The Neighbor’s Secret

The Neighbor’s Secret by L. Alison Heller lulls you into a false sense of security, much like its idyllic suburban setting, until you find yourself face-to-face with the danger that’s been lurking all along.

The Cottonwood Book Club is the place for the moms of the Cottonwood Estates to escape their husbands and children, drink cocktails, gossip, and also discuss the month’s book selection. When there’s a spate of vandalism in their supposedly safe community, it becomes talk of the town. Most of the moms put on an outward appearance of calm, but privately they’re evaluating their own parenting skills. Could one of their children be the vandal? Could they really have such a gaping blind spot to something happening right in front of them?

I really wanted to like this book. I never lost interest in figuring out who was the vandal. I never lost interest in finding out which of these seemingly perfect women actually had something to hide. I never lost interest in the interwoven flashbacks to a night of crime 15 years prior to the rest of the action. But I also never felt like I had to rush to the ending. I wanted the story to move faster than the story wanted to move. When the last third of the book finally matched my desired pace, it felt out of character.

I will say that the ending was satisfying. Every question you could possibly have is answered, and the lives of the moms, dads, children, etc. are wrapped up in the neat bow fitting the book’s neat setting.

You can pre-order your own copy of The Neighbor’s Secret here or request it from your local library (after its official release on October 5).

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