The Tenant

OMG!  I think The Tenant is the best book I have read this year. Advertised as a suspense novel, that is quite an understatement. Suspense exuded not only from every page but from every sentence.  The story begins with landlord Alex Mason painting one of the units in his luxury apartment complex in Philadelphia. He hopes to rent it quickly when he is approached by Stephanie Winters, a woman who works for a U. S. senator.  Alex signs a lease with her without checking her background references or employer. Big mistake. Soon another tenant's cat is found dead and dismembered on their doorstep. Then yet another tenant is murdered in his home.  Alex believes that Stephanie is the culprit in these incidences. Hindered by state laws giving tenants plenty of legal rights, Alex begins to investigate his tenant after she threatens his family. 

This book reminded me of Apartment 6 which I read last year.  It was written in Hitchcock style. The tension began with the first chapter and continued through to an unexpected ending. I loved it. Stephanie's past history explained her behavior but it was just as interesting as what she was doing in the plot. She would make an awesome character for a crime series. Alex was timid for a landlord. I have never had one myself that did not care if a tenant broke the rules. To be more believable, Alex should have been a screaming bastard. However, he needed to be unsuspecting for this spectacular plot to work.

10 out of 5 stars!