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)

Biting, Beguiling, Will make you smile AND shudder

Plenty to love about this book. Melissa, beautiful wife to a doctor with TV fame and mom to a teenage daughter with issues, has a darker past she'd really like to keep secret. Hester, in her sixties, is widowed, lonely, and wishes she could reconnect to her neighbors, who she was once so close to. What went wrong? Hester couldn't be happier when she is accidentally invited to a party at Melissa's, but then witnesses an event that brings her too close to Melissa's darkest secrets. Hester is nothing if not helpful, and Melissa had better be gracious about it, or else...
Good narration, plenty of suspense, cringeworthy characters and overall a great mystery. Recommended!

Very good story

The story starts off just ok: two neighbors, one more needy than the other. Then something happens that brings them closer than one of them wants. And then...twists as their backgrounds are revealed. Kept me hooked from beginning to end. The reader is outstanding.

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.

Dark humor, Brit style

What made the experience of listening to The Woman Next Door the most enjoyable?

Hester's fussy, judgemental, prim ideas and how she uses them to justify her actions.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Woman Next Door?

Hester sees Melissa looking at the floor, and hopes it isn't a spider, because that might require more of a demand on her adoration than she can sustain. What follows makes that thought a hoot.

What about Anna Bentinck and Bea Holland ’s performance did you like?

Spot on delivery and character development by both readers.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Did laugh out loud in several spots. Also cringed and yelled no...no...no!!!!!

Any additional comments?

Wonderfully written, suspenseful and full of a dark humor unique to the Brits. Great, enjoyable read.

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.

A struggle to finish.

The narrator was great, but from the beginning the story was slow moving, and ultimately lacked substance.

Terrific!

Probably the most enjoyable psychological themed novel I've read. Crazy isn't overdone but eases the reader into how someone with a lose grip on reality justifies and rationalizes their behavior.

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.

Not my type of entertainment.

I found it macabre and depressing. How people can be so horrific. But at least a decent ending.

Unlikable characters

The characters had absolutely no redeeming qualities. Narration was slow and the story dragged. I wasn't able to finish the book. Waste of a credit.

brilliant gripping story

great read. gripping page Turning thriller.... lots of twists and turns throughout. great story line.

credit well spent.

beautifully descriptive e, brillintly narrated , exciting and crazy unexpected ending. a treat.

Excellent

Really enjoyed this. The characters are very believable . even the rich and successful have dark secrets. I found myself preferring Hester over Melissa.

brilliant

brilliant story, hard to stop listening, real 'page turner'. not sure which but the narrator who does Hester has added a perfect sanctimony to her voice which fits the character perfectly. recommend reading

Excellent narration, but the story was a bit slow, especially in the bit that should have been the most exciting

I loved the narrators, especially Hester, the narrator really brought the character to life. The story was a bit slow in the bits that were the most exciting (I don't want to give away any of the plot)

Dull

Slow story with unlikeable characters that meant you actually don't care what happens to them. Pushed through to the end but wish I hadn't

Slow moving & believable

I ended up feeling quite sorry for all the characters involved in this book. I listened to it in two days and it is gripping but in an ordinary kind of way. There are twists and turns to the story and you end up with a crushing kind of doom bubbling up for the characters when you know what's coming up. All in all a good audio book.

Fabulously thrilling!

Any additional comments?

What a fabulous thriller. Starts slowly and gently, but after a few chapters it just becomes increasingly gripping and thrilling in the way of sending shivers down the spine. It's an unusual story too, and so unpredictable. This is always a joy when so many books, even most best sellers, are formulaic. It's extrememly well written, with richly drawn characters and a story that repeatedly surprised me. I love it when a find a new excellent author, and it looks like I have found one in Cass Green.

Loved the narration for Hester

I wasn’t sure about this to start with but really stated to like it once Hester appears. The trophy wife is preparing a party but then Hester the lonely, strange woman next door shows up, who has a weird obsession with her and this old woman goes from being bit strange and tiresome, to delightfully sinister. I thought the narration for Hester was superb, slightly dotty, trying too hard to fit in, old lady, getting irritated with people, bordering on menace towards them. Conveyed very well. Made her character particularly enjoyable.

I need more Hester!

What an amazing book!
Hester is up there with Ove and Britt Marie as my favorite characters ever.

I binge listened and am excited to read more by this author.
I’d love a sequel about Hester!