BOOK REVIEW: Those People by Louise Candlish @louise_candlish @berkleypub #thosepeople #louisecandlish #bookreview

It’s the type of block that everyone wants to live on. When you live on Lowland Way, you’re one of the privileged few who are protected from the outside by your closely bonded neighborhood association. Until one day, a new neighbor moves in. And those neighbors don’t play by the same rules…

All of the stars from me for the latest book by Louise Candlish, Those People—a suspenseful portrayal of the suburban dream gone horribly wrong!

About the Book

From the author of the international bestseller Our House, a new novel of twisty domestic suspense asks, “Could you hate your neighbor enough to plot to kill him?” 

Lowland Way is the suburban dream. The houses are beautiful, the neighbors get along, and the kids play together on weekends.

But when Darren and Jodie move into the house on the corner, they donʼt follow the rules. They blast music at all hours, begin an unsightly renovation, and run a used-car business from their yard. It doesn’t take long for an all-out war to start brewing.

Then, early one Saturday, a horrific death shocks the street. As police search for witnesses, accusations start flying–and everyone has something to hide. 

Reflection

I am a big fan of Louise Candlish. Those People is the fourth book of hers that I’ve read and I love that she has such a unique style, voice, and feel to her books that is so quintessentially Candlish. I’d describe her books as neighborhood noir—seemingly peaceful suburban streets where all of the neighbors get along, until one day it becomes clear that those residents aren’t as protected from the outside as they thought.

Candlish explores what happens when your suburban oasis away from it all is turned upside down. And most importantly, what happens to seemingly good, stable people when they find out how fragile their lives truly are?

In Those People, we are transported to the idyllic street Lowland Way. This street made headlines and were recognized by the city for their efforts to create “Play-Out Sunday”, a day when they close their street to traffic and let the children play out on the street like their parents did way back when. But when a new neighbor moves in down the street, everything may change.

Darren and Jodie are not like the rest of the residents of Lowland Way. They play loud music at all hours of the night, they sell used cars from their front yard, and they have no interest in facilitating things like Play-Out Sunday. But when someone ends up dead, the list of suspects is as long as the resident directory!

In typical Candlish style, none of the characters are exactly likeable. The pace is fast, switching between narrators and police interviews. We see what each person is dealing with, both in terms of the new neighbors as well as behind closed doors. Candlish always plays with the fragility of a great life. It is so easy to feel protected in a bubble—get married, have kids, climb the career ladder, buy a nice house on a nice street. But everything can change so quickly!

I think you’ll find that the new neighbors bring some unattractive qualities to light in these residents, but not necessarily qualities they didn’t already possess. Lowland Way has become a pressure cooker after the new neighbors arrive, and it is only a matter of time until someone—or multiple people—pop off!

Thank you to Berkley for my copy. Opinions are my own.