The Wife Upstairs

A Novel

By: Rachel Hawkins

Narrated by: Emily Shaffer, Kirby Heyborne, Lauren Fortgang

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

Yin and Yang

Toxic to the most desirable point. If you’re familiar to dysfunction you will identify with at least one of the main characters. The desire to be better and survive is an irrevocable undertone. This book was a fantastic psychological thriller and I would recommend.
As it goes, there’s a little good and a little bad in us all and this book has been an intriguing way to explore both ideas. It keeps you questioning all the way to the end.

A page turner until the very end

wow! this book has surprises at every turn. just when I thought I knew what was happening I was wrong. loved it until the very last word! highly recommend!

The voices?

I thought the story was good, however, very drawn out. Still entertaining enough to want to know what was next.

I wasn't a fan of the performance. The characters voices coming through much louder than the story. I had to keep adjusting my volume between lines whenever driving.

Decent story but hard to listen to

The storyline was decent, but the narration was hard to listen to.
Monotone and boring.

Captivating

This book was a “page Turner” I didn’t want to stop listening. Lots of twists and turns.