by the Apology Killer. The killer forced his victims to type apologies for so-called transgressions on a typewriter before he slit their throats. Paul thinks that the new-to-him Underwood in the study might actually be THE typewriter, which was never found. He especially thinks this is the case when he finds messages on the typewriter that sound like they’re coming from the murder victims…

It took a little bit of mental prodding for me to get this one started, but once I did, it was a nice easy read as Linwood Barclay novels are. I genuinely did not see those twists coming, although I think they are pretty fair play. And I was utterly shocked that Paul died. Can’t remember a Barclay book with that kind of change in protagonist. That changed the emotional energy a lot and really propelled the rest of the book forward.

This was a pretty good book, although I’m not sure it would rank as a favourite. Maybe in a few years I’ll read it again (I have to go back through the earlier Barclay books to see if I read them differently now). ( )
  rabbitprincess | Nov 30, 2021 |
Showing 1-5 of 59 (next | show all)
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Epigraph
Information from the Dutch Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.
Beneden klinkt getik.

Maar Paul is de enige die het hoort.
Verliest hij zijn verstand ... of zijn leven?
Dedication
For Neetha
First words
Toen Paul Davies die avond begin oktober over de Post Road reed, was hij er vrij zeker van dat de licht slingerende auto vóór hem van zijn collega Kenneth Hoffman was.
Driving along Post Road late that early October night, Paul Davis was pretty sure the car driving erratically in front of him belonged to his colleague Kenneth Hoffman.
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Information from the Dutch Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.
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Fiction. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:

The New York Times bestselling author of No Time for Goodbye returns with a haunting psychological thriller that blends the twists and turns of Gillian Flynn with the driving suspense of Harlan Coben, in which a man is troubled by odd sounds for which there is no rational explanation.

College professor Paul Davis is a normal guy with a normal life. Until, driving along a deserted road late one night, he surprises a murderer disposing of a couple of bodies. That's when Paul's "normal" existence is turned upside down. After nearly losing his own life in that encounter, he finds himself battling PTSD, depression, and severe problems at work. His wife, Charlotte, desperate to cheer him up, brings home a vintage typewriterâ??complete with ink ribbons and heavy round keysâ??to encourage him to get started on that novel he's always intended to write.

However, the typewriter itself is a problem. Paul swears it's possessed and types by itself at night. But only Paul can hear the noise coming from downstairs; Charlotte doesn't hear a thing. And she worries he's going off the rails.

Paul believes the typewriter is somehow connected to the murderer he discovered nearly a year ago. The killer had made his victims type apologies to him before ending their lives. Has another sick twist of fate entwined his life with the killerâ??could this be the same machine? Increasingly tormented but determined to discover the truth and confront his nightmare, Paul begins investigating the deaths himself.

But that may not be the best thing to do. Maybe Paul should just take the typewriter back to where his wife found it. Maybe he should stop asking questions and simply walk away while he can. .

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Book description
Haiku summary
Chit chit chit chit chit
Someone is typing downstairs
But no one is home

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