"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.