In The New Couple in 5B, Lisa Unger invites readers into the eerie halls of the Windermere, a historic New York apartment building with a glamorous façade and a sinister heart. Blending gothic suspense with psychological unease, this novel asks a chilling question: what price would you pay for the perfect life?
Rosie and Chad Lowan are a struggling couple barely getting by in the city until Chad inherits his late uncle’s luxury apartment in the Windermere. On the surface, it is a dream come true prewar charm, a prestigious address, and a doorman who never seems to leave his post. But as they settle into their new life, Rosie begins to sense that something is very wrong. The ever-present doorman, the silent cameras watching every move, and the building’s history of mysterious deaths create an atmosphere that feels suffocatingly alive.
Unger crafts the Windermere as more than a setting it becomes a character in its own right, whispering secrets and exuding menace. The building’s dark past, tied to the ruins of an old church, drips with occult undertones and ghostly echoes. It’s easy to see why readers have compared this novel to Rosemary’s Baby and 666 Park Avenue: both classics of urban horror where privilege, paranoia, and the supernatural intertwine.
Rosie’s character is particularly intriguing. A true crime writer haunted by her own upbringing among occultists, she becomes both investigator and victim as reality begins to blur around her. The deeper she digs into the Windermere’s past, the more she questions her sanity and her safety. The novel balances psychological tension with paranormal flair, mixing séances, devil-eye charms, and ghostly apparitions into a modern gothic thriller.
However, opinions among readers are divided. While many praise Unger’s vivid atmosphere and the slow build of dread, others find the pacing uneven and the final act overly drawn out. The story begins with strong tension but sometimes lingers too long on introspection, softening the impact of its climactic revelations. Rosie’s decisions, too, can feel frustratingly irrational for someone so intelligent and self-aware, though that vulnerability also makes her more human.
Still, even with its flaws, The New Couple in 5B succeeds as an immersive, cinematic experience. The Windermere feels like a cursed relic of Manhattan’s past, its beauty masking decay, its residents hiding secrets too dangerous to expose. Unger’s prose remains elegant and immersive, drawing you into a world where every reflection could hide a ghost and every neighbor might be complicit in something terrible.
If you enjoy atmospheric thrillers that straddle the line between psychological and supernatural, this book deserves a spot on your nightstand.
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