Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
It’s been like this for weeks. The hottest May anyone can remember. Parks sunbaked, people sleeping outside in their gardens, melting tarmac. The lime-flash of parakeets might fool you, but London isn’t equipped for Andalusian temperatures. I glance at my phone—5th of June and 95 degrees, which is not normal. I hear him inhale, a wheezy breath. Then he sneezes. “Excuse me. Hay fever.” A rustly noise. He’s probably using a tissue from the box on his desk. The one he keeps for people like me. It was a mechanical thing. A reflex. One morning, without clear thought, I applied for a job. When I came for the interview, the manager stared at me, his pale eyebrows knitting. Think about your guests' needs and preferences. If you have any specific requests, be sure to let them know in advance so they can be prepared. She is an outdoorsy person and loves stomping up a mountain, walking the coastal paths and exploring the wonderful glens and beaches on the Island while she's plotting her next book. She has three children and two step-children who are all grown up and leading varied and interesting lives, which provides plenty of ideas for new stories.
Her words were a parrot-echo of mine as I sat with Rosie just a couple of months before, watching her until she’d swallowed something. I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Rona Halsall's latest compelling thriller #TheGuestRoom. To be fair, the book looks amazing. Celebrating the unique cuisine with all its cultural subtleties. I’m just not much of a cook. Something tells me Luke isn’t, either, despite his mum’s talent.I breathe in her hairdresser smell. She only goes to the salon for the odd trim, yet somehow manages to waft that shampoo scent around.
This whole book is full of stalking - not just by Tess. Everyone seems to be watching everyone else, and the metropolis of London soon seems like a small place. Tess wants to find out who killed her sister. She wants to know who Arran is pining for. She wants to know why her neighbor and his on-again, off-again girlfriend are acting so suspicious. Basically, Tess needs to know it all, and she doesn’t mind getting dirty if she can get some dirt on people. Sitting on the sofa, I glance around the living area. At the Victorian fireplace, the worn spines of old Spanish books on the bookcase, the Moroccan mosaic lamp. On the coffee table is a congealed disc of wax marking a dead candle. He goes into the kitchen. I linger in the corridor, composing myself. He seems casual, no inkling that I’ve been in his room or touched his things. No suspicion. The oven door clunks as I take a deep breath and follow him.
He’s booked the room for four weeks straight. In his original message he said he’d been subletting his friend’s room for two months while looking for a permanent place to rent. He hadn’t found anywhere yet, so he needed another short-term room to be able to keep searching.
Great Deal 
New Comment