The Liar Next Door by Nicola Marsh
Genre: Domestic thriller, Domestic drama, Suspense
Read: 19th August 2021
Published: 23rd August 2021
★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)
DESCRIPTION:
We live in a close-knit community. Thirty houses surrounding a square of garden that is perfect for our kids. We congregate here on major holidays, each family bringing a plate and sharing food and conversation. It’s in the garden that I first met her. The woman who would worm her way into my family and piece by piece tear it apart…
I should have known something was wrong from the very beginning. She seemed perfect in so many ways: she floated through the baby shower, a warm smile on her face, chatting to strangers with ease. At first I thought it was sweet that she offered to help me, that she made an effort to get to know us, that she brought over games and knew Luna’s favorite foods… I had no idea that I couldn’t trust another mother…
I should have known that someone would eventually discover the secret in my marriage. Why I never believe a word my husband says—and why he shouldn’t believe me. But how could a woman I only just met be the one to find it out?
If I’d known, I’d have called the police sooner.
And maybe I’d have prevented that dreadful scene. Every neighbor peering through their curtains as the sirens wailed in our street.
I could have protected my family.
I could have stopped what happened next…
Fans of Liane Moriarty, Sally Hepworth and The Girl on the Train will love this utterly unputdownable domestic thriller from USA Today bestselling author Nicola Marsh.
MY REVIEW:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Nicola Marsh's untputdownable domestic suspense THE LIAR NEXT DOOR.
As an Australia author, I assumed this book would be set here in the land down under but it is actually set in the north eastern states of America - New York, Connecticut and Long Island. Though to be honest, I can't recall where exactly the main setting of Hambridge Heights is, though where ever it may be it's only a two hour drive from New Haven. I assume it must be in a quiet leafy suburb of New York State since one of the characters often commutes to Manhattan.
But locales aside, THE LIAR NEXT DOOR sweeps you up into it's web from the very first page. And the tangled web in which we find ourselves entangled is a very sticky one to say the least. Just about everyone in the book is a liar...so which of them is "the liar next door"? One of them or all of them?
The opening prologue is intriguing, offering us nothing but the vague nuances of an onlooker from next door as the police tear into their quiet street, sirens blaring and lights flashing. If anyone were asleep they would certainly be awake now, twitching the curtains to get a good glimpse of the excitement unfolding before their eyes. But which of the neighbours is the one reflecting? It's not made entirely clear though I believe it to be the one left behind...
Frankie Forbes has the perfect life. Married to the gorgeous Andre with a delightful 5 year old daughter Luna. Lives in a beautiful brownstone in an exclusive area within a small community that looks out for each other. A lifestyle vlogger who personifies perfection in her live streams and videos, sharing tips on everything from fashion to cooking to motherhood...basically life in general. Her perfect life, her perfect marriage, her perfect daughter and perfect house are example of that perfect life that is symbolised online.
But it hasn't always been perfect. On her 18th birthday, Frankie arrived home to a surprise she never expected nor did she expect the revelations her mother revealed after she told her what she had seen. Her party had already been arranged and despite not wanting to celebrate, she tolerated it in front of all her parents' friends and the images that wouldn't escape her now she knew the truth about them. But that day also gave her a special gift she wasn't expecting...it was the day she met Walter nestled in the corner of her garden in the dark. It was that moment that changed her life. Together they escaped to a new life and six months later they were married. But less than four years later, Frankie realised as fond as she was of dependable unflappable Walter, she was in love with him. And so they went their separate ways but have always remained friends.
Now, Frankie is married to Andre and moved away to Hambridge Heights to begin a new life together. But deep inside Frankie has a secret. One that no one in their tight knit community knows. Not her friends, not her husband and definitely not her online viewers. If it were to come out, her life would be ruined.
Celeste is newly arrived in the neighbourhood, a single mother to shy 5 year old Violette, moving in next door to Frankie and Andre. Not knowing anyone in the community, Celeste is eager to make friends with her new neighbours and for their daughters to become best of friends. She is tight-lipped about her past but she has hinted to running from a relationship that ended up especially messy, hence their escape for a new start. But little Violette misses her father a great deal and begs her mother for a reconciliation so she may have the longed-for sibling she so often alludes to.
And then there is newly-married Saylor, a 25 year old young woman married to Lloyd and is five months pregnant with their first child. Moving into the house on the other side of Frankie just six weeks before, they hold a gender reveal party where they invite and meet their new neighbours. Running from her past, Saylor also has a secret she is keeping from her attentive and dependable husband. And then she sees a face from her past at their party who apparently lives in the neighbourhood. Did she move here on the pretext of seeing him again? Or is there a far deeper secret that she is keeping from her husband?
Don't be fooled by any of these women - they are all hiding something, making each one of them a liar. But then so are the men in their lives. It appears every single one of these people are liars. It's like an episode of Days of our Lives with all the to-ing and fro-ing, secrets and lies, blackmailing...and not to mention bed-hopping...going on! But these three women are inextricably linked, not just by being neighbours, but in other ways of which some of them are oblivious too.
The story unfolds through the eyes of each woman - Frankie, Celeste and Saylor - respectively. The only difference is that with Frankie's story we, as the reader, are privy to her past in her chapters which are marked "Then". So what beholds Frankie to these women? Which aspect of her past binds them? How and why? The questions continue to mount with each turn of the page as twist after twist propels us deeper into the story.
While THE LIAR NEXT DOOR begins at a relatively steady pace, it is a gradual build before the story really takes hold barreling us head first till the end. At first, I felt more invested in Frankie's past than in the present day story but that was merely to lull the reader into a false sense of security. There is no attempt to hide the fact that each of these women are inherently flawed characters, sometimes virtually unlikeable, though each are trying to make the best out of the bad choices and impulsive decisions they have made.
Honestly? I wasn't particularly enamoured by any of the women...probably because I knew they were all hiding something. If I had to choose one, it would be Frankie but then that may well be because we got more of her backstory so we could understand her better. Doesn't mean I approved of her choices but it helped empathising with her predicament. Of the men, one maybe two of them ended up surprising me! But my favourite of them all was Walter. Dear sweet dependable Walter. I didn't trust either Celeste or Saylor and I found myself tossing my ideas left, right and centre to see which one made the most sense of how they fit into the bigger picture. I puzzled it out correctly...all except for a couple of things, one of which I didn't see coming at all! But then the story was presented in such a way our focus is elsewhere that we end up taking our eye off the ball in another aspect.
Very cleverly written, THE LIAR NEXT DOOR is perfectly plotted and fast paced right up to the end. It is intense throughout with a satisfying conclusion. Nicola Marsh is a new-to-me author but if this book is anything to go by, I shall have to keep an eye out for more!
Right up there with Shalini Boland and Kim Slater, THE LIAR NEXT DOOR is a fantabulous tale of secrets, lies and deception at every turn. And it just takes the pull of one thread for the rest of the lies and the secrets to unravel bit by bit, piece by piece. Completely unputdownable and a highly addictive read.
Perfect for fans of Shalini Boland, K.L. Slater and domestic suspense thrillers.
I would like to thank #NicolaMarsh, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheLiarNextDoor in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
She has published 68 novels and sold over 8 million copies worldwide. She currently writes rural romance for Harper Collins Australia, emotional domestic suspense for Bookouture and contemporary romance for Harlequin Dare.
She’s also a Waldenbooks, Bookscan, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble bestseller, a RBY (Romantic Book of the Year) and National Readers’ Choice Award winner.
A physiotherapist for thirteen years, she now writes full time, raises two dashing young heroes, shares fine food with family and friends, and her favorite, curls up with a good book!
Social Media links:
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