The Wife Upstairs
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
Instant New York Times and USA Today Bestseller
“Compulsively readable...a gothic thriller laced with arsenic.” ––EW
One of the Most Anticipated Books of 2021: CNN • Newsweek • Vulture • PopSugar • Parade • BuzzFeed • E!Online • TimeOut • Woman's Day • Goodreads • She Reads • Good Housekeeping • CrimeReads • Frolic • Hello! • Mystery and Suspense
January 2021 Indie Next Pick and #1 LibraryReads Pick
A delicious twist on a Gothic classic, The Wife Upstairs pairs Southern charm with atmospheric domestic suspense, perfect for fans of B.A. Paris and Megan Miranda.
Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates––a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.
But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie––not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for.
Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past––or his––catches up to her?
With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won’t stay buried. In this vivid reimagining of one of literature’s most twisted love triangles, which Mrs. Rochester will get her happy ending?
A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press
“A compulsively readable tale that flips Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre on its head…a gothic thriller laced with arsenic.” -- EW
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Picture vintage romance suspense with a Southern gothic twist! Rachel Hawkins’ mystery spices up old-school classics like Jane Eyre and Rebecca with a sweltering new setting and an incisively modern perspective. Jane is a dog walker in Alabama’s most exclusive gated community, where she barely registers as human to her rich, vapid clients…except for widower Eddie Rochester. Jane’s unexpected romance with the kind, brooding Eddie suddenly elevates her social class, but it also turns her life into a ticking time bomb loaded with dark secrets. We quickly came to adore Hawkins’ scrappy and witty heroine, making it all the more nerve-racking when the specter of Eddie’s oh-so-perfect late wife starts looming larger and larger, threatening Jane’s new marriage, her sanity, and even her life. Three expert narrators take on the audiobook’s three distinct points of view, keeping us in a constant state of suspense; we’re never quite sure who to believe. The Wife Upstairs is a delectable listen, packed with brilliant twists that even Gillian Flynn, much less Charlotte Brontë, couldn't see coming.
Customer Reviews
so many twists and turns
At first I was a little put off by the main character Jane. She is manipulative, she uses people, she is unethical, and she is a little mean spirited. However, Jane soon grew on me. She needs to be plucky and smarmy as she soon finds herself surrounded by rich vapid people. We meet Jane as a dog walker. Her clients are rich people who are too lazy to walk their own dogs. Most of these clients are shallow women. These women believe it is better to look nice than to be nice. Jane quickly finds herself drawn to one of her clients Eddie. Eddie is a recent widower whose wife disappeared and is presumed dead. There are so many twists and tuns in this novel that you really can't tell who are the heroes (heroines) or villains.
The Wife Upstairs
This was an interesting read, tainted by the author’s over use of the F word....utilized excessively by almost all of her characters...Totally unnecessary and distracting in the telling of an otherwise decent story.
Very good book.
Good tempo. Believable characters. Captivating from the get go. 4 out of 10 for the amount of trashing the author does on people with money. We are business owners who are in the 1%. We don’t act like that. The stereotyping was gratuitous and over the top.
Sorry Charlie.