The Widow Next Door by L.A. Detwiler with have you second guessing everything you think you knowing this book and constantly striving to wrap your head around it all.

I’m a huge fan of mystery, thriller novels, but Detwiler wrote something completely difference.The Widow Next Door was heavy on the psychological twists. It follows the story of Jane and Alex as they move in to a quiet street with one neighbor, an adorable little old lady. The story is told from her point of view and at first you think she’s completely normal. But everyone has secrets.

At first I wasn’t sure where this story was going. I wanted to know. I couldn’t decide who was crazy, if anyone was crazy, or if everyone was crazy. About halfway through the book I changed my thought on how it would turn out, followed by another change a little later in the book. When it finished, I was shocked. I never would have guessed the ending. I can see why some might be disappointed with it seeing as it doesn’t appear to be a complete wrap up, but it made it more realistic to leave it hanging just a little.

I think the attention to detail that went into Detwiler’s writing of her first psychological thriller made the story so much better. Seeing flashes of the old ladies past helped you understand her thinking during certain scenes. I felt the writing playing with my mind at times, making it hard to decide the direction of the book. I loved the mystery and my inability to figure it out early on. I’ve read other Detwiler books from other genres and loved her writing. It’s so easy to read, and The Widow Next Door didn’t disappoint me. I’ll be checking out her next one. You should too.

The synopsis for The Widow Next Door reads the same as a gazillion other thrillers out there, however, I still decided to take the plunge as I knew it could amount to a decent, non-taxing reading experience. Unfortunately, I wish I had stayed away. Although this is not L.A. Detwiler's first novel to be published, as she has written quite a few romance novels, it is her debut thriller, and I really wish I had enjoyed it more, but it was just far too predictable and tedious for me I'm afraid. I honestly am finding it difficult to describe just how slow this book was. Definitely one of the slowest I've ever read, and I read hundreds of books per year.

The problems started to pile up pretty early on until there ended up being more issues than a magazine! I guessed the "big surprise revelation" and the core twist within the first 15% of the novel and going deeper into it didn't bring any redemption, it just continued to gradually worsen. Don't get me wrong, the writing and core concept are sound, but it fails in bringing anything new to the table. I found it incredibly boring, nothing was happening, it was slow moving and simply lacked the thrills necessary for it to be labelled as a thriller. There is plenty of emotion throughout, but much of the book was extremely depressing. Lacking coherency, with an anti-climatic and confusing ending that appears to have been fumbled together with little thought, or at least that's how it felt, this falls drastically short of the mark. It also could've benefited from more complex character development as they were rather one-dimensional.

Many thanks to Avon for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This was a book I could not put down, very creepy and also made me think.
An old lady sits in her rocking chair with her cat and watches the people next door.
She is certainly not a sweet old lady, and has done many bad things in her life.
She watches the family and when the lady from the house. Next door comes in for tea she is very glad for company. but she finds out the lady from next door is also not a nice lady and they form a relationship.
Great book thanks for the opportunity to read this before publication.

She's chasing a killer. He's watching her every move. Each kill is calculated, planned and executed like clockwork. DS Becca Vincent has landed the biggest case of her career. With a list of people he plans to kill, he knows everyone will understand why they had to die. It's personal, but what connections are there between the victims?

The story is told alternately between DS Becca Vincent, super recogniser, Joe and the villain. There are twists galore in this action packed book from the start. Some of the killings are quite violent and graphic so this won't suit every reader. Becca is not a very likeable character, she's a bit self centred and jumps to conclusions. The killers identity is revealed quite early on in this story which I don't really like as I do prefer to guess wh it is. This is quite a dark read. With its fast pace this is a gripping read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and the author John Mares for my ARC in exchange for an review.

What I enjoyed about this book...
Strong hook... Lonely, nosey lady next door stares out of her window from her rocking chair gawking at new neighbors at 312 Bristol Street. She knows something isn't quite right. 
The flashbacks to her past life... a love gone wrong, a neglected childhood, parents who treated her second seat to her sister. The flashbacks enhanced story. There were just enough stories from her past. 
An element of suspense that sets the pace nicely for most of the book.
What I think would have made book better...
Increased character interaction.
More complex character development.
More dialogue.
 An unraveling of the plot less predictably.
Add a huge twist.
All-in-all, this book had great potential. The authors style of writing made it easy to read and she kept a good pace but I definitely was waiting for the hand-to-mouth gasp moment and I didn't feel like it achieved that. 
I will definitely look for other books by this author because I absolutely see the potential in her writing. Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So going into this book I was super excited to read it. As soon as I seen it on Netgalley I immediately requested an ARC.

The first bit of it I was quite intrigued but it became very redundant reading about the little old widow sittting in her rocking chair with her cat watching the new couple next door. The premise I felt would lead to such a compelling and enthralling read but it fell really really short of any of my expectations. There was just no really big moment(s) or twists to really hype it up. The flashbacks whom I assume are of the widow at a younger age added to the story but there should have been more and the location was very confusing. I still don't know where it took place. Some details alluded to it being in the US while other things made it seem as if it were located in England/Europe.

At around the half way point I seriously thought I would just not finish it but I needed to know what was behind that door.

**Received ARC through NetGalley. Voluntarily reviewed**

Don’t look behind door number one with the brass doorknob. (chuckle)! Although aging brings about maturity, or at least it should, it also carries a great deal of loss. And one thing the widow next door can relate too is having lost so much through her life. In fact, the only thing that she has to cling to are her memories now. Oh the memories! So imagine her surprise as she’s sitting in her favorite spot, the rocking chair, looking across the yard at 312 Bristol Lane and seeing a young couple frolicking about and being so in love, made her happier than she had been for many years. Young love—you just can’t beat it!

What was so awesome is that Jane, the newlywed across from her, came to visit and introduce herself to the widow and soon learned they had so much in common. For one thing, they loved tea and gossiping about their favorite soaps. They became so chummy that the widow felt comfortable enough to allow Jane to knock and enter as she pleased. It was just great to have someone to confide in besides her cat, Amos. Human contact is an absolute must, and especially as you age, when those you love begin to die off.

As the two strangers became friendlier, the widow noticed some subtle changes in Jane and it concerned her. As time moves on, Jane will reveal things to the widow that caused great disturbances. The widow recognized something in Jane that was all too familiar.

This was one of the most amazing stories I have ever read. It was hard to put this book down. I hated when I had to go to sleep and hated when I had to go to work. OMG, I knew I was headed down the right track, but couldn’t quite figure out exactly where I was headed. Turns out, I was most definitely on the correct path, and the ending blew my mind! I loved this book! Outstanding read! I’ve never read Detwiler before, but I have to say, if this is the way she writes all the time, she’s definitely got a huge fan in me. I can’t wait to read what she writes next. Oh my this was a damn good book! Holy ‘ish! I hated when the story ended. The epilogue gave me chills. For some reason, I just figured that’s how it would go.

Readers if you’re looking for a good book to sink your eyes into on a cold night, this book will keep you warm and cozy. You will not be able to put it down. Detwiler, I’m a fan! Thank you for your amazing storytelling and skilled writing. Well, well done!

This is a very different book to any I have read before. If you love a creepy novel then this is definitely for you.

Bristol Lane has just two houses on the little lane ....... one where an elderly widow lives and the other where newlyweds Alex & Jane have just moved into. The widow spends most of her time sitting in her rocking chair watching the goings on from her window. She loves watching Alex & Jane but then she notices their relationship is changing and maybe they aren’t quite as happy as they seem.

The book is told solely from the widows point of view and what she sees from the comfort of her own home. This is very much a creepy book and ideal for the early dark evenings.

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

4-5 stars. What an riveting, chilling, and shocking read. Well written and very engaging. Keeps the reader turning pages to find out exactly what is going on behind closed doors, or what's going to happen to those who have too much time on their hands.
I will be using in a challenge and highly recommending in Chapter Chatter Pub.

The Widow Next Door has a title that said “read me, read me” but unfortunately didn’t live up to the expectations.
This thriller is a very, very slow book, by over a third of the way through nothing had happened except listen to the widow go on about being old, very old, having nothing to do, her body continually aching and her describing her new neighbours not very interesting life. This is described as the most chilling crime book you’ll read in 2018, well I’m sorry but this is very far from this.
The chapters are separated by chapters of flashbacks and I think these are from the widows younger life this is never made clear but like the rest of the book it never piqued my interest.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Avon Books for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

A creepy thriller and a good read.
When newlywed moved into a beautiful they are made for life .
She meets her old neighbor by bringing her a pie over .
Then the old lady invites her into her home
I had an ARC from Avon

When I started reading The Widow next door I thought I had guessed the ending straight away.....I was wrong! A nice twist at the end of the book and definitely all not what it seems. A great read

I found this book to be well written and it really kept me guessing. As more of the past glimpses of the old woman are shown, I really feel sympathy for the way she was treated. I struggled to understand why the neighbor lady was pleasant and then turned bad. I liked that the book ended up with new neighbors. I thought that there were part of the books that needed editing and seemed to make the book drag in parts, yet had nothing to add to the plot.

Fantastic thriller that I read in one sitting. We are kept in suspense throughout this book, is it imagination, really happening, is she remembering her own life? This is what a thriller should be. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased review.

ooh what a great book!! Wondering who is the bad one and whats behind the door. Great build up to a fantastic ending!

The Widow Next Door is a dark twisted tale of a lonely widow projecting her own insidious past on the young new neighbor. What is real and what is fantasy, the reader wonders as the widow peers out her window at her new neighbors.

You might have read this plot before but in a more exciting novel. Told from the viewpoint of a elderly woman, it's sort of about the couple across the street- Jane and Alex- and sort of about her secret. Unfortunately, this one never grabbed me and I dnf. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Strange and creepy from start to end. At the halfway mark I thought one thing but I was wrong. And the guessing wrongly didn’t stop there. The writing is great, the narrator is fascinating.

There are surprises and twists though not a ton of action. Trust me, if you like this type of story, you won’t be disappointed. The story is a bit sick and twisted but also heartbreaking at the same time. Good chilling ending. I would recommend this one and will read more by the author.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Avon Books UK for a copy in exchange for a review.

Creepy. Thrilling. Suspenseful. I could not put this down! And I did not see the ending coming. I was the perfect Halloween read for me

I wondered if this was the book I'd chosen,it was certainly different.it was a bit too different for me though,I just didn't connect with it, the widow made me feel depressed and nothing seemed to be happening.I don't think my attention span copes well with books like this I just don't have the patience. For another reader this slow burning tale may hit the spot, but it wasn't for me,and it wasn't helped by the characters not being well fleshed out enough.Thanks for the Arc.