Amazon.com Review Book Description From a master of suspense comes a chilling new novel that explores the dangers lurking closer than you think. Because even in the perfect family, you never know what is going on behind closed doors...
This is what happened...
It was a case guaranteed to spark a media feeding frenzy--a young mother, blond and pretty, disappears without a trace from her South Boston home, leaving behind her four-year-old daughter as the only witness and her handsome, secretive husband as the prime suspect.
In the last six hours...
But from the moment Detective Sergeant D. D. Warren arrives at the Joneses’ snug little bungalow, she senses something off about the picture of wholesome normality the couple worked so hard to create. On the surface, Jason and Sandra Jones are like any other hardworking young couple raising a four-year-old child. But it is just under the surface that things grew murky.
Of the world as I knew it...
With the clock ticking on the life of a missing woman and the media firestorm building, Jason Jones seems more intent on destroying evidence and isolating his daughter than on searching for his “beloved” wife. Is the perfect husband trying to hide his guilt--or just trying to hide? And will the only witness to the crime be the killer’s next victim?
Amazon Exclusive: Lisa Gardner on the Making of The Neighbor
A dozen suspense novels later, it still amazes me how little control I have over the writing process. I’m a plotter. That means each time I start a novel, I feel compelled to map out the road ahead. I’m going to write a very scary book where lots of people die, and this is how I’m gonna do it. Sounds good. And yet, each and every time, by page five or so, that plan is blown out of the water. The plot veers off in a different direction. A character throws me for a loop. I don’t know. You go to write a book and apparently, things happen.
My latest release, The Neighbor is no exception. I started the book with a simple premise: I wanted a love interest for one of my favorite characters, hard-nosed Boston detective, D.D. Warren. How much fun would it be, I wondered, if D.D. fell for a guy suspected of murdering his own wife? Better yet, I’ll make the guy a father of a four-year-old girl, because surely workaholic Sergeant Warren deserves a sexy, dark-haired man who also knows how to fashion pigtails and make Mickey Mouse pancakes. Perfect!
Of course, I wanted a twisted storyline with lots of shocking turns. Not a problem. Most of my novels have been inspired by true crimes, and let’s face it, there are no shortages of husbands currently resolving their marital woes by killing off their wives. Research cases were numerous and easy to find. If I now sleep with one eye open, well that’s what happens when you spend six months immersed in the study of spousal homicide.
Next, I needed some other suspects to stir the pot. What about a registered sex offender living on the same block as the missing woman? And what if the missing woman happens to also be a beautiful blonde schoolteacher, perhaps a natural favorite with her male students? See, now we’re having some fun. Add half a dozen deep dark secrets and we’re off to the races.
This also led to more interesting research. I thought I knew what I needed to know about sex offenders. As wife and mother, I’ve been very comfortable with the notion of shooting first and questioning later. I’ve also had zero respect for female schoolteachers who engage in sexual relations with their students. A sex offender is a sex offender, even the ones who are pretty and female. Then again, sometimes during the research phase, I learn things that totally change the course of the novel.
I started The Neighbor with a plan, and quickly ended up with a puzzle. At a certain point, I was writing the book simply so I could find out what was going to happen next. Did Jason Jones actually kill his wife? What was he doing on the computer night after night? And what about poor four-year old Ree, the last known person to have seen her mother alive?
I thought D.D. Warren needed to a love interest. But maybe, what she really needs is to save a scared little girl, caught in the middle of a deadly game.
It’s possible there’s a bit more to the story than I’ve mentioned so far. Some other key characters that appear along the way, some rather unexpected developments. Because when you go to write a book, apparently, things happen. --Lisa Gardner
Product Description From a master of suspense comes a chilling new novel that explores the dangers lurking closer than you think. Because even in the perfect family, you never know what is going on behind closed doors….
This is what happened…
It was a case guaranteed to spark a media feeding frenzy—a young mother, blond and pretty, disappears without a trace from her South Boston home, leaving behind her four-year-old daughter as the only witness and her handsome, secretive husband as the prime suspect.
In the last six hours…
But from the moment Detective Sergeant D. D. Warren arrives at the Joneses’ snug little bungalow, she senses something off about the picture of wholesome normality the couple worked so hard to create. On the surface, Jason and Sandra Jones are like any other hardworking young couple raising a four-year-old child. But it is just under the surface that things grew murky.
Of the world as I knew it….
With the clock ticking on the life of a missing woman and the media firestorm building, Jason Jones seems more intent on destroying evidence and isolating his daughter than on searching for his “beloved” wife. Is the perfect husband trying to hide his guilt—or just trying to hide? And will the only witness to the crime be the killer’s next victim?
Mystery till the endAugust 29, 2010 Laura This is the 3rd book by Lisa Gardner that I have read, and is looking forward to reading the rest of them! The characters all have closets in their past that is revealed little by little. Keeps you wondering and guessing - wanting to keep reading to find out. There was never a dull moment in the book and the characters really come together in the end. This book also makes you stop and think about "being normal". The end has some real surprises when everything comes together! I really enjoyed this book & would recommend readding it.
GREAT BOOK!!August 24, 2010 SUSAN Cottrell(Bonne Terre MO) This was the first book I had read by Lisa Gardner. It certainly was not boring. I like books with action and suspense, and I was not disappointed. I love discovering new authors (new to me that is) so I can look forward to reading more of their books. Therefore, I plan to buy more books by Lisa Gardner and hope they will be as good as this one.
The NeighborAugust 20, 2010 cschmidt This was my first Gardner novel, and can you say....captivating! What a writer. I can't believe I've circled around this writer until now. I don't know if the rest of her novels are as interesting, but this one was one of the best and most original books that I've read in some time. If you are thinking about reading this book, do yourself a favor and do so. You won't be sorry!
Kept me readingAugust 18, 2010 JB(Dallas, Tx USA) Frustrating at the same time interesting.
I kept reading and finally found satisfaction
in the effort. Not exciting, not fullfilling,
just - kept me reading.
Guess that's the goal for an author.
The Pages Beg to be TurnedAugust 15, 2010 Jana Greer(Los Angeles, CA) Reporter Jason Jones comes home to find his wife Sandra missing, but the house is all locked up and the Jones' have security measures beyond that of ordinary people, they have steal doors and barred windows. There's a broken lamp in the bedroom and a quilt is missing, however her purse, clothes, car all her personal effects are still there. Where is Sandra? That's what Sgt. D.D. Warren of the police would like to know and she'd also like to know why it took Jason three hours to call the police.
Jason seems cold, like he's got something to hide and he's not the only one who's in a bit of a panic over Sandra's disappearance. Aidan Brewster, a neighbor from down the street is panicked about the police cars in the neighborhood, probably because he's a convicted sex offender and though he's in a rehab program, he pretty much suspects he's gonna be a suspect.
The police, of course, focus on Jason at first, but you know Brewster is right, the cops are gonna look at him too and he's got something to hide as did the missing Sandra. There is a whole lot of misdirection in this book, a whole lot of suspense, some steamy action, some action not so steamy. There are hidden secrets, secret desires and pages that begged to be turned. As usual Lisa Gardener has written a corker of a good book.
A dozen suspense novels later, it still amazes me how little control I have over the writing process. I’m a plotter. That means each time I start a novel, I feel compelled to map out the road ahead. I’m going to write a very scary book where lots of people die, and this is how I’m gonna do it. Sounds good. And yet, each and every time, by page five or so, that plan is blown out of the water. The plot veers off in a different direction. A character throws me for a loop. I don’t know. You go to write a book and apparently, things happen.
