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The Landlady

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The Landlady

By: Jane E. James
Narrated by: Alasdair Simpson, Helen Lloyd, Tamaryn Payne
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My new home, Rose Cottage, is perfect. The landlady has just one rule: no men. What happens if I break it?

It seemed perfect for me and my five-year-old daughter, Lily— a pretty little cottage on a quiet country farm. Our landlady, Mrs Skinner, greets us with a bone-crushing hug. She seems nice, motherly even. She brings homemade cakes, freshly baked bread, and cheese.

Then came the rule. No male visitors.

I told myself it didn't matter. We needed somewhere safe. Anywhere was better than the women's refuge.

But soon there are red flags. Mrs Skinner's son watches me a little too closely. My lipstick disappears. Lily wakes screaming that there's a stranger in her room.

And when I ask about the last tenant – the one who vanished, leaving all her furniture behind – Mrs Skinner just smiles, and says she only wants to protect us.

But what happens when I break her rules?

This chilling, twist-filled psychological thriller is perfect for fans of Freida McFadden, Steena Holmes, Valerie Keogh, T.M. Logan, Lisa Jewell and Shalini Boland.

©2026 Jane E James (P)2026 Audible Ltd. Domestic Thrillers Genre Fiction Psychological Thriller & Suspense Exciting
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The final few paragraphs are ridiculous. A twist but one that made me roll my eyes

Just fine

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I DNF'd this. Yhe story had promise, but the "suspected ADHD" and dyspraxia irritated me. The inclusion came over as tokenism towards parents of children with these - as a parent of a child with both, the tokenism and stereotyping annoyed me

Tokenism

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Good story but quite uncomfortable in places and a bit disturbing. Kept me intrigued though.

Disturbing

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Was unable to stop listening to this book!
Absolutely loved the story and the characters which was wonderfully narrated. Kept me guessing all the way through!

Brilliant!

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The plot of this story unravels with all the predictability of a blindfold ride on a rollercoaster! The story has modern day Bronte undercurrents, with a nod to Stephen King and possibly Clive Barker. This highly cinematic yarn definitely has film potential, and part of me is still speculating about how the plot and (remaining) characters could further evolve. A gripping listen!

Make no assumptions!

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