Quite unsettling - the author makes you feel very clever for guessing things, but it’s all part of the build up to a really uncomfortable conclusion which is left with many question marks!

Ultimately, who is the villain in this story? It’s hard to tell, but both main characters are written so well, allowing you to feel at times that both of them are hard done by, but then that they both deserve everything they get.

An excellent book.

This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

Olivia is successful. She is a historian and a writer and has a beautiful family and a successful book but all isn't as it seems. She has a secret that she is petrified will come out. This book was easy to read and full of unexpected twists and turns. I loved how easy it was to read and the historical references were refreshing.

I know it's a bit self-indulgent, but I really love books about writers and the writing process. This one had such an intriguing blurb and first chapter, and it held my interest right to the end, as I was never quite sure how it was going to go.

I didn't particularly like either of the main characters, self-absorbed and ruthless Olivia or lonely and awkward Vivian, but I don't mind if characters aren't likeable as long as they're interesting. The story did drag at points, the subplot with Olivia's husband didn't fit with the main plot (unless the point was just to strip away the layers of her life one by one), some of the plot points felt a bit random and weren't well tied up, and the title, while compelling, really didn't fit the story. But I did find this a compulsive and enjoyable read even if it didn't quite live up to expectations.

The book opens with Olivia's book launch event we are then taken back to the events of 18 months before when she first met Vivian the catalyst for the book.
From the blurb we know that there are secrets Olivia is keeping and to begin with I just couldn't imagine what they would be. The story flips between being told by the powerful TV Professor Olivia (in my mind played by Lana Parrilla from Once Upon a Time) and the downtrodden assistant Vivian (who would be played by Melissa McCarthy).
However, as the book progresses we begin to realise that Vivian is also a powerful woman in her own right and one that Olivia has misunderstood and underestimated. There is a tension between them which when we see them together first in France, (where Vivian has followed Olivia) is not at first readily understandable.
For me about half way through the book there was an "aha" moment and I quickly began to guess at some of what was happening, that Olivia was still yet to fathom. From then on I just wanted to get to know how this book was going to unfold.
There is a scene not for the fainted hearted, which I admit I did skip over. There is a lot of talk of Dung beetles and their attributes correlated to human behaviour - not the most interesting part of the book but a necessary part of the story. The night visitor reference I think is overplayed as the title but is a part of the storyline.
I liked the way the book was written and each of the characters voices was distinct to them, probably why I could picture them so clearly. It's also firmly rooted in the here and now with Olivia having been invited to appear on Strictly!
I'm giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.

While I hated the cover the book was a real thriller with the reader hanging on for dear life as the story progresses. At times it is desperately dark and very reminiscent of some of Stephen'King's best gothic tales. Highly recommended.

When I turned the final page of The Night Visitor, my head was spinning. Not because I was confused or perplexed, but because I realised that I'd been holding my breath throughout the final pages. Yes, it is one of those books. You know the type, the one where you say 'just one more chapter' before you go to bed, and then you look up and it's the early hours, and still you want to carry on reading.

The Night Visitor is completely character led, and oh what compelling, compulsive, often repulsive characters they are. Olivia and Vivian; two women who appear to have nothing in common, who live completely opposite lives, but who become so finely interwoven. Each one with their own determinations and obsessions that will ultimately lead to their own destruction.


Olivia is, on the surface, a highly successful academic who has also become something of a minor celebrity. Married to an author, with three children, attractive and intelligent. The reader meets her as she is launching her latest book. A fictionalised account of Lady Annabel Burley, one of the first female doctors in the UK. Despite the glamour of the event, and the crowds of people there to congratulate her, Olivia is clearly unnerved about something. There is a tension between her and her husband, and she's nervous and jittery.

Vivian is a strange, blunt, deeply personal woman who keeps things very close to her chest. It it wasn't for the fact that Vivian has access to information that Olivia needs for her book, these two women would never associate. Vivian really is a wondrous creation, she is menacing, cold, obsessed and brilliantly deluded. I hated her, yet I loved her as a character, she is perfectly crafted.

Lucy Atkins has produced a brilliantly clever story. The plot is intriguing and compulsive, moving from London, to Sussex, to France. She is an incredibly talented author who has clearly researched every aspect so well, from the life of the dung beetle, to the history of women in medicine.

I love the way the title can relate to so many aspects of this story; it could be the gruesome figure that haunts Vivian's dreams, it could be the very real person who visited the priest's tower and wrecked havoc on the family.

Frightening, uncomfortable, shocking; The Night Visitor is one of the best books that I've read this year, and 2017 so far has been a very very good book year! Beautifully written, carefully constructed characters that send a chill down the spine, and wonderfully structured through different points of view. Twisted, yet genius. I'm going to be thinking about this one for a long time!

A creepy, tense read that kept me reading until the early hours! Many thanks for the ARC.

When historian Olivia Sweetman discovers a Victorian diary in a small museum she sees the opportunity for a book- perhaps one that might get her family out of the financial mire her husband has put them in.Vivian, the lady in the museum, has connections to the author of the diary and so an unusual alliance is made. Vivian is socially awkward, somewhat obsessive and before long Olivia realises that this relationship is unhealthy-perhaps for both of them. As publication of the book draws closer Olivia fears that everything she has worked for is about to come crashing down.

Written from the perspective of the two main characters, Lucy Atkin does a masterful job of giving them each a convincing individual voice. I found the book a bit of a slow burner and had decided it was worth three stars- until the last quarter where it soared up to five. The atmosphere of menace pervades the book leaving you wanting to check over your shoulder! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

The Night Visitor by Lucy Atkins is a creepy psychological thriller. Professor Olivia Sweetman, a historian and television celebrity is about to have her latest book published. Her researcher, Vivian lurks in the background, their relationship brittle and unequal. Both have secrets and tell lies. A disturbing read, the two protagonists are unlikable but it is a well paced read.

Atkins has created a wonderfully creepy and suspenseful read in The Night Visitor.
Gripping from start to finish. A very enjoyable read.

Two women. Two viewpoints. Vivian and Olivia plus a lot of dung beetles! Olivia is an attractive TV historian and author whose family life isn't so great, unlike her professional life which is very much on the up. She finds out about an exciting Victorian diary which is in Vivian's possession. Vivian is the polar opposite to Olivia, awkward, clumsy, gauche and not terribly attractive. The problem is that Vivian knows something and Olivia is terrified the secret will out and ruin her reputation. Wasn't sure about this book to start with, but soon found myself totally engrossed in this "battle". Neither lady was particularly nice and both had plenty of flaws and it was fascinating discovering what made them behave in the way they did. A slow burner, but still manages to capture the readers' attention quickly - even managing to make dung beetles sound interesting! Hope there will be a follow up to this story.

Professor Olivia Sweetman has worked hard to achieve the life she loves, with a high-flying career as a TV presenter and historian, three children and a talented husband. But as she stands before a crowd at the launch of her new bestseller she can barely pretend to smile. Her life has spiralled into deceit and if the truth comes out, she will lose everything.

Only one person knows what Olivia has done. Vivian Tester is the socially awkward sixty-year-old housekeeper of a Sussex manor who found the Victorian diary on which Olivia's book is based. She has now become Olivia's unofficial research assistant. And Vivian has secrets of her own.

As events move between London, Sussex and the idyllic South of France, the relationship between these two women grows more entangled and complex. Then a bizarre act of violence changes everything.

I enjoyed the way this story was told through the points of view of both Olivia and Vivian, as well as they way it jumped about through time to reveal key aspects of the story. There are lots of red herrings linked to peripheral characters along the way - again, I liked this as I didn't have a clue about how they were going to affect the story until I read on. There are, essentially, a few significant 'reveals' which are central to the plot: one I started to figure out reasonably early, but another I had no idea about until almost the end - great work! In some ways, neither Olivia nor Vivian are particularly likable so you don't really know who to root for, if either. This does make it an interesting read though as I found my allegiance switching on a few occasions. Not my favourite book of the year but worth a read.

The novel begins with Olivia Sweetman's bestsellers launch. Olivia is a history professor with TV collaboration. Her book, Annabell, is about Annabel Burley's life, one of the first woman surgery in the Victorian era, and it derives from Annabel's diary.

Vivian Tester is Ileford Manor's housekeeper, the home of the Burley family and the place where the diary is kept.

The novel is about the relation between Olivia, a successful woman who has some family difficulties, and Vivian, sixty years old and socially awkward. Olivia wrote the book with Vivian help; as we go on with the reading we understand the great value of Vivian's research in the historical reconstruction.

The novel's atmosphere gets psychologically creepy page after page, and mostly due to Vivian behaviour.

The novel is nice, but I think it takes too much to get to the final unraveling (that can be foreseen from the provided information). Some chapters go from the present to the past through feedbacks, and not every time this jump in time is evident.

The title choice left me puzzled, since The night visitor is quite a marginal element in the whole story.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me the copy necessary to write this review.

I hugely enjoyable, superbly written psycologial thriller. This intricately woven read immersed me instantly into its web of secrets and held my attention effortlessly throughout. The relationship between the two main characters is incredibly complex and oozes a real sense of menace, adding wonderfully to the mounting intrigue. A gripping read and a terrific climax. Highly recommend it.

I have yet to read a book published by Quercus that I didn't love! I can buy them without even reading the blurb and I haven't ever been disappointed.

The Night Visitor is an excellent physiological thriller, very well written and atmospherical, in a style of modern Daphne Du Maurier. The narration alternates between two main female characters, each masterfully drawn out and realistic. The plot unfolds slowly, gradually twisting, uncovering secrets and revealing different sides to Vivien's and Olivia's personalities. There are many references to dung beetles, but surprisingly I didn't find them boring, quite the opposite- they added ingenuity and a certain charm to the story. My only little niggle is that the ending was quite abrupt and some questions left unanswered, but on the other hand isn't it a sign of a great book that it left me wanting more?
Many thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

The Night Visitor is an intriguing novel. Dark, creepy, claustrophobic and gripping but not in the usual way.

Professor Olivia Sweetman, Historian and TV presenter has just finished her much anticipated novel. But she couldn't have done it without the help of her unofficial research assistant Vivian Tester.

Vivian is a .. peculiar woman, to say the least.

The Night Visitor is told from alternative perspectives, those of Olivia and Vivian. Both of them have a story to tell about the writing of "Annabel" a fictional account of one of the first female Doctors, and they are conflicting in their views to say the least.

From the outset of this novel it is clear that Olivia has something to hide and that her relationship with Vivian had more to it than just researcher and author, but what is it?

The Night Visitor focuses on the fraught relationships we have with those that we believe that we trust, the complexities and pressures of juggling family life and fame, and the pressures of not wanting to fail.

The Night Visitor isn't predictable until something happens towards the end of the novel, that I can't say I didn't see coming. If I did I would be lying. But that isn't to say that I enjoyed it any less...

Professor Olivia Sweetman is at the top of her career. Imagine a cross between Nigella and David Starkey - that's Olivia. Her latest book is about to become a stratospheric success but there's a threat to her happiness in the shape of Vivian Tester. A grouchy older woman who possesses the diary her book is based on, she's been integral in creating the biography. But now it's done Olivia wants Vivian to disappear from her life. But Vivian has other ideas....



Dark, mysterious, atmospheric and dark (yes I know I said it twice - it's that dark). Lucy Atkins certainly​ isn't one for overexplaining her plot...in fact at the end of this there were so many unanswered questions I actually went back to make sure I hadn't missed anything. Certainly my prize for most abrupt ending goes to this novel. And yet it's strangely satisfying. It's hard to say more without massive spoilers but the implicitly of this novel is its strength. It's left to the reader to draw their own conclusions and judgement. It left me feeling that each person reading could have a different experience. All in all an engrossing novel that reels you in from the first chapter and has no intention of losing its grip. Just brilliant.



I received this from Netgalley for an honest review.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Night Visitor focuses on a professor, Olivia and the socially awkward Vivian and their joint project. Whilst I thought this book had a good premise I just felt it droned on a bit too long and a bit predictable nearing the end. I might just be the only one that felt this way though as quite a few 5 stars here - don't let me be the judge!

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher. Two gripping lead characters, intrigue like you wouldn't believe and a plot that's like standing on a rug, having your feet pulled out from it, smacking your head as you hit the floor and then sitting dazed on the floor as you realise what the consequences of that ending actually are