With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the book in exchange for an honest review.
I thought this was a very clever, well thought out psychological thriller. I have not read any books by the author Anna -Lou Weatherley before but look forward to reading more books by her in future.
A very accomplished story.
Highly recommended.

Excellent domestic thriller. Part police procedural, part look into a toxic marriage, blended seamlessly. Laurie has given her entire life to a man that has deceived her from the beginning of their relationship. When her husband ends up dead and she is charged for the crime, she finds out the truth about the man she married and her so called best friend. This book is the second in the Detective Dan Riley series (I was unaware of that when I read it.) I will now be getting the first in the series and any other books by Ms. Weatherley.

Laurie Mills overhears a conversation by her husband, Robert, confirming an affair. A public display of humiliation and the disclosing of Robert’s secrets follows. Two months later, Robert is found brutally murdered in the guest room of their home and Laurie is the principle and only logical suspect. Unfortunately, Laurie can’t remember the evening. She contends that she blacked out and Robert never arrived to discuss their marriage. This seems preposterous since she was found with blood soaking her clothes and her fingerprints on the knife.

What ensues is a twisting and gripping story of trust, betrayal and not always believing what is right in front of you. I found this book to be dynamic and well-written. The plot moves along seamlessly toward the climax and view of the hidden shadows.

The characters were multidimensional and believable. Just as I wanted to slap Laurie for her naiveite and vulnerability, she would exhibit a redeeming quality that had me cheering for her again. The layers of the despicable Robert were peeled back slowly to redeem his true character.

This is a good fast mystery that may not be the most complicated suspense novel of the new year but is right up there with the best books and author of the year.


I received an ARC from Bookouture from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinion or review of this book.

OMG where do I start?

Maybe the beginning is the best place for a book so damn good it gave me whiplash and possible permanant injury to my jaw from it hitting the floor.

From the start it gave me ‘Rebecca’ vibes to read about an engagement party to which the bride to be, Claire, is not really engaged with. Following an excruciating speech by her father in law, and a brief description of her and Angus’ whirlwind romance you wonder where this book is going.

She obviously had a thing with a person named Daniel which hurt her really badly so is Angus a safe bet? He comes across as a complete tool and someone that Claire, with her high pressured, high profile job as an immigration lawyer would not connect with. I didn’t like him at all so when she begins a relationship with Mark, the Daniel look a like who owns the house she come to view for their marriage home, you raise your hand and squeak a cautious ‘you go girl!’

But he is far from a safe bet and as you reel from events happening now to events of 5 years ago, you begin to be teased with little details so as you are thinking ‘right so this happened then.. ok, I am getting it ..WAIT WHAT?!’

I cannot say too much without giving plot points away but honestly, it’s a great book, available in ebook and paperback now.

Good enough to keep my attention but no where near as good as I was hoping it would be, a little too predictable for my taste.

I was attracted to this book by the description but I was mainly disappointed by it. It was a dark domestic drama full of some pretty unpleasant characters but too easy to figure out. The lead detective was too good to be true and some of the other characters a bit unbelievable also. I am willing to give the next book she writes a try. If you are willing to suspend belief and just want an easy read go for it. I give this book three stars.

This is a brilliant psychological thriller it really is. Edge of you seat, nail biting story which I can't recommend highly enough. Amazing, huge 5 stars.

A compelling and fast paced read. This is a dark domestic drama with interesting characters.....
This was an addictive read that I didn’t want to put down. The ending was unexpected. I can’t wait for another book by this author

Cedar Close is a perfect place to live everyone looks out for each other and Laurie Mills meets her neighbours for the first time at their annual summer barbeque. While there she discovers her husband having an affair and threatens to kill him in front of all their neighbours so when she wakes up one morning a few days later after having a few drinks the night before after he stood her up and left her to eat the dinner she had made specially for them to find her husband dead with multiple stab wounds in their spare room and she herself covered in his blood it's no wonder everybody believes she did it. Detective Dan Riley believes there is more to the case than meets the eye and he sets about proving Laurie's innocence!!!
This book had me all over the place it was a truly awesome psychological thriller which I highly recommend and I can't wait for the next in the series.

Thank you to Bookouture Carla Kovach and NetGalley for the arc of The Couple On Cedar Close my review is honest and unbiased in any way.

Ok, this was good. I loved the writing, plot and characters. This pulled me in quickly and it was quite a ride!

The investigator, Dan Riley, is a great, sympathetic character. He is smart and self effacing. He is easy to like. His partner, Lucy Davis, is the perfect counterpoint. I didn’t read the first story of the series but this had so much character development and growth. I will look forward to more in this series!

The story itself was very good. That’s not to say that I didn’t figure out some things prior to the reveal but there were surprises too. I did figure out the villain prior to the reveal but that did not detract from the story. By this time I was so invested in the characters I needed to see how they ended up. Excellent, highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Bookouture for a copy in exchange for a review.

THIS BOOK IS A SECOND IN A SERIES!
I had no idea that this was a second book, so I read it as a standalone, which seemed to be fine. Some books really are taken away from if you haven't read the first, but it doesn't seem that way with this one. This novel has very complex characters and there is a lot going on, which I really enjoyed. There were enough twists to keep me reading and overall I enjoyed this mystery/thriller.

Domestic thrillers have become my favourite type of thrillers over the year so I was excited to read The Couple on Cedar Close. The majority of the characters are very multi-dimensional with the exception of Laurie, who wasn't the most interesting of characters although it is understandable why given the circumstances. I enjoyed the flashback chapters and although I didn't twig the relevance of these to the main story immediately, it soon becomes apparent why and the rest of the book was fairly easy to figure out but this did not impair my enjoyment of it, The police scenes were another element that worked really well and felt authentic. Looking forward to reading more from Anna-Lou.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to.

This is the second book featuring Detective Dan Riley, it starts with the body of a man found murdered in his house and his wife covered in blood, it seems cut and dried but Riley is sure there is more to this than meets the eye. Really enjoyed this book kept me guessing all the way, definitely recommend.

One sunny August afternoon, the residents of Cedar Close throw their annual summer barbecue. Children play in the cherry-tree lined street, tables are laden with food, and the wine is flowing. For Laurie Mills, it’s her first time meeting the neighbours. And it’s the first time she discovers her husband Robert is having an affair.

Cedar Close has always been a nice place to live – a quiet suburban street where everyone looks out for one another and bad things don’t happen.

Until late one evening, when Robert Mills is found dead in his bedroom.

Downstairs, in their beautiful kitchen, his wife Laurie sits alone in the dark with her head in her hands.

She can’t remember the last few hours, but she knows she didn’t kill Robert.

The trouble is, no-one believes her…

I enjoyed this book so much, the characters were complex and just kept developing in themselves and their relationships all the way through. I found them completely believable and was able o have empathy with most of them - I also fell in love with the gentlemanly Dan Riley. The plot was dark and twisted, in all of the right ways!! The only thing was I guessed quite early on what was going on, but this really didn't stop me from enjoying the book at all! A definite worthy 5 star read! Thank you Netgalley for the chance for an ARC

A twisty suspense..... I really enjoyed this. Laurie was likeable character suffering after a tragic accident which killed her unborn twins - but was it really an accident and did she really kill her husband and if not who did?
The setting is a wealthy suburban cul-de -sac. I imagined it as a desperate housewives type of setting. This would make a great movie.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and Bookouture for the opportunity to read an arc.

Solid police procedural mystery, but the overall mystery is way too easy to figure out. I knew who the villain was almost right away, and it made me think the rest of the characters were too clueless to figure out what the villain was doing.
I really like the detective and would definitely read another book featuring him. The other members of his police squad were annoying--how many books have the growly chief who doesn't believe the detective when he says something is off and pushes him to solve the case even without evidence? Yeah, all the time and in real life I seriously doubt this happens.
Overall, it was a decent read, but kind of forgettable.

3.5 STARS!!!

Laurie and Robert Mills have anything but the perfect marriage and when Robert is found murdered and Laurie doesn’t remember a thing for many hours of that night She becomes the prime suspect. This is a fast pace thriller showing the point of views of detective Dan Riley whilst he works on the case, Laurie Mills and several other characters. The question is, is Laurie guilty or has someone else murdered her husband?

I enjoyed this book to a certain extent, it was well written, and I really loved Dan Riley as a character and as far as the plot I did think it was good, slightly average but enjoyable. The downfall and the reason I can’t rate this book any higher is because I knew right away who did this, who the killer was. There was chapters from the past and they linked to who the killer was and it was all very obvious, a little to obvious.

Would I read more from this author? Yes I would because like I said it was still an enjoyable read even if it was rather predictable.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this arc.
Laurie and Robert are the new residents living in Cedar Close.
Laurie is recovering from a dreadful accident. They get to meet the other residents at the streets Summer Barbeque. But that's also the day Laurie finds out Robert is STILL having an affair and has a child with his mistress! Living across from them is laurie's long time friend Monica who has always been there for her.
But then Robert is found dead, brutally murdered, in there home. Anna is in the house at the time, but doesn't remember anything because she's totally 'out of it' with drink and medication. Events spiral out of control.
Its up to Detective Dan Riley to solve this one.
This is the second book in the series. Absolutely riveting. Just couldn't put it down until it was finished. Definitely recommend it and it deserves more than five stars!!!

Cedar Close is a quiet peaceful neighborhood to live where all the neighbors know and look out for each other. Until Robert Mills is found stabbed in his bedroom, and his wife Laurie sits downstairs covered in his blood. She has gaps in her memory and is pretty sure that she didn't kill her husband but nobody believes her as Robert was having an affair with another woman. Detective Dan instinctively believes that Laurie is innocent but when everything points against her can Dan really trust his gut ?

The Couple on Cedar Close is the second book in the Detective Dan Riley series. A fantastic police procedural with well developed characters makes it an enjoyable read .  

I would like to thank Bookouture & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.