The Watchful Neighbour by Debbie Viggiano
Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 1st December 2020
Amazon
Published: 7th December 2020
★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)
DESCRIPTION:
When Jade Ferguson’s affair with a married man abruptly ends, she’s devastated.
There is no quick fix for a broken heart. A fresh start is required.
New job. New home. New neighbours.
The residents of Gresham Terrace seem pleasant enough.
Except for one…
An absolutely gripping debut psychological thriller.
MY REVIEW:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BlogTour for Debbie Viggiano's debut psychological thriller THE WATCHFUL NEIGHBOUR.
New job. New home. New neighbours.
When Jade Ferguson decides on a fresh start when her ten year long affair with married man and boss, Tom Harrison, comes to an explosive end, little did she know that her troubles were only just beginning.
Moving into 3 Gresham Terrace is meant to be just that - a fresh start for a broken heart. But for Jade it seems trouble has a way of finding her. Or is it karma for ten years of lies? For ten years of sneaking around with someone else's husband, waiting for him to leave his wife to be with her? For ten years of being a naive gullible fool for believing his every lying word? Tom Harrison broke Jade's heart. He devastated her...and for quite a while afterwards, there was no coming back from that. But now she has a new life, a new job, a new home...a new start. But is she ready to be friends with the neighbours too?
Greg Good lives at number 2 and tried to welcome Jade upon her arrival but Jade was having none of his friendliness and, given her broken past, she felt she had good reason not to trust him. But when he told her he was a keyholder to not only her property but everyone else's in the Terrace, Jade was incensed. What right did he have to hold a key to her home? What if he gained access while she was at work? She demanded the keys to her property immediately...but he refused, citing he had been entrusted by the property's owner, Mrs Simms, to always have a key should the need to gain access ever arise.
She meets friendly Brad Grimshaw from number 5 while returning home one evening and despite his best efforts to engage her in conversation, Jade politely refused bordering on rude. But there was something about Brad that she found instantly attractive. That twinkle in his eye, the mischievous smile, his friendliness. But she didn't move to Gresham Terrace to make friends...she came here for a new start. But isn't that what you do when you move to a new neighbourhood? Isn't that what a fresh start entails? Making friends?
Shortly after moving in, another neighbour takes up residence in the house next door to her - in number 4. Dee Parker is a forty-something woman with a peroxide blonde bob sporting a very red lipstick. Despite Jade's attempts at ignoring her, Dee will not be swayed and tries to engage her new neighbour in conversation. Jade is horrified when Dee asks her if the men who live on either side of them - Brad of number 5 and the creepy Greg at number 2 - were good looking enough to take a stab at? Jade assesses Dee to be well out of their age bracket and didn't think either man would be interested...but it certainly wasn't her place to say.
Despite rebuffing each of her neighbours' attempts at befriending her, Jade concentrates on settling into her new life...alone, aside from her rescue cat Puddles. But no sooner has she settled in that Jade discovers that there's something not quite right about her new home. The twitch of the neighbour's curtains next door seemingly watching her every move makes her feel increasingly uncomfortable. And then strange things begin to occur inside her house. The cat flap is locked when she knows she left it open. Her precise and symmetrical placement of her perfume bottles on her vanity are moved to within touching distance - something she never does. Her shoeboxes are moved around haphazardly. Her wardrobe smells of her neighbour's mother's cloying rose perfume. Things go missing, and then they reappear again. Parcels sent to her that she didn't order. And then her kitchen window is smashed.
Jade is convinced this is the work of her creepy neighbour Greg Good since he is the keyholder of the property and could easily gain access to her house. She ordered spy gadgets in the form of "magic eye" clocks trained on both the front and back doors. She even went as far as to change the locks. All to no avail. Still she arrives home to find he has been in her house once again. She confronts him angrily...and is left looking like a lunatic who is stark raving mad in the pouring rain. No one, not any of her neighbours believe her when she accuses Greg of gaining access to her home and messing with her head. Why would he? After all, he is the sole carer to his elderly mum who has dementia. But Jade knows it's him. And she is going to prove it.
And then Puddles goes missing...
It is hard to review this book without giving too much away but I have to say that it seriously messes with your head. It is so well written and so compelling that it is hard to believe that this is Debbie Viggiano's debut into the psychological thriller genre. She has crafted an ingenious plot that is so clever and so captivating that like a car crash, you find yourself unable to drag your eyes from the pages as you flip them at the speed of knots.
THE WATCHFUL NEIGHBOUR is terribly claustrophobic and gives you the sense of being watched and/or going mind boggling crazy trying to work out if Jade has due cause to be concerned or if it is paranoia talking. One would think having a neighbourhood watch programme would make one feel at ease, but this does anything but. You find yourself questioning the merits of her arguments or if she really is barking. And although I had my suspicions (which were correctly identified in the reveal), I was still second guessing myself the whole way through. Honestly, THE WATCHFUL NEIGHBOUR plays with your mind just as much as it does Jade's. And that's what makes it a spine-tingling creepy thriller.
I cannot say more than go out and get your hands on this book! You won't be sorry as it will have you second guessing yourself the whole way through too, I'm sure. I look forward to seeing what other thrillers she has to offer in the future.
Never mind the romance genre, Viggiano has cracked the thriller genre with this creepy stalkerish tale that will appeal to fans of psychological thrillers.
I would like to thank #DebbieViggiano, #RachelsRandomResources, #UnicornPublishing for an ARC of #TheWatchfulNeighbour in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Prior to turning her attention to writing, Debbie Viggiano was, for more years than she cares to remember, a legal secretary. She lives with her Italian husband, a rescued pooch from Crete, and a very disgruntled cat. Occasionally her adult children return home bringing her much joy... apart from when they want to raid the fridge or eat her secret stash of chocolate. Tweet @DebbieViggiano or follow her on Facebook!
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