The Neighbour
"..certainly kept me guessing."
Synopsis:
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.
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 grow murkier.
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?
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Review:
This book has a subtly different feel about it to other Gardner novels, although I cannot explain why or what. The characters are new, although there are a couple of references to Bobby Dodge, who has appeared in previous novels. But Gardner has built these characters very well to ensure that the reader is not really sure as to their motives or guilt. Sergeant D.D. Warren is an easy character to like, despite her having a very strong personality. But the others have many facets, which certainly adds to the suspense. The reader is never quite sure if the clues and reasons given by Gardner are helpful as to the who and why, which certainly kept me guessing. It took quite a way into the book to discover the background of the characters - but the not knowing only made me want to read more quickly to find out what was happening. Overall another great read from Gardner.