The Perfect Neighbour by Susanna Beard

Beth has moved to a new neighbourhood along with her family and wishes to make friends. But looks like all her neighbours prefer a quiet life than socializing. Her next-door neighbours have a high-end security system – intercom, separate mail boxes and much more. What are they secretive about?

Meanwhile, Sofia hates her employers. She was kidnapped on the pretext of giving a good-paying job. Now, she works as a slave to Oksana and Keith. She was just sixteen when she started working here and she doesn’t see a chance of escaping. But, she still holds on to the hope that some day she will go back to Bulgaria and be with her parents.

The Perfect Neighbour by Susanna Beard is a mind-blowing, gripping and completely addictive page-turner. I was hooked on to the story and could not put it down until the end. Be it the suspense or the character portrayal or the storytelling, Susanna Beard is a master storyteller. I cannot wait to catch up on all the books she’s written so far.

The story alternates between Beth and Sofia. Beth and her husband Adam have moved from London to a quaint suburban street in Reading. Their kids Abigail and Tom are adjusting to their new lives. Beth wants to socialize with her neighbours. But none of them seem to be friendly – except for Karen, who arrives soon after Beth and family moves in and introduces herself. The family gets a dog – Ruff. One day, Ruff goes missing from the backyard and is found next door. Beth goes to her neighbours but they seem unfriendly. Beth and Adam decide to hold a party – a getting-to-know-your-neighbours sort. Oksana (the ‘secretive’ neighbour) makes an appearance at the party and all eyes are on her.

Sofia is woken up by her mistress (Oksana) soon after Sir (Keith) leaves for work. She’s made to dust and vacuum all the rooms, do the laundry and much more – every day. Sofia reminisces the time she spend with her family in Bulgaria. She wanted to move to UK to work and earn more money. She’s working, all right, but as a slave. Her passport is withheld by her kidnappers. She’s also mistreated by her employers – she is not given any food to eat, beaten if found stealing food, and made to work 16 hours a day.

Sofia wants to escape. She knows if she’s caught, she will be badly beaten but this is not how she expected her life to be. One day, she finds a young boy (Tom) in the garden – looking for a dog (Ruff). Tom sees Sofia at the window and tells his mum about it. Beth wonders who the young girl is – was Tom making up stories? Doesn’t seem like it. After a few days, Beth sees the young girl holding a sheet of paper that says ‘HELP ME.’

I absolutely loved every bit of this story. Sofia and Beth are portrayed very well and the suspense is well-maintained until the end. Beth is curious about her neighbours while Sofia is desperate to escape. But neither of them knew their lives would be connected… Halfway through the story, Beth makes a shocking discovery – this sets things into motion. She now wants to save the young girl at any cost. She files a complaint at the local police station but with very little evidence, there’s nothing much the police could do about it.

The tension is at an-all time high in the second half of the book. The ending is mind-blowing!

If you are looking for a gripping and riveting domestic thriller, you might want to give The Perfect Neighbour by Susanna Beard a try.

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Thank you Nina Kicul @ JoffeBooks for the ARC.

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