Louise Candlish’s A Neighbour’s Guide to Murder is a polished, slow-burning domestic thriller that cleverly explores loneliness and intergenerational relationships . Set within the elegantly enclosed world of Columbia Mansions, a small exclusive flat complex in central London, it follows retired Gwen as she forms a tentative friendship with her younger lodger, Pixie. As their relationship deepens, subtle tensions around housing, societal expectations, and privacy begin to surface—Candlish uses these to great effect, building an atmosphere of claustrophobic tension. When a shocking crime disturbs the carefully maintained calm, Gwen’s protective instincts drive her into a morally gray zone, and the narrative moves into a gripping exploration of loyalty and betrayal. With restrained yet vivid prose, expertly placed revelations, and a great ending, this was a gripping summer read, filled with some lovely wry humour.
With thanks to @harpercollinsireland and @netgalley for the advance copy in return for my honest review. 4 stars.

I’ve read a few books from this author and every one I love, they are a deffo an auto buy author for me. So glad I got to ARC read this one. A brilliant twisty thriller

Shades of Notes on a scandal here with an older female narrator who seems to become a bit obsessed with Pixie, the new tenant across the hall. I like a bit of unreliable narrator and twists in the tale and this delivered. I found the characters very unbelievable but it’s a good tale.

Upmarket Columbia Mansions in London is the setting for this thrilling page turner, with its first person narrator Gwen giving an honest and very personal account of dodgy goings on in this most unexpected of places. Gwen is an older woman who befriends young Pixie when she moves in to a room in the flat next to Gwen’s with landlord Alec. There are suspicious goings on right from the start and Gwen is taken into Pixie’s confidence with a shocking story of what is going on next door. There is a large cast of characters in the book, many of them unlikeable and the story itself is a story of our social media age - and a horrifying one at that. There are plenty of unexpected twists and turns to keep the reader turning the pages along with some big moral questions too. If this all sounds a bit worthy, it’s anything but - just a really good story and one that asks some important questions for our age.

This latest book by Candlish is just as engaging and gripping as I have come to expect. The book is told from the perspective of Gwen, who befriends Pixie, a new tenant in the building. From here it all starts to go wrong and ends in murder.
This was a delicious, twisting read, just when you think the truth has been revealed, Candlish unveils something else that leaves you questioning everything again, and this carries on right to the end. The plot is very gripping and I was completely immersed in the goings on and uncovering the truth.
The characters are likeable as well, this is mostly set in the one building and Candlish does a great job of describing the different residents and their personalities.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read and cannot recommend it enough.
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for an advance copy.

I really enjoyed this. Loved Gwen, and really sympathised with her, from her husband, and ungrateful children. It was written as if Gwen was talking to the reader, with all the nuances of a conversation. I really disliked some of the characters, I guess that was the idea. Between the lines there was a lesson to be learned. Quite a twist at the end which was not predictable. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

A domestic drama/thriller centred around three main characters. Gwen is an older lady who lives in up market Columbia Mansions and is the story teller, told in the first person, her neighbour is aging one hit wonder pop star Alec, who rents out one of his rooms and Pixie is Alec’s latest tenant. Whilst the prologue indicates a murder has taken place it’s quite a long time before this raises its head again. I must be honest and say it took me longer than usual to get into this, it was a slow burn, but still compelling.

Briefly, despite their age difference Gwen and Pixie strike up a close relationship, with Gwen trying to help her get her life back on track. But Gwen soon becomes suspicious about Pixie’s relationship with Alec and when Pixie tells her she is paying rent by using sex as a currency Gwen is shocked, and determined to make Alec pay for what she sees as his victimisation of Pixie, and maybe his previous tenants.

I have to say that whilst I didn’t like any of these characters, this writer does characters so well. Gwen is a terrible busybody, she has her nose in everyone business and is completely blind to possibilities other than those she has decided on. But the person who really wound me up was her selfish, self obsessed son, he needs a slap. The plot was good and once those trademark twists start they come in thick and fast. I was convinced fairly early on I knew the plot and I had it a bit right but goodness me there were some shocks! A tightly plotted character driven thriller and an entertaining read.

Having read Louise Candlish before, I was expecting a good read and I wasn’t disappointed. Columbia Mansions has a lot of very different characters living there, and Pixie is more different than most. The unexpected friendship between Pixie and Gwen leads the book, but you’ll need to read to the very last page to see which of the characters is really telling the truth and who is hiding something. I can only presume the writer didn’t want the reader to like many of the characters, and while not a fast paced book, the twists cannot be seen in advance. You don't need to have read one of this writer's books before to enjoy this one.

Pixie has moved into Columbia Mansions and meets neighbour Gwen. Despite their age difference they become friends. Pixie entrusts Gwen with a secret but Gwen is horrified at what she hears .
Soon Columbia Mansions is the centre of media attention and Gwen is at the middle of it.

A Neighbours Guide to Murder by Louise Candlish ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is a very clever book. Keeps you guessing and guessing who is telling the truth. Pixie is homeless and rents a room in Columbia Mansions. Her landlord is Alec and the neighbour is Gwen. This is a domestic thriller told through Gwen. Really enjoyed this and so much content in it for a good book club discussion

When Gwens apartment neighbour decides to rent a room in the upper class apartment block she starts picking up on some uncomfortable moments for the new tenant Pixie. With her motherly instinct she befriends Pixie and decides to help her. That's where everything goes wrong.
I thought this was a brilliant book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Their were some great characters and I certainly didn't expect the ending! I would definitely be interested in reading some more of Louise Candlish's books. Highly recommended!

Not Louise Candlish's usual style of book but I chose it not knowing this. The story is an interesting one. Told in the first person by Gwen it tells of a group of people living in a well heeled block of flats in London with lots of rules. Gwen likes to get involved and is a bit of a busybody. However, things get out of control when she involves herself in her neighbour's relationship with his new lodger. It took me a long time to get properly into this book but when I did I was hooked. I can't say I really liked any of the characters. They were all very strange. I did love the twists at the end though. Worth waiting for!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

I have read almost everything Louise Candlish has written and loved all of them. This book is up there with her best. It's a dark slow burn novel about neighbourly tensions and scandalous secrets.
The ending is jaw dropping, that's all I can say.
Just brilliant

The conclusion significantly redeemed the experience for me—I appreciated the slow-burn, cat-and-mouse style, where the sense of uncertainty whom to trust added intrigue. This was my first time a book by Candlish, and I believe I would consider exploring another of their works.

The ending really pulled this back for me - I was enjoying the slower burn cat and mouse style where you weren't sure who to trust though. Candlish always knows how to deliver a twisty and engaging story.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ for an advanced copy of this excellent read. Once again Louise Candlish has written another crime hit, delivering topical issues and memorable characters. Packed with twists and turns, this would make a perfect drama on TV!

Brilliant book! The characters, setting and plot are excellent. I could not put it down, as I was so invested in this original thriller.
Superb writing and I highly recommend it.

Louise Candlish has long since become an auto-buy for me, and so I was thrilled for the opportunity to read her latest release. This thriller is amazing in the way that it brings together a generational gap in a seemingly serene setting, when it is anything but. Run and grab it!

I really enjoyed this book. I have never read a book by Louise Candlish, but cannot wait to read some of her previous books.
The book features two main characters, Pixie and Gwen. There were many twists and turns in the book which I loved. The chapters were quite short and I thought it was a fast paced book.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year, but sadly it didn't quite live up to what I expected. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. I enjoyed it but it felt a bit flat.

I did find it took me a little while to get into as it's written in first person (as Gwen) but talking to the reader like it's a letter or diary entry or story. I'm generally not a huge fan of first person (although I admit it works in thrillers), and this did take me a while to gel with.

It is definitely a slow burn, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's all about persona taste. The prologue promises murder, but then that takes a backseat for about 95% of the book, whilst we get to know the characters and whatnot, which meant to pacing felt off.

I have only read a couple of Louise's books before, but what I have figured out about all of them is how well she writes characters, no matter their age or background or position in the story.

It wasn't as twisty or turny as I was expecting. The premise and prologue suggest this thrilling crime, murdery tale, or at least a psychological thriller. But I didn't get that at all. Which makes it sound like I'm saying I didn't like it, which isn't true. I liked it. It jsut wasn't what I was expecting. It's more about the characters, their relationships, almost like a family drama more than a thriller.

As something that bills itself as a thriller and a murder mystery I suppose in a way, the actual murder part is rather anticlimactic and lackluster.

I suppose there is a twist yes, but it's one I saw coming straight away. Obviously I won't spoil it and say what it is, but I'm interested to see what other people have to say about it.

Whilst still an enjoyable books and I would recommend it, it wasn't my favourite. It's missing that thrilling spark her others have. This is more sedate and so didn't grab me like her previous books sadly.