The Downstairs Neighbor

By: Helen Cooper

Narrated by: Jasmine Blackborow

Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

An addicting and twisty debut about an apartment building devastated by the disappearance of a teenage girl - and by the secrets that won't be kept behind each closed door - that will thrill fans of Lisa Jewell and Shari Lapena.

One House. Three Families. Countless Secrets.

From her downstairs apartment in suburban London, Emma has often overheard the everyday life of the seemingly perfect family upstairs - Steph, Paul and teenage daughter Freya - but has never got to know them. Until one day, she hears something that seizes her attention: Freya has vanished and the police are questioning Steph and Paul about their life. Do either of you have any enemies? Anyone who might want to harm or threaten you?

The effects of Freya's disappearance ripple outward, affecting not just her parents, but everyone who lives in the building, including Emma and local driving instructor Chris, who was the last person to see the teenager before she went missing. Each character's life is thrown into sharp focus as devastating mistakes and long-held secrets are picked apart and other crimes come to light - including a child gone missing 25 years earlier, and a shocking murder - that make clear that the past never stays where we leave it, and that homes can be built on foundations of lies.

©2021 Helen Cooper (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Fans of British mysteries will love this debut...It is difficult to put down. This is one that readers may not figure out fully, if at all, in advance of the denouement, but the author ties all the secrets together in a most satisfying reveal." (Library Journal, starred review)

“[A] heart-pounding debut...Even avid suspense readers won't be able to predict all the twists. Cooper is off to a strong start.” (Publishers Weekly)

“Cooper skillfully builds a house of cards, demolishes it, reshuffles the deck, and deals an even stronger hand, while keeping a few cards up her sleeve. An emotionally charged domestic-suspense debut, perfect for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.” (Booklist)

Suspenseful

Excellent story. a bit difficult to follow characters with similar names , otherwise very suspension story

Mystery

Recommend this as an escape for your mind. The story is so good that you can’t help but melt into it.

Reasonably OK

The narration is good. The story, I think some parts are un necessary like pauls past life. The ending, I found it unsatisfactory however thats my opinion. Overall not bad .

4 star book but with criticism

as always there will never be any spoilers in my review
I enjoyed this book however. for starters Way too many characters. I was 3/4 way thru and still couldn't keep them straight. I double listened to this book as I had to start each chapter over again to keep straight what I had listened to.
so although I enjoyed it. I'm left with still being less than 100 % sure what happened completely.
Narrator was Super good. the excess characters were not difficult for her well so it seemed. I'd bet she walked away shaking her head too. 😂

I Couldn’t Keep Interest

This was brutally difficult for me to try to focus on.. I found myself zoning out and then thinking: who’s Daniel? Wait- is this Steph or Emma?? Which one is which? I was very bored.

Great story, great listen

Well written, expertly read. Many people might hate the ending, but I found it more believable. My biggest gripe with the book is that everyone has some major drama or crisis; no one is immune. It sometimes felt like there were too many storylines going on. Fewer plotlines that were better developed would've been more appreciated

Nicely done!

This book is well-written. There are a lot of characters in this story, which can sometimes make a book hard to follow, but the author does a great job keeping them well-developed and cohesive so the story doesn’t become confusing and bogged down.

I enjoyed this book. There’s a lot of plot twists as drama unfolds between the group of tenants—living in the same building—hide behind their own secrets when a teenage girl goes missing. Unfortunately, the implausibility of Steph never being held accountable for her crimes and the disconnect of Paul's storyline makes me give this book only 3 stars.

TOO MUCH

I am taking a break at Part Three finding the storyline inadequate for the effort required to keep the many characters and events straight. Maybe I will try it again or not.

Loved it!

A roller coaster of twists and turns. The exceptional writing and narration is purely enjoyable.

So many ups and downs. Beware! When you think you have it figured out, it takes you to a drop you’re not prepared for.

The narrator is professional and a pleasure to listen to, in each character.

Enjoy the ride on The Downstairs Neighbor!

Excellent read!

I think I almost skipped this because of reviews but I’m so glad I read it! There are a lot of names but personalities and stories keep things different enough that it’s easy enough to follow. I can’t listen for little stretches but still kept up. Definitely choose this for your next book!