Synopsis: Lucy moves to an idyllic village in the Cotswolds to escape a failed affair with her boss back in London. She’s hoping to leave her old life behind her and start anew somewhere peaceful, far away from prying eyes. And then her new neighbour Alice moves in. Lucy decides straight away that there is something wrong with Alice, that this woman cannot be trusted. But, when a book club is suggested, all Lucy can do is sit and watch as her friends are manipulated and secrets are exposed. It turns out that things in the village are not as quiet as they seem.
This story alternates between the perspectives of Lucy, Alice, and the other members of the book club – Rebecca, Maggie, and Tom. Using flashbacks, it follows the game of cat-and-mouse between Lucy and Alice, culminating in a show-down as Alice attempts to get her perfectly planned revenge.
Review: This book perfectly captures the uneasy, shivers-up-your-spine, constantly-looking-over-your-shoulder feeling of having your every move watched. It even managed to put me on edge when I know I have no creepy neighbour watching me so have nothing to fear! Alice is the perfect antagonist, so cold and calculating that throughout the book you are poised, waiting for her to finally reveal her true nature, and praying that the characters will realise the type of person she really is before it is too late.
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