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aij's review
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lucyscanlon's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kellyvandamme's review against another edition
4.0
4 - 4.5
A bit of a weird story but after The Dollmaker I was expecting nothing less and for me it totally worked. The narration by Samara MacLaren is nothing short of magnificent, I loved her voice and her accent, and it lifted the story up to a whole new level.
A bit of a weird story but after The Dollmaker I was expecting nothing less and for me it totally worked. The narration by Samara MacLaren is nothing short of magnificent, I loved her voice and her accent, and it lifted the story up to a whole new level.
charan's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
to_ilektraki's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
agirlandabook85's review against another edition
4.0
“What goes on inside another person’s head is hard to fathom sometimes. Some people see more than others, simple as that. What they see isn’t really there, though. Who are we to know, when we don’t see it?”
Well this book took me completely by surprise in its brilliance. Cath is a photographer working on a new project focused on murder houses, primarily the house in which her childhood best friend was murdered along with her mum and brother by her father. Several years later Cath is back where she grew up and looking for answers. She begins her own investigation which leads her into the dark and spooky world of folklore and mythology, those who see and hear things others do not and how this links to mental health. I found this aspect to be fascinating.
The writing in the book was excellent the word palpable is used at one point by the author and it struck me as a perfect description of how this book made me feel. The characters are all interesting, flawed and suspicious, the story including a number of side arcs have complexity and suspense. As the reader I had no clue who to trust or how the story would conclude. I read this in a constant state of alertness, it was tense and creepy but ultimately brilliant!
If you are a fan of crime fiction that’s just a little outside the box I would recommend picking this one up!
Well this book took me completely by surprise in its brilliance. Cath is a photographer working on a new project focused on murder houses, primarily the house in which her childhood best friend was murdered along with her mum and brother by her father. Several years later Cath is back where she grew up and looking for answers. She begins her own investigation which leads her into the dark and spooky world of folklore and mythology, those who see and hear things others do not and how this links to mental health. I found this aspect to be fascinating.
The writing in the book was excellent the word palpable is used at one point by the author and it struck me as a perfect description of how this book made me feel. The characters are all interesting, flawed and suspicious, the story including a number of side arcs have complexity and suspense. As the reader I had no clue who to trust or how the story would conclude. I read this in a constant state of alertness, it was tense and creepy but ultimately brilliant!
If you are a fan of crime fiction that’s just a little outside the box I would recommend picking this one up!
chirson's review against another edition
4.0
I just love a good mystery from time to time. This is more weird and fantastical than the average crime story, but the mood was great and the investigation was well-done. And Allan is just such an impressive writer, so good at her craft, so clever and thoughtful. I wish there were many more novels of hers for me to immerse myself in.
caitsidhe's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A well-written slow and thoughtful story about memory, trauma, and love. Those expecting a straight-forward murder mystery/thriller or something with supernatural themes will be disappointed.
mpr2000's review
4.0
I’ll say from the beginning that I love this cover, it’s interesting and has so many little details that are related to the plot that after reading I look at it with different eyes.
I have to say that if you start reading this book it will be impossible to put down till you arrive at the end, I started reading it one day when I wasn’t feeling well and I thought I would be able to read a little and then sleep; what a joke! I read it in one sitting and I didn’t sleep at all!
This is a slow paced story, told by Cath’s perspective, a young woman who searches for answers of who killed her best friend when she was young. She never accepted that her best friend’s father, John Craigie, killed all the family and then had an accident leaving the Isle of Bute. She always felt guilty of not knowing what was really happening at Shirley’s home or knowing that her father was so dangerous. Now, she thinks she can make a photograph exposition about the house of the crime and maybe, discover why everything happened.
The story is addictive and the mystery has a few twists, and it was interesting reading about folk tales around the fairies. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing supernatural about the case, but it has an important part showing John Craigie character and how it affected the whole the story.
It’s interesting how the book shows us that we don’t never really know anyone, even the ones we love most and that they can always surprise us, for good or bad…
If you are looking for a well plotted page turner book, believe this is a great choice!
Are you ready to discover “The Good Neighbours”?
I have to say that if you start reading this book it will be impossible to put down till you arrive at the end, I started reading it one day when I wasn’t feeling well and I thought I would be able to read a little and then sleep; what a joke! I read it in one sitting and I didn’t sleep at all!
This is a slow paced story, told by Cath’s perspective, a young woman who searches for answers of who killed her best friend when she was young. She never accepted that her best friend’s father, John Craigie, killed all the family and then had an accident leaving the Isle of Bute. She always felt guilty of not knowing what was really happening at Shirley’s home or knowing that her father was so dangerous. Now, she thinks she can make a photograph exposition about the house of the crime and maybe, discover why everything happened.
The story is addictive and the mystery has a few twists, and it was interesting reading about folk tales around the fairies. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing supernatural about the case, but it has an important part showing John Craigie character and how it affected the whole the story.
It’s interesting how the book shows us that we don’t never really know anyone, even the ones we love most and that they can always surprise us, for good or bad…
If you are looking for a well plotted page turner book, believe this is a great choice!
Are you ready to discover “The Good Neighbours”?
missmelia's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0