The Neighbor

First read: August 2010
Re-read: January 2018
Rating: 5/5 stars, best of 2018

The plot: an attractive young mother vanishes from her home one night while her husband is at work, leaving her young daughter tucked up in bed and no signs of foul play aside from a smashed bedroom lamp. Sergeant DD Warren is called in to investigate and discovers there is something sinister going on in this outwardly perfect little family.

The Neighbour was my first introduction to this series almost eight years ago when I read it as a stand-alone crime fiction novel. On the re-read, having now read the two previous novels in the series I can appreciate the little nods to the previous novels that Gardner includes, such as Warren's phone calls to Bobby Dodge show more which catches the reader up on his life. However this novel can definitely still be read as a stand alone and in my opinion is the best book of the series so far.

Gardner has created some very complex characters in the form of Sandra and Jason Jones, and also in Adrian Brewster who is an immediate suspect in Sandra's disappearance. The writing was really good and I was gripped by this story from start to finish. I am looking forward to continuing with this series - next up is Live to Tell. show less

I have always been a fan of Lisa Gardner but I had not read anything by her recently. Her latest book, The Neighbor, caught my attention and so off to the library I went. I loved this book! It was an excellent and masterfully written suspense novel. Jason and Sandra Jones are married with a four year old daughter and one night Sandra disappears. But they are not just your average couple. They both have secrets and Jason isn't talking to the police and he is the prime suspect. He is a very enigmatic character and the only thing I knew for sure as I was reading was that he loves his daughter. We hear from Sandra in the past, events leading up to the night of her disappearance. I thought I knew the ending 3/4ths of the way through but then show more changed my mind several times up until the very end. Gardner does an amazing job of giving parts of the story then moving to another character, and really leaves the reader guessing until the end. Lots of plot twists. Sergeant D.D. Warren, the lead detective on the case is a favorite character of mine and I hope she continues to show up in future Gardner novels. A must read for lovers of suspense novels.
my rating 4.5 stars show less

In the "About the author" at the end of the book, Lisa Gardner is described as a research junkie. There are definite signs of that in this book, in fact, I think, a little too much of the research about computers, the internet, and deleting files has found its way into the book. Perhaps back in 2009 when it was all a bit new, this went down well with readers. But today it all feels a bit too much.

The other thing which the author tried to do I think was trick the reader too much and too often. There were just too many red herrings. I've read a couple of "missing wives" books this year: A STRANGER IN THE HOUSE, Shari Lapena and DON'T LET GO, Michel Bussi, and I think both created more credible scenarios than this one did.

Nevertheless, I show more did read it to the end, and there was a final twist.
I just think the plot wandered in places, and perhaps too many devices were used.

It also appears that the novel is 3rd in a series (9 novels?). Perhaps I would have fared better with an earlier introduction to D.S. D.D. Warren.

However it is a book that people took notice of when it was published:
Awarded Best Hard Cover Novel from the International Thriller Writers – July 2010
Top 10 of Best Books of 2009 – Suspense Magazine
Best Adrenaline Novel 2010 Reading List – American Library Association
Best Thriller of 2009 Nominee – Library Journal
Awarded Grand Prix des Lectrices de ELLE 2011 : prix du policier – “La maison d’à côté” – Elle Magazine show less

This was my first book of Lisa Gardner. It was full of psychological things and that was different than other mystery/thriller books in my opinion. you can feel the psychological pressure on yourself during the whole of the story and due to the well-written template of the story, you feel the depth of the fear, as if you are the one who experience all of the situation and this gives you the real thrill.
if you want crime books, where guns are going to be fired or if you expect to read about serial killers, this might not satisfy you; instead it will definitely give you a full package of psychological thriller/mystery in which most part of it is real and this is what made this story real "thriller".

The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner
Detective D. D. Warren series #3. Thriller. Can be read as a stand-alone. See trigger warnings online.
A young mother, blond, pretty, disappears without a trace from her South Boston home, leaving her four-year-old daughter behind as the only witness. The husband is secretive and not fully sharing everything with the police. When Detective D. D. Warren arrives, she doesn’t believe she is getting full access or disclosure. There is something more going on and the child may know more than she’s capable of processing, let alone sharing. Is the daughter safe? What about the neighbors?

Oh, these stories are twisted! With twist you won’t see coming. Is it the husband? Is it someone else? It’s intense and show more compelling.
Some of this authors work is very hard to reconcile. It’s a hard world and she doesn’t go easy. The storytelling is phenomenal. show less

Loved this book till the end, and I couldn't really figure it out. Obviously missed something.
A young mum disappears & the author takes us into the world of police procedure & the shadowy realms of criminality. The plot was great, all the different angles & characterisation. It really makes you think about the lives of those who have come into the criminal world and gives a taste of the thinking that may take place in peoples'minds. The idea of the complete shutdown to avoid all memories was displayed really well as the story moved along. The love and dedication shown to the daughter throughot was uplifting. She had her own little quirks and insights.

this was a remarkable look into a lot of people's minds and hearts. the weird thing is, it didn't really follow DD Warren as much as the other characters, which feels odd to me. most detective novels get really deep into the detective. this one didn't. but the other characters were so great, I have no complaints.