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Serial murders -- Fiction Books
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Marie Belloc Lowndes
下宿人
"Geshukunin" by Marie Belloc Lowndes is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story revolves around the struggles of the Bunting couple, Robert and Ellen, who have fallen into financial hardship and are attempting to turn their home into a boarding house to regain some stability in their lives. As they navigate their precarious situation, an intriguing new tenant arrives, which adds an unexpected twist to their story. At the start of the narrative, we find the Bunting couple in a diminished state, grappling with anxiety over their financial situation and the loss of their previous respectable lives. The couple's past as domestic servants is highlighted, as is their hope for recovery by taking in boarders. The opening chapters detail their interactions, their emotions regarding their plight, and their first encounter with a new potential tenant—a peculiar gentleman named Mr. Sleuth—who seems like an enigma but offers a glimmer of hope for their dreary existence. This moment introduces a pivotal change in their fortunes, mixing elements of desperation and the potential for renewed purpose as they open their home to guests.
Marie Belloc Lowndes
The Lodger
"The Lodger" by Marie Belloc Lowndes is a horror novel first published as a short story in 1911, later expanded and published in 1913. Mr. and Mrs. Bunting, struggling London lodging-house owners, desperately need income when mysterious Mr. Sleuth arrives as their sole guest. As brutal murders plague nearby neighborhoods, Mrs. Bunting notices disturbing patterns in their lodger's behavior. Torn between financial necessity and mounting suspicion, the couple must confront a terrifying possibility that could destroy everything.
M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon
The trail of the serpent
"The Trail of the Serpent" by M. E. Braddon is a novel written in the mid-19th century. The story appears to center on crime, intrigue, and personal downfall, set in the fictional English town of Slopperton. Early key characters include Jabez North, a school usher with hidden depths, and Richard Marwood, a prodigal son implicated in a heinous crime. The book likely explores themes of deception, mistaken guilt, and the dark complexities of human character. The opening of the novel sets a somber, rain-soaked scene in Slopperton, introducing Jabez North, a seemingly virtuous assistant at a boys' academy who harbors secrets and troubling behaviors. The narrative quickly shifts to the return of Richard Marwood, an outcast son, who reunites briefly with his mother and wealthy uncle, only to find himself entangled in a web of suspicion following his uncle's brutal murder. Parallel subplots introduce other troubled souls, such as a desperate woman and her child, and the movements of a mute detective named Peters. Within these opening chapters, the story lays the groundwork for a mystery, focusing on the wrongful accusation of Richard, the suspicion cast on various townsfolk, and the interplay between outward respectability and inner corruption.
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