The People Next Door by Tony Parsons

I bought The People Next Door by Tony Parsons in Sainsbury’s a few months ago when I was short on books. But then it kept getting pushed to the bottom of the pile by books by favourite authors, including Robert Galbraith, Richard Osman and Kate Atkinson.

Tony Parsons was actually my favourite author way back when my boys were babies. I read all of his novels, which are all stories about family. Later, he started writing a crime series – the Max Wolfe detective series. Somehow, I realise I haven’t read many of these.

The People Next Door combines the family type story with the crime. It’s a psychological thriller. And I loved it from the first page. It reminded me a lot of Lisa Jewell – particularly The Girls or The Night She Disappeared. A book which reminds me of Lisa Jewell is always a good thing!

It tells the story of wealthy young couple, Lana and Roman, who move to the Cotswolds from London. Their house and the whole village are picture perfect. Their neighbours are friendly and welcoming. There is a security guard and a family of women whose only role is to serve the rich residents of the little road. But why does a Cotswold village need a security guard?

The small road has a Truman Show-like perfection to it. There is always someone doing something wholesome. But is it really so perfect?

Then Lana discovers what happened to the previous residents of their house… And she becomes concerned about the whereabouts of a woman who left her husband and teenage son and hasn’t been in touch with them. Is there actually something dark going on in the perfect little road? The more Lana voices her concerns, the more her husband and the neighbours accuse her of being ‘mad’.

The People Next Door is told in the first person by both Lana and Roman – and I must give credit to Parsons for the way he voices Lana. I completely forgot I was reading a book written by a man.

It is an easy to read page turner, which I couldn’t put down. If you enjoy psychological thrillers, or are thinking of giving them a try, I would definitely recommend The People Next Door.