About clémence
CLÉMENCE MICHALLON is an author and a journalist. Her debut thriller The Quiet Tenant was published in June 2023 and is an international bestseller. Blumhouse TV has acquired the adaptation rights. Her next thriller, Our Last Resort, is coming out on July 8 2025 and is available for pre-order.
She was a staff writer at The Independent for five years, and is now a freelance journalist. Her work has appeared in The New York Times Book Review, Time Magazine, Cosmopolitan UK, and more. Her essays and features have covered the arts, true-crime, celebrity culture, and literature.
Clémence graduated from Sciences Po in Paris. She studied journalism at City University of London and received a master’s in Journalism from Columbia University.
Born and raised near Paris, Clémence moved to New York City in 2014 and is a dual citizen of France and the US. She can be found on Instagram at @clemencemichallon. For updates about books, events, and more fun stuff, you can subscribe to her newsletter here.
OUR LAST RESORT
“Michallon does incredible work building both characters and tension. ... The novel offers mystery aplenty, but at its core, there is a deep and compassionate humanity.”
From the bestselling author of The Quiet Tenant comes a propulsive new thriller: Fifteen years ago, Frida and her brother escaped a cult. Now her brother is the prime suspect in a murder investigation—and it isn’t the first time.
A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE YEAR: Marie Claire, Goodreads, Brit + Co, She Reads
“Clémence Michallon is one of the most daring, exciting new voices in psychological suspense; she writes page turners with stunning and surprising depths.” – #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell
“Thought-provoking and shocking. A perfect summer read.”—Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of She’s Not Sorry
Innocence doesn’t bail you out; it just makes you easier to trap.
Frida and Gabriel arrive seeking a fresh start at the stunning Ara Hotel in the secluded desert of Escalante, Utah. Once so close they were able to finish each other’s sentences, they’ve grown apart in recent years after a sudden, unspeakable tragedy. Now, at the luxe resort, they are ready to reconnect between dips in the pool and hikes on spectacular desert trails. It all feels like paradise—until the dead body of a beautiful young woman who was vacationing at the Ara with her powerful, much older husband is discovered.
When the local police arrive and suspicion quickly falls on Gabriel, Frida is forced to revisit memories from their upbringing in a cloistered cult in upstate New York, their dramatic escape, and the scandal that followed. Frida’s belief in Gabriel’s innocence never wavered at the time, but now even she can’t ignore the evidence mounting against him.
Alternating between past and present timelines, Our Last Resort builds toward a shattering climax that uncovers the fate of the murdered Ara guest and poses the question: how well do we ever really know those we love? Taut, gripping, and intense, Clémence Michallon’s latest suspense novel is a nail-biter until the last page, cementing her status as a major new talent in the genre.
OUR LAST RESORT
UK edition
The quiet tenant
“An expertly paced psychological thriller . . . with a white-knuckle climax.”
NATIONAL BEST SELLER • SHORTLISTED FOR THE HAMMETT PRIZE • A NEW YORK TIMES BEST CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR • GMA BUZZ PICK
“A bravura feat of storytelling…daring and completely satisfying.” —James Patterson, #1 best-selling author
Aidan Thomas is a hard-working family man and a somewhat beloved figure in the small upstate New York town where he lives. He’s the kind of man who always lends a hand and has a good word for everyone. But Aidan has a dark secret he’s been keeping from everyone in town and those closest to him. He’s a kidnapper and serial killer. Aidan has murdered eight women and there’s a ninth he has earmarked for death: Rachel, imprisoned in a backyard shed, fearing for her life.
When Aidan’s wife dies, he and his thirteen-year-old daughter Cecilia are forced to move. Aidan has no choice but to bring Rachel along, introducing her to Cecilia as a “family friend” who needs a place to stay. Aidan is betting on Rachel, after five years of captivity, being too brainwashed and fearful to attempt to escape. But Rachel is a fighter and survivor, and recognizes Cecilia might just be the lifeline she has waited for all these years. As Rachel tests the boundaries of her new living situation, she begins to form a tenuous connection with Cecilia. And when Emily, a local restaurant owner, develops a crush on the handsome widower, she finds herself drawn into Rachel and Cecilia’s orbit, coming dangerously close to discovering Aidan’s secret.
Told through the perspectives of Rachel, Cecilia, and Emily, The Quiet Tenant explores the psychological impact of Aidan’s crimes on the women in his life—and the bonds between those women that give them the strength to fight back.
Get in touch
For professional, book-related inquiries, please contact Stephen Barbara at InkWell Management.
For publicity inquiries, please contact Elora Weil at eweil@penguinrandomhouse.com or Kathleen Carter at kathleen@kathleencartercommunications.com.
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