The Tenant by Freida McFadden Published by Sourcebooks, Poisoned Pen Press on May 7, 2025
Genres: Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense
Pages: 368
Format: Audiobook
Source: Audible
Goodreads
#1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden delivers a dark thriller about a rental gone wrong. Because sometimes you don't need to look far to find danger. Sometimes, danger lives right at home.
Blake Porter is riding high, until he's not. Fired abruptly from his job as a VP of marketing and unable to make his mortgage payments on his new brownstone, he's desperate to make ends meet for his fiancee, Krista.
Enter: Whitney. Beautiful, charming, down-to-earth, and looking for a room to rent, she's exactly what Blake's looking for. Or is she?
Because something isn't quite right. The neighbors start treating Blake differently. The smell of decay permeates the kitchen, no matter how hard he scrubs. And Whitney claims she knows what he's done....
Soon it's obvious that danger lives right at home. And by the time Blake realizes it, it'll be far too late. He'll be dead before he realizes the trap is set.
Review
Freida McFadden’s The Tenant grabs you from the first chapter and doesn’t loosen its grip until the final, dizzying twist. This is McFadden in her element—short, sharp chapters, a plot that barrels forward, and the kind of suspense that makes you want to double-check the locks on your own front door.
Blake Porter is on the brink: fired from his cushy marketing job, his relationship in shambles, and his beloved brownstone nearly out of reach. Enter Whitney, the perfect tenant—attractive, charming, and just a little too good to be true. Soon, Blake’s home stops feeling like a sanctuary and starts to feel like a trap. Secrets multiply, paranoia builds, and everyone’s motives turn slippery.
McFadden’s knack for ratcheting up tension is on full display here. The Tenant is all about the horror of sharing space with someone you can’t trust and the lies we tell to keep our lives from unravelling. While the suspense is relentless and the twists land with precision, there’s less emotional depth than you might hope for—secondary characters like Tessa don’t get quite enough room to breathe. Still, the book’s pace and atmosphere more than make up for it.
I couldn’t put it down. It is addictive and another masterclass in misdirection, which the author is famous for. McFadden’s writing is straightforward, never flowery, but her ability to keep you guessing is second to none.
The Tenant is a must-read if you want a thriller that’s pure adrenaline and expertly plotted. Just don’t expect to sleep soundly after.
