The Lodger

Published in 1911, The Lodger was one of the first modern serial killer novels. Based largely on the Jack the Ripper murders, the book centers on a financially-troubled London couple (Robert and Ellen Bunting) who discover that they may be renting a room to the killer himself. Marie Belloc Lowndes brings a surprising amount of depth to the story, especially in her character development of the Buntings (and their understandable concerns about losing a good-paying tenant).