The Wife Upstairs

I'm not usually drawn to modern day retellings of classics but, as a Jane Eyre and gothic thriller fan, I was drawn to this one. And was not disappointed in the least.
I loved the loose use of the original novel's framework especially the cheeky and clever naming of the characters: Eddie Rochester, Bertha nicknamed Bea and, of course, Jane used as an alias.
The taut and riveting plot kept me reading until the end and then sent me out immediately to find more by this author.

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins centers around Jane who, penniless, arrives in Alabama and begins to walk dogs in an upscale, gated community. Jane hates her job, is no dog lover, and has resorted to sliding client’s valuables into her pockets. Life is a bit grim for Jane who wanted so much more for herself. Things begin to appear more hopeful when Jane meets Eddie Rochester and she begins to fall for the wealthy widower whose wife died in a boating accident. Jane even begins to develop a fondness for her dog clientele – especially Adele, a sweet Irish… show more.

Jane is a broke dog-walker in a well-to-do community in Alabama, a neighborhood where no one notices when discarded tchotchkes and jewelry go missing. And then she meets Eddie. Rich, brooding Eddie, a handsome widower whose wife tragically drowned in a boating accident. As the two fall for each other and Jane moves into his palatial home, she becomes increasingly haunted by the legend of his first wife…and what’s that strange knocking coming from upstairs? A Gothic classic with a Southern twist.