A couple inherits an apartment with a spine-tingling past in this unputdownable thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six.

Rosie and Chad Lowan are barely making ends meet in New York City when they receive life-changing news: Chad’s late uncle has left them his luxury apartment at the historic Windermere in glamorous Murray Hill. With its prewar elegance and impeccably uniformed doorman, the building is the epitome of old New York charm. One would almost never suspect the dark history lurking behind its perfectly maintained facade.

At first, the building and its eclectic tenants couldn’t feel more welcoming. But as the Lowans settle into their new home, Rosie starts to suspect that there’s more to the Windermere than meets the eye. Why is the doorman ever-present? Why are there cameras everywhere? And why have so many gruesome crimes occurred there throughout the years? When one of the neighbors turns up dead, Rosie must get to the truth about the Windermere before she, too, falls under its dangerous spell.

Book Type:

Psychological Thriller

Review: The New Couple in 5B

A couple inherits a luxury New York City apartment with a grisly past, only to be drawn deep into its darkness.

Newlyweds Rosie and Chad Lowan inherit an apartment worth nearly $5 million at the Windermere—a building known for its sinister string of murders, suicides, and accidental deaths. Longing for a new start and cash strapped, however, this is exactly the boon they need. Chad, an actor, awaits his big break as Rosie, an author, toils at her next novel—an exploration into the deaths at this century-old building, and whether the building itself is cursed, personifying something more nefarious in its timeworn bones.

Immediately after moving in, they’re drawn into the residential fold, meeting the eccentric neighbors, tenants, and employees of the Windermere. Rosie, however, feels uneasy from the start—someone seems to always be watching and listening, visions question who really lurks in the shadows, and those who live there seem to be hiding secrets. As her research deepens, and a neighbor turns up dead, those feelings of dread reach a fever pitch. Worse yet, her husband disappears for spells, her neighbors meddle in suspicious ways and is the ever-present doorman lying to her?

Unger deftly blends mystery and horror in this taut haunted thriller. Its gothic atmosphere comes to life in the historic Windermere—an alluring incongruity of opulence and death. The characters—all with questionable reliability and intentions—add to the intrigue and as the narrative escalates, guesses will fall short of the surprising and satisfying end. I loved the vibes, loved the way truths unfurled so meticulously. I loved SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX, but think I loved this latest even more.

Perfectly paced, deliciously creepy and completely absorbing, this is already one of my favorite thrillers of the year.

You Might Also Like: