Following an horrendous and terrifying ordeal in their home, a young couple move to the English countryside to escape the memories, only to find the house they've moved to has his own horrific history. The people of the village - The People Next Door - appear perfect. Of course, they are not.

The prologue is harrowing and disturbing in places, but the book quickly moves on to the new characters in the new area, most of whom are successful, rich and or beautiful. The overlong introduction to them is like a television family drama, full of daily vacuous events, with a rather American flavour. Eventually things change when a young thief is run down by someone from the village. Everyone closes ranks as if there are things to hide...

The story is told from first person perspectives of the new couple in alternating sections. The man is trying to hold everything together while his wife is trying to find out what is not right about the perfect community. Some things fall into place while others are mere red herrings. In both cases, there is too much repetition and unnecessary filler. This feels like a very long book.

​There is plenty of intrigue and suspense and sometimes the plot is far-fetched, but the path of someone suffering from anxiety and paranoia is the driving feature of the story. A book about fear, loyalty and several psychological conditions and mental health issues, with an ending worthy of a Hollywood action film.

I normally devour Tony Parsons books but found this one a bit over the top and some of the plot devices a bit unbelievable. It was still enjoyable but not a patch on the other ones that I have read.
I was given a free copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

Only the second book I’ve read by Tony Parsons. Not sure why as he was such an incredible journalist. Breaking through the class barrier. It’s interesting to read his books as they clearly have some of his experiences weaved into characters. But I’ll be reading every single one as he is such a talent. A strong 5/5

When I started reading this I loved the thrill and pace of the book but in the middle i felt like it lost its direction and then had a fab twist at the end. It just seemed to go on a bit with way too indepth descriptions of places instead of people. Just wasn't for me. I had heard of Tony Parsons and this was my first peak into his world but sadly I would not recommend it.

This is the first book I have read by Tony Parsons and I enjoyed it. Had me gripped from the first page and I definitely did not see the twist coming.

Intriguing, disturbing and fantastic all at once!
Really enjoyed this. Lots of details, great writing and fabulous characters
Makes me shudder to think of it and how real it was reading it.
Takes an amazing talent to do that
Great book

Lana and her husband, Dr Roman Wade move out of the city to the countryside to recover from a recent home invasion.

At first it seems like a perfect neighbourhood and neighbours, but all is not what it seems and soon Lana doesn't know who to trust

Really enjoyed this thriller, until the ending which felt rushed and a little bit unbelievable

This book started off really well but then seemed to start lagging. Towards the end it just all became a bit silly and confusing. Quite disappointed.

Initially I thought this was going to be edge of the seat stuff, but unfortunately it paled.

With a passing nod to The Stepford Wives Lana and her husband move to an idyllic community called The Gardens. From day one it all seemed to good to be true, even when Lana discovers a safe room she seems a little on edge about this wonderful property. Soon she discovers what happened in their house for it to be for sale. After all everyone loves it so much in The Gardens, why would anyone have moved out?

The characters all felt a little one dimensional in this book, maybe they needed to be in order to survive The Gardens. I didn't warm to them except perhaps for the sage Sandy, Lana's friend from way back. I thought at one point he was going to save the plot line.

I did keep reading to the end and actually at one point couldn't wait to get back to it. Lot of little hooks promised so much more. It wasn't the thriller I was expecting and I feel a little let down by it for the time invested in reading.

I am sorry to say I was a bit dissapointed in this. It had a good story at the beginning but then took ages for things to happen and then it was just all a bit random (don't want to give anything away).

Oh, I'm really not sure...it's definitely readable, with a good opening, but just appeared to wind down the further past the halfway point you got. Many thanks to Netgalley.co.uk forvthe opportunity to read and review this ARC

This book had me gripped from the start, a brilliant read.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Lana and Roman Wade Have moved to the country. They are escaping something that happened in London. As they move into the house that they got such a deal on, Lana becomes uneasy. On meeting the neighbours she soon discovers that the last occupants died at the hands of the husband/father.
Things are not what they seem as they settle into the hamlet. Watching from her window and talking to people Lana feels nothing is as it seems.
Is Lana still suffering from her trauma or is the world going mad.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to see an ARC.

This book was fab! It really gripped me and I had to keep reading to see what happened next.
Tony Parsons has an excellent style of writing and I would definitely like to read more from this author.
Thank you to Tony Parsons, NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book had me stumped. Sitting smug and thinking I had it all thought out, the author put me in my place. Finally we have a thriller that will keep you your toes.

A good solid thriller, the edge of paranoia to the main character making you unsure as to what she is seeing and the truth of what's really happening but the setting and cast weren't something I hadn't seen before. I enjoyed it, definitely wanted to find out what happened but it's not a stand out thriller for me.

Lana and Roman have moved from the city to an idyllic Oxfordshire village to escape something terrible in their past. Except, it turns out that 'The Gardens' isn't as idyllic as it first appears.
This book has a sound premise but for me, the plot is weak. There was not a single character that I warmed to and they were all a bit one dimensional.. I have read Tony Parson's books in the past and enjoyed them but sadly, this one wasn't for me.

Brilliant twisty little thriller had me hooked from page one and the ending was not to be missed, will look out for more from the author!

A neighbourhood hiding many secrets

Lana and her husband Roman Wade have moved to a picture-perfect village in Oxfordshire. Roman is taking over from the recently retired doctor.

They have purchased a beautiful house in the exclusive area of the village known as Castle Gardens. They left their home in London after a home invasion left them both traumatised and they are hoping that the change will help them both recover and get their lives back on track. Then they discover that the house they bought was where a pilot who had been made redundant, had killed his wife and son and himself. Lana is devastated by the discovery and wants to leave immediately, but her new neighbours persuade her that life is idyllic in the Gardens. But is it?

Tony Parsons has created a truly disturbing storyline, with both the protagonists and supporting characters filling me with disquiet. And yet, I couldn’t leave the book for a minute until I’d discovered how it would all end. I think this is one book that will stay with me for a long time, hoping that the characters wouldn’t suddenly turn into humans! A brilliant book. Tony Parsons never fails to keep me spellbound from the opening paragraph until the final word.

Rony

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.

Wow. This is the first Tony Parsons book I have read and it absolutely blew me away. It doesn’t go anywhere like the direction you expect and leads you down several different paths. A brilliant read.