When Darren and Jodie move into Lowland Ways nobody is happy, they are not the type of people to fit in. They drink, play loud music and the front of their house is littered with debris. When one of the community is killed, everyone is quick to judge, and blame the new comers.

A twisty turny tale that kept me guessing to the end.

Definitely enjoyed the format of this book and how the story was told, I enjoyed the characters and whole domestic of it all however over half way I just lost interest and the reveals weren’t all that surprising to me.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book.

Fantastic story by Louise Candlish. Really highly recommend to fans of this genre. It was well written, well paced, great characters and kept me guessing right to the end.

Some neighbours are the worst. Imagine living next to THOSE PEOPLE? Honestly, it would have driven me insane.

And to think that the police do not get involved in noise complaints, citing it being a council issue, is ludicrous! Here, if such a thing happened we can call the police who would then address the issue with the offending neighbours. End of story. What does the council have to do with it, really? Noise complaints are a police concern given that they are disrupting the neighbourhood and breaching the peace.

Aside from that, I felt like this was an episode of "Desperate Housewives" and, despite having enjoyed the show, this just felt like tit-for-tat and didn't convey as well on paper as it did on screen. In fact, I found every character in it annoying - except for Tuppy (stupid name for a dog).

So what can I say about THOSE PEOPLE? That that's 2 days of reading I can't get back? Behind on my NetGalley schedule already I lost 2 days to end up none the wiser?

Lowland Way is a quiet leafy suburb in South London where the neighbours are community minded. Given the description of the area, I'd say an affluent part of London. Every Sunday is "Play Out Sunday" where the street is cleared of vehicles, temporary bollards erected and signs put in place notifying others. It's a day rolled back to days of old when children used to play in the street without the fear of being bowled over by an SUV. The community had rallied to make it happen and those who lived on Lowland Way prided themselves on their community spirit.

That is, until the Booths moved into Number 1. Music played at full volume at all hours, noisy household renovations, dangerous scaffolding put in place creating an eye-sore on the street and not to mention the illegal car dealing business they run out of the house and taking up all the residents' parking spaces. It soon becomes apparent - the Booths are not welcome in Lowland Way.

Complaints are made but go unheeded and just seem to escalate the problem. The pile of rubble that adorns the entrance to the well-manicured street has only served to bring down the value of houses down.

The residents of Lowland Way think it is their job to police their neighbourhood and unite against the Booths, hoping to make them tow the line so as to restore peace to their street. But then a tragedy happens....but then it was only a matter of time.

THOSE PEOPLE is the first book I've read by Louise Candlish and I can't say that I'm thrilled by it. The premise certainly sounded far more promising than it actually was. I felt completely unconnected to any of the characters in a way that felt almost detached. And I felt no sympathy for anyone. No one in this book was remotely likable except the dog, and even he played such a small role it is hardly worth mentioning.

The plot was incredibly dull and the speed glacial. The reveals when they came were uneventful and disappointing. Really, I was that unexcited by the book that I just can't be bothered to even relate much in review.

I cannot say I would recommend THOSE PEOPLE but if you are a Louise Candlish fan I am sure you will enjoy this one, as many others seem to have. Just not me.

Another thing I found irritating is that this is a book written by a British author, set in London and published by an Australian publisher. Why, then, is it editted in American English and not UK English? Neighbor instead of neighbour, organize instead of organise. I'd expect it of a book by an American author and set in Amercia, but not a British one. But that is just me.

I would like to thank #LouiseCandlish, #NetGalley and #SimonAndSchusterAustralia for an ARC of #ThosePeople in exchange for an honest review.

EXCERPT: - Yes, we're aware that someone's been killed, of course we are. What a terrible way to die, absolutely horrific. My wife was one of the first on the scene. She's over the road right now at number two, Sissy Watkins' house - Naomi Morgan, she's called, you've probably spoken to her already?

- I personally wasn't here, no, I was playing tennis at the club on the other side of the high street...

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Lowland Way is the suburban dream. The houses are beautiful, the neighbors get along, and the kids play together on weekends.

But when Darren and Jodie move into the house on the corner, they donʼt follow the rules. They blast music at all hours, begin an unsightly renovation, and run a used-car business from their yard. It doesn't take long for an all-out war to start brewing.

Then, early one Saturday, a horrific death shocks the street. As police search for witnesses, accusations start flying--and everyone has something to hide.

MY THOUGHTS: I was rather disappointed with this read...I had heard a lot about the author, but for me this was 'meh'. The writing is very detached which, in some instances, can work very well. But not here. I was left not caring about any of the characters, except perhaps for Sissy, a sixty-year old woman running a B&B and struggling to make ends meet.

We hear the story from the points of view of all the immediate neighbours, so we tend to go over the same ground again, and again.....

The story is slow and just, only just, staggers along.

2.5*

THE AUTHOR: Before writing fiction, I studied English at University College London and worked as an illustrated book editor and advertising copywriter.

Though my stories are about people facing dark - often dangerous - dilemmas, I try to get through the day without too much drama of my own. I live in a South London neighbourhood not unlike the one in my novels with my husband, daughter and cat.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Berkley Books via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC for review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system.

This review and others are also published on my webpage sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

Having read Our House by Louise Candlish last year I jumped at the chance to read Those People. And happy to say that it lived up to expectations. There are some questionable characters here, and not only the one that the book is focused on. I loved the way it is written in short chapters for multiple residents points of view and the start of the book goes back to weeks before the turning point. It is a very easy, quick read and is absolutely a book I recommend.

Welcome to Lowland Way - a quiet street where all the neighbours get along, they close the road every Sunday so the kids can play and a nice place to live. That is until one of the neighbours dies and her nephew Darren Booth moves into number 1. From the very start he does little to fit into the aesthetic of the area - working on old cars, putting up scaffolding and renovating loudly, playing loud metal music until all hours. The neighbours try to reason with him but he does not wants anything to do with it, going about his business without care for anybody else. When there is a death on his property the neighbours immediately believe Darren is to blame - but the police do not agree. This is where the true characters of the street come out.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

After reading the blurb , I was curious to find out more. It was certainly a page turner. It was an entertaining read and it makes you grateful for the good neighbours you have.. Neighbours can either make or break you.

This is a deliciously wicked look at smug, middle class surburbia and what happens when someone who doesn't fit the mould moves in.

Lowland Way in South London is a seemingly perfect model of surburban harmony where the people are pleasant and friendly, houses and gardens are large and well maintained, the children go to good schools in the area and on Sundays the road is closed to traffic to allow them to play games together in the street. But then loud mouthed, uncouth Darren Booth inherits his aunt's house and moves in with his girlfriend and the dark underside of the street emerges. Darren doesn't give too hoots about fitting in or keeping onside with the neighbours. He immediately knocks down a wall, cuts down a treasured tree and turns his front yard and surrounding street into a used car lot with numerous cars in various states of repair. He then starts on haphazard house renovations, running power tools at all times of the day and night and when he isn't doing that he's blasting the neighbours with loud music.

Em and Ant who live in the adjoining semi next door are tired and frazzled because their baby Sam is constantly being woken by the noise and no one is getting any sleep. Sissy, who lives opposite is divorced and makes her living running a B&B, suddenly finds her business dropping off due to the noise and construction going on. Although the other residents are not affected as much they resent the impact Darren is having on their pleasant street and band together to think of ways to get rid of him, especially as the police and the council have been no help, telling them in fill in forms and wait some months before action can be taken.

This is such a fun read and is formatted in short, snappy chapters from different points of view. Louise Candlish clearly has a keen sense of observation of domestic relationships and how they can be manipulative. Most of the residents are not very likeable and don't always treat their partners and relatives well. As their vindictive schemes to remove Darren fail, cracks appear in their relationships as their true characters emerge under the stress and many of them find that they don't really like each other. Eventually someone goes too far and the whole street finds themselves under suspicion. The plot does take a while to come to a simmer, but it's well worth waiting for it to boil over and enjoy the understated humour along the way.

Lowland Way is a desirable suburban address in the south of London. The homes are well maintained, the gardens manicured, the school district is favoured, the street even closes to traffic on a Sunday to allow the children to play freely. So when Darren Booth, and his girlfriend Jodie, move into Number 1, the residents are shocked by the new neighbours disdain for the status quo. They are loud, uncouth, and crude, and everyone wants them gone, but is someone on Lowland Way willing to kill to accomplish it?

Taking place over a period of a few months, we learn immediately that someone is dead. The story moves back and forth between the events unfolding on the street, and statements taken by the police in the aftermath of the death. Curiosity should keep your attention through the first third of the novel, and though the pace lags a little in the middle, it picks up and wallops you with quite a twist when you least expect it.

What I most enjoyed about Those People was the way in which Candlish’s ‘respectable’ characters fall apart in the presence of this interloper. Their veneer of civility slips, bit by bit, as their frustration and outrage grows. Only a handful of neighbours are directly affected by Darren’s behaviour, and while they try to do the right thing to start with, lodging complaints with the police and council, bureaucracy moves slowly, too slowly for some.

Those People is a provocative psychosocial drama, which offers some interesting twists. I found it a quick and entertaining read.

Set in the present time at Lowlands Garden in London. The residents enjoy a tranquil life in their quiet residential street of Lowland Way. But when one of the resident’s dies and her nephew Darren Booth moves into number 1 the peaceful existence is disrupted as Darren begins renovations on his house, plays loud music and fills the street with old cars and caravans that he intends to sell.
The residents try to find away to get rid of Darren but when disaster strikes everyone is a suspect.
This was murder mystery about communities, families and relationships. I loved it.

Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. This was my second time reading a Louise Candlish book and it did not disappoint. The plot grabbed me from the very beginning and kept the suspense building. Those People are the new neighbours who move into a quiet and harmonious street where all of the neighbours get along. The new neighbours ruffle everyone's feathers they seem to go out of their way to offend and annoy everyone. The death of a neighbour on their property leads to further animosity and a sinister conclusion with some great twists along the way. A mesmerising read. It will have you looking twice at your neighbours. #netgalley #bookstagram #tea_sipping_bookworm #kindle #amazon #goodreads #litsy

A wild ride from start to finish. So many twists, turns and blind alleys that I was constantly turning the page to discover what happened next. A great read and the perfect start to my rainy Easter weekend.