Helen Cooper (6)

The Downstairs Neighbor by Helen Cooper is a 2021 G.P. Putnam’s Sons Publication.

When Freya goes missing it throws everyone into a nervous fit of fear and anxiety- her parents, naturally, are beside themselves- but so are their neighbors- two other families who all have secrets, including Chris who was the last known person to have seen Freya alive. Meanwhile, as the investigation deepens, an old crime floats to the surface- that of a missing girl and a murder that took place over two decades ago- Could there be a connection?

This is a deeply absorbing mystery with several threads going at once, some in the present and some in the past. While normally this setup would drive me nuts-as it involves too many characters and can be hard to keep everything and everybody straight, for some reason I had no trouble keeping up and did not have to go back and reread passages to try and make sense of it. That is not to say that I understood fully why we are going back into the past to examine a group of people who seemingly had nothing to do with the current day situation, but it did finally start to dawn on me where this all might be heading. Still, I will have to say that some threads were compelling, but not all together necessary, except perhaps to add to the murkiness and build the tension- which I suppose was the intention.

It will depend on the reader as to how the conclusion will land- as it was a bit morally ambiguous. I admit, I’m still mulling it over. On one hand I was okay with the complicated outcome, but it is not exactly an ‘all’s well, that end’s well’ scenario, as there are some shocking revelations that prevents one from being wholly satisfied with how things worked out for some of the characters, and I didn’t know how to feel about it- still don’t. But it is always a good sign when I find myself thinking about a book long after I’ve turned the last page…

Overall, a solid mystery suspense novel. All the suspects under one roof, unreliable narrators, and a story that makes you wonder how well you really know the people you are closest to…

4 stars… (meer)

Leah's niece Amy died under mysterious circumstances. Leah wants to investigate what happened, however, she doesn't enjoy being with her family at the estate resort in Italy . Meanwhile, Jo, after breaking up with Luke, is melancholy about life and things that are happening at her university. After work, she goes to a pub, and meets the bartender. Oddly enough, they become acquaintances, and when Callum has an accident, Jo is the one that is called. As she struggles to trust Callum she finds out that he is involved in what happened in Italy.
I was hoping for more from this thriller.… (meer)

This is Helen Cooper’s debut novel…and I really can’t wait to see what she comes up with next. It was very well-plotted plus it had believable characters. Emma, didn’t mean to hear her upstairs neighbors, but once she heard a little she became enthralled…and very worried. All of the tenants, including Emma, had secrets. All of the inhabitants of this house had made many mistakes. Not malicious, but mistakes born from misunderstandings, guilt, and misguided, life-altering decisions. Some mistakes just keep growing and soon take on a life of their own…including another missing child from 25 years ago. The story is filled with deceptions…family secrets….sacrifices… and choices that turned disastrous. It a really excellent read by this new author.… (meer)