Bedbugs

By Ben H. Winters

Susan and Alex are your typical New York couple. Young, married with one child, they are trying to make ends meet. Alex is working hard in his photography business, while Susan has put aside a law career to work on an art career. Hiring a nanny to accomplish this goal, finances are tight.


When Susan finds the perfect apartment just within their budget, they decide to check it out. When she finds the “bonus room”, she knows this is the perfect place for her to make an art studio. The apartment is almost too good to be true.

They settle into a routine. The nanny keeps their daughter busy. Alex is working long hours, leaving Susan to her art. Yet she doesn’t seem to be able to focus on it. Unusual things begin to happen. Then she begins to notice itchy, red welts, but only on herself. After researching it online, Susan becomes convinced they have bedbugs.

She speaks with the elderly landlady, and calls in an exterminator. Even when nothing is found, the problem continues with Susan. She becomes obsessed with bedbugs, and as the situation escalates, she begins to question her own sanity.

As the story unfolds, with characters as intriguing as the plot line, there are many twists, turns and unexpected surprises. It is quite a thriller. A very suspenseful novel, I could not put it down. I read it straight through. Though it is admittedly not my usual genre, I highly recommend it.