Bedbugs

by:  Ben Winters
published by:  Quirk Publishing
publish date:  September 6, 2011

Susan and Alex Wendt have found their dream apartment.

Sure, the landlady is a little eccentric. And the elderly handyman drops some cryptic remarks about the basement. But the rent is so low, it’s too good to pass up.

Big mistake. Susan soon discovers that her new home is crawling with bedbugs . . . or is it? She awakens every morning with fresh bites, but neither Alex nor their daughter Emma has a single welt. An exterminator searches the property and turns up nothing. The landlady insists her building is clean. Susan fears she’s going mad—until a more sinister explanation presents itself: she may literally be confronting the bedbug problem from Hell.

I live in deep south Louisiana and fortunately bedbugs haven't become a serious problem here...yet.  At least I don't think so.   After reading this book, I hope they don't ever.  This book freaked me out.  In areas where bedbugs are a problem are people really psycho about not getting them?  In this book people wouldn't visit this family because they thought they had bedbugs and their friend wouldn't let them spend the night because they didn't want to get the bugs.  Is it really that bad?

Though the book was well written and really freaky, I did not like Susan at all.  She was a stay at home mom with only ONE kid and had a nanny.  At one point the nanny get fired and Susan calls her husband to see if he'll come home early because she's had to watch the child by herself all day.  Uhh what?  I was talking to my husband about that and we agreed he'd probably kill me!

This book is a psychological thriller and a horror book rolled into one.  I wouldn't recommend it if you have a weak stomach, there were some parts that really grossed me out.  It was a great read though in terms of a horror novel.  It would definitely make a great scary movie.