EXCERPT: The Perfect Housemate by Lorna Dounaeva

Publisher: Bookouture

Release Date: March 28th, 2024

Formats: Kindle, Audible, Paperback

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Blurb:

You let her in. You shouldn’t have…

I was so nervous about someone new joining our house share; after everything that happened with my parents, my friends are like my family. Our imperfect but well-loved house is the only place where I can be myself. But when Poppy knocks on our door, blonde hair, wide eyes and a friendly smile, we all agree she’s a perfect fit. I just wish I could shake the feeling that I’ve seen her before…

At first, everything runs smoothly. But one day, Poppy arrives home with my housemates in tow. She says she ‘forgot’ to invite me to the movie. My stomach drops. As she sidles up to my friends, I’m gripped by a familiar panic. If Poppy is from my past, will she turn my friends against me? Will she tell them the secret I’ve so carefully buried?

I feel like Poppy’s watching my every move. My home used to be the place where I felt most comfortable. But as she places a delicious home-cooked meal in front of me, I don’t even feel safe eating here.

I have to find out who she really is, and what she wants.

And when I do, will she realise too late which one of us is truly dangerous?

An absolutely gripping page-turner about the dark secrets harboured by the people closest to us. Fans of Shari Lapena, Lisa Jewell and Sally Hepworth won’t be able to put down The Perfect Housemate!

PROLOGUE
JUNE

June’s first thought was that she’d got wound up in her sheets. And that her pillowcase had somehow slipped over her face, enveloping her in darkness. But that didn’t account for the stiffness of the material or her inability to shake it off. Her heart pounded in her ears, as she struggled to breathe. She thrashed about, trying to understand what had happened. Something was preventing her from bringing her hands together, and at the same time her legs felt as though they were stuck together with glue. She fought against the over‐ whelming fear that threatened to consume her. She kicked her legs and felt a rough, scratchy material. What was that? Rope? She tried to move her arms but they were pinned tight behind her back. She called out for help, but the coarse material over her face muffled her cries. Even with her eyes wide open, the blackness was so thick that it pressed on her like a hundred hands. She tried to slow her breathing. In, out. In, out. The only sound she heard was the steady inhale-exhale of her own breath in the oppressive silence. The fabric against her face was rough like a potato sack. Experimentally, she rocked back and forth. The sack shifted as she moved, her nose twitching as she breathed in the aroma of dirt and herbs that clung to its fibres. She kept on rocking until she managed to position herself on her knees. Then she leaned forward and pressed her forehead against the ground. Desperately, she shook her head side to side with all her might until she felt the material move. Every muscle in her neck strained as she tried to dislodge it. Finally, with one last powerful thrust, the sack slipped off her head with a cool rush of air. She inhaled deeply, tasting her dry lips and feeling a tuft of cotton between her teeth. As her eyes adjusted, she saw a faint glimmer of light coming through the thin cracks above her head. She was seated on a rigid wooden floor and the room around her felt like a prison cell – damp, musty and small. Through the wall that separated her from the outside world, she could hear the distant thrum of traffic – it sounded as if she was still in London, or perhaps some other city. Her head felt heavy, as if she’d come down with the flu. Or as if she’d been doped. But who would want to take her? It wasn’t as if she had any money.

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