The Good Neighbour by Beth Miller

After living next to the neighbours from hell, Minette is overjoyed when Cath and her two children move in next door. Cath soon becomes her confidante, a kindred spirit, even her daughter’s babysitter.
But Cath keeps herself unusually guarded and is reluctant to speak of her past. And when Minette witnesses something unspeakable, she begins to question whether she really knows her new friend at all…
An addictive and gripping novel, perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty and Daughter

Title:               The Good Neighbour
Author:           Beth Miller
Published By: Ebury Press (Fiction)
Date:               10th Sept 2015
Link:               UK: Amazon     US: Amazon

My Review

First of all I really liked the cover of this book, it was really eye-catching and would certainly draw my interest if I saw it on a shelf in the bookshop.

I found the story absolutely riveting and didn't want to put it down.

Minette and her husband Abe live in a road in Brighton with their baby girl Tilly and they are really happy to see the back of their next door neighbours who have made theirs and other neighbours lives a misery as they were always complaining about the noise etc.

Minette has been quite lonely since leaving work and is delighted to find that a lady called Cath has moved in with her two children, Davey and Lola. They quickly become close friends and Cath explains that her husband works away a lot but they skype regularly. Cath's son is in a wheelchair and her daughter suffers from allergies so Minette admires her strength at being able to cope. Cath soon becomes Minette's confidante and also persuades Minette to have time to herself and she will babysit.

It soon becomes clear that Cath is not all that she seems and as a reader we are given a glimpse of the kind of thing she is up to but Minette has to find out for herself. She also has to make some really tough decisions later on in the book when it comes to Cath's husband as when it's one word against another it is difficult to know who to believe.

I found the story totally gripping and also quite scary to see how easily some people can manipulate and some can be manipulated. Also it shows that a person who may not be easily manipulated ordinarily can become more vulnerable to it when their life circumstances have changed, such as having a young baby and craving adult company or being a child who does as they are told or even in Cath's friend Gina's case an overwhelming sense of loyalty.

My favourite characters were Minette and surprisingly Abe. Davey was my little hero and Liam was a gorgeous hunk. 

The manipulation that occurs in this book is extremely clever and the perpetrator ensures that everyone caught up in this tangled web will pay a price in one way or another.

A fast paced intelligent interpretation of manipulation at it's very best.

At the end of the book there were some interesting Book club questions and also an excerpt from Beth's other book 'When we were Sisters'

Thanks to Beth Miller and Ebury press for this copy I received in exchange for an honest review.

Sincerely

Book Angel x

About the Author

I have been told that I write like a tall blonde, so that's how I'd like you to picture me.

I've published two novels (more here) and a non-fiction book about The Archers (here).

Before writing books, I did a lot of different jobs. 

I worked in schools, shops, offices, hospitals, students' unions, basements, from home, in my car, and up a tree. OK, not up a tree. I've been a sexual health trainer, a journalist, a psychology lecturer, a PhD student, a lousy alcohol counsellor, and an inept audio-typist. I sold pens, bread, and condoms. Not in the same shop. I taught parents how to tell if their teenagers are taking drugs (clue: they act like teenagers), and taught teenagers how to put on condoms (clue: there won't really be a cucumber). I taught rabbis how to tell if their teenagers are druggedly putting condoms on cucumbers.

Throughout this, I always wrote, and always drank a lot of tea. I'm now pretty much unbeatable at drinking tea.

Visit Beth's page at www.bethmiller.co.uk