The Woman Next Door

By: Cass Green

Narrated by: Anna Bentinck, Bea Holland

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

A number one best seller, perfect for fans of Her by Harriet Lane and In a Dark Dark Wood by Ruth Ware.

Two suburban women. Two dark secrets. The almost perfect murder.

Everybody needs good neighbours....

Melissa and Hester have lived next door to each other for years. When Melissa's daughter was younger, Hester was almost like a grandmother to her. But recently they haven't been so close.

Hester has plans to change all that. It's obvious to her that despite Melissa's outwardly glamorous and successful life, she needs Hester's help.

But taking help from Hester might not be such a good idea for a woman with as many secrets as Melissa.

©2016 Caroline Green (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"Gripped me from the start: Cass Green sensitively imagines your worst nightmare next door - a truly psychological thriller." (Claire Seeber)
"A creepy psychological exploration of the power of secrets to destroy your life." ( Psychologies)
" The Girl on the Train meets Notes on a Scandal. I read it one sitting, totally gripped." (Erin Kelly)
"Twisty, tense and with a truly odious villain." (Eva Dolan)
" The Woman Next Door had me gripped from first page to last - completely under the spell of prim yet twisted narrator Hester, a pensioner with an exhilaratingly pitch-black heart of darkness beneath her twinset and pearls." (Ruth Ware, author of In a Dark Dark Wood)
"I couldn't put it down. It gripped me from the first page. The best psychological thriller I've read all year." (Suzy Greaves, editor, Psychologies)
"Cass Green storms onto the crime scene with this classic and compelling psychological thriller - Hester is a gloriously dark character who held me in her grip from the first page to the last." (Ava Marsh, author of Untouchable)

Whoa...

This was a tough one for me because the protagonist’s holier than thou, judgmental, superior attitude hit very close to home, as I have a female relative who I would swear is the model for the character. I found it an interesting character study from the perspective of a sociopath... living amongst us. Not great, but different and it held my interest.

Loved it for sure.

Enjoyed every minute of this one. Creepy women that you want to hear lots more about. Family creepy type drama, my current favorite type. Narrator was really great too.

So -so

Would you try another book from Cass Green and/or Anna Bentinck and Bea Holland ?

Yes

If you’ve listened to books by Cass Green before, how does this one compare?

This was my first book by this author. I am just about to start In a Cottage in a Wood....it seems to have better reviews. I thought The Woman Next Door was ok so I am definitely going to try this book by the author.

What three words best describe Anna Bentinck and Bea Holland ’s voice?

Crisp. Clean. Comfortable.

Could you see The Woman Next Door being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

yes I could see it as a movie: not a series. I can picture Melissa being played by Jessica Biel and Hester being played by Susan Sarandon.

Any additional comments?

The story was so-so for me. The character Melissa was shallow and not nearly as developed as Hester. Hester, despite not caring for her, was a richly developed and complicated character. Hester really made the story for me, although I felt the plot was lacking the big twist that I had been expecting.

Kept my attention

It was more of a psychological drama vs thriller but kept my attention. I like stories that are plausible and help put you in the shoes of the people in the story and realize how easy it is for a series of bad or even questionable decisions can take us to places we never expected and that there is light but also dark in every single one of us and how our experiences also shape and so greatly influence our realities.

I am still thinking about this book

I absolutely loved this book. It was a cross between a suspense/thriller and a psychological study. The author deftly wove the specific traits of the two main characters into the story such that the reader feels as if the details for each character are contextual, only to find out that they are so very purposeful. I cannot discount the narration, which was exceptional. The story was fabulous, but I believe that the narration really brought it to life. This was a somewhat simple story made much more complex due to the skill of the author. If you enjoy suspenseful, female-driven plot lines, you will love this book.

Excellent story

Started off slow but immediately became interesting. Sad story of a lonely older woman that just wanted to feel needed.

Fantastic!

I really enjoy Psychological Thrillers, especially the British genre. They do tend to be a little cliché, and sometimes you can predict the ending as of page 3, but the journey is always a page-turner.

Another plus for me is that the stories tend to contain a small cast of characters and therefore I never have trouble following the plot.

This tale was yet another exciting ride; an easy 5 stars!

Very well written, yet I wanted it to end.

This was a well crafted and performed book. The story had me hooked early on, but just about towards the middle-end I began to get angsty for it E.N.D. In fact, I began fast-forwarding just to get it over with. Perhaps this had to do with the creep factor, or the fact that the character of Hester down right grated on me, but I was happy when it was over. And a book shouldn't really make the reader feel that way, regardless of the reason.

Entertaining!

I have over 550 audible books in my library and British authors are some of my favorites. The storyline is suspenseful and intriguing with good character development. However, the last 30 minutes does not live up to the rest of the novel. I don't understand why writers can't produce a satisfying ending. If you are looking for an entertaining novel with mid-level depth than this may be for you.

Exquisitely Insane

This book was absolutely phenomenal. I am always looking for mysteries, especially set in England for some reason. Perhaps from all the cozy mysteries I watched in my youth. I am so impressed with the author and her ability to bring the characters to life. They are so layered and so real. I am very interested in how her brain works and how she was able to come up with them. Once this was over, long after all of it was wrapped up, an involuntary chill ran through my body. I don't think I've ever felt like that after a book. That was simply due to how impressed I was with these characters. Thank you Cass Green! The narration is unbelievable. Especially Anna Bentinck! To my surprise, I had already listened to her on another audio book. Her voice was unrecognizable and I was convinced that was her normal voice, but apparently she changed it to fit the character... and boy did it fit the character! Perfection on her part. I absolutely loved this book. I ended up reading this due to Alex Marwood giving her thumbs-up. If you enjoy her books, you should enjoy this one as well.