The Neighbor-Lisa Gardner

The Neighbor
Lisa Gardner
Bantam, Jun 16 2009, $25.00
ISBN: 9780553807233

Boston Dailey reporter Jason Jones comes home one night to find his beautiful wife Sandra is missing and their preschool daughter Ree is alone. He searches the house for her until he realizes she was no where to be found. He waited three hours more before calling the cops. Sergeant Detective D.D. Warren questions Jason, but comes away uneasy as the man holds his daughter while refusing to cooperate with the authorities; Jason denies Warren access to the computer or his car.

D.D. immediately assumes Jason is a person of interest, but there is also another man in the neighborhood who could be connected with Sandra’s disappearance; Aidan Brewster is a registered sex offender. Although there is no physical evidence to tie Aidan or Jason to the missing Sandra, the cop believes the woman is dead and one of these two men killed her. Her father, a judge, who has not spoken to her in years, arrives with the intention of gaining custody of his granddaughter. Sandra once warned Jason to never allow her father alone near Ree. Jason is doing his best to keep the police from arresting him for his daughter’s sake, but fears his secrets will destroy his efforts if discovered.

Lisa Gardner gives her audience a chilling terrifying glimpse of what goes on behind closed doors. The neighbors thought the Jones were the perfect family, but deadly secrets if known would have ended that illusion. This thriller is a one sitting read; filled with characters who have broken laws to prevent an even bigger tragedy from happening. There is plenty of action and misdirection that keeps readers spinning as to what is going on especially with Sandra and Jason. Lisa Gardner is at her best with THE NEIGHBOR.

Harriet Klausner