Shockingly enough, this is my first Sarah Waters read, though Fingersmith has been on my shelf for awhile. The Paying Guests is a historical fiction lady love story with a side of whodunit though (view spoiler)[we clearly know whodunit (hide spoiler)]. The first halfish is super fantastic detailing the life of a young, unmarried woman living with her mother in a substantial house in London after WWI. After losing the young men in the family to the war and the father to illness, the women decide to take in lodgers to earn some income. The description of domestic duties, the frustration of being a woman at that time in history, and the desires to life a more meaningful life are all so well described. I loved being inside Frances's house! The second half evolves into angsty crime, and I might have lost interest had it not been for the superb voice acting. My knowledge of British accents is very undeveloped, but I really enjoyed the voices and accents used for the different characters. I felt like I was listening to a radio drama! It helped propel the story forward even during dry bits. And embarrassingly altered my inflection for several days. Mistah Baa-baa?? Well!