Book review #37 The neighbours

The Neighbours

Author : Daniel Hurst

Language : English

Genre : Suspense Thriller

Pages : 380

About the book:

It seemed like the perfect house on the perfect street. Until they met the neighbours...

Happily married couple Katie and Sean have plenty to look forward to as they move into their new home and plan for the future. But then they meet two of their new neighbours and everything on their quiet street suddenly doesn't seem as desirable as it did before. 

Having been warned about the other neighbours, and their adulterous and criminal ways, Katie and Sean realise that they are going to have to be on their guard if they want to make their time here a happy one. 

But the other neighbours seem so nice and that's why they choose to ignore the warning and get friendly with the rest of the people on the street. And that is why their marriage will never be the same again...

Four houses. Six neighbours. And one shocking twist. 

About the author

Daniel Hurst is the author of the number 1 bestselling psychological thriller 'The Passenger', as well as several other popular thrillers including 'Til Death Do Us Part' and 'The Wrong Woman'.

He is also the creator of The 20 Minute Series, the series of psychological books which readers have called “original” and “addictive” and 'like a soap opera in book form."

You can visit him at www.danielhurstbooks.com, where you can also download a copy of his FREE thriller 'Just One Second.'

My take:

Katie and Sean arrive in a new neighbourhood as they shift to their dream house, one of the four located at a cul-de-sac. They plan to stay here forever and raise a family.

But someone has other plans for them. As they begin getting to know their neighbours, they start realizing that the warnings they had received about the other neighbours, from one of the neighbours, might be true after all. 

Will Katie and Sean also end up with the same fate as the previous owners of the house?

Just like any other Daniel Hurst novel, this one too keeps the reader hooked right from the beginning. The drama unfolds in such a manner that every page is hooking and you just can't keep it down.

The story is narrated from the alternating POVs of Katie and Sean, and the subtle thought processes of both of them that lead them to act in certain ways is beautifully described. The domino effect a simple thoughtless action can have, and how simple emotions like jealousy and anger can begin to erode even the strongest relationships is nicely described.

All characters besides the protagonists, Albert, Eileen, Ian, Jackson, Chris have been described in such a way that the reader can form a mental image for each one of them.

The suspense is good, though I had guessed it beforehand. And the twisted end was definitely a surprise.

The cover is beautifully designed and captures the essence of the story.

I rate it five stars.