The Neighbour by Fiona Cummins: Review

Title: The Neighbour
Author: Fiona Cummins
Genre: Crime Thriller
Published: March 2019
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Pages: 406

Summary

The gripping crime thriller of the year with a twist you’ll never see coming . . .

FOR SALE: A lovely family home with good-sized garden and tree-house occupying a plot close to woodland. Perfect for kids, fitness enthusiasts, dog walkers . . .

And, it seems, the perfect hunting ground for a serial killer.

On a hot July day, Garrick and Olivia Lockwood and their two children move into 25 The Avenue looking for a fresh start. They arrive in the midst of a media frenzy: they’d heard about the local murders in the press, but Garrick was certain the killer would be caught and it would all be over in no time. Besides, they’d got the house at a steal and he was convinced he could flip it for a fortune.

The neighbours seemed to be the very picture of community spirit. But everyone has secrets, and the residents in The Avenue are no exception.

After six months on the case with no real leads, the most recent murder has turned DC Wildeve Stanton’s life upside down, and now she has her own motive for hunting down the killer – quickly.

My Thoughts

Writing – this book is amazingly written and well structured to keep the readers attention. Suspense is built throughout the book which keeps the reader engaged and guessing at the same time. Fiona utilizes short chapters and multiple perspectives to build up the suspense and offering glimpses of the killer’s mind and motivation.
Characters – for me characters are the most important part of a book and I felt like I couldn’t care about some of the characters, even though I wanted to but there was nothing engaging me with those characters. However, I was really invested in some of the characters and they were memorable. I enjoyed how different these characters were truly depicting the spirit of a community.
Plot – the plot is well crafted, I kept guessing who the murder was and let me tell you that I was wrong😂. When the killer was revealed at the end, I was shocked.
If you’ve not yet read this book, I’d highly recommend it. It will play with your emotions.