Title: The Good Neighbour
Author: R.J. Parker
Published on: 18 March 2021
Genre: Mystery and Thrillers
The Good Neighbour by R.J. Parker is a spine-chilling, mind-numbing, dark and riveting thriller. Wow! What a story! Leah is a unhappily married woman who lives with her husband Elliot. The husband and wife have been having marital problems for over two years now. Elliot is always away from home, ignores Leah’s phone calls and such. Leah is on her way home when her car hits a deer. She spots a light on in a nearby house and approaches, hoping someone would help her.
A man answers the door. Leah tells him about the accident; her phone is low on charge so she needs to call her husband and the tow truck. The man invites her in, asks to wash away the blood on her hands – blood of the deer she hit.
When Leah is in the bathroom, washing up the blood, the man calls the emergency services. Leah faints – due to shock and low blood pressure. When she gains consciousness, she’s on the sofa and the man is looking at her. One thing leads to another and they kiss. Leah realizes it’s not the right thing to do – Valentine’s day or not, she’s still married to Elliot. (The mystery is set around Valentine’s day.)
She gives him her address and goes out, waiting for the tow truck in the rain. The next morning, as a gesture of thanks, Leah takes a bottle of red wine to the nice neighbour. On arriving at the house, she sees a couple of police cars. On enquiring, she learns the owner of the house, Alice Booth, is murdered. The man Leah met was Alice’s killer.
Leah and her husband Elliot might be under risk so the police asks them to pack their bags and stay away from home for a few days. On returning home to pack, Leah receives a message from an unknown number – it’s from the killer…
Disturbing, creepy, dark and sure to give you nightmares! My god! I was hooked on to the story until the end. I don’t think I will ever ask a neighbour to help if my car breaks down! Lol! On a serious note, this book gives you nightmares so don’t make it your bed-time read!
The character portrayal is excellent. Leah has issues – marriage, neglected childhood and her sister’s death for which she holds herself responsible. She knows her marriage with Elliot is a lost cause but wants to make it work at any cost. One last try before calling it quits. When she approaches her neighbour for help, she feels herself drawn to the man – she’s a little wary of him too.
Without giving away further details, I would say, the reader is in for one heck of a roller coaster ride – things turn murkier when Leah receives a message from the killer. Despite of the creepiness, the story keeps one on the edge of their seat. I didn’t want to put down the book until the end. The tension is at an all-time high throughout. At the very end of the story, we have a twist – I did not see this coming. Gosh, the limits to which the killer went to destroy Leah’s life!
I highly recommend you to read The Good Neighbour by R.J. Parker. Addictive, riveting and a mind-numbing thriller!
The Book Decoder 
Omgoodness, that’s so twisted! I’m going to have to read this sometime.
Great review and thanks for sharing it!
😁😁