What the Neighbors Saw: A Novel

by Melissa Adelman

Overview

Desperate Housewives meets The Couple Next Door in a chilling story of murder and intrigue set in a well-to-do DC suburb.

Sometimes the darkest acts occur in the most beautiful houses…

When Alexis and her husband Sam buy a neglected Cape Cod house in an exclusive DC suburb, they are ecstatic. Sam is on the cusp of making partner at his law firm, Alexis is pregnant with their second child, and their glamorous neighbors welcome the couple with open arms. Things are looking up, and Alexis believes she can finally leave her troubled past behind.

But the neighborhood’s picture-perfect image is shattered when their neighbor Teddy – a handsome, successful father of three – is found dead on the steep banks of the Potomac River. The community is shaken, and as the police struggle to identify and apprehend the killer, tension in the neighborhood mounts and long-buried secrets start to emerge.

In the midst of the turmoil, Alexis takes comfort in her budding friendship with Teddy’s beautiful and charismatic widow, Blair. But as the women grow closer, the neighborhood only becomes more divided. And when the unthinkable truth behind Teddy’s murder is finally uncovered, both Blair and Alexis must reexamine their friendship and decide how far they are willing to go to preserve the lives they have so carefully constructed.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250876560
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	06/20/2023
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	398,353
Product dimensions:	6.45(w) x 9.55(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

MELISSA ADELMAN was born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area, a first-generation American with parents from Haiti and Chile. When she is not traveling the world for her job as an international development economist, her favorite place to be is at home, an old house full of surprises just outside D.C. Melissa lives with her husband, two energetic little boys, and a long-suffering shih tzu. She holds a Ph.D. and B.A. in economics from Harvard University. What the Neighbors Saw is her debut novel.

Editorial Reviews

"Shocking." —Kirkus Reviews

“In the armful of suburban domestic thrillers publishing this summer, this debut—with its wild, super-spin of a plot, in which everything is turned upside down—is one not to miss.”—Brian Kenney, First Clue

"An engrossing story brimming with realistic characters... [Adelman] is an author to watch." —South Florida Sun-Sentinel

"[Adelman] steadily reveals disturbing details about her characters and she foreshadows—but never telegraphs—the shocking truths as she shines the sunlight of her talent on the shady folks of Shadow Road." –The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star

“It ends with a killer twist that will surely get readers talking! This book will likely appeal to those who enjoy domestic suspense novels such as those by Megan Miranda, Chandler Baker, and Sally Hepworth.” —Booklist

"A fresh new voice!" —Shari Lapena, bestselling author of The Couple Next Door

"Riveting debut... Adelman marries rich and layered characters with page-turning tension." —Mary Dixie Carter, bestselling author of The Photographer

“Remarkably suspenseful and nearly impossible not to read in one sitting, What the Neighbors Saw is a thrilling debut from an author I will be eagerly following.” —Nora Murphy, author of The Favor

From the Publisher

06/01/2023

DEBUT Adelman's debut, told in alternating chapters, is a psychological tale of two women with vastly different backgrounds. Young marrieds Alexis and Sam purchase a "fixer-upper" in a highly coveted neighborhood. Their joy quickly turns to recriminations and petty bickering when they realize they've taken on a herculean task. Sam is frequently away, leaving Alexis alone with their nanny and young son. Alexis also feels her "otherness" as the child of a single mother and the only Black person in the community. When their neighbor Teddy is found dead on a nearby jogging path, Alexis reaches out to Blair, his widow. The police declare Teddy's death a homicide, which deepens Alexis's friendship with Blair and heightens her marital discord. Alexis is drawn to solving the crime, and her inquiries will lead her to deeply buried secrets. While Adelman teases out secrets and past indiscretions in both women's lives, there are few real surprises, and the big reveal at the end falls flat. The majority of the characters lack nuance, which is a shame, because Alexis's background could have been examined to a much higher degree. VERDICT This title will still find favor with dedicated domestic suspense fans but is an optional purchase for most libraries.—Amy Nolan

Library Journal

2023-03-11
A shocking death rocks an upscale neighborhood and makes it harder for the residents to conceal dangers that lurk beneath the surface.

When Alexis Crawford and her attorney husband, Sam, decide to buy a fixer-upper for their growing family, they follow the adage of looking for the worst house in the best neighborhood. And River Forest is about the best neighborhood they can afford: It’s D.C.–adjacent, it’s certainly safe, and it has a run-down yet gorgeous Cape Cod Revival that’s just come on the market and is the sort of place that realtors might call gracious. Alexis and Sam don’t often act impulsively, but soon they find themselves moving in and trying to get to know their new neighbors. Immediately, Alexis feels out of place, not only as a Black woman in a largely White neighborhood, but also as someone from a different class background. Though she tries to talk with Sam, he’s too busy working to make partner to notice how isolated she’s becoming. The tragic death of neighbor Teddy Bard gives Alexis a chance to connect to his widow, Blair, and the story continues in alternating chapters from the two women's first-person points of view, with varying degrees of reliability. After the police determine that Teddy’s death was a murder, Alexis starts to wonder if this is a sign of more simmering tensions in what was supposed to be her safe haven. Sam’s ongoing distance and Blair’s friendship make Alexis wonder how much she really knows herself as well.

May have fans of “all’s well that ends well” rooting for an imperfectly fitting ending.

Kirkus Reviews