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A Neighbor's Guide to Murder: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 7 Jul 26Win a free print copy of this book!
11 days and 05:01:37
15 copies available
U.S. and Canada only
From internationally bestselling author Louise Candlish, a witty psychological thriller where an older woman's suspicions about her charming new neighbor ignite a deadly spiral in their luxury apartment building
In Columbia Mansions, secrets don’t stay behind closed doors for long.
It's rare for a room to open up in London’s storied Columbia Mansions, and lonely Gwen is thrilled when her neighbor’s new subletter, Pixie, brings a friendly breath of fresh air to its stuffy halls. Their unexpected bond soon becomes the bright spot in Gwen’s quiet life.
But Gwen can’t help noticing cracks beneath Pixie's cheerful surface—especially when it comes to her questionable financial arrangement with her live-in landlord, Alec. As suspicions mount, Gwen’s protective instincts go into overdrive, triggering a dangerous chain of events no one is prepared for. The last thing Columbia Mansions wants is a scandal on its hands...
Let alone a murder.
In Columbia Mansions, secrets don’t stay behind closed doors for long.
It's rare for a room to open up in London’s storied Columbia Mansions, and lonely Gwen is thrilled when her neighbor’s new subletter, Pixie, brings a friendly breath of fresh air to its stuffy halls. Their unexpected bond soon becomes the bright spot in Gwen’s quiet life.
But Gwen can’t help noticing cracks beneath Pixie's cheerful surface—especially when it comes to her questionable financial arrangement with her live-in landlord, Alec. As suspicions mount, Gwen’s protective instincts go into overdrive, triggering a dangerous chain of events no one is prepared for. The last thing Columbia Mansions wants is a scandal on its hands...
Let alone a murder.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication July 7, 2026
22 people are currently reading
11271 people want to read
About the author
Louise Candlish
42 books2,870 followersHello and welcome to my page... You may already know my domestic noir thrillers or perhaps you're curious and not sure which to try first - either way, you're in the right place!
My latest is OUR HOLIDAY, a Sunday Times bestseller, WHSmith Richard & Judy Book Club pick and Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2025 nominee. It features my favourite ever love-to-hate characters Perry and Charlotte, second home owners in the idyllic English beach resort of Pine Ridge. It's now in development for the screen - I'll share news on that as soon as I can.
Next up is A NEIGHBOUR'S GUIDE TO MURDER, published in July 2025 (UK) and 2026 (US), available to pre-order now.
Last year I celebrated my 20th anniversary as an author with the news of two prestigious awards for my 90s-set thriller THE ONLY SUSPECT: the Capital Crime Fingerprint Award for Thriller of the Year and the Ned Kelly Award for Best International Crime Fiction. Stay tuned for TV news on that one too - it will be the next of mine to hit our screens!
OUR HOUSE is the one you may know me for as it's now a major four-part ITV drama starring Martin Compston and Tuppence Middleton (watch the full series free on ITVX). This is the novel that turned my career around, winning the 2019 British Book Awards Book of the Year - Crime & Thriller and shortlisted for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award, the Capital Crime Amazon Publishing Best Crime Novel of the Year Award, and the Audible Sounds of Crime Award. It was also longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award and the Specsavers National Book Awards. A Waterstones Thriller of the Month, it recently received a Nielsen Bestseller Silver Award for 250,000 copies sold.
A bit about me: I live in a South London neighbourhood not unlike the one in my books, with my husband, daughter and a fox-red Labrador called Bertie who is the apple of my eye. Books, TV and long walks are my passions - and drinking wine in the sun with family and friends. Authors I love include Tom Wolfe, Patricia Highsmith, Barbara Vine, Agatha Christie and Evelyn Waugh. My favourite book is Madame Bovary.
Be the first to hear about new releases and price drops by clicking on the 'Follow' button under my pic or:
X/Twitter: louise_candlish
Instagram: louisecandlish
FB: LouiseCandlishAuthor
My latest is OUR HOLIDAY, a Sunday Times bestseller, WHSmith Richard & Judy Book Club pick and Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2025 nominee. It features my favourite ever love-to-hate characters Perry and Charlotte, second home owners in the idyllic English beach resort of Pine Ridge. It's now in development for the screen - I'll share news on that as soon as I can.
Next up is A NEIGHBOUR'S GUIDE TO MURDER, published in July 2025 (UK) and 2026 (US), available to pre-order now.
Last year I celebrated my 20th anniversary as an author with the news of two prestigious awards for my 90s-set thriller THE ONLY SUSPECT: the Capital Crime Fingerprint Award for Thriller of the Year and the Ned Kelly Award for Best International Crime Fiction. Stay tuned for TV news on that one too - it will be the next of mine to hit our screens!
OUR HOUSE is the one you may know me for as it's now a major four-part ITV drama starring Martin Compston and Tuppence Middleton (watch the full series free on ITVX). This is the novel that turned my career around, winning the 2019 British Book Awards Book of the Year - Crime & Thriller and shortlisted for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award, the Capital Crime Amazon Publishing Best Crime Novel of the Year Award, and the Audible Sounds of Crime Award. It was also longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award and the Specsavers National Book Awards. A Waterstones Thriller of the Month, it recently received a Nielsen Bestseller Silver Award for 250,000 copies sold.
A bit about me: I live in a South London neighbourhood not unlike the one in my books, with my husband, daughter and a fox-red Labrador called Bertie who is the apple of my eye. Books, TV and long walks are my passions - and drinking wine in the sun with family and friends. Authors I love include Tom Wolfe, Patricia Highsmith, Barbara Vine, Agatha Christie and Evelyn Waugh. My favourite book is Madame Bovary.
Be the first to hear about new releases and price drops by clicking on the 'Follow' button under my pic or:
X/Twitter: louise_candlish
Instagram: louisecandlish
FB: LouiseCandlishAuthor
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 16, 2026
Oh I did enjoy this one …there are definitely Thursday murder club vibes with main character Gwen so you’ll enjoy if you like that style but a good read right to the end.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A Neighbor's Guide To Murder by Louise Candlish is a mystery novel that leans more towards a he-said/she-said domestic drama than a traditional thriller. The story explores the unsettling premise of a rent-for-sex arrangement, adding a layer of tension and discomfort that runs throughout the narrative. Most of the novel is told from the perspective of the elderly protagonist, Gwen, and whether she’s a reliable narrator is questionable. I was confused and frustrated throughout much of the novel with how easily Gwen was manipulated and swayed by several residents in the building.
Candlish does an excellent job bringing her cast of characters to life and creating a vivid sense of time and place. Gwen, in particular, feels authentic. While I didn’t particularly like or fully trust her, her actions and reactions were believable. In fact, I found myself feeling more sympathy for Gwen than affection. She’s mistreated by her neighbors at Columbia Mansions and even by her own children, which makes her situation even more bleak.
None of the characters are especially likable, and none have redeeming qualities. While this adds realism and reinforces the novel’s darker tone, it also contributes to an overall sense of heaviness. A Neighbor’s Guide to Murder is a dark domestic drama where truth feels elusive and perspectives constantly shift. Although the writing is strong and the characters convincing, I finished the novel feeling more saddened than entertained and the end was downright depressing. I wish there had been at least one character with a spark of warmth or redemption to provide a bit of balance.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Louise Candlish for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Candlish does an excellent job bringing her cast of characters to life and creating a vivid sense of time and place. Gwen, in particular, feels authentic. While I didn’t particularly like or fully trust her, her actions and reactions were believable. In fact, I found myself feeling more sympathy for Gwen than affection. She’s mistreated by her neighbors at Columbia Mansions and even by her own children, which makes her situation even more bleak.
None of the characters are especially likable, and none have redeeming qualities. While this adds realism and reinforces the novel’s darker tone, it also contributes to an overall sense of heaviness. A Neighbor’s Guide to Murder is a dark domestic drama where truth feels elusive and perspectives constantly shift. Although the writing is strong and the characters convincing, I finished the novel feeling more saddened than entertained and the end was downright depressing. I wish there had been at least one character with a spark of warmth or redemption to provide a bit of balance.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Louise Candlish for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thank you Grand Central Pub for my gifted copy!
I need to get this out of the way - never have I wanted to slap someone’s son more than I wanted to slap Daniel. God, what a selfish turd. The entire cast of characters around Gwen, frankly, was selfish and self centered; self serving. And I will fight tooth and nail to protect Gwen, because at the heart of this, she only had a young woman’s safety in mind. That’s what #metoo is supposed to mean, right? Believe all women. And Gwen did, without hesitation. And fiercely, too. Her sense of justice was strong, but because of this, she found herself in the middle of a tangled web that could not be untangled.
Louise Candlish has long been a favorite of mine, but I do think A Neighbor’s Guide to Murder is my favorite book of hers. It’s such a change from her usual riveting thrillers, with a cast of serious characters. Gwen was more lighthearted. Gullible, in a sense, driven by her moral compass. I loved her so much. She reminded me of a mixture of Britt Marie (Fredrik Backman) and Molly the Maid (Nita Prose). She was such a pleasure, and I wanted justice to be served at her hands.
In usual Candlish fashion, though, there were engaging twists and turns that kept you guessing, wondering where this was going, or who was telling the truth. And the ending. God. The ending. I’m gutted. Furious, angry, my autistic sense of justice is displeased. We ride at dawn for Gwen.
I absolutely loved this book. I just loved it. I hope you will, too!
I need to get this out of the way - never have I wanted to slap someone’s son more than I wanted to slap Daniel. God, what a selfish turd. The entire cast of characters around Gwen, frankly, was selfish and self centered; self serving. And I will fight tooth and nail to protect Gwen, because at the heart of this, she only had a young woman’s safety in mind. That’s what #metoo is supposed to mean, right? Believe all women. And Gwen did, without hesitation. And fiercely, too. Her sense of justice was strong, but because of this, she found herself in the middle of a tangled web that could not be untangled.
Louise Candlish has long been a favorite of mine, but I do think A Neighbor’s Guide to Murder is my favorite book of hers. It’s such a change from her usual riveting thrillers, with a cast of serious characters. Gwen was more lighthearted. Gullible, in a sense, driven by her moral compass. I loved her so much. She reminded me of a mixture of Britt Marie (Fredrik Backman) and Molly the Maid (Nita Prose). She was such a pleasure, and I wanted justice to be served at her hands.
In usual Candlish fashion, though, there were engaging twists and turns that kept you guessing, wondering where this was going, or who was telling the truth. And the ending. God. The ending. I’m gutted. Furious, angry, my autistic sense of justice is displeased. We ride at dawn for Gwen.
I absolutely loved this book. I just loved it. I hope you will, too!
April 20, 2026
While the cover and title might lead you to believe this book is some sort of murder mystery, it is actually more of a domestic drama/thriller. The story is not what I was expecting. In the era of cozy mysteries that feature an elderly protagonist, I think this book will also take others by surprise. The main focus of the story is sexual assault and domestic abuse. If that is triggering for you, I would be cautious going into this story. It deals with some heavy themes. The overall tone is tense. None of the characters are particularly likeable. However, the story is fast paced and keeps the reader engaged to find out how everything ends. There are a few twists in the latter half of the book that nearly gave me whiplash. The ending was sad but wrapped up the story well.
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.*
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I really wanted to enjoy this one more than I did because the beginning actually had me interested. The setup was entertaining, messy, and full of neighborhood drama that pulled me in at first. I went in expecting a gripping mystery thriller, but unfortunately it never really delivered on that for me.
Once I got past the halfway mark, the story started to feel very repetitive and dragged out. The pacing slowed down a lot, the same points kept going in circles, and I found myself losing interest more and more as the story continued. By around the 85% mark, I was seriously considering DNFing because it had gotten really boring for me.
The twists were also very flat and lacked the shock factor I was hoping for. Instead of feeling tense or thrilling, the ending felt underwhelming after all the buildup.
Once I got past the halfway mark, the story started to feel very repetitive and dragged out. The pacing slowed down a lot, the same points kept going in circles, and I found myself losing interest more and more as the story continued. By around the 85% mark, I was seriously considering DNFing because it had gotten really boring for me.
The twists were also very flat and lacked the shock factor I was hoping for. Instead of feeling tense or thrilling, the ending felt underwhelming after all the buildup.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
"Clearly his presence was still discernible; perhaps he'd contributed to a change in the scent of a place, the way a pet does."
I always enjoy a @louisecandlish book, and #aneighborsguidetomurder was no exception. Gwen is the most unreliable of narrators, or is she? It's not hard to pick up on her true feelings and thoughts, b/c she certainly doesn't really tell you...but reading between the lines is not hard, and that's what makes this such a fun read. As the chaos picks up steam, and Gwen continues to stomp and barrel her way through it all, we cringe and look away at the soon-to-be-wreckage of her life. Gwen thinks she's so self aware, but in reality, she's very clueless. Didn't see that ending coming at all.
P.S. Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC.
I always enjoy a @louisecandlish book, and #aneighborsguidetomurder was no exception. Gwen is the most unreliable of narrators, or is she? It's not hard to pick up on her true feelings and thoughts, b/c she certainly doesn't really tell you...but reading between the lines is not hard, and that's what makes this such a fun read. As the chaos picks up steam, and Gwen continues to stomp and barrel her way through it all, we cringe and look away at the soon-to-be-wreckage of her life. Gwen thinks she's so self aware, but in reality, she's very clueless. Didn't see that ending coming at all.
P.S. Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC.
Review of advance copy
This was very nearly a DNF for me - but I persevered. The second half was actually ok so I’m glad I did. Still a bit slow and not a lot happened for such a long time. I liked the concept and how it was written, it was just long and drawn out and not enough jeopardy or who dunnit. A bit disappointing!
March 19, 2026
Great page turner I picked up before a train journey! Loved it all the way through but unfortunately the last chapter of ‘over explaining’ let it down slightly. We could have filled the gaps on our own.
Would recommend it though!
Would recommend it though!
Review of advance copy
Wasn't really what I was expecting. Not a lot happened. I could not get into any of the characters, they just seemed annoying, mainly the main character the book is narrated by. Two stars as it was readable and I managed to finish it.
Want to Read
December 17, 2025This one sounds fun!
Review of advance copy
Couldn’t get on with it unfortunately
April 7, 2026
Really enjoyed this. Not what I expected initially. I could see every character clearly in my head.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Ugh. Good writing, not good story.
Review of advance copy
It is very slow and the plot is not attractive enough
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews