Diane is sympathetic towards her new neighbour, Chloe, who is fleeing an abusive relationship. Things escalate quickly when Chloe's partner suddenly turns up and Diane begins to wonder if she's been dragged into a living nightmare.
I've never read anything by JD Kirk previously, but the synopsis for the audiobook The Woman Downstairs sounded chilling enough to intrigue me. I found myself completely engrossed in the story, thanks to the fast-paced narrative and fantastic narration of Samara MacLaren, Sarah Barron and David Monteath. With each chapter ending on a cliffhanger, I found myself constantly deciding to listen to "just one more".
The story opens with a gripping scene that immediately has you questioning what is about to follow. The story then jumps back a few days to Diane and Chloe meeting. It is easy to understand Diane's empathy towards her new neighbour, particularly as we slowly discover that she's been a victim of abuse herself. You also get the impression she's a little isolated and lonely, and welcomes some female friendship. What Diane, and I, didn't expect was the unpleasant situation that quickly followed, and then an even more shocking event shortly after. Three major scenarios in such a short space of time compel you to keep going.
As the story unfolds, we discover revenge is at its heart; however, both Diane and Chloe are unreliable narrators, leaving you wondering who is telling the truth, or even if we are given the full facts. There was also part of me wondering if there was someone behind the scenes manipulating events or trying desperately to hide their involvement.
The pair enters a destructive cycle, with vengeance at the centre, and you do wonder if either will survive. There are some nice touches of dark humour (who knew a dead body would be so difficult to dispose of) and a conclusion that allows you to breathe a sigh of relief, while having a wry grin on your face. I'll certainly be checking out more of the author's work in the very near future.
The Woman Downstairs by JD Kirk will be published on 15th October 2025 in paperback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for a review copy.
Author Details
JD Kirk is a multi-million copy, bestselling author and the
pen name of award-winning writer Barry Hutchison. He has authored over 150
books for children and adults, and is now thoroughly enjoying murdering people
as JD Kirk. He resides in the Scottish Highlands with his wife and two
children. He has no idea what the JD stands for.
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