THE PEOPLE NEXT DOOR: A gripping psychological thriller from the no. 1 bestselling author

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Even though I thought this story was a bit far fetched, I still enjoyed it. Lana and Roman move to Oxfordshire after a terrifying experience in their old home. I wasn't keen on any of the characters. But things aren't ideal at their new home either. There seems to be secrets behind everyone of their new neighbours. There's a few twist and turns. I also felt the ending was a bit rushed. In this story we follow two families. Salma, Bil and their son Zain, who are the new family on the street, and Tom, Willa and their son Jamie, long-time neighborhood residents. Tony Parsons is a decent writer and this story had a lot of potential but unfortunately there were too many unsolved loose ends and an inconclusive ending which unfortunately brought down the rating of this book.

Caught up in Ellie’s enthusiasm, I was keen for her to follow Ash’s advice: move away from the history of the house and to create their own memories. Yet, there are too many signs for Ellie to ignore that unsettle her. Relying on her only neighbour, Benjamin, for support, Ellie soon realises that even with Benjamin’s silent, unnerving sister, Virginia, next door, Ellie cannot feel truly safe. As the story unfolds, Ellie realises she sounds more like a paranoid housewife rather than the confident, out-going person she was when they first moved in.

This is an emotional rollercoaster of a read that immerses us into the lives of ordinary people and communities, with their everyday issues of identity, race, history, different intergenerational thinking and being, and the inner need to belong and support those just like us. It all begins when Salma Khatoun, husband Bilal, and teenage son, Zain, move to the suburbs of Blenhem in search of new beginnings from their troubled past, but before they know it, it all turns into a nightmare. When a political anti-racist banner is placed in the garden, the next door neighbour, Tom Hutton, takes it upon himself to remove it. Salma chooses to let this go, instead placing it on their window, only to discover the window painted over. Inexorably things begin to spiral out of control and consequently tip into heartbreaking and tragic territory. You know it’s only a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt. No one can come out of this conflict unscathed. Like a runaway train, there is nothing you can do to stop it. I was so enjoying the first half with Ellie and Ash moving into a home with a very dark past. Oh boy, the secrets that were lingering. It was creepy (but not scary), I'll give it that!

Anyway, it is through books like this that we are reminded how things can spiral out of control if not managed and confronted. It also provides insight into the hurt racism can cause and feelings of isolation that is felt by victims of abuse, whilst at the same time showing us how easy it is to use a label like 'racism' for someone's actions when that's not the driver at all. All of comes down to tolerance and the need for effective communication. Salma Khatun is extremely hopeful about Blenheim, the safe suburban development to which she, her husband and their son have just moved. Their family is in desperate need of a fresh start, and Blenheim feels like the place to make that happen. Tony Parsons strikes again with a new epic thriller... It's a nail-biter until the end!' That's Life A new home in the English Countryside, sounds like a dream. But sometimes dreams turn into nightmares.Normally love Tony Parsons books, and this one was a good one in the beginning, but by the middle I felt it drifted and by the end, the plot became really weird and unbelievable. This psychological thriller starts off OK, plods around clunkily, and then ends in a finale that embarrasses both the reader and the writer (probably not the writer). The book showcased political commentary and the abduction of an elderly family dog and I do not enjoy fiction books with political overtones and/or animal cruelty. (Sorry, Kia Abdullah!)

I should have fought them for you. I should have killed them all. I should have stayed. I should never have left you. But I screamed your name. And then I ran."The characters were both interesting and cryptic including Alan Hall the retired professor, Willow a former model and trophy wife, and Sandy Lana's wise and much older friend and mentor. Lana was a likeable character though there was definitely something off about Roman. The manipulative, powerful and controlling husband and the wife who everybody thinks is crazy, paranoid and not to be believed, really added to the suspense