The Perfect Neighborhood: A Novel

by Liz Alterman

Overview

Liz Alterman’s engrossing novel is a thought-provoking read about the dark side of suburbia and the secrets of close-knit communities, perfect for fans of Joshilyn Jackson.

When actress and model Allison Langley leaves her former rockstar husband, Christopher, in the middle of the night, it’s all her Oak Hill neighbors can talk about. The gossip comes to an abrupt halt when five-year-old Billy Barnes goes missing on his walk home from kindergarten.

Billy’s mother, Rachel, blames herself for being at work and letting her only child walk alone. Cassidy, Billy’s teenage babysitter, was also late to arrive on the afternoon he disappeared and blames herself for his disappearance.

As the clock ticks down, police are unable to find any trace of Billy, forcing Rachel to ponder the enemies she’s made in their well-off suburb. Could it be one of her neighbors who stole her son? Would they abduct Billy to hurt her? How easy would it be to take a child while the parents or nannies are distracted?

When another child goes missing, the town is put under a microscope as the police try to get to the bottom of the disappearances. Will they be able to find the two children, or will it be too late? What secrets lie at the heart of this tragedy, and how far will one go to keep those dangerous secrets buried?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781639100217
Publisher:	CROOKED LANE BOOKS
Publication date:	07/12/2022
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	616,461
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Liz Alterman is the author of a young adult novel, He’ll Be Waiting. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, McSweeney’s, and other outlets. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and three sons where she spends most days microwaving the same cup of coffee and looking up synonyms. When she isn't writing, she's reading.

Editorial Reviews

05/30/2022

YA author Alterman (He’ll Be Waiting) makes her adult debut with a skillful if conventional take on suburban noir. Actor Allison Langley and her former rock star husband, Chris, abandon their fast-paced New York lifestyle for idyllic Oak Hill, N.J., after his band breaks up. When their dreams of raising a family to match this perfect town are quashed by Allison’s infertility, the neighborhood is rocked by Allison’s leaving Chris and going into hiding. Then five-year-old Billy Barnes disappears while walking home alone from kindergarten. Billy’s mother, who has thrown herself into her real estate career to paper over her crumbling marriage, is distraught. Then a second child disappears while she’s being watched by the same teenage babysitter who showed up too late the afternoon Billy went missing. The frantic search to find the missing children exposes the ugly underbelly of Oak Hill: the alcoholic crossing guard, the babysitter distracted by an inappropriate relationship, the mommies who bring wine in their water bottles to PTA meetings and pool parties. Much of this is familiar territory, but there are enough fresh twists to keep the reader engaged. Alterman is off to a promising start. (July)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Perfect Neighborhood:
“Fresh twists . . . Alterman is off to a promising start.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Well written from start to finish . . . perfect for fans of domestic suspense!”
—Manhattan Book Review

“Alterman deftly uses alternating perspectives to show us the building tensions, leading to one surprising twist after another. I couldn’t put this down.”
—Catherine McKenzie, USA Today bestselling author of Please Join Us and Fractured

“In theory, The Perfect Neighborhood is the ideal place to raise a family. In reality, it’s disturbing and completely riveting. Inside every house is another fascinating character, another lie, another betrayal. Reading this book made me feel like I lived in Oak Hill, and I refused to leave until every secret was uncovered.” 
—Samantha Downing, internationally bestselling author of My Lovely Wife and For Your Own Good.

“In Liz Alterman’s debut psychological suspense novel, The Perfect Neighborhood, everybody is gossiping, everybody is watching, but nobody saw a child disappear. I loved reading the way social paranoia took second place to fear as this picture-perfect suburban community dissolved. Alterman dives deep into the emotional secrets of the babysitter, the retired actress, the mother of the missing boy, and all those neighbors in their "fairytale marriages.” The combination of super-relatable characters and nearly unbearable suspense made it impossible to stop reading”
—Sarah Warburton, author of You Can Never Tell

“Big Little Lies meets Everything I Never Told You in this wholly propulsive and utterly enthralling neighborhood suspense. With razor-sharp commentary and biting humor, I simultaneously howled with laughter one minute while tearing through the pages, racing toward the entirely shocking conclusion. Liz Alterman is a masterful storyteller and The Perfect Neighborhood is a devour-in-one-sitting read.”
—May Cobb, author of The Hunting Wives

“Liz Alterman has crafted a riveting mystery that epitomizes every parent's greatest fear. With characters so compelling and real in both their humanity and flaws, you’ll feel certain you’ve known these people in real life. A page-turning whodunnit that also packs an emotional wallop, if you love Lisa Jewel’s dark domestic suspense, don’t miss Alterman’s captivating new book. This perfect neighborhood is anything but!”
—Rebecca Taylor, award-winning author of The Secret Next Door

“A brilliant snapshot of the cracks in modern, seemingly privileged American suburbia.”
—Nina Monroe, author of The Children’s Secrets

“Filled with juicy secrets and delicious twists, The Perfect Neighborhood slyly skewers the suburban ideal. Entertaining, relatable, and wise right up until its spot-on punch of an ending, this is a not miss for all fans of domestic suspense.”
—L. Alison Heller, author of The Neighbor's Secret

From the Publisher