The Neighbour's Secret by Sharon Bolton

 

A new neighbour, alongside the annual gathering of an evangelical church with questionable practices, proves alluring to one resident of a small village in the Lake District.

I've been a fan of Sharon Bolton since she burst onto the scene back in 2008 when, writing as S. J. Bolton, Sacrifice was published. I loved her previous novel, The Fake Wife, but freely admit that I didn't like the opening pages and could easily have abandoned it. Her new novel was similar, The Neighbour's Secret is definitely a slow burner. The interaction between the neighbour, while being creepy, didn't hold my attention until a couple of other elements were introduced.

The narrator is a definite nosy parker, someone who knows everything that is going on in the small village. They are intrigued when Anna Brown moves in next door and opens a small bakery. Intrigue probably isn't the correct description, borderline obsession is definitely a better fit, particularly as it's obvious that Anna is hiding a secret.

While the obsession grows we are introduced to members of an evangelical church who descend on the village every year for "The Gathering", a fortnight-long convention that takes place just outside the village. The actual events which take place during the convention are a closely guarded secret but the event itself is tolerated by the villagers as the congregation brings in as much revenue over the two weeks as they make the remainder of the year. I always find the presence of fervent religious groups adds a creepy element to any storyline, particularly when their practises are secret. Rumors surround the events taking place at the gathering, adding a sinister tone to the proceedings.

The malevolent tone is increased rapidly with the introduction of another character and storyline. Seventeen-year-old Jago Morgan ran amuck through his school canteen and attempted to stab one of his teachers. We join him as he is taking part in meetings with a psychiatrist to determine if his mental health was a contributing factor. Initially, it appears to be an unrelated thread, but slowly the storyline begins to merge with the others. Jago is a psychopath, highly manipulative and one of the most terrifying characters I've come across recently.

Author Sharon Bolton has you unsettled from the very beginning of this psychological thriller as you are never really sure who is hiding secrets. There is a strong sense of evil and you begin to wonder who the villain of the story is. Lots of red herrings meant that I found myself holding my breath and constantly on edge, curious as to what was going to happen.

The Neighbour's Secret by Sharon Bolton will be published on 7th November 2024 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing for a review copy.

Author Details

Sharon (formerly S J) Bolton lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband and, occasionally, her grown up son and is working on her eighteenth novel; her eighth with Orion. Her first book, Sacrifice, was voted Best New Read by Amazon.uk, whilst her second, Awakening, won the 2010 Mary Higgins Clark Award (part of the prestigious Edgars) in the US. In 2014, she won the CWA Dagger in the Library. She has been shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger, the CWA Steel Dagger, the Theakston’s Prize for Best Thriller, the International Thriller Writers’ Best First Novel award, the Prix Du Polar in France and the Martin Beck award in Sweden.