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The Neighbor cover art

The Neighbor

Written by: Lisa Gardner
Narrated by: Emily Janice Card,Kirby Heyborne,Kirsten Potter
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Publisher's Summary

From a master of suspense comes a chilling novel that explores the dangers lurking closer than you think. Because even in the perfect family, you never know what is going on behind closed doors…. 

This is what happened… 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. In the last six hours…

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 grew murky. Of the world as I knew it….

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?

©2009 Lisa Gardner (P)2009 Random House

What the critics say

“Gripping....Full of inventive twists, this highly entertaining novel delivers a shocking solution as well as a perfectly realized sense of justice.”—Publishers Weekly

“Gardner's compelling narrative keeps her readers guessing.”—Library Journal

What listeners say about The Neighbor

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great Book with lots of twists

I normally don’t like multiple narrators but it worked so well in this! Highly recommend

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great Mystery-Thriller. Oddly Upbeat Style.

Lisa Gardner offers an attention-grabbing plot about a young woman disappearing from intriguingly suspicious environs. Sandra Jones is a markedly promiscuous wife with a tragic past, her husband Jason Jones is uncooperative and hiding *something*, and 23-year-old neighbor Aiden Brewster is a registered sex-offender stuck on denying his urges. Gardner does an excellent job drip-drip-dripping revelations, providing brilliant pacing, and leading readers through a capably-described intuitive police investigation with plenty of suspects and a believable (but hard-to-predict) conclusion.
Less fortunately, the tone among investigators is incongruously light-hearted for some reason (given the severity of the crimes), and the inner dialogues of the characters are bafflingly matter-of-fact ("OF COURSE I take off for a few days of anonymous threesomes behind my husband's back every few months.. doesn't everyone?")

The use of three narrators (Kristen Potter handling most of the narration; Emily Janice Card reading from Sandra Jones's perspective; and Kirby Heyborne doing the Aiden Brewster parts) is occasionally jarring - but Random House Audio correctly determined that changing narrators would help listeners to follow the frequent transitions in POV in the text. All three readers are undeniably professional and given exemplary technical support.

Altogether, this is a 9/10-star episode in the 'D.D.Warren/Flora Danes' series of Boston-based mysteries - by no means Lisa Gardner's best - but thought-provoking and entertaining. Can recommend.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Lisa Gardner Never Disappoints!

Not only is the story phenomenal, the narrating is award winning!

I cannot get enough Lisa Gardner books!!

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  • KSK
  • 2009-08-09

Listen to "Say Goodbye" first

I really liked this book, so much so that immediately after finishing it I downloaded and listened to "Say Goodbye", also by Lisa Gardner. "Say Goodbye" is well written and well narrated, so I recommend it with a caveat: it does deal with child sexual abuse, and includes some truly horrible and heartbreaking scenes, so the listener should be forewarned.
One thing I didn't see mentioned in the overview of "The Neighbor" or in any of the other reviews, is that one of its key plot points is a continuation of one of the key plot points of "Say Goodbye". I figured this out pretty early on while listening to "Say Goodbye", so parts of the book weren't as suspenseful or surprising as they might have been otherwise. Bottom line, I recommend both books, but definitely recommend listening to "Say Goodbye" first. Just know what you're getting into, because it can be hard to take!

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79 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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  • Linda
  • 2010-09-23

Absolutely strange.

This is one of the strangest books I have ever read. The wife who disappears evokes little sympathy. I don't think I could have stood listening to any more of her adultery. The husband was strange, as well. I don't think his reactions were natural at all. Detective Warren gave us too much information on her sex life (or lack thereof). Who cares? And she jumped to the wrong conclusions based on nothing. The women in this book were not likable at all. But then the men weren't likeable either. Everyone had such far-out thoughts and actions that it was quite off-putting. I found the part of the story about the sex offenders offensive and I didn't want to know that much about their thoughts. The most interesting person was the 4-year old but I thought her dialogue was not realistic or natural. All in all, I could not recommend this book.

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37 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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  • April
  • 2009-08-31

Did I read the same book as everyone else??

Dont get me wrong, this book was ok throughout...BUT the ending was just silly and predictable. It was like I was driving up a hill then dropped right off the edge, no surprise, no excitement. The story line was great, the characters were good, but no unexpected mystery, suspense or thrill.

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26 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Scott
  • 2009-07-16

First Rate Thriller

I've heard Gardner's name for years, now I know why. I'll definitely get whatever else is available. First she turns the tables by making it a "who-didn't do it?" with too many suspects. She is able to add some mild eroticism with character thoughts and clothing without typical bodice ripping "play-by-play" specifics that many wish (as Gardner does) to leave to the reader's imaginations to fill in.
I could only put this book down long enough to let my device recharge! The characters are not cardboard (for a thriller).
One character voices an opinion about how we lump "sex offenders" together unlike ANY other crime... EVEN murderers who we sort into 1st, 2nd and 3rd degrees. Some pay their debt and are forgiven. (The book elaborates better than I.)
To be clear I agree that any sex offense, especially against a child, is a very heinous crime indeed.
Back to the book, the book is extremely well produced with three narrators smoothly edited, (a true audio treat) lending the "third person" realism. If this is typical Gardner give me more! Wow!

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25 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Chuck & Shana Almon
  • 2009-06-27

AWESOME!!!

One of my favorite authors, Lisa Gardner strikes gold again! I love the use of previous characters. It is suspenseful and will leave you wanting more! Awesome book! Keep it up Ms. Gardner!!

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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  • Laurie
  • 2010-02-21

I'm moving

Sorry, but I would never call Lisa Gardner a "master of suspense", especially after this dud. Every character had a secret, (some creepy) making the plot so ridiculous that by the end, I really didn't care "who did it." A complete waste of time and credits.

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18 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Rancher
  • 2013-12-18

Heroine's unpleasant attitude is beginning to wear

DD Warren is a lady detective who carries this huge chip on her shoulder. After seven books, she's worn me out...makes her hard to cheer for. I'm starting to hope the bad folks get the best of her. Stories are still worth reading, but having trouble putting up with her.
Cheers, Ken

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Terri
  • 2009-07-02

Great Listening!

I could not stop listening to this book. It was my first Lisa Gardner novel and now I am great fan. I am downloading my next Gardner book right now! It had great twists and turns.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Samantha
  • 2009-07-10

EXCELLENT!

This book was creepy but boy did it keep me glued to the IPOD! The narration is terrific - I love it when there is more than one narrator. This is the first book by this author I've listened to, but not my last.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Pavel
  • 2009-11-20

Good and surprising

Although it starts as a kind of ordinary crime book, it develops in nice thriller. Deceptions, unclear relations...

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7 people found this helpful