On a Quiet Street

On a Quiet Street (2022) is a domestic psychological thriller by Seraphina Nova Glass. Glass has written a number of similar thrillers with female protagonists unearthing terrible secrets including Such a Good Wife (2021) and Someone’s Listening (2020). On a Quiet Street was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe award for Best Paperback Original in 2023. The fast-paced thriller tells the story of Paige, a woman searching desperately for the murderer of her son, Caleb, and her neighbor, Nicola, a woman attempting to escape her abusive marriage. With the support of another neighbor, Cora, the women confront the abuser and uncover the truth of Caleb’s death.

This guide uses the 2022 Graydon House paperback edition of On a Quiet Street.

Content Warning: The source material features addiction and graphic depictions of violence and domestic abuse. It also contains offensive language about mental health conditions, which the guide replicates in quotation only.

Plot Summary

Nicola Dawson is a 20-something English waitress at a resort in France when she meets Lucas Kinney, an older man who works as a judge. He sweeps her off her feet and they marry soon after. They move to a gated community in Oregon. After they are married, he begins to abuse and control her.