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A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay 
on July 24, 2018
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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 typewriter—complete with ink ribbons and heavy round keys—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 killer—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. . . .
Good Gestures Gone Wrong…
Paul Davis never knew his life would change so drastically the night he decided to help a co-worker. On his way home, Paul notices his colleague driving erratically with a broken tail light. So he decides to follow his co-worker to inform him about the broken tail light and also to be of any assistance. Once he approaches his co-worker – he notices that his friend, Kenneth Hoffman is attempting to dispose of two dead bodies.
Flashforward to the present – Paul is in therapy because he is having a hard time coping with his near-death experience. He suggests to his therapist, Anna that writing a book about his experience could assist with the healing process. He also feels that visiting Kenneth Hoffman in jail should be one of the first things he does. His second wife, Charlotte isn’t too keen on the idea, but she decides to support him by buying a used typewriter.
Everything seems to be moving right along until one night when he began hearing noises coming from his typewriter. Could it be his imagination? Could it be one of the victims trying to give him a message from the dead?
A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay was a slow-burn for me. Even though I love a book that’s very thorough – there is such a thing as overkill. While reading this book, I kept saying to myself – “Ok! We have enough backstory let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.” I feel there are times an author should be able to trust their readers enough to gather up the pieces for themselves and follow the story. I began to feel the excitement of the story once my Kindle hit the 79% mark. (Note: I read a digital arc – so the percentage can change when the book is released to the public.) By that time, I had already figured out who did what – I just needed confirmation.
Overall, A Noise Downstairs wasn’t a bad read.
Reviewed by: Orsayor
