AUGUST 13, 2009
The Neighbor ~ Lisa Gardner
*****reviewed by bas bleu
The Neighbor is a quintessential Lisa Gardner novel, filled with mystery and suspense, guaranteed to keep you awake past your usual bedtime, reading "just one more" chapter. Can anyone really know another person? In this novel, no one is exactly who they seem. The family in The Neighbor appears to be perfect on the surface, but the reader discovers layer upon layer of secrets in page after page of the novel. The characters are engaging, the plot is tight, and the Boston setting is spot on. Read this one. It's a keeper.
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Comments
bas bleu said, on Aug. 14 at 3:51PM
Lisa Unger's newest novel, Die for You, has a similar theme of a wife searching for the truth about her husband. When he disappears, she discovers that he had totally fabricated his past, and their life together was a series of lies as well.
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CarolK said, on Sep. 29 at 10:21AM
I picked up Neighbor by Lisa Gardner on the recommendation of bas bleu. We often enjoy the same books and have had lively conversations about some over the years. I love that we can talk about books and respect each other's opinions.
Neighbor grabbed me from the get go with it's thought provoking first sentence.
"Ive always wondered what people felt in the final hours of their lives".
Neighbor is a psychological thriller with lots of great characters with brains to pick and analyze. Tension builds as we read about the last moments of Sandra Jones who sets the scene with these words
"In the last moments of the world as I know it, I wish I could tell you I heard an owl hoot out in the darkness. Or saw a black cat leap over the fence. Or felt the hairs tingle on the nape of my neck.
"I wish I could tell you I saw the danger, that I put up one helluva fight. After all, I , of all people, should understand just how easily love can turn to hate, desire to obsession. I, of all people should have seen it coming.
But I didn't. I honestly didn't."
It only gets better from here. Sandy disappears and the search to find her begins. Has she run away? Did someone, known or unknown, kidnap her?, kill her? Is she still alive? Lots of suspects including the husband and the neighbor, a young sex offender lurking nearby. We hear the story from many points of view and have to decide who is a reliable narrator.
Aidan Brewster, the sex offender, is easy to hate and an easy target as a person of interest, not only to the hard working Sergeant Warren, but also to the reader. Gardner really gets in Brewster's head as he tells his tale. Gardner consulted Carolyn Lucet, a licensed independent clinical social worker who specializes in treatment of sex offenders to write Brewster's character.. Well worth the effort and brings new perspective to my feelings about this group that garners strong prejudices from the public.
Add in Sandy's precocious four year old daughter Ree, who may have seen something the night her mother disappeared and you've got a gripping, keep you up reading, ride. I have to say I couldn't wrap all into a neat package until the end and appreciate Gardner's skill in keeping me guessing.
I agree with bas bleu. Neighbor is a keeper!
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