I absolutely loved this book. It was so twisty and frustrating that people wouldn’t listen to Beth. I don’t know a lot about the cia but this was eye opening to the different processes put in place. Very good well written book that I enjoyed.

Beth Bradford works as a CIA analyst. She's been tracking an elusive Iranian intelligence agent for years known as "the neighbor". She's become slightly obsessed as of late, just when she's become an empty nester, her marriage is crumbling, and she and her husband are set to sell their beautiful home where they have so many memories and friends. Enter Madeline Sterling who seems to have it all. She moves into Beth's home. She has a husband and three beautiful, young children. She begins to make friends with the close-knit neighbors that were Beth's friends. Beth has a hard time accepting all this. Then, Beth is pulled off of the case that she has worked so hard on for so many years. Beth seems to have lost her mind. She cannot let go of the case and continues to investigate on her own. She feels as though she is close to "the neighbor". But, now everyone thinks she is jealous, paranoid, or beginning to lose her mind.
Slow start, but does pick up. Loved the ending.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

Beth is a CIA analyst who is working on breaking the biggest case of her career, until she is taken off of it suddenly. She is sent to teach at a school while still trying to crack the case she has worked so many years on and save her career at the same time. As if that isn’t enough to deal with, her youngest child leaves for college, her marriage falls apart and she has to leave the trust and security she has always found in her neighborhood friends behind. As she secretly works on her case, she quickly learns that she can’t trust anyone and everyone has secrets to hide.

This story was fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat for the first two thirds of the book. By the last quarter, I did find it a little hard to believe at times and was not surprised by the big reveal.

3.5 stars

I wasn't sure what to think of this going in, I'm not usually a big spy/espionage type storyline reader. But this ended up being pretty good. A little slow in the beginning, but it definitely picked up about 30% in. Lots of twists. Wasn't really sure what to expect. And the final "twist" in the epilogue? Yeah, didn't expect that. A good read.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

It look some time for me to learn who is who in the cul-de-sac and get involved in Beth Bradford's life and her relationships with her neighbors, but after those first few chapters, the story picks up speed. When Beth loses her job, house, and husband seemingly all at the same time and everyone seems to work for the CIA or FBI, things get very interesting and intriguing. That the story takes place in the town of McClean Virginia was a plus for me since I'm familiar with the area and its residents. While the story seems a bit unrealistic at times, I can also understand how law abiding citizens can be corrupted and feel they have no choice but to comply with demands they know are wrong in order to protect their families.

Ever wonder about your neighbors? Ever wonder what goes on behind closed doors? Why do we sometimes think the grass is greener? Can we ever trust our neighbors? Story starts off slow, quickly picks up speed turning into a fast pace, smart, engaging entertaining domestic/espionage thriller. The story dabbles in both world, the 'perfect' neighborhood and the espionage world. It walks that fine line carefully. Unfortunately, the ending wasn't as satisfying as I hoped it would be.

The New Neighbor was super intense and nerve-wracking in a good way. It had me invested right from the beginning. Beth has made it her mission in life to be a devoted mother and to hunt down The Neighbor in her role at the CIA. Now all of that seems to be ending. Her children are grown and she is moving out of the house where she ans her soon to be ex husband raised them. She has also suddenly lost access to the case she has been working on. Beth decides to start her own investigation on her friends and her old neighborhood. These are people she has known and trusted for years. They raised their families together on the cul-de-sac. If she can't trust them, then who can she trust.
This was a very suspenseful and fast paced book that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The New Neighbor
By Karen Cleveland

Beth Bradford works for the CIA tracking Iranian intelligence. Specifically, tracking a commander in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps named Reza Karimi. She has spent almost 20 years tracking him, and has thwarted many of his recruits, except for the one he calls “The Neighbor”. A domestic sellout whose job is to find more local recruits to blackmail and coerce into betraying our country.

Beth and her husband Mike have reached a major milestone in their lives. One daughter lives in Europe, the other daughter is married, and their son’s departure for freshman year in college leaves them with too much house on their hands. They sell their home and rent a townhouse to live in while they look for their next home.

Suddenly, Beth’s life crumbles around her in a jumbled heap. Their home is sold, her marriage is falling apart, and she returns early from vacation to discover that the CIA is putting her out to pasture. Shipping her off to a training facility where washed out agents are sent away in shame.

Beth is obsessed, and she can’t let go of this chase. She can feel it, she knows she is close, “The Neighbor”is within her grasp? Is it someone she knows? Everyone thinks she is becoming unhinged, nobody believes her, no one is listening.

Solid Karen Cleveland writing. I was almost at my wit’s end with this one, desperate to know WHO?! Definitely did not see this one.

Thanks @netgalley @randomhouse

#TheNewNeighbor
#KarenCleveland #NetGalley #randomhouse #BallantineBooks #thriller #bookstagram #bookreview

The New Neighbor is Karen Cleveland’s latest spy thriller and it was released last month! It did a good job keeping my mind working trying to figure out the twist through most of the book. Beth is a CIA analyst who has been working on identifying and Iranian spy for 15 years when she is suddenly pulled from the case and basically sent out to the CIA pasture. She thinks she was getting too close to finding the truth and vows not to give up. There were times I thought her actions were way too reckless, but she stubbornly keeps investigating off the record and she starts suspecting things were happening right in her own cul de sac. Can she figure out who is behind the spying and recruiting of new spies or is she blinded by loyalty to her friends?

This was a solid fast paced thriller that kept me engaged until the end even though I thought several things were too far-fetched. My favorite Karen Cleveland book is still Need to Know but this one is worth reading too!

"The New Neighbor" is Karen Cleveland's latest CIA thriller with just as many twists and turns as her previous novels. A group of neighbors, living in an idyllic neighborhood, think they know everything about each other. They think everyone is trustworthy, and things are safe. But just when you think you have an idea what is going on, something happens to take you in a different direction.

I am loving this series and am really curious if all of the books will somehow tie together down the line, if all the storylines will converge. I can't wait for the next novel!

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Nothing is worse than new neighbors, right?! Enjoyed this book, really loved Beth’s character as well. I always love an original storyline and this one really delivered.

I had a hard time getting through this one. It moved very slowly. Wouldn’t recommend to friends or family.

I enjoyed this book a lot, got me invested right from the start. Beth has devoted her life to her family and her mission at the CIA of finding The Neighbor. She loses access to the case and does her own investigation, in particular of her friends in her old neighborhood. People whose lives seem together, people she has known for years and trusts. But can she trust anyone? Esp with our national security on the line against Iran.

The New Neighbor is a cleverly written suspense novel by Karen Cleveland, a new author to me. I chose the book based on the NetGalley description and general theme, and I very much enjoyed reading it. Focused on a bunch of FBI and CIA operatives, the protagonist is in search of a spy gone rogue... and it just so happens she and her husband have sold their house, leaving a new neighbor to move into the cul de sac with all their former friends. Which one of these people knows something about the rogue spy? The novel held my attention, but it has a slow first half. The suspense is in the neurotic obsession of the main character who is entirely too focused on being removed from her top case. There are reasons tho, and she may not figure them all out. Right down to the last ten pages, we're unsure who the bad person is, and when it's finally revealed, a definite surprise... I kinda guessed but wasn't emphatic about it, so it still felt shocking. Good writing, and I'll read her next book too.

The New Neighbor is the most recent installment in the Beth Bradford series. Beth is an analyst for the CIA. She is tenacious in her work. The story opens with her child headed off to college, although she has no time to enjoy the life of an empty nester because her husband moves out the same day and is seeking a divorce. As her world is crumbling around her, Beth is also removed from a case she has been tied into for decades, tracking a network of Quds Force operators, most notably they are still hunting a recruiter, codenamed The Neighbor, who seeks out people willing to be moles in their country's intelligence service and sell secrets. Beth believes she has discovered the identity of The Neighbor, but she has to convince the top brass after they have removed her from the case,

Cleveland is a talented story teller. Beth is not one of my more favorite female protagonists in the genre, but I keep returning because I really enjoy the writing style.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for my thoughts and opinions.

I found this book to be a bit slow but it did improve as the book progressed. Strong characters and a great story line. I recommend it! Thanks for the ARC.

This was definitely a must read! It was captured from the first pages and there was no way I was putting this book down! I was very interested to find out what happened at the end. The characters made it all the better and the developments were nothing shy of thrilling. Would recommend!!

The Neighbor by Karen Cleveland was a mixed bag for me. Parts of it were well written and made for a good story line. Other parts just seemed so out of place to me.

Beth works for the CIA and is spending most of her time working a tough case trying to chase down someone called "The Neighbor" who she knows is a Terrorist and probably planning another incident. Along with her job, she is also trying to balance her home life, and her group of friends in her cul-de-sac. But when her son goes away to college, Beth and her husband have made plans to sell their home and move into something smaller for just the 2 of them. But her husband has other plans, and they don't include Beth!

when she goes back to work, she finds she has been moved off her case of chasing "The Neighbor", in fact she has been removed from the department she's been working in and transferred to a very boring job. Sadly she can't let go of her old case, and she starts wondering if someone in her Cul-de-sac is the terrorist. Maybe the woman who bought her old house? Is she going off the deep-end? Is she seeing things that just aren't there?
Or is she being set up?

Even though the book was a bit confusing to me, it was an okay read by Karen Cleveland. And I want to thank NetGalley and the Publisher for letting me read the ARC,.

This is review is my own honest opinion from my viewpoint.

Good book with plenty of suspense! Well developed characters and pretty relatable. Once I started the book I had to just keep reading to find out what was going to happen next and how everything tied into each other. Hard to put this one down! Thoroughly enjoyed this book from an author I hadn’t know about before! Will definitely read her others!