Book Review Wednesday: The Woman Next Door

I can't believe I never wrote a review on this book -- it was a really good one and it completely got lost in the shuffle!

"The Woman Next Door" is such a typical suspense novel name and is written by Cass Green who also wrote 'In a Cottage in a Wood'. I can't remember if I read this book first or "In a Cottage..." because after reading whichever one was first, I immediately went to Green's author page and put a bunch on my to-read list.

Either way, it was a great book and I really love Cass Green's writing style.

This is the publisher's summary:

Two suburban women. Two dark secrets. The almost perfect murder.

Everybody needs good neighbours…

Melissa and Hester have lived next door to each other for years. When Melissa’s daughter was younger, Hester was almost like a grandmother to her. But recently they haven’t been so close.

Hester has plans to change all that. It’s obvious to her that despite Melissa’s outwardly glamorous and successful life, she needs Hester’s help.

But taking help from Hester might not be such a good idea for a woman with as many secrets as Melissa…

Like all good murder novels, this takes place in the UK (if my memory serves...) and it's a very interesting plot with lots of twists and turns. There's a murder (as mentioned above), a coverup, a kidnapping or two, and just a lot of weirdness.

I will say that this book kept me on the edge of my seat and I was very interested in the characters. Some of the build-ups of Melissa's character was a bit of a disappointment but ultimately, everything turned out to be interesting.

What was super creepy and very interesting was Hester's character. At first, you could definitely tell something was up with Hester; her obsession with Melissa's life and daughter was very odd, the way she was obsessed with her dead husband and the fact that she didn't have any grandchildren was very odd.

It all makes sense as the story continues and even in the midst of the murder/cover-up, her mind works in very mysterious ways. There's something clearly wrong with her...

However, it's the revelation you get about her life toward the end of the book that throws me for a loop and is a great twist, I'm actually smiling thinking about it now.

This was a quick, easy read (or listen), was very interesting and kept you guessing. If you're in the market for a no-nonsense, easy and fun (if true crime is fun to you) read, this is your book! I highly recommend Cass Green as well! 

xoxo
B