I was completely blown away by The Wife Upstairs. This is a compulsive, irresistible retelling of Jane Eyre with a modern, noir twist - and wow, does it work' Samantha Downing, bestselling author of My Lovely Wife

First off, if you're a Bronte purist, you may not like this. If you don't consider yourself a Bronte purist but have a good working familiarity with "Jane Eyre," and if you appreciate creative re-imaginings of classics, you very well may -- I did. It’s been two weeks since I more or less moved in with Eddie, two weeks of soft linens and sinking into the plush sofa in the living room in the afternoon, watching bad reality shows on the massive television.But what Jane doesn’t know is that Eddie is keeping a secret – a big secret. And when the truth comes out, the consequences are far more deadly than anyone could ever have imagined… In present day, as Jane talks, Bea realizes that Eddie kept her in the room because he still loves her. Then, a fire alarm goes off. Bea starts to head for the door, but she knows that Eddie must have intentionally set off a fire, knowing that the room would not open but that she would go let him out. Bea turns around and runs upstairs into the fire. Part XIII: Jane 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

When college approaches, Bea tells Blanche she’s planning on going to the same college, but by now Blanche doesn’t seem excited by the prospect of them going off to college together, saying that they “can’t be ‘the Bs’ forever.” As a result, Blanch ends up at Birmingham-Southern, while Bea attends Randolph-Macon. Jane soon figures out that Eddie’s wife, Bea Rochester, is presumed dead. She was in a boating accident six months ago along with Blanche Ingraham, the late wife of Tripp Ingraham (Richard Ingraham the Third) (another one of Jane’s dog-walking clients). Jane also learns that Bea was the “founder of the Southern Manors retail empire”. A week later another one of Jane’s clients, Emily Clarke, asks about Eddie’s new dog, Adele. Emily also says that the circumstances around the boating accident are a bit mysterious. It occurred at Smith Lake, only the two women were on the boat and it was found empty in the middle of the lake. Jane and Emily also talk about how distraught Tripp continues to be over Blanche’s death. The gothic atmosphere of the book reminds you of Rebecca and Bea and Eddie’s dysfunctional relationship reminds you of not so naive Guinevere and Joe Goldberg who spends more time at gym (funny thing is Eddie also loves the books as it is mentioned in the first chapters!)

Rachel Hawkins

Yet as Jane and Eddie become more enamored with one another, Jane finds herself unable to fully step out of the shadow of Bea’s legacy. And she wonders whether she and Eddie will truly find their own happiness together, as the ghost of Bea is always haunting. Always watching.