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The Favor: A gripping psychological thriller with a shocking twist
Dark psychological thriller featuring a missing wife no one is looking for, a neighbor who moved in at exactly the right time, and a secret hiding in plain sight that will destroy everyone who gets close to it.
She moved in next door. She should have stayed away.
His wife is gone. He says she left. I have no reason not to believe him.
I moved to Colton Ridge with nothing — no family, no friends, no life worth describing. The rental was below market. The neighborhood was beautiful. And the man next door needed help.
Parker is a good father. Everyone says so. He coaches soccer, packs lunches, makes coffee before anyone asks. His wife was a flight attendant who got tired of the life she'd built and drove away. It happens. People leave.
He didn't ask me to step in. I just did. A favor here, a school pickup there. Morning coffee on his patio. His kids started saving me a seat at dinner. His ten-year-old asked if I was going to stay forever.
I said, "We'll see."
Then her best friend showed up at my door.
She said the wife didn't leave. She said the texts don't sound right. She said no one has seen her in weeks, and the car at the airport hasn't moved, and a woman who color-coded her calendar through June does not walk away from her children.
I closed the door in her face.
I shouldn't have done that. Because the more I look at this house — the organized closets, the calendar still on the fridge, the phone case I recognize hidden in a place it shouldn't be — the less Parker's story holds together. And the best friend who wouldn't stop asking questions has gone quiet.
Very quiet.
I'm in too deep. I know that now. I'm inside this family, inside this house, inside a life that was someone else's before it was mine. And the man sitting across from me every morning is either the grieving husband he appears to be or something I don't have a word for yet.
The truth is in this house. I just don't know if I'll survive finding it.
Click Read Now or Buy Now to step inside the most dangerous house on the quietest street — where a missing wife, a devoted husband, and the neighbor who replaced her are hiding secrets that will shatter everything you think you know. You will not guess this ending. You will not guess the one after it, either.
Featuring these
Unreliable female narrators — both of themMissing wife whose organized life tells a different storyCharming husband hiding something under the surfaceDual-POV timelines that aren't what they appearBest friend who won't stop asking questionsSuburban domesticity masking something unspeakable
Psychological Thriller
unreliable narrator, missing wife, suburban suspense, dual timeline, domestic thriller, who-is-he mystery, best friend investigator, twist ending, dual-POV misdirection, buried secrets
slow-burn domestic dread, morning-coffee tension, the-neighbor-knows paranoia, triple-twist devastation
HEAT no romance, pure suspense
Freida McFadden, Riley Sager, Ruth Ware, Shari Lapena Standalone
She moved in next door. She should have stayed away.
His wife is gone. He says she left. I have no reason not to believe him.
I moved to Colton Ridge with nothing — no family, no friends, no life worth describing. The rental was below market. The neighborhood was beautiful. And the man next door needed help.
Parker is a good father. Everyone says so. He coaches soccer, packs lunches, makes coffee before anyone asks. His wife was a flight attendant who got tired of the life she'd built and drove away. It happens. People leave.
He didn't ask me to step in. I just did. A favor here, a school pickup there. Morning coffee on his patio. His kids started saving me a seat at dinner. His ten-year-old asked if I was going to stay forever.
I said, "We'll see."
Then her best friend showed up at my door.
She said the wife didn't leave. She said the texts don't sound right. She said no one has seen her in weeks, and the car at the airport hasn't moved, and a woman who color-coded her calendar through June does not walk away from her children.
I closed the door in her face.
I shouldn't have done that. Because the more I look at this house — the organized closets, the calendar still on the fridge, the phone case I recognize hidden in a place it shouldn't be — the less Parker's story holds together. And the best friend who wouldn't stop asking questions has gone quiet.
Very quiet.
I'm in too deep. I know that now. I'm inside this family, inside this house, inside a life that was someone else's before it was mine. And the man sitting across from me every morning is either the grieving husband he appears to be or something I don't have a word for yet.
The truth is in this house. I just don't know if I'll survive finding it.
Click Read Now or Buy Now to step inside the most dangerous house on the quietest street — where a missing wife, a devoted husband, and the neighbor who replaced her are hiding secrets that will shatter everything you think you know. You will not guess this ending. You will not guess the one after it, either.
Featuring these
Unreliable female narrators — both of themMissing wife whose organized life tells a different storyCharming husband hiding something under the surfaceDual-POV timelines that aren't what they appearBest friend who won't stop asking questionsSuburban domesticity masking something unspeakable
Psychological Thriller
unreliable narrator, missing wife, suburban suspense, dual timeline, domestic thriller, who-is-he mystery, best friend investigator, twist ending, dual-POV misdirection, buried secrets
slow-burn domestic dread, morning-coffee tension, the-neighbor-knows paranoia, triple-twist devastation
HEAT no romance, pure suspense
Freida McFadden, Riley Sager, Ruth Ware, Shari Lapena Standalone
211 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 24, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 27, 2026
Be ready for a psychological mind blowing experience with a couple of surprise effects!
This story is great and very well written. Every Shelby Shaw book is always a surprise! I love every one of them!.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This story is great and very well written. Every Shelby Shaw book is always a surprise! I love every one of them!.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 24, 2026
Thanks for the opportunity to read this ARC!
This book was very well-written and exciting, and even though I figured out the plot early on, it didn't take away from the suspense.
I felt like I quickly got a good sense of the family, their dynamics, and also the neighbor, which gave the story more depth as you got to "get to know" multiple characters who all played their part.
However, I would have liked more chapters from the friend's perspective and how she reached her conclusions.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fast-paced thriller! 👍🏻
This book was very well-written and exciting, and even though I figured out the plot early on, it didn't take away from the suspense.
I felt like I quickly got a good sense of the family, their dynamics, and also the neighbor, which gave the story more depth as you got to "get to know" multiple characters who all played their part.
However, I would have liked more chapters from the friend's perspective and how she reached her conclusions.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fast-paced thriller! 👍🏻
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews