Next Door to Murder

Chiltern Hills Mysteries #6

by Anthea Fraser

Biographer and journalist Rona Parish discovers a dark secret too close to home in this page-turning mystery.

Journalist Rona Parish continues her popular series on local family businesses with a piece on the Willow furniture emporium. For once, there don't seem to be any skeletons in the Willow family cupboards. But when Louisa, the daughter of Rona's reserved elderly neighbours, comes to Rona with a plea for help, it seems there may be a dark secret closer to home, and all Rona's journalistic instincts are aroused . . .

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime

218 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

aka Vanessa Graham

Reviews

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Rona continues to write articles regarding generations of families living in her home town, neighbors move in with their daughter who has amnesia. Rona and she begin talking, and the daughter worries she might not be their daughter after all.
Between her family's newfound love life stories, and Rona meeting new acquaintances, she is kept busy with her articles and investigating her neighbor's true identity.
Then she and Max discover a murder.
This series gets you completely wrapped up in Rona's life and those closest to her.
Again, I've grown quite fond of this character, and will be sad when I've completed the series.

[Damaskcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

The house next door to Rona Parish has been let to a variety of tenants for several years while its owners are in Hong Kong. New tenants have just moved in but Rona has found they are not very friendly but at least they seem quiet. She had thought it was just an elderly couple living there until she realises that there is a young woman there as well. Rona's work is going well and she is currently researching an article about a local furniture company.

When the young woman from next door approaches Rona and asks her to find out who she is because she has lost her memory, Rona is intrigued but wary. She really doesn't want to be dragged into any more mysteries which lead to murder.

Rona's nearest and dearest warn her against getting involved but in the end curiosity gets the better of her and she starts to investigate. No one could have predicted the results of her investigations as the frightening ending to the story shows. I enjoyed reading this well written mystery novel as I like Rona herself and her husband Max.

All of the books in this series so far - I have three more to read - are well written with interesting characters. They can be read as standalone novels or as part of a series. If you like your crime novels with interesting backgrounds and not too much on the page violence then you might enjoy this series.

[Beth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I pulled this off the shelf thinking it was written by Antonia Fraser. By the second CD I realized my mistake, but continued listening to the end, captured by that horrified fascination that says: "Really, it can't get worse." And then being astonished when it does. Rhona (Rona?) has new neighbors, an elderly couple with a grown daughter who has amnesia (!) and who suspects her parents aren't really her parents. The murder/mystery all takes place in the last chapter (several deaths, kidnapping, being threatened with a bread knife (!) and all the foreplay consists of various romantic entanglements of Rhona's family and friends. Vapid doesn't begin to describe it --- and except for the fact that the reader had a lovely voice I would have returned it to the library pronto.

[Jeannie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable And Very Entertaining!

This was a wonderful read. Multiple story arcs that were interesting and intriguing. Rona has a new assignment detailing the life of another prominent family who can trace their roots back generations. Her twin Lindsey is continuing to face the usual upheaval in her love life. Their mom Avril has blossomed into a svelte, sophisticated woman who just may be considering romance. But it's the new neighbors next door that seem just plain weird that make this story so engrossing. Along with their daughter Louise, who is suffering from amnesia and captures Rona's attention. Louise spins a story that seems very hard to believe, and yet she is timid, sad, and appears to be vulnerable. Rona attempts to find answers to questions regarding her past, which only makes more of a mystery.

I could not put this one down, reading far into the night. Twisty and gripping with seemingly drama going on with everyone in some form. Her husband Max is skeptical of most of what Rona is telling him, especially in reference to a possible stalker, but things come to a head when there are two murders and Louise has disappeared. And then a shocking climactic ending that had me shouting out loud....WHAT!!!

This entire series has been enjoyable, filled with interesting characters and extremely good storylines. Highly recommend. You won't be disappointed!

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had some intrigue and I did enjoy the central characters somewhat but it wasn't quite to my taste, a little too grisly although it did seem headed in the direction it ended up there were a couple of other far out possibilities. I'm going to try another book by this author because I can see that with a different story line I might like things better with these characters that I can see I might enjoy more of in the future.

[Mystic Miraflores · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book for the most part. Rona is Marsborough's own "Nancy Drew", conveniently and coincidentally nearby when there's a mystery or a murder. It can't be any closer when the suspense is right next door! The ending was very exciting. The biggest drawback I saw (and it was the same in another Rona Parish book), too many pages are wasted on Lindsey, Rona's foolish, feckless, and promiscuous twin sister. Still, I look forward to reading more of Rona's adventures.

[Rita Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled onto this book at the library and really enjoyed reading it. I particularly appreciated the variety and quantity of characters and all the family-business-romantic relationships among them. The mysterious neighbors were intriguing, with little hints dropped along the way, but no actual resolution until the very end. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

[Joe · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you like wading through 160 pages of a 218-page book to get to the murder this ones for you. I call it 160 pages of gossip, and a very brief mystery. And if you couldn't guess who did it, you should be reading fairy tales instead

[Janell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, love the series. Just wish she wouldn't wrap things up so quickly!

[Cybercrone · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a fairly uneven series.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am on a bit of a murder mystery tear, as I have been gone several days eahc week lately and am well ehind Joel, and the library insists on getting theri stuff back in a timely manner. I have read at least two by this author but not with this prtagonist. She is appealing and not uimprobably smart, with the usual family complications that most of us carry. I wouldn't put a hold on a future book, but I would certainly take it off the shelf if I saw it there.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been going through Anthea Fraser's Rona Parish mysteries while convalescing. They're fun, easy reads with interesting characters. I was disappointed in this one. The basic mystery, who was the woman with amnesia next door and why was she being watched, seemed obvious to me long before Rona, who is supposed to be good at figuring these things out, even considered this right possibility. Ah, well, I'm still enjoying them.

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is my first Rona Parish book and this will be my last. I can't describe how truly awful how the story was written. There is no murder until more then half way thru the book. And the side characters, I didn't really care about them and they had nothing to do with the story. This is worst then the cozy mystery books I sometimes read when I can't find anything good.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this quaint british mystery, full of lunches with Pimms and brunches at mothers house.. I will certainly try and pick up other books by this author. A lovely little Thanksgiving holiday read.

[scherzo♫ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick read; more chick-lit than mystery; need lots of suspension of disbelief to stick with this one. First dead body doesn't appear until page 160. Two people are killed by blows to the head with a hand mirror, leaving no marks and without breaking the mirror.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I might check out another in this series, to see if they are any better. I am a sucker for English mysteries. But, was Rona seriously supposed to be an amateur detective? She figured NOTHING out.

[Carolyn]

Tried listening to the audiobook but by the 3rd disc, no one had been done in yet, and I didn't really care about any of the characters or what happened to them, so I dropped it in favor of Craig Johnson's Junkyard Dogs audiobook that I had just gotten off the hold list.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have enjoyed the rona parish series and this book certainly delivers. If you want a good read a la Agatha Christie. I would recommend

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting world Ms. Fraser has constructed. This is the first I've read of her series, and I look forward to reading more.

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still enjoy Anthea Fraser. This a Rona Parish mystery involving her strange neighbors, one with a case of amnesia.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book was okay, but I wasn't crazy about it.