The House on Cold Creek Lane by Liz Alterman

“OK, this is so much bigger than Pinot Grigio. We’re going straight to scotch.”

When Laurel was twelve, her mom was murdered. Days before Christmas. She’s tiptoed through life on eggshells ever since, always a little skittish, restless, and skeptical. Her husband, Rob, the eternal optimist, views the world—and everyone in it—as one big, happy opportunity.

Rob snaps up their new home on Cold Creek Lane without Laurel touring it. Despite languishing on the market with no buyer interest, he thinks the house will be the perfect place to settle down and raise their family.

I zipped through Liz Alterman’s latest thriller, with all its twists and turns and broken characters with their issues and dark sides. Don’t we all have those dark moments in our lives? Attempting to protect our children or spouses or parents or ourselves, we don’t recognize who we’ve become. We step back and wonder, What in the world am I doing?

Liz, who has won awards for her young adult fiction, is a master at seamlessly weaving storylines and keeping readers guessing until the bitter end. The book includes questions for group discussions, and Liz is available to meet with book clubs via Zoom.

How fun would THAT be to discuss this novel or her 2022 book, The Perfect Neighborhood, with this author?!

I’m kind of meh on this one.

While it’s entertaining, it’s also predictable. I knew exactly who was behind things very early in the book and nothing ever happened to make me wonder if I was right or wrong.

Most of our characters are objectionable and all of them do things that make no sense.

I found myself frustrated with our main character and a bit frustrated with the story itself when the only truly interesting plot line seemed to disappear with a whimper.

It’s readable, but kind of in the low-salt popcorn kind of way. What I actually wanted was something more indulgent.

• ARC via Publisher

I loved this book! Great plot with lots of twists. I enjoyed reading about the different char as characters and how their lives twisted together (without giving too much away). Overall this was a fast paced read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you NetGalley, Severn House, and Liz Alterman. I was anxious through every turned page. I found myself wanting to read more of Laurel in the beginning because Corey was so damn depressing! And who wouldn’t take anxious over depressed. But once that half way to .75 percent of the book hit, I was over Rob and wanted happiness for Corey. I did predict some stuff but the ending isn’t clear until it’s there and you’re so excited for it to play out that you really don’t care. Fabulous ending! I enjoyed the inclusion of the book club discussion questions and thought on them as well. All good questions to ponder on.

I really liked this book! While I did guess parts of the plot/twist ahead of time, I still thought it was good. It was an easy, fun read with plenty of characters you will love to hate! As far as domestic thrillers go, this is one you should definitely add to your TBR list. 4.5⭐️s rounded up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for an ARC of this novel.

When Laurel and Rob West move into their dream home in suburban New Jersey, Laurel has no idea that this house has a dark history. Fully occupied with managing their two young children, she has little time to make proper friends in the neighbourhood, even if she had been a better fit with some of the other mothers.

Ironically, it is Addie, their single, childless neighbour that Laurel hits it off best with, since she also begins to wonder if the single mother in their neighbourhood, Zoe, in fact has designs on her husband Rob.

On top of all this, she is struggling with her suspicions about her elderly neighbour, Marian, who has charmed both Laurel's husband and her young son, but is deeply critical towards Laurel's skills (or lack thereof) as a mother.

If Laurel knew what the previous occupant of their home, Corey, had been through thanks to the neighbour(s) she would probably pack her bags right away. Rob, meanwhile,has little patience with what he consider his wife's paranoia. But Corey is debating whether or not to warn Laurel to watch out...

This was a complex and highly readable story, with plenty of twists. The characters are well-drawn for the most part, but I disliked Rob and his family immensely, finding his sister and mother borderline caricatures of their roles. Corey and Laurel are, however, easy to relate to, tragic as their circumstances may be.

I figured out the key villain, but not the final twist. Enjoyable and worth a read. It gets 3.5 stars from me, just missing 4 stars because Rob and his family were so incredibly unsympathetic as characters. Readers who don't mind that will give it 4 stars, so I've rated it accordingly.

Time to read less than a day

Stars 4

Review

I have never read anything by Liz Alterman. I really enjoyed this book.

I was hooked and managed to read in less than a day.

A perfect way to while away some hours on a blustery day. Would recommend to others.

Thank you Netgalley and Severn Hoise for the opportunity to review.

You know when a thriller is good when you look at the clock and realize it's 90 minutes past your normal bedtime and you're still reading.

This happened with The House on Cold Creek Lane, a quintessential domestic suspense thriller filled with all the expected and unexpected tropes so beloved by thriller fans.

In this story there are two female main characters (1st person pov's): Laurel and Corey. Both of them are grieving losses and are connected through a Cape Cod-style house in New Jersey.

Corey used to live there.

Laurel just moved in.

This simple yet intriguing set-up swiftly morphs into a scary, suspenseful plot. Why did Corey move out of the house and is now living in Florida in the guest room of her mother's condominium? Why is Laurel not quite comfortable in her new home and what's up with the neighbors? On one side is a sweet old lady who wants nothing more than to help watch over Laurel's young kids. On the other side is Addie: single, beautiful and snarky--exactly the kind of friend Laurel needs, especially since Laurel's husband Rob is being a bit of a dick lately.

We go back in forth between both women as they deal with their personal ghosts from the past, an ever-rising terror shadowing them along the way.

Alterman writes like a pro--I totally related to her depictions of motherhood, daughterhood, and the oft-times fraught foray into trying to make new friends in a new hood. Her dialogue rocks. She's also very funny at times.

This was a great read.

This was one that I requested on NG on a whim as soon as I saw it. I loved this book so much. Liz has an amazing ability to weave together a remarkable book full of scandal, deception and lies. I love a good Neighbourhood Drama read. This was full of characters I loathed and loved. This was a super fast and propulsive read. Amazing book Liz! ALL the Stars!

Laurel and Rob give up their crowded apartment to move to a cute suburban Cape. Note that Rob buys the house before Laurel sees it, claiming to take pressure off her because she’s dealing with a three year old and a newborn. Laurel is a shy, non assertive young woman, forever damaged by her mother’s murder when she was twelve. Rob encourages her to make friends, join groups and invite other mothers over for a meal. She does, with mixed results. An older woman who lives across the street seems prying and critical but Addie, who lives next door, becomes a true friend.

Corey is adrift in Florida. After her daughter’s death and her divorce, she has moved in with her mother in a Florida retirement community. Still grieving her daughter, she is stuck in a world of anger, with pain that is only lessened by reckless behavior.

As Rob urges Laurel to prepare for his sister’s wedding, Corey is pressured to move out of the condo because of age restrictions. The tensions affecting both woman grow and move inexorably to unexpected disaster.

The House on Cold Creek Lane is my first mystery by Liz Alderman and it will definitely not be my last. The sad puzzle that is this domestic thriller moves slowly, alternating between the voices of Laurel and Corey. Both women feel the isolation of suburban communities, the gossip that fills social gatherings and the loneliness of grief. As the plot moves toward an inevitable conclusion, you feel their despair. The House on Cold Creek Lane will stay with you long after you have read the final page. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Severn House and Liz Alderman for this ARC.

I absolutely loved this book! I've been in a huge reading slump after reading many disappointing books and I think this one just started to cure it for me. I was hooked from Page 1 and although I had a suspicion about the twist, I definitely didn't see all of the twists. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good thriller, and am so grateful I got to read it!

Publication date: August 6th, 2024
Page count: 346
Genre: thriller
Setting: NJ suburbs and FL
POV: multiple

Laurel and her husband Rob move into a new home with their young family. Laurel’s mother’s killer has just been released from prison. This, and some things happen in the house/neighborhood that Laurel isn’t comfortable, and Rob is not particularly empathetic. Which neighbors can she trust?

Corey is trying to cope with the death of her young daughter, and seems to be the only one to believe that it wasn’t an accident.

How are these women connected? Will their paths cross?

I enjoyed this book, and will be reading more by this author! The story was methodically and skillfully built. It was difficult to guess how it would all come together- which added to the motivation already there to keep reading!

Thank you to author, publisher, NetGalley for advanced copy. This is an honest voluntary review.