The Woman in the Window

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Pub Date 25 Jan 2018 | Archive Date 1 Apr 2022

Description

Soon to be a major film on Netflix starring Amy Adams, Gary Oldman and Julianne Moore

OVER 3 MILLION COPIES SOLD!

THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

‘Astounding. Thrilling. Amazing’ Gillian Flynn

‘One of those rare books that really is unputdownable’ Stephen King

'Twisted to the power of max' Val McDermid

‘A dark, twisty confection’ Ruth Ware

What did she see?

It’s been ten months since Anna Fox last left her home. Ten months during which she has haunted the rooms of her old New York house, lost in her memories, too terrified to step outside.

Anna’s lifeline to the real world is her window, where she sits, watching her neighbours. When the Russells move in, Anna is instantly drawn to them. A picture-perfect family, they are an echo of the life that was once hers.

But one evening, a scream rips across the silence, and Anna witnesses something horrifying. Now she must uncover the truth about what really happened. But if she does, will anyone believe her? And can she even trust herself?

Soon to be a major film on Netflix starring Amy Adams, Gary Oldman and Julianne Moore

OVER 3 MILLION COPIES SOLD!

THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

‘Astounding. Thrilling...


Advance Praise

Praised by some of today’s biggest-selling and most acclaimed authors:

 

The Woman in the Window is one of those rare books that really is unputdownable. The writing is smooth and often remarkable. The way Finn plays off his totally original story against a background of film noir is both delightful and chilling’

Stephen King

 

‘A dark, twisty confection with an irresistible film noir premise.  Hitchcock would have snapped up the rights in a heartbeat’

Ruth Ware

 

‘Finn has created a noir for the new millennium, packed with mesmerizing characters, stunning twists, beautiful writing and a narrator with whom I'd love to split a bottle of pinot. Maybe two bottles—I've got a lot of questions for her.’

Gillian Flynn

 

The Woman in the Window is the most riveting thriller I’ve read since Gone Girl.

A.J. Finn is a bold new talent with the touch of a master.’

Tess Gerritsen

 

‘A truly phenomenal debut. A taut, utterly compelling story. Smart, heart-wrenching – and really scary’

Nicci French

 

‘Dense, brilliant, and unforgettable; tight in focus, widescreen in execution’

Jenny Colgan

 

The Woman in the Window is a tour de force. A twisting, twisted odyssey inside one woman’s mind, her illusions, delusions, reality. It left my own mind reeling and my heart pounding. An absolutely gripping thriller.’

Louise Penny

 

‘Twisted to the power of max. Hitchockian suspense with a 21st century spin’

Val McDermid

 

‘An incredible debut, I absolutely loved it.  I read The Woman in the Window in a single day.  Full of suspense and surprises and told with heart, The Woman in the Window will send readers racing through its pages.  A stunning first outing from A.J. Finn.  He is tremendous new talent’

Jane Harper, bestselling author of The Dry

Praised by some of today’s biggest-selling and most acclaimed authors:

 

The Woman in the Window is one of those rare books that really is unputdownable. The writing is smooth and often remarkable...


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ISBN 9780008234171
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PAGES 400

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Featured Reviews

As i suffer with severe agoraphobia i am always hesitant about reading books on that subjects as i feel not many capture the problem correctly but this book was spot on. Anna's experiences throughout the book felt so real and authentic it was unsettling at times. As if the author was writing from my own memories. The story was engaging and i raced through this as i needed to see what happened. I love the twists and was stunned by the final one. Amazing book.

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I am astounded to know that this is A J Finn's first novel. It is atmospheric, evocative, scary in places, thrilling in others and a psychological chiller.
Voracious reader that I am I will admit to having worked out some of the major points but knowing what did not answer when, why or how?
The final chapters ran at such a pace that it was impossible to put my kindle down.
Thanks to netgalley for providing this pre publication ecopy in return for my honest review.

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Former child psychologist, Dr. Anna Fox, has become a recluse - shut away in her own home - a victim of agoraphobia. Too afraid to step outdoors, she watches the world pass by from the windows of her upmarket New York home. Separated from husband Ed and daughter Olivia, she fills her days with booze, pills, online chess and a chat forum for agoraphobics.

When the Russells move into an empty house opposite, Anna's interest is piqued. She secretly watches through the zoom lens of her camera. One evening a frantic scream shatters the silence and Anna sees something she wasn't meant to see in the Russell's house... something terrifying, something she's helpless to prevent.

Oh my, I really enjoyed this debut psychological thriller from A. J. Finn. It was brimming with suspense and intensity. I didn't know what was real and what was imagined. More importantly, it kept me guessing right until the end. It was one of those books you have to keep reading until you know how it finishes. It was addictive and completely absorbing.

Anna's dysfunctional lifestyle was excellently portrayed and although the book had only a handful of characters, each was developed to just the right degree with no unnecessary 'padding'. An abundance of fantastic twists and turns kept me on my toes; ok, so some the reader will figure out but others are cleverly concealed. And that ending, WOW!

Anyone reading this book will naturally associate it with Hitchcock's classic 1950's movie Rear Window. James Stewart, recovering from a broken leg, spies on a neighbour through his apartment window and suspects him of murdering his wife. But there the comparison ends. Read it and discover for yourself. Or wait until the movie - yes, apparently there's a movie currently in production. Me? I'm just pleased I had the opportunity to read such a fantastic novel.

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Okay, I thought, “Here we go again- another book they are calling the biggest thriller of 2018”. Well, still my sceptic heart. It was FABULOUS!! This is a taut, compelling thriller which brought every emotion to the fore. I can’t rave about this enough. Truly remarkable. Read it. Now.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

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This story is of a lady housebound because of agrophobia. There are many twists and turns that kept me hooked many of them I did not see coming... I loved that. It is written from the perspective of a person who battles with alcohol and prescription drugs, and as such at times the story is a bit disjointed. I found the middle few chapters a bit slow, however the rest of the book is brilliant, unusual and thoroughly gripping.

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A fantastic book. that you just want to keep reading to find out what happened. I loved the way in which the book was written and how from the offset you are curious as to why Anna Fox is the way she is and what has she really seen from the window.

A definite recommendation for a cleverly written suspense/thriller especially for a debut novel and I look forward to hearing about its success in 2018.

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Wow I have to say this story had more twists than a helter skelter. At times I felt as if I was in one of Anna's much loved old films. Anna is a child psychologist and is married to Ed with a young daughter Olivia. Some thing happened in the past to make Ed and Olivia leave, but what? Since that day Anna became agrophobic, she spent her days inside, drinking, popping pills while watching old black and white films. Her daily intereractions with her husband and daughter, her own psychologist and physio are often one sided. No one seems to be able to shake Anna from rut she is in. After spending months watching the world go by her window she starts to notice things happening with a new family who have moved in over the road. Anna sees things that others don't, things that aren't right. After she contacts the police about a crime she has witnessed things start to go wrong. Everyone believes Anna is a messed up drunk who halluconates due to the medication she is on. Even Anna now starts to believe this.

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Every now and then a book comes along that you just want to read and read, and read again because you are sitting there wondering what on earth just happened. The Woman in the Window is one of those. Tipped to be one of the biggest thrillers of 2018, for that reason alone, you know it's going to be a novel that divides opinion, but I absolutely loved it.

Anna Fox hasn't left her home for ten months. She is suffering from agoraphobia, post traumatic stress and anxiety. Her husband and daughter have gone, she has only her tenant David, her online forums, old movies and the street for company.

Yes, I did say street...

Anna likes to watch her neighbours through her window. She has a clear vantage point of the whole street, where she can see literally everything. The Russell's across the road, have just moved in and are a welcome distraction for Anna.

The Woman in the Window is a twisty, complex thriller and just as you think you have it sussed, something else is thrown into the mix. I was kept guessing literally the whole way through and couldn't have it enjoyed it any more.

This is a difficult book to review without giving too much away, so I'll just say this - I read a lot of this genre and didn't see the ending coming, and if I was still dishing out star ratings, this one would be getting a bit fat five from me.

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‘The Woman in the Window’ is one of the best thrillers I’ve read recently and likely to be a big hit in 2018. At the beginning of the story we could be forgiven for thinking that we’re privy to the creepy habits of a committed voyeur but the truth is far stranger and far more haunting. Anna, a child psychologist, suffers from agoraphobia and lives apart from her husband, Ed, and young daughter, Olivia. She is also an alcoholic. Over the course of several days she becomes increasingly convinced that Jane, her neighbour opposite, is being abused by her husband and that their teenage son Ethan is also caught up in the suffering. All of her suspicions come to a head when she sees Jane fatally injured during one of her regular studies of the Russell family’s goings-on. But the police do not believe her and the rest of the novel focuses on why not and what Anna has to do to uncover the truth.
This is, of course, a ‘whodunnit’ – if anyone has! However, it is also a sensitive study of loss, grief, isolation and loneliness and, not least, parent-child relationships and these are the elements that stay with the reader long after the last page has been read. This is a beautifully written novel. A J Finn creates credible characters, as varied as the hard-boiled woman police officer, the vulnerable teenager and the enigmatic lodger without resorting to stereotype. He also conjures up the grubby interior of Anna’s house, the dust motes, the empty wine bottles, the sticky surfaces, all more and more depressing as the days pass whilst, in the background, classic black and white DVDs are Anna’s celluloid companions, reminding us of stories which have influenced the writing of this novel. Nevertheless, this is not a pastiche of Hitchcock et al. A J Finn has created a first-rate thriller in his own right.

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I haven’t seen a 2018 release talked about more than The Woman in the Window! The early reviews have been mainly positive with most people raving about its intriguing plotline and cleverly created characters with most reviewers agreeing that it’s going to be a huge bestseller! Apparently it’s also going to be a film so if you’re someone who always prefers the book to the film, make sure you read this first! It’s a bit of an atmospheric, visual fest so I can see why someone thought it would transfer well to the big screen. The claustrophobic setting managed to balance Anna’s agoraphobia making me feel boxed in and struggling to breath myself at times! It read like a film noir so I wasn’t surprised to see so many references to old black and white movies in there as it brought those darkly disturbing and sinister plot threads together. If you’re a fan of Hitchcock or of Peter Swanson then I guarantee this book will grab you and refuse to let you go until that final shocking denouement. There were enough gasp out loud moments along the way to make this one of the most talked about books of 2018! It’s clever construction, along with it’s distinctive style of nostalgia wrapped up in a slow burning narrative, will have the hairs on the back of your neck standing to attention throughout. Highly recommended by me!

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This book grabbed me by the collar and held me tightly until the very end. Anna is an agoraphobic ex-psychologist confined to her house in Harlem, New York. Unable to go out, she watches the world outside from her lavish townhouse windows, spying on her neighbours through a Nikon camera lens. Struggling to come to terms with her husband and daughter no longer living with her, she drinks too much, abuses the medication the Dr prescribed and exists in a fog. When she sees a murder across the street, the book really takes off.
I googled the author and was surprised to find this book was written by a man. He tackles the female psyche so well and this in itself is a rare thing. The writing is tight and to the point and wow, does it make a point.
The themes of loss, alcoholism and depression, PTSD, are dealt with so convincingly. The book really touched my soul and tore at my heart strings. There were times — and particularly reading until 3am in the morning — when I cried and felt so desperately sad for Anna and the life she leads. The scenes where Anna self reflects and considers suicide were so powerful and my heart broke for her. I cared about her, I was with her. I was rooting for her. Such brilliant characterisation. The poignancy that the writer writes with in some of the pivotal scenes were just breathtaking. Without giving much away, one scene in the mountains really jumped out of the page: I was there. I was willing Anna to get through it . . . . well, I'll let you read that bit and you will understand what I mean when you do.Throughout the book, you really get a sense of Anna's claustrophobic life. She has hardly anyone to turn to and you really feel that; feel for her.

There are lots of themes and sub-plots in this book and it is certainly not a light read. But it's a read that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.
I had guessed one of the endings long before the book finished but this didn't spoil my enjoyment of it. Also, the final twist was well worth the wait.
If I am being picky the last few chapters, particularly the climatic scenes, were a little strung out and perhaps a bit far-fetched. I mean, if someone was in your house and you made it downstairs, would you really run to the roof where there was no escape? The writing in these last chapters felt a little melodramatic to me, but all in all, I forgave the writer this, for the other 300+ pages of sheer enjoyment! Also, I feel that the book was 2 chapters too long and could have ended earlier. Apart for that, this a gripping and enjoyable read and one which will definitely sit there as my book of 2017 (with only 2 days to go).
I thoroughly recommend this book and if you buy it, you won't be disappointed. I very much look forward to the next book from this very talented writer. It comes as no surprise to me, that the film rights have been snapped up and I wait with excitement to see the film that will be made from this.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for my advance copy.

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This engrossing psychological thriller by A.J. Finn really can be described as a page turner and once started for me at least it was quite difficult to put down. You simply did not know how this twisting turning story of mounting paranoia would turn out and who could be believed or not. The main character and indeed the narrator is Dr Anna Fox, a child psychologist now living a secluded and lonely life in a New York apartment following a traumatic event that has resulted in her agoraphobia and increasing reliance on medication and alcohol.

Anna is separated from her family and spends most of her time spying on her neighbours from her window and watching old black and white film noir and Hitchcock movies. Indeed it is the blurring of reality between what she sees and what she think she sees that is at the heart of this story. Reference is made to Hitchcock's Rear Window and like in the movie Anna sees something no one was supposed to see but did she really see it and does the victim even exist?

I don't want to give too much away but after numerous twists I must admit I did not see the final one coming and the finale is well worth the wait. A great read for which I whole heartedly recommend and I would certainly read other books from this author.

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What a refreshingly original read! It’s not a book that can easily be categorised because there are so many elements but that said it was suspenseful enough to have me holding my breath at times. Shocks galore and how did I manage to love and sympathise with Anna in one paragraph and feel such annoyance and frustration with her in the next?
I never give the plot of a book away in my reviews as the element of surprise is the best part and this book has that in bucketfuls …read it it’s great!

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The Woman in the Window is one of those books that sucks you in and before you know it you’re half way through compelled to keep reading.

It’s a fantastic psychological thriller where the plot is revealed slowly but surely.

Definitely a book to get your teeth into and I can highly recommend it with 4.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK and the author for the chance to review.

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This book WILL mess with your head! If, as I do, you like this then you're in for a treat.

Living without her family around her, Anna Fox, Child psychologist, film buff, agoraphobic and alcoholic is a truly unreliable narrator. A.J. Finn has written a great debut, with a suspenseful, well paced and skillfully revealed story line.

I loved the premise of this book and the descriptions of the trauma of agoraphobia and the haze and confusion of drug accompanied drunken hazes were fascinating to read, I loved the way that the film references were woven into the story line, enjoyed the suspense of this book and can see this being made into a fabulous movie.

4 - 4.5 stars

Many thanks to Harper Collins & NetGalley for the ARC - Book release date 25th Jan 2018

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Anna hasn't left the house in nearly a year. Ten months to be exact. Something happened to Anna, something she blocks out with painkillers and prescription medication and alcohol. She spends her time sleeping, watching old movies, and chatting online to others in similar situations.

Finn has created a very realistic, if not totally likable, protagonist. The information is drip-fed to the reader, catching hold and drawing you in. I must confess that I binge-read this book, so captivated was I by the story and the characters. In order to keep this review spoiler-free, I'm not going to say any more, but the twists and turns in this book are sharp and breathtaking.

My only "issue" with the book was the constant references to old movies, which sometimes got jumbled up. The antagonist was carefully created, crafted to fool both Anna and the reader.

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I would like to thank Netgalley, HarperCollins UK, Harper Fiction and A.J. Finn for the copy of The Woman in the Window to read in return for my honest and unbiased review.

Dr Anna Fox (former child psychologist) is suffering from agoraphobia. She watches the world of her neighbours from the windows of her upmarket flat in New York. A new family arrives and this brings with it disruption to her normal routine as she hears screams and believes she sees a murder.

As the plot unfolds, the original cause of her agoraphobia becomes apparent and with the mixture of pills and expensive Merlot wine it is never clear what is fact and what is fiction. The twists and turns are numerous and the ending was excellent.

Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended.

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Mesmerising. I have read somewhere that it is highly likely that this will be one of the books of the year in 2018 and I don’t doubt that. It is a tremendous read. Not only is the story terrific but it is so well written. It is tense, atmospheric, dark, and almost claustrophobic. All the characters are very well drawn.

Anna Fox is the unreliable narrator. She is agoraphobic and an alcoholic. She spends her days watching the comings and goings of her neighbours. One evening she is convinced she has witnessed a murder in the house across the street. Is it true or just her imagination? Who will believe her? Will the truth come out?

There are plenty of twists and turns in this novel. One I did guess but the ending left me open mouthed. Amazing.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you

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This is a story that will mess with your head over and over… One revelation after another. I loved it. The Woman in the Window is set out in days and short chapters making it an easy to read story which can be devoured easily.

At first I thought hmm this woman (Anna) is a bit strange maybe she is just one of those nosy neighbours we all hate, boy was I wrong. Readers are in for a treat with this story. I must admit I thought with the story being based in just one specific location that it was going to be dull and dragged out, yet again I was wrong.

I awarded four stars for this story as I found it took a while to get to the good bits but it still turned out to be a brilliant brain twister of a story to dive into. Highly recommend!

The Woman in the Window is available to pre-order now and will be released 25th of January 2018.

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Alfred Hitchcock would have loved this book. Anna, a psychologist, finds herself on the opposite side of the couch and with the world against her. Like every great thriller, the plot has a twist at the end. Gripping - you can almost hear the film noir music playing in the background as you read !

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This is an incredible book. I simply couldn't put it down and every chapter left me wanting more.

Anna Fox lives an isolated life, dominated by fear and severe agoraphobia. There is an air of mystery from the beginning which slowly unravels to reveal a traumatic and devastating event which has left her this way.

Cleverly written, you can't help but warm to Anna and root for her, despite constant doubt from those around her. Full of twists and turns you will never guess what happens.

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I don’t even know where to begin with this book. I thought I knew what this would be like, however it completely blew me away. I cannot remember the last time that I was so emotionally invested in a book that I actually shed a tear.
This is easily one of the best books I have read this year.

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The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn a five-star read that will leave you breathless. I can’t believe that this is a debut novel, its great and so well written I can only hope the next book I read by this author will be as good. Anna Fox was a great character and reading this really does make you start to wonder about the world around you. I’m already a little paranoid at times, I have a healthy sense of my surroundings and things I see, I also drink plenty of wine so me and Anna could be crazy neighbours, we even share a love for old movies. The things we don’t share is I like a drink, but it’s not my life and the author wrote Anna in a manner that made you felt her pain but you were also feeling a little sad for her and the life she leads.
The story is told from Dr Anna Fox and it could become a little heavy with just her in her apartment, but there are other characters brought in with people visiting and her online community. There is a lot going on in this story and you it’s so difficult to say more as I don’t want to spoil this amazing read. Its possibly one of the best debut phycological thrillers you will read this year.

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Gripping - would have been a one-session special if I hadn't had to go out today when I was 96% through! I loved the tense, Hitchcock-tribute mood of it and was happily engrossed in my own little detective mission throughout. I was impressed at the author's ability to keep me in the dark in a literary climate where we are braced for every possible twist, not least because of all the feints at Gaslight and Rear Window.
The main character, a feisty wreck, if such an oxymoron can be permitted, drew me into her darkness and kept me spellbound throughout. Peripheral characters were no less engaging and provided a robust cast of potential victims and villains. I felt constantly as if this was written to be a movie and was gratified to read in the Acknowledgments that it's in development. I look forward to seeing how it turns out.

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With thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for this ARC of The Woman In The Window.

I had heard so much about this book by A.J. Finn; so much praise from highly regarded authors including Stephen King ”unputdownable”, Val McDermid ”twisted to the power of max” - such comments I often ignore. How wrong can I be?! WOW!…

Without a moments hesitation let me say that The Woman In The Window is a read-in-one-sitting-book. No doubt. I know. Half way through I was faced with the distraction of meeting good friends for drinks and dinner. That’s the evening gone I thought. I almost cancelled, to my shame. I didn’t. My wife and I got back home at 10:30pm. I picked up where I left off and read into the early hours. (I still count this as a one-sitting-read. It would have been if an evening out hadn’t interrupted). I could not read fast enough! Page turning in a blur. Pulse racing. Short chapters racking up the unbearable tension. The first reveal, when it comes, smacks you in the face! Everything you thought you knew turned on its head… as Dr Anna Fox haunts the rooms of her old New York house that she hasn’t left for ten months, suffering with agoraphobia. And for understandable reasons. Separated from her husband and daughter, a separation that is heartbreaking. Anna is just too terrified to step outside. Uses her Nikon camera watching her neighbours, through her window, particularly the Russells, on the face of it a happy family of three and a reminder of what once was hers. And then…

The scream. It hurtles across the silence and Anna witnesses something - dreadful. What to do? Does she report what she has seen? Given her state of mind will anyone, including the police, believe her? Can she uncover the truth? Can she believe herself?

Haunting, harrowing, creepy, frightening - the last sixty pages or so are a real white-knuckle ride, really left me stunned and breathless. As Ruth Ware said: ”Hitchcock would have snapped up the rights in a heartbeat”. There is no doubt about that!

My thriller of the year…

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The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn is a psychological thriller that I could not put down. Anna Fox suffers from agoraphobia and has not been out of her house for ten months. She spends her time on the Internet, watching black and white thrillers, drinking wine and spying on her neighbours. A new family move into the house across the road and Anna finds herself watching them when they are at home. Then she witnesses something that turns her world upside down. The suspense in this book builds as the story unfolds and I was hooked until the last page. I would like to thank NetGalley UK and HarperCollins for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins and AJ Finn for my ARC of The Woman in the Window already named thriller of 2018 and it's easy to see why.
Dr Anna Fox hasn't left her house in 10 months. She suffers with agoraphobia and the thought of the wide open spaces outside fill her with terror. Instead, she sits at home taking medication, drinking a lot of red wine, watching old movies and spying on her neighbours. None of them notice her sat in her window, until the Russell's move in across the park. Anna witnesses something at their house that she shouldn't have seen, and people believe couldn't have seen. With her illness, drinking and reliance on medication, who will believe her?

I never like the 'for fans of...'insert well known thriller here' kind of books but I would definitely have to say that here is a book which is very similar to the likes of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train. It is exciting, the plot thickening with every turn of the page, it is gripping, like literally unputdownable.

I can't really say anything else about the plot without giving it away because the whole thing is a massive mystery throughout and to say I was shocked when I discovered the truth/twist is an understatement. Absolutely breathtaking!

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I devoured this fantastically suspenseful story in one sitting! It is a great thriller, and although the plot is revealed slowly, the writing is addictive and compelling and leads you to keep turning those pages.

The main character, Anna, suffers from agoraphobia, and through Finn's descriptions, I really felt her terror as she tried to overcome this in order to solve the mystery of the event she knows she witnessed but nobody else believes occurred. I found myself constantly guessing about threads of the story and I loved the heart pumping finale. I did not see that coming! Most definitely on my list of 'must reads' for 2018.

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I read this book last night in one sitting. If there is only one book you read this year, make it this one. I'm just sorry I couldn't give it more than 5 stars!

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This is an ode to Hitchcock and the classic tale of suspense.
Anna’s story is also indicative of the stigma and discrimination, which is prevalent in our society, that people with mental health issues have to deal with.

Regardless of your social status, professional background, age or gender, a mental health diagnosis brings an entire busload of baggage with it. Suddenly you are no longer considered competent enough to make decisions and are an unreliable source.

Anna finds herself going from respected professional to the lonely lady who lives in her bathrobe and survives on a few bottles of wine a day. Her perfect family is a thing of the past. Her husband and child no longer live under the same roof, and Anna holds on tightly to every phone call and every conversation she has with them.

Her agoraphobia holds her prisoner in her very large house. The only contact to the outside world is via internet forums, her lodger in the basement and the people she watches through her windows. The neighbours who don’t know that she views them through her camera lens during the night, the day and any time she needs to feel a connection to the outside world.

The Hitchcockian aspect of the story starts when Anne meets one of her neighbours and later witnesses something horrific during one of her spying episodes, thereby starting a cycle of terror and mistrust. Suddenly everyone around her doubts each word she says and every action she takes. Anna becomes the crazy lady, who is scared to leave her own home.

The Woman in the Window is a story of grief, desperation, self-doubt and in the end of self-preservation. It’s also about momentary lapses in judgement and choices that can destroy lives. I can understand why it has been picked up to be developed into a film.

Finn has infused the story with fear of self and the unknown, and given it an air of nostalgia. Fans of classic films will perhaps recognise certain scenarios or films that are mentioned throughout the story.
It’s compelling and full of suspense, and Finn is definitely an author I look forward to hearing more from.

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Wow wow wow ! what a brilliant psychological thriller I found this so hard to put down .Anna Fox has suffered a trauma so she has become agrophobic and lives her life peering through her windows at her neighbours .It is while she is looking out of the windows she think she sees one of her neighbours being stabbed .The story thus begins at a fast pace ,weaving around other characters twisting and turning never knowing what is true and what is imagined ,no one believes Anna in the end she is not sure if she should believe herself .The ending is pure genious I never saw it coming and it absolutely took my breath away .This is a book I won't forget .

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Cleverly plotted - a superior thriller!

Thriller books in the ilk of Girl on the Train etc. aren't usually my bag, but this book was getting such solid reviews, I felt compelled to give it a go, and I'm glad I did!

The book is about Anna, an ex-child psychologist, who is also agoraphobic. Right from the start, it's established that something is 'off', and indeed, the mystery is as much about discovering what the heck's going on with her as it is about solving the murder.

She makes a habit of watching people from her window, and takes special interest in the new family across the road; a son called Ethan and his parents. Only thing is, she observes the mother get murdered, only to find out from the police that the woman never existed. Sinister stuff indeed.

There was plenty to love about this book. As with all good thrillers, it was fast-paced and engrossing, with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. Anna's past, when it is finally revealed, is genuinely heartbreaking - even though I predicted it from fairly early on, this didn't diminish my satisfaction at the revelation. The end I genuinely didn't see coming (always a nice treat!), and even when it did come, there were further twists that made it even more enjoyable to read.

Very good stuff - I'd recommend reading!

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What an amazing book! I was up till 3 am finishing it. The story is very well written and the characters are very well described. I really enjoyed reading it and highly recommend it!

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Excellent story line and great main characters. I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend.

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Unique and original in content and style. This book kept me intrigued and guessing all the way through, I simply could not put it down.
Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Ahhhhhhhhh. A tremendous book! I see reviews about being "hooked from the first page' all the time--but I literally was with this one. I so enjoyed this book and it's questionable narrator full of flaws. Excellently paced story full of twists. Great read!

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Dr Anna Fox lives alone in a large house. Trapped indoors by her agoraphobia (triggered by a mysterious trauma) she spends her days missing her husband and daughter, who no longer live with her, watching old movies, chatting on online forums and watching her neighbours go about their day to day lives. When she witnesses something disturbing through her new neighbours’ window, Anna finds herself in a dangerous and perplexing situation - because of her known mental health issues and alcohol dependence, nobody believes her.

There are a few links back to The Girl on the Train (not least Anna’s alcoholism rendering her an unreliable narrator), but despite this The Woman in the Window remains an original and gripping story. The twists and turns keep you guessing until, like Anna, you don’t know who to trust. The author cleverly builds up a sense of claustrophobia as you remain trapped with Anna in her home, desperately trying to solve the mystery before it’s too late.

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Wow - I really loved this book. I've read a lot of psychological thrillers and thought I had got this story line sussed from early on in the book, but I was wrong. It was a truly gripping read and I really enjoyed the ending which did come as a surprise. Highly recommended.

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I'm thrilled to have started the new year with such a tense and twisty gem of a book. Nothing will put you in the mood for classic film noir like The Woman in the Window! Agoraphobia sufferer Anna (Dr. Fox) loves her flicks from the golden age of Hollywood and should have recognized the similarities between her life and that of 'Jeff', Jimmy Stewart's character in Rear Window.

Locked away in her home and afraid to leave it, Anna witnesses a murder, whilst neighbor watching, but comes to doubt what she saw given the prescription medication she takes recklessly and the vast quantity of wine she consumes daily. Could it have really happened or was it a hallucination side effect from her pills? The Woman in the Window reveals its many mysteries in a carefully controlled, thoughtful way, much like a well scripted black and white thriller. There are a fair few gotchas to keep the reader tightly focused plus some great film recommendations too.

Anna is such a likeable and sympathetic character. I felt for her and the sad quality of life she endures. With only a handful of people in her small world (and a cat!), this novel cleverly crafted a larger scope that, in a strange way, gets Anna out into the world though that's the last thing she wants.

I much prefer thrillers that keep me guessing and shock me with the big whodunit reveal. Not so here. I did crack it but was left in suspense regarding the motivation. Thankfully, there are multiple mysteries to solve and I couldn't figure them all out... though I had a handful of (wrong) theories as information was disclosed. Regardless, this was a tense and gripping novel that kept me involved and fixated from page one. I anxiously await the next offering from A.J. Finn!

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I absolutely loved this book, it was so well written, just like an old film noir.
Gripping and claustrophobic at times, you have to feel for agoraphobic Anna, who was a strong and yet pitiful character.
There were so many twists and unexpected turns that I truly didn't know if Anna had gone insane or if she really witnessed what she said she did.
The language was easy to read and the story flowed along at a fast pace, I liked the characters and how the writer portrayed them, especially Anna, who needed to seem weak and yet strong at the same time (and a bit brave/stupid considering all the alcohol she drank with those meds).
I honestly couldn't put this book down and will definitely read more by this author.

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