The Late Tenant

"The Late Tenant" by Louis Tracy is a novel written in the early 20th century. It centers on David Harcourt, a young man who moves into a flat in London that has recently become available following the mysterious death of its last tenant, a promising singer named Gwendoline Barnes. The story delves into themes of grief, societal expectations, and the possible hauntings of the past as David becomes entangled with the implications of Gwendoline's death and her sister Violet, who emerges as a key character in his journey. At the start of the narrative, David reflects on his recent move from Wyoming to London and the discombobulating experience of urban life. He learns about the haunting atmosphere of his new flat, evidenced by odd occurrences and the lingering scent of violets, associated with the late tenant. As David navigates his first night in the flat, he experiences an unsettling intuition of a presence nearby, which arouses his curiosity about Gwendoline’s tragic story. The opening chapters establish David's character and inner thoughts while foreshadowing the complex mysteries he will unravel regarding love, loss, and the connections between the living and the dead. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Louis Tracy (1863–1928) was a British journalist, and prolific writer of fiction. He used the pseudonyms Gordon Holmes and Robert Fraser, which were at times shared with M. P. Shiel, a collaborator from the start of the twentieth century.