By: Miranda Rijks
Narrators: Danielle Cohen, Chris Devon
ISBN: 9781666609035
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Publication Date: 06/30/2022
Format: Audio
8 hrs. 7 min.
My Rating: 4 Stars (ARC)
Until recently, Isobel has always loved The Close. A quiet road of large houses tucked away in the beautiful English countryside, it seemed like the perfect place to live. Then, six months ago, a young man was killed in a mysterious hit-and-run incident. The police investigated, but no one was charged, which left a bad feeling in this little community, a feeling that someone knows more than they are saying.
So when new neighbor Linette arrives, Isobel thinks it’s the perfect chance to make a fresh start, to repair relationships, and rebuild her community. But someone else has a very different plan, and bad things start to happen. When there’s another death, Isobel realizes her home, her marriage, and her family are all in terrible danger. She is certain that what’s happening is connected to the hit-and-run. But how? What really happened on the night of the fatal accident? And above all, who is Linette, and what does she really want?
My Review
THE NEW NEIGHBOUR by the Miranda Rijks is a complex plot-driven multi-layered whodunnit domestic thriller that will keep you guessing until the final page!
The Close is a quiet road of large houses tucked away in the beautiful English countryside. It seems like the perfect place to live. But appearances can be deceptive. There are many dark secrets buried in this posh neighborhood.
In the Close, everyone is a suspect and has a motive.
Until recently, Isobel Floyd has always loved The Close. She, a successful architect partner, is also married to architect partner, Mike. She decided to give up her career to stay home with her two children, Harry and Harper. Harry is on the spectrum and takes a lot of care. She also owns a successful nail salon in her home.
Six months earlier, a young man, Wilson, was killed in a mysterious hit-and-run incident they knew in the neighborhood. The police investigated, but no one was charged. It's left a bad feeling in this little community, a feeling that someone knows more than they are saying.
So when new neighbour, Linette, arrives, Isobel thinks it's the perfect chance to make a fresh start. To repair relationships and rebuild her community. However, Linette becomes a big TROUBLEMAKER, stirring up problems in the neighborhood and her business.
Bad things start happening, and now someone else is dead. Two deaths related to #2 The Close. A murder.
As the story progresses, the reader learns new information, and Isobel soon suspects everyone around her as the possible killer. The readers are right there with her, wondering who to trust or if anyone is trustworthy.
The plot twists will surprise you and keep you flipping through the pages until the end. Suspicion, betrayal, and dark hidden secrets abound in this tense story―all hidden just beneath the surface of a seemingly perfect suburban life.
For fans of authors: B.A. Paris (The Therapist), Kimberly Belle (My Darling Husband), Samantha M. Bailey (Watch Out for Her), and Carter Wilson (The New Neighbor).
I listened to the audiobook and highly recommend it. The narrators, Danielle Cohen and Chris Devon, delivered a spine-tingling performance.
Thank you to #NetGalley and #Dreamscape Media for an ARC audiobook to listen to, enjoy, and review.
Pub Date: June 30, 2022
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
My listening thoughts:
I loved the audiobook, the narrator, and the UK setting, but honestly, I was about to give up before I was halfway through due to all the ongoing DRAMA: the pig, the burial ground project, the drone, nosy neighbors causing problems with her nail business, bickering, talk of a suspected affair, the issues with the husband, wife, and Isobel's suspicions, and worries about the killer (s) which seemed to drag on. But all this is a setup for what is to come.
Trust me you must HANG IN THERE, because the novel HEATS up about halfway to three-quarters through to the end with fast-paced jaw-dropping action. THEN You could not tear me away.
Expect the unexpected. That scene is so bloody good! It will blow your mind, and the author does a killer job with the unexpected twist when the killer's identity is unveiled. I did not see this coming. (LOVED) The author wraps us everything and we get all the details and answers.
I would give the first half 3 stars and the last half 5 stars, so rounding this to 4 stars. I am intrigued by this author and look forward to reading more of her books. For this reason is why I love NetGalley and audiobook ARCs to get to know new authors, typically not on my radar. Highly recommend this one.
About the Author
Before becoming a fiction writer, I helped newbie entrepreneurs turn their ideas into successful businesses. In 2015, I was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare bone cancer, and everything changed.
I live in Sussex, England with my husband, musician daughter and black Labradors. When I'm not writing, I'm dreaming about living in a chalet on a Swiss mountain, obsessively knitting and painting on my iPad.
My books include: The Visitors, The Arrangement, The New Neighbour, The Second Wife, The Only Child, What She Knew, The Influencer, Roses Are Red, You Are Mine, Deserve To Die, I Want You Gone, Fatal Fortune, Fatal Flowers and Fatal Finale.
Find out more at www.mirandarijks.com and sign up to my newsletter at https://mirandarijks.substack.com. Thank you for reading my books! WEBSITE
