The Man in My Basement
By Walter Mosley

      The Man in My Basement is one of the most chilling, compelling tales I’ve heard. Beautifully performed by Ernie Hudson, this audio kept me spellbound through the last, spine-tingling word.

      Charles Blakey was puzzled when he opened his door to find a white man standing on his porch. White folks were seldom seen in black neighborhoods like his. He was even more puzzled when Aniston Bennet wanted to rent his basement for the summer.

      At first, Blakey refused. He felt he wanted no part of Aniston Bennet. But Blakey had lost his job at the bank and no one would hire him, not for any job. He had no choice. Though he had a few family heirlooms he could sell, the mortgage on the ancestral home was due. The house had been in his family for seven generations. He couldn’t risk losing it. So, he accepted Bennet’s offer.

      Bennet gave Charles eight thousand, five hundred dollars in advance, enough to save the house for the immediate future. Then, he told Blakey he would require some construction on the basement. However, Bennet would pay for everything. He would send Blakey the instructions when he sent the materials that spring.

      When the materials arrived, Blakey found himself building a large, metal cage. Who or what was Bennet planning to cage? Blakey’s sense of foreboding deepened when he found Bennet was to be locked in the cage with Blakey as his jailor! What bizarre plan did Bennet have in mind?

      The Man in My Basement is a journey into the darkest regions of the human psyche. It is a story at once terrifying and captivating. The final sentence will send a chill through you that will last for days.