The Psychopath Next Door by Mark Edwards
Genre: Psychological thriller
Read: 9th January 2025
Published: 28th January 2025
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
In this mesmerising thriller from the bestselling author of Keep Her Secret, a family’s fresh start is just the beginning of their nightmare…
Ethan Dove’s family has moved to a new home in a safe community, and it’s exactly the fresh start they need. Not only is his marriage to Emma hanging by a thread, but his son, Dylan, and twelve-year-old daughter, Rose, deserve to have a happy childhood.
After Rose is bullied by the boys across the road, Ethan is relieved when the woman who lives next door steps in. Fiona Smith has come into their lives at just the right moment, and when she offers to look after Rose during the school holidays, Ethan and Emma can’t believe their luck.
Which is exactly what Fiona wants. Because, far from being the perfect neighbour, Fiona is the last person you should trust with your child. With a vicious plot for revenge, Fiona is happy to train Rose to be her accomplice, especially when she begins to suspect that Rose might not be as innocent as she appears…
The Psychopath Next Door is a gripping and twisted psychological suspense thriller set in the terrifying world of Mark Edwards’s bestselling The Magpies universe.
MY THOUGHTS:
One family's fresh start turns into their worst nightmare...
I'll be honest. When I heard that this book was set in "the Magpies universe", I felt a little deflated. Don't get me wrong, I loved "The Magpies"! It was one of the first books by Edwards that I read. But after a sequel novella and a further third book, I felt that story had played out and didn't need revisiting again. But bad girl Lucy Newton only plays a cameo role and I think it tied in nicely here. She didn't need a bigger part, in my opinion; she'd already had her time.
Fiona is released from a three year prison stretch after serving only two. She is single-minded in her mission upon release to blend in, assimilate and check then three names off her list. She finds a perfect home to purchase next door to the perfect family. And they have no idea they have a psychopath next door. And each morning, she traces three names on her bathroom mirror.
Ethan and Emma Dove have just moved into a nice quiet area for a fresh start together, the perfect place to raise a family. They had barely unpacked the boxes when newcomer Fiona moves in next door. And she seems like the perfect neighbour. Especially when a couple of neighbourhood boys begin bullying Rose and Dylan with their unregistered trail bike and german shepherds, Fiona steps in more than once to appease the situation.
Almost at once, the Doves love Fiona. She is friendly, charming and always willing to help, offering her services as a "childminder" (because they aren't babies). She takes an instant shine to Rose; sees something familiar in her. And the feeling is completely mutual. Soon Rose is spending all her time with Fiona and soon the Doves begin to see a change in Rose. Is it Fiona's doing? Or is Rose just at that awkward tween age of being not a child but not a teenager either?
While Emma and Rose love Fiona and Ethan has the hots for her, Dylan is the only one who finds her suspicious. But is he seeing something that isn't there? Or has Fiona got an agenda?
The story unfolds through various perspectives with only Ethan's being in the first person. It's obvious that Fiona's the psychopath next door but I found her to be too feeling to be a psychopath. While she spoke of her lack of empathy and remorse and inability to love anyone or anything, I found it difficult to marry her bond with Maisie and obsession with Rose with not having any feeling. She obviously does on some level. But then I guess Mark has researched this topic extensively so he knows what he's doing in portraying her in this way. For me, I just didn't find her as much of one as Lucy.
And here we come to the elephant in the book. Lucy Newton. I was glad to see the back of her in all the Magpie books. I certainly didn't expect to see her turn up again, but at least it was for short periods and behind bars. It certainly added a nice touch to the story. My fear is that Edwards will follow this one up with a sequel featuring both Lucy and Rose, especially considering how it ended up. And honestly? I really don't want to see either again. Let this story end there. Let readers make up their own minds where things go from there.
The ending was especially dark and even a little disturbing. But it was a satisfactory ending to a twisted story.
I would like to thank #MarkEdwards, #Netgalley and #AmazonPublishing for an ARC of #ThePsychopathNextDoor in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
He has sold more than three million copies of his books and topped the bestseller lists numerous times since his first solo novel, The Magpies, was published in 2013.
His other novels are What You Wish For, Because She Loves Me, Follow You Home, The Devil’s Work, The Lucky Ones, The Retreat, In Her Shadow, Here To Stay and The House Guest. He has also published two short sequels to The Magpies, A Murder of Magpies and Last of The Magpies, and six books co-authored with Louise Voss.
Many of his books have been translated into foreign languages including French, German, Italian, Spanish, Estonian, Thai, Lithuanian, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish and Russian.
In 2019 Mark won The Cat and Mouse Award for Most Elusive Villain at the Dead Good Reader Awards for Last of the Magpies.
Mark loves hearing from his readers and encourages them to contact him. He regularly interacts with readers on his Facebook page, where he hosts book release launch parties and lots of giveaways.
You can follow Mark on Twitter, like his Facebook page or take a peek at his pics on Instagram.
Mark lives in the West Midlands, England, with his wife, their three children, three cats and a golden retriever.
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