Staff Pick
Part erotic thriller, part psychological study, part murder mystery, The Paying Guests is an intricate tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Frances and her mother live in a large estate in a small English village, but after having lost all the male members of their family in the war, they are faced with taking in lodgers in order to make ends meet. The young married couple who moves in seems fine at first, but Frances begins to see them in a different light. Soon an unspoken slow-boil attraction blossoms into a passionate love affair, and things in the house become difficult to manage. A commentary on post-war mores, unexpected passion, crime and punishment, and personal integrity, The Paying Guests is a blistering tale of suspense that does not ease up on the unnerving tension. Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com