Remember Zoe Heller's Notes on a Scandal? Well, this is like a lighter, less morally-dense version of that book with added gothic deliciousness.

Atkins has created a gripping page-turner of a book as academic historian turned TV eye candy (I loved that she's been invited to take part in Strictly!) Olivia finds her life collapsing on all fronts: her marriage is under pressure, her teenage son is troubled, and now her scholarly reputation might end up in tatters. On the other side, we have the slightly grotesque figure of Vivian: big, clumsy, socially-awkward... but the gate-keeper to a Victorian diary that Olivia wants to get her academic hands on. As the tensions between the two women escalate, only one of them will emerge unscathed.

I enjoyed this immensely but it's one of those books where we have to suspend our disbelief and where the revelatory 'twist' is far more obvious than it ought perhaps to be. Do also be aware that there are loose ends here that remain untied (Jess' hair?) and an unresolved ending. Despite some realism qualms, an engaging switch-off read.

I'm not really sure what I think about this book, its definitely a good story (if a little confusing in places at first), and for most of the book I it seemed to hook me in and had me completely hooked on the action and how it would all turn out. But did I like it, and enjoy it? I'm not convinced.

However regardless of whether I did enjoy the story, I could appreciate how well constructed it was , and the layers of deception involved were impressive.

I sort of liked Olivia, and cared about what happened to her, and the book she was writing would be interesting to fans of history. Vivian on the other hand, I took an instant dislike to, I just couldn't really get to grips with her character, and felt from the start that there was something just a bit weird about her.

I think it is the psychology of what has happening in the book that had me turning the pages continually without a break. I was curious just what the myriad of secrets would turn out to be, and whether any of my own guesses would be remotely right. Most of the characters in this book seemed to be hiding things, and I'm still even at the end not sure everything was revealed, which is a bit unsettling.

The Night Visitor is definitely a cleverly crafted book, well written and one that I found more absorbing then I realised as I was reading it. I found I read it in a surprisingly short amount of time, and have a feeling that elements of it may play on my mind for a while to come.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Just brilliant, a true psychological thriller. I couldn't put this down and now I'm sorry it's finished! Olivia Sweetman is a well known history professor and as well as writing she appears on TV. She seems to have everything but then, in what seems to be a chance meeting, she meets Vivian Tester, the guardian of Lady Burley's home and possessions. She lets Olivia use the diary of Annabel Burley, an 18th century pioneer for female doctors, to write an academic paper. But Olivia writes a book instead about Annabel with the help of Vivian, which proves to be a bestseller, Olivia has no intentions of Vivian getting the recognition she deserves for her valuable input on the book and soon revenge and bitterness between the two women follows. But Vivian knows more about Olivia than Olivia realises and has her own agenda.
The book is just full of atmosphere, tension, a ghostly night visitor and even Ileford Manor gave me the creeps! And what can I say about poor Bertie, his story almost moved me to tears.
I can't recommend this book enough, this is one I will remember for a long time.

Oh The Night Visitor has some beautiful beautiful writing, it took me all of 5 seconds to be totally immersed into this one, it has two of the most impressive characters I’ve read in a long long time, with a story that is often haunting and genuinely sends you deeper down the rabbit hole with every chapter.

Told alternatively between Olivia, highly successful, hiding a secret and Vivian, her “research assistant” who knows many things and is hiding her own, the relationship between these two, how you see it and them develop is intensely fascinating and holds a dark sense of menace, things you can feel coming but cannot quite grasp.

The plotting is intelligent and intricately woven, neither woman is easily readable and Lucy Atkins twists the characters around wonderfully to keep you feeling off kilter, yet unable to stop reading. I really don’t want to give anything away, the scene setting is also impressive and overall this was just one heck of a read.

The ending is killer and the rest of it is just as addictive, terrific terrific stuff here. And Beetles. Is all I’m saying.

Highly Recommended.

Excellent book with great characters. Very well written. I would recommend this book.