Psychological Thriller Review: The New Couple in 5B | Lisa Unger

I’ve been a big fan of Lisa Unger since I read In the Blood. I’ve gone on to read most of her books and my favorites have been The Stranger Inside and Confessions on the 7:45. However, her last two books were solid but didn’t have that can’t-put-it-down magic that I’ve come to expect from her work. For that reason, I wasn’t sure what to expect with The New Couple in 5B. Would it bring that Lisa Unger magic, or will it be a run of the mill thriller?

About the Book | The New Couple in 5B

Rosie and Chad Lowen are a young couple scraping by in New York City. Rosie is a writer of true crime books and Chad is an actor. Rosie is working on a new book proposal about an historic New York City apartment building called the Windermere—she has been interested in this building ever since learning of it’s tragic history and rumors of hauntings. Rosie and Chad have also spent the last year visiting the Windermere to care for Chad’s uncle Ivan, who is a tenant.

When Ivan passes, Chad and Rosie are shocked to learn that he has bequeathed them his apartment at the Windermere. Though they regret losing Ivan, Chad and Rosie are cautiously optimistic to be able to move into the historic building—especially with Rosie’s book proposal getting accepted. Unfortunately, Ivan’s daughter Dana (Chad’s cousin) is furious when she discovers her father left Chad the apartment over her, and she is determined to fight it.

Dana may be the least of their worries, as Rosie begins to suspect something is off about the Windermere. It isn’t just the tragic past—a suspicious number of deaths in the building seem to cast a shadow over the luxurious building. It’s also the cameras that cover every hallway and stairway in the building. The residents of the building seem friendly, but Rosie keeps catching them in small lies. The doorman Abi seemingly never leaves his post, and he is clearly monitoring more than the door to the building. Intercoms installed as “safety features” in the apartment units keep Abi on call at all times, but is he listening in?

Rosie also sees strange visions that she thinks must be ghosts. She left behind her belief in the supernatural when she left home and her father’s conspiracies, but she can’t explain what she is seeing. When a resident dies and Rosie and Chad are questioned, Rosie’s suspicions heighten. What is really going on in the Windermere?

Review | The New Couple in 5B

This book made my spine tingle and my toes curl, it was so good! The tension mounts steadily until the plot is pulled so taut it could snap. This is Lisa Unger back at the top of her game!

Is it a supernatural thriller or a psychological thriller?

I love a book with an atmospheric setting, and the Windermere delivers that gothic, atmospheric, perfect combination of beautiful and eerie. The New Couple in 5B felt like an homage to great works like Rosemary’s Baby and Hitchcock’s Rear Window. It’s a story of young couple on the surface, but at it’s heart it’s the story of a building. What secrets do these old, historic, desirable residential spaces hold? What would someone be willing to do to keep those secrets?

The New Couple in 5B reads as a modern gothic novel. There is a supernatural edge to the story and nods to horror, but its a psychological thriller. Some readers may shy away from anything that has a paranormal element, but in this case please don’t let that deter you. I wouldn’t say the supernatural elements are made up or that they don’t exist at all, but they aren’t the point of the story nor the solution to the mystery. Think of them as ambiance; they build a haunting feel to what Rosie is experiencing but they aren’t necessary to—nor do they alter—what is happening in the Windermere. The ghosts are guides—they exist as a manifestation of Rosie’s subconscious mind putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

What inspired the story and setting?

In an interview, Unger said that the book was inspired by an apartment her aunt had in a glamorous building and a re-read of Rosemary’s Baby. In particular, the “twist between a place you want to call home but which has an underpinning of malevolence.” This novel explores how someone can build a life in an environment that is working against them. Can love and new life exist in a building like the Windermere? That’s the question Rosie is seeking to answer. One of my favorite scenes is an interview Rosie has with an historian whose expertise is New York City. They are discussing the Windermere and whether it has a role in the tragedy that has fallen there:

“If you’re well and strong, and you see a place at the Windermere, something repels you, you decline to move in. But if you’re vulnerable to dark energies, if they speak to something going on inside you, maybe there’s a strange attraction, a lure to that dark part inside you.”

The notion of the building itself as a character that has human characteristics was in my opinion the most captivating part of the novel. The Windermere is as well-developed and vivid as the other characters in The New Couple in 5B. Rosie wonders after her discussion with the historian whether she was drawn to the Windermere, or whether she ended up there by happenstance. Does she have a part of her that is broken and attracted to darkness?

What tension was there between characters?

The other characters are equally intriguing. Chad (Rosie’s husband) is excitable, outgoing, and creative, in contrast to Rosie’s pragmatism and grounded view on life. Their relationship works even though it seems like it shouldn’t due to their differences. It’s impossible not to compare Rosie’s relationship with Chad to her relationship with Max, her best friend and book editor. Max and Rosie are so alike; they seem in sync. I was curious many times if there was something romantic between Max and Rosie—particularly on Max’s side. When they were together, Rosie became the best version of herself. Early in the novel, there is a big shift in Max’s life that impacted their relationship. This mirrored the events in Chad and Rosie’s lives that impacted their marriage. I was constantly back and forth about my thoughts on both Chad and Max.

While the tension between Chad, Rosie, and Max verged on a love triangle, there were plenty of other tense relationships to go around. First, there’s Ivan’s daughter Dana (Chad’s cousin) who is more than a little upset about her dad giving the apartment to Chad. Dana is understandably angry, but it seems there is more to the story (don’t worry—there is and you’ll find out what!). There’s also Max’s problems at work and how those effect Rosie (both her career and his relationship with her). I was desperate to find out more about this situation and it certainly made me question if Max is as nice as he seems. What about Abi, the doorman? Let’s just say I had a lot of questions about Abi, but I discuss those more in the next section about the building.

I can’t forget to mention the other residents of the building who are perfectly friendly and welcoming to Rosie and Chad but they also seem…off. The most prominent neighbors are the ones who live in the apartment next door—Elsa and Charlie. They are an older married couple who got to know Rosie and Chad when they were caring for Ivan. Now they seem to be the nicest of the neighbors, though at times I questioned if they are a bit too interested in Rosie and Chad. Xavier is another building tenant that Rosie is desperate to talk to, but she struggles to get in touch with him. Is he avoiding her, or is he not receiving her messages? I won’t go into every neighbor in the building, but they all interested me in different ways. The last couple that should be mentioned are Willa and Paul, a young married couple who lived in the same apartment Rosie and Chad do sixty years earlier. Willa’s story mirrors Rosie’s story at first, and I was curious to know what the fate of Will and Paul was and how it might tie to the current events.

What is the deal with this creepy apartment building?

The creepiest part of the story, in my opinion, wasn’t the ghosts—it was the building and it’s security. Cameras in every hallway that supposedly don’t record add suspicion to the building and its residents. Were the cameras really for security from outsiders, or is someone monitoring the residents of the building too? Many times Abi (the doorman) would mention that there were no guests in the building or that he noticed someone look distressed when they were in the hallway. How often is Abi watching the footage, and can Rosie trust that it isn’t recording?

Even more troubling are the intercoms in the apartments, which are allegedly a new feature. They claim it’s for safety—many older residents of the building want a way to be able to contact Abi for help if they fall and can’t get to a phone. The intercoms are supposed to be voice activated if someone calls for Abi. But as we all feel with Alexa and other devices in our homes—how can you know if someone isn’t listening to everything you say? Is the intercom only activated when Abi is specifically called, or is Abi able to listen in to the private apartments at any time? I’m as confused and troubled as Rosie is on this one. The cameras could be explained away, but I would never be comfortable with that intercom.

Finally, that brings us to Abi, who is perhaps the most intriguing and suspicious character in the entire book. Abi seemingly never leaves his post. He’s there whenever anyone comes and goes, he is there all night, and he’s monitoring everything in the building. To add another layer of mystery, there are flashbacks sprinkled throughout that go back in time 60 years to another couple living in the very apartment at the Windermere that Rosie and Chad now occupy. Even stranger, the doorman at that time is also named Abi. Is it the same person? How could this be possible when his ages don’t seem to add up? I was so curious about Abi and about how the couple in the past (Paul and Willa) might tie in. Was theirs a story that would relate to the tragic history of the building, or were they able to circumvent it and get out?

Final thoughts (TLDR)

This is a tense, twist-filled thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. Dark and sinister, atmospheric, and gripping—Unger delivered another incredible novel of psychological suspense.

Thank you to Park Row books for my copy. Opinions are my own.

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About the Author | Lisa Unger

Lisa Unger is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of twenty-one novels, including THE NEW COUPLE IN 5B. With books published in thirty-three languages and millions of copies sold worldwide, she is regarded as a master of suspense.

Unger’s critically acclaimed novels have been featured on “Best Book” lists from the Today Show, Good Morning America, Entertainment Weekly, People, Amazon, Goodreads, L.A. Times, The Boston Globe, Sun Sentinel, Tampa Bay Times and many others. She has been nominated for, or won, numerous awards including the Strand Critics, Audie, Hammett, Macavity, ITW Thriller, and Goodreads Choice. In 2019, she received two Edgar Award nominations in the same year, an honor held by only a few authors including Agatha Christie. Her short fiction has been anthologized in The Best American Mystery and Suspense, and her non-fiction has appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and Travel+Leisure. Lisa is the current co-President of the International Thriller Writers organization. She lives on the west coast of Florida with her family.