Noise Abatement [Paperback]

Carol Anne Davis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 2001

Scottish writer Carol Ann Davis' third novel is a taut psychological thriller set in a quiet, typically British street. Stephen and Caroline are an active young couple until the neighbors from hell move into the flat above. Suddenly each day and night becomes a nightmare. After weeks of police inactivity, Stephen snaps and takes matters into his own hands with horrifying unforeseen consequences.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Stephen and Caroline Day can't bear their upstairs neighbors' constant, thumping music, and as they sink into an anxious, sleep-deprived existence, Caroline suffers a stress-induced illness. Stephen decides to take matters into his own hands, with unexpected results, in Noise Abatement by Scottish suspense writer Carol Anne Davis.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

For those who like their mysteries bleak, black, and bizarre, Davis is a wonderful discovery. This Scottish author isn't well known in the U.S., but in Britain, she's the Queen of Noir. Her latest is a dark tale filled with ominous irony and a palpable sense of foreboding. Caroline and Stephen Day are a normal young couple, happy and in love. But their lives become a nightmare when new neighbors move in upstairs. The sounds of deafening rock music, ear-splitting screams, violent brawls, and wild parties make the couple's lives sheer hell. The local authorities can't or won't help, so after agonizing months of sleepless nights and shattered nerves, Stephen takes matters into his own hands by pushing one of the noisemakers down the stairs as a "warning." When this fails to have any effect, Stephen dreams up increasingly violent ways to stop his tormentors. Davis produces a taut, suspenseful story whose most notable feature is the ghastly inevitability of its outcome. An outstanding thriller. Emily Melton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Do Not Pr (April 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1899344640
• ISBN-13: 978-1899344642
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,584,832 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Middle-Class Vengeance, January 19, 2002

By 

A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Noise Abatement (Paperback)

Davis's third Edinburgh-set novel (preceded by Safe As Houses, which I haven't read, and Shrouded, which I have), is a quick-reading exploration of middle-class vengeance. The story of a happy young married couple tormented by the nonstop noisiness of their new upstairs neighbors was apparently inspired by the author's own awful experience and other similar cases in the UK. Davis straightforwardly sets up the situation, as the couple tries to first amicably deal with their thoughtless neighbors, then has to pursue the matter through "proper" channels (the police, the Environmental Health authorities), only to realize that the system is totally unable to handle such a matter. As the loud music, parties, and indoor football antics continue, the wife develops a debilitating stress-related ailment while her dentist husband grows too tired to operate properly.

The husband starts to fantasize about taking the law into his own hands, and of course, does in escalating fashion. Although the storyline is somewhat predictable, and the twist at the end is far too obvious, the book is sustained by the ease with which the reader is able to imagine themselves in the couple's shoes. Davis's world is both everyday and unnerving. A similar "what would you do" scenario was presented in the 1990 film, Pacific Heights, in which a young upscale couple finds it impossible to evict the psycho basement tenant who torments them.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Keep it down!, March 11, 2005

By 

Mark Bonney (Seattle) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Noise Abatement (Hardcover)

Maybe it's just my warped sense of humour, but I couldn't help finding this book quite funny. Once I realized that Stephen Day was going to somehow screw-up his misplaced murderous vigilantism, I couldn't get enough of it. It is definitely a dark tale that spirals down quickly and never sees the light of day again. I thought the subject of noise sensitivity was handled quite nicely and hope to read more of Carol Anne Davis' work in the future.