The Good Neighbor by A.J.Banner

From a phenomenal new voice in suspense fiction comes a book that will forever change the way you look at the people closest to you…

Shadow Cove, Washington, is the kind of town everyone dreams about—quaint streets, lush forests, good neighbors. That’s what Sarah thinks as she settles into life with her new husband, Dr. Johnny McDonald. But all too soon she discovers an undercurrent of deception. And one October evening when Johnny is away, sudden tragedy destroys Sarah’s happiness.

Dazed and stricken with grief, she and Johnny begin to rebuild their shattered lives. As she picks up the pieces of her broken home, Sarah discovers a shocking secret that forces her to doubt everything she thought was true—about her neighbors, her friends, and even her marriage. With each stunning revelation, Sarah must ask herself, Can we ever really know the ones we love?

A. J. Banner grew up reading Agatha Christie, Daphne du Maurier, and other masters of love and mystery. She enjoyed sneaking thrillers from her parents' library, which gave her excellent fodder for her first novel of psychological suspense, The Good Neighbor. Born in India and raised in North America, she always dreamed of writing gripping stories in which nothing is what it seems. She's hard at work on her next novel in her home office overlooking a Pacific Northwest forest.

Review

The Good Neighbor is one of those books that is hard to put down. I read the book in one sitting and have just now read some reviews on it. I have a hard time believing the negativity that some reviewers expressed. I didn't see it myself as I rate a book on if it keeps me reading or not. As a reviewer, I find that there are a lot of books that I struggle through. Not the case with this one.

Sarah loves her life with her doctor husband in a quiet quaint neighborhood in Shadow Cove Washington. One day she sees her neighbors come home early from a vacation. Sarah awakens in the middle of the night when she hears noises. The house next door is on fire. She rushes out and realizing that the little girl that lives there is in her bedroom on the second floor and she goes to rescue her. The parents are not saved though and her own home is lost to the fire. All of her items, gone, including her works in progress as an author

Because of this tragedy, Sarah comes to learn more about the neighbors who died and other neighbors in this area and she also learns more about her husband. Secrets abound but secrets are not kept forever and Sarah finds out more than she wants to know about certain people and because of this her life is in danger.

I really enjoyed this book, the writing style kept me reading, the characters are well written and the plot is at times scary. A psychological thriller at it's best in which we find that you don't always know your neighbors or your loved ones. I highly recommend. 

I received a copy of this book for review and was not monetarily compensated for my thoughts.