The classic and chilling Jack the Ripper story
The book tells the story of Mr and Mrs. Bunting, owners of a failing lodging in London, who see in Mr. Sleuth, their only guest in a long time, their chance to salvage their business. As new murders happen in the surrounding neighbourhoods, the couple slowly begin to suspect their lodger might be the one responsible for them.
The story is based on the Whitechapel murders of 1888, committed by Jack the Ripper. The Lodger is the first known novelization based on the story. It has been considered an example of how to write a psychological suspense due to its focus on the effects the serial killer has on the main cast of characters, instead of on the murders themselves. The novel was adapted multiple times to the cinema and radio, including Alfred Hitchcock's first thriller film, The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog.

Portrait

Marie Adelaide Elizabeth Rayner Lowndes (née Belloc; 5 August 1868 - 14 November 1947), who wrote as Marie Belloc Lowndes, was a prolific English novelist, and sister of author Hilaire Belloc.
Active from 1898 until her death, she had a literary reputation for combining exciting incidents with psychological interest. Four of her works were adapted for the screen: The Chink in the Armour (1912; adapted 1922), The Lodger (1913; adapted several times), Letty Lynton (1931; adapted 1932), and The Story of Ivy (1927; adapted 1947). The Lodger was also adapted as a 1940 radio drama and 1960 opera.