Under Her Roof by A.A. Chaudhuri

 

Under Her Roof by A.A. Chaudhuri.

Published 13th June 2024 by Hera.

From the cover of the book:

It seems too good to be true…

When struggling writer Sebastian finds a room to let in a palatial Hampstead residence he cannot believe his luck. The rent is ridiculously cheap and he immediately feels a connection with his beautiful widowed landlady, Adriana.

It is.

Things take a dark turn when he finds out what happened to the last lodger. Could this be why the house is a fortress of security, and why Adriana seems so fragile? Adriana doesn’t want to talk about the death and sadness that seem to follow her wherever she goes and Sebastian has secrets of his own.

Now someone is watching their every move and there is nowhere to hide.

This house of light becomes a dark nightmare as the threat ramps up - what does the watcher want? And how far will they go to get it?

A gripping, twisty thriller perfect for fans of B.A. Paris, Shari Lapena and Lucy Foley. If you were hooked by Netflix series You or The Watcher then you will love this.

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Aspiring writer Seb longs to able to afford his own pad in Hampstead, but he can never hope to afford the price tag that comes with a home in its leafy environs. His chance comes when he spots an advert for a lodger in swanky house overlooking the heath - the rent is unbelievably cheap, and his prospective landlady, elegant widow Adrianna. is a dream. He has no qualms about moving in straightaway. 

Seb spots a kindred soul in Adrianna, as a person who likes to keep her personal life just that, after all he has his secrets too - but there is something strange about her obsession with the strict security measures she has in place around her palatial home, and the house rules he must follow. 

When he finds out that the previous lodger died under suspicious circumstances, and that someone is watching their every move, Seb begins to wonder what Adrianna is hiding, and whether there is a chance that his own secrets may be exposed too.

A new A.A. Chaudhuri book is always a treat, and having read every one of her thrillers, I could not wait to get stuck into Under Her Roof. The novel unfurls through the narratives of lodger Seb and landlady Adrianna, two characters who have a lot to hide, interspersed with delicious little snippets from our 'watcher'. As they tell their tales, the action moves back and forth in time to pull you into a devilishly devious plot with threads that twist around each other in a slick display of literary choreography.

The tone begins light, hinting at loneliness, family dysfunction, and relationship heartbreak that evokes sympathy with their situations. However, before long it becomes clear that Seb and Adrianna are being sucked into a dark and sadistic dance, in which someone else is calling the tune, and are forced to play an unwilling part in a performance that you cannot tear you eyes away from. Each move and counter move, each touch and spinning turn is precisely judged by Chaudhuri, and as the unsettling feeling of watching eyes and dark intent steal over you, a discordant tempo begins to beat.

Chaudhuri builds the layers of mystery beautifully through the voices of the characters, and uses sinister emails, text messages, and flashbacks to therapy sessions to ramp up the unsettling vibes. She keeps the secrets of Seb and Adrianna close until the final throes of the piece, leading you gently in a direction that has you convinced you know where the story is going, but when the moment comes for the years of guilt, deceit, and jaw-dropping cruelty to be stripped away, I promise you will be knocked sideways.

This book thrums with themes that echo between the past and the present, and in the threads of the separate histories of Seb and Adrianna, and Chaudhuri uses them all to brilliant effect. I would so love to wax lyrical about them, but the fear of spoilers prevents me, so you will just have to read this creepy gem to discover them for yourselves. Dark, complex, and a joy to devour, this is Chaudhuri at the top of her game!

Under Her Roof is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to A.A. Chaudhuri for sending me an ecopy of this book in return for an honest review. 

About the author:

A. A. Chaudhuri is a former City lawyer. After gaining a degree in History at University College London, she later trained as a solicitor and worked for several major London law firms before leaving law to pursue her passion for writing. She lives in Surrey with her family, and loves films, all things Italian and a good margarita!