The Neighbors Are Watching: A Novel

by Aggie Blum Thompson

From the "master of suburban scandal" (Samantha M. Bailey) comes a scandalous suburban thriller about privilege, unlikely friendships, and the lengths we go to protect our family.

Just outside Washington D.C. sits Eastbrook, Bethesda — a leafy suburb with top schools, manicured lawns, and friendly neighbors. It’s not the kind of place where nannies are shot during robberies gone wrong. But like any picture-perfect neighborhood, it’s been easy to cover up the shadows and move on.

A year after the unsolved neighborhood murder, Caren, nearing fifty and staring down an empty nest, has one too many drinks at a graduation party and blacks out on her way home. At least, that’s what everyone says happened. Caren suspects she was drugged by someone. But who?

When Caren teams up with a new neighbor who is desperate to figure out who murdered his best friend last year, they start to uncover what Eastbrook has tried to forget. But in a place where appearances are everything, their search for the truth means not only shattering carefully built façades — but putting themselves squarely in the crosshairs of a killer.

Genres: Mystery Thriller, Thriller

400 pages, Paperback

Expected publication June 30, 2026

Reviews

[Laura Lovesreading]

I loved 'You Deserve to Know'!
I cant wait for this one to be released!
🤍🤍🤍

[Jen W · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved You Deserve To Know so I was very excited to get an ARC of The Neighbors Are Watching.

This book is set in the suburbs of Bethesda, outside of Washington, D.C. It centers around the Eastbrook neighborhood, where everyone is family focused. After a graduation party, Caren has a fall and is unable to remember what happened to her. As she tries to piece that night together, she realizes that her neighborhood friends and her husband all doubt her story or what she believes has happened to her. They believe she over-indulged and fell.

This isn't the first bad thing that has happened in Eastbrook. One year ago, a nanny was shot and killed in a robbery. As Caren tries to figure out what happened to her, she can't help but think the two incidents could have something to do with each other.
There are twists and turns along the way and this is a neighborhood full of secrets. This was a fast paced and fun thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Brea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aggie Blum Thompson absolutely understood the assignment when it comes to making suburban paranoia feel feral. Centered on Sophie O’Neill, a woman whose memory fractures after a graduation party night gone wrong, the story leans hard into disorientation, fear, and that gut-level dread of not trusting your own mind. Sophie isn’t reckless—she’s shaken, unsettled, and trying to piece together what happened while everyone around her seems a little too interested in her silence. Enter Dalia, a fellow neighbor who becomes both ally and question mark as they start poking at an unsolved neighborhood murder that everyone else would rather whisper about than confront.
The brilliance is in how Thompson writes these characters: flawed, anxious, reactive, and painfully human. Sophie’s spiraling uncertainty is rendered with razor-sharp precision, while Dalia’s confidence carries just enough edge to keep you uneasy. The surrounding cast of neighbors—watchful, polite, and quietly predatory—turns the DC suburb into a pressure cooker where every interaction feels loaded and every smile feels rehearsed. Trust erodes quickly, motives blur, and the line between concern and obsession disappears entirely.
The writing is tight, controlled, and quietly vicious. Thompson lets tension rot and fester instead of rushing it, making every reveal feel earned and every twist hit with intent. The paranoia escalates until it’s impossible to tell who’s protecting who, and by the end, safety feels like the biggest lie of all. Smart, unsettling, and sharply executed. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for the advance copy. All opinions are my own

[A Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shut the front door!! I absolutely loved The Neighbors Are Watching by Aggie Blum Thompson. It is a perfect suburban domestic suspense story ripe with secrets, lies and scandal!

A recent murder in the upper-class neighborhood of Eastbrook, a DC suburb, should have everyone talking, but it is surprisingly just the opposite. That is until Caren, one of the neighbors, has an accident and can't remember what happened. She is determined to figure the truth out. But she is alone in this endeavor as all her friends and even her husband chalk it up to her over imbibing at a party. While investigating, she meets a friend of the murder victim who is doing his own nosing around looking for answers to the unsolved murder of his friend. They team up, believing the two events are somehow tied together.

This story was so devious and twisty. I honestly had to force myself to put it down because I wanted it to last. The writing was descriptive and concise. The layers were slowly unwrapped adding to the build-up of tension and suspense. The ending was brilliant. Thompson is a new author to me, but I quickly added all her other books to my TBR list. I can't wait to dive into another of her suburban stories.

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the advanced copy

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the suburbs outside of Washington DC, Caren leaves a high school graduation party of a neighbor’s child and classmate of Caren’s daughter. After having one too many at the party, she passes out on the way home, awakening in the morning outside the home where a nanny was murdered last year with no memories after she left the party. When her neighbors and own husband doubt her version of events, Caren realizes there’s something strange surrounding her blackout, but finding answers may put her life in danger. The Neighbors Are Watching hits all the right notes as we watch Caren struggle with her suspicions about her neighbors, and the secrets about her close-knit community start to leak, adding more pieces to the puzzle that she’s trying to solve. The suspense is carried throughout the book, keeping the reader fully invested as the plot unwinds. There’s a lot of characters to keep track of and an equal number of curve balls to juggle, but this is an entertaining thriller that flows nicely and keeps you guessing. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Megan Magee · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a verdant suburb outside of Washington, our FMC Caren experiences a potential drunken tumble after a neighborhood party. On top of that experience, she is also losing both of her children to college and adulthood, struggling as most moms do to find their purchase in a world that doesn't typically peer too kindly upon empty nesters. When she starts to ask questions about how she ended up concussed, many people- some even close to her- start to throw the hysterical woman stereotype at her, and thus a plot is made! I enjoyed picking up the pieces and learning about everyone's backstories here. The pomp and circumstance in this posh suburban neighborhood was so sneaky and drenched in devilish delight- I was up all night many nights navigating the twists and turns. Honestly, it's fun and shocking and even if domestic or suburban thrillers can be redundant, this one's audacity somewhat stands out to the rest for me. Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the eARC! All opinions are my own.

[Amanda Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I'm not wealthy like the characters in this book, but I can safely say I no longer trust my neighbors.

"The Neighbors Are Watching" is suburban domestic suspense at its finest. All of the women in this book are awful, except for Caren. Thankfully, that is how it was intended and I loved it. The characters were so well-written to be unlikeable that it made the story that much better. The twists and turns had my head spinning. The book was perfectly paced and I flew through it in just a few hours.

The ending was absolute perfection that thew me into a tailspin. A wild ride from start to finish!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

[Hannah Whitcomb DeHague · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm honestly not sure how to feel about this one, but I definitely didn't LOVE it. I love Aggie Blum Thompson's writing and really enjoyed her last book, You Deserve to Know. But the Neighbors are Watching just wasn't as good, in my opinion. I guessed who a lot of the suspect/"bad" people were pretty early on, and felt like the motive for the crime seemed a bit off. I actually genuinely didn't like any of the characters (except maaaaybe Finn), so it made it hard to feel super invested in their stories. This wasn't a big hit for me, BUT I still look forward to reading more from the author in the future. 3.5 stars rounded down.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this novel.

[Marissa]

Kindle Copy for Review from NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books.

I received a free, advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.

In the suburbs of DC where crime prevails while a residents go on with their day. An unsolved murder is still on the minds of the neighborhood. A woman has too many drinks from a graduation party walks home but does not remember what happened. She feels that she might be drugged but wonders why?

She ends up working with another neighbor as they try to solve the murder. They end up finding secrets that will put them on the killer list. T will take you on a thrill of a lifetime.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the fifth book I've read by Aggie Blum Thompson in a pretty short time span. Her books are my favorite kind of thriller - domestic thriller - and are usually so full of gossip as well as tension.

I love books about tight-knit communities like the one at the center of this book, who have raised their kids together and lived down the street from each other. Finn was really the only likable character for me, but I was so compelled to find out what happened that I couldn't put it down. The narration switches between present day as Caren and Finn look for answers, and chapters from the past years.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

[Angelie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 upgraded to 4.
This was an entertaining quick read with an undercurrent of suspense. I like the author’s writing style and I was sucked in by the suburbia neighborhood gossipy plot. The twist was a bit too predictable, so I thought, but then there was another twist I did not see coming! Hah. The majority of the characters were unlikeable, and the motive was a bit papery thin. I would read more by this author, though. I was entertained!


Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Mommacat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review Copy

THE NEIGHBORS ARE WATCHING is about a group of neighbors in a well to do suburb in Maryland. No, it's not Real Housewives type stuff, but it is about the wealthy and privileged and how they live.

It's a murder mystery with plenty of sub-plots that should keep you guessing wight though the Epilogue. The writing is engaging and should keep you interested enough to pour another drink and stay up too late.

Be sure to take a look.

[Heather Putnam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. Fancy neighborhoods where the neighbors all socialize and consider each other friends/family are intriguing to me. There are many social issues included that include trans-gender and major helicopter parenting (with money there are no consequences). But I love a story that gives me an opportunity to learn from those that are having different experiences then I am. I wasn't able to solve the mystery but I also think the story kept a great pace and I was never bored.

[Suzanne Leopold (Suzy Approved Book Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gossip with neighbors, I am in! I enjoyed this story that kept me guessing! A group of neighbors are supposedly a tight knit group until an incident after a party involving a parent challenges their honesty. Great pacing, twists, and hard to put down.

[mads · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25⭐️

[Alyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thompson knows how to write a suburban thriller. You knew from the start that Carin did not just fall and hit her head but there were so many twists and turns to realize why.

[LibraryLaur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely kept me guessing, but the motive strained my credulity a bit. 3.5 stars, rounded up.

*Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.