Need naabrid

by Louise Candlish, Ülla Jürviste (Translator)

Kas te võiksite vihata oma naabrit niivõrd, et hauduksite tema vastu salanõu ja tapaksite ta?

Lowland Way on äärelinna unistuste elurajoon: ilusad majad, omavahel hästi läbi saavad naabrid, koos mängivad lapsed. Aga siis kolivad tänava nurgamajja Darren ja Jodie, kes ei hooli karvavõrdki teiste kokku lepitud reeglitest. Pidevalt tümpsub neil muusika. Nad alustavad remonti, risustades kogu majaümbruse, ja ajavad oma õuel kasutatud autode äri. Ei lähe kaua, kui küpseb lõputuna tunduv kompromissitu sõda.

Ühe laupäeva hommikul saavad tänava elanikud aga tõelise šoki: keegi on vägagi õõvastaval moel tapetud. Kui politsei kohalikelt elanikelt tunnistusi kogub, hakkavad lendama vastastikused süüdistused – ootamatult on kõigil midagi varjata.

Louise Candlish on kirjutanud 13 romaani, nende seas „Our House“, millest sai nr 1 bestseller nii pehmekaaneliste, e- kui ka audioraamatute hulgas ning see võitis 2019. aasta Briti raamatuauhinna põnevike ja krimiromaanide kategoorias.

Käesolev romaan „Need naabrid“ jõudis Sunday Timesi bestsellerite nimekirjas teisele kohale. Enne, kui Louise hakkas ilukirjandusega tegelema, õppis ta Londoni Ülikooli kolledžis inglise keelt ning töötas illustreeritud raamatute toimetajana. Tema raamatud räägivad inimestest, kes on silmitsi raskete ja ohtlike dilemmadega, kuigi oma elus püüab ta vapustavate sündmusteta hakkama saada. Ta elab koos abikaasa ja tütrega Lõuna-Londonis, nagu tema romaanide tegelasedki.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Suspense

368 pages, Paperback

First published June 11, 2019

About the author

Hello 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:
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Reviews

[megs_bookrack · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's no secret that I am absolute trash for Domestic Drama from Louise Candlish.

She has such a knack for portraying the hidden dark side of an otherwise mundane suburban landscape.



Additionally, I really enjoy how she formats her stories. The use of mixed media, such as police interviews, newspaper articles, texts and emails, I absolutely love it.

This story is set on Lowland Way, a quiet residential street in a posh-suburban neighborhood. The envy of other neighborhoods, it seems like the perfect place to live and raise a family.



Everyone gets along swimmingly. As a neighborhood, they have organized 'play-out Sunday', where the street literally gets blocked off to cars and the kids play in the street all day while the parents relax and socialize. Basically a weekly block party.

Everyone cooperates. Everyone participates. It's domestic perfection.



That is until Darren and Jodie move into #1 after Darren inherits the property.

They bring with them loud music, inappropriate language and a dodgy renovation project, not to mention the numerous cars he actively works on and sells from his driveway.



The icing on the cake being they refuse to follow the rules of play-out Sunday and continue driving cars on the street!!!

((gasp and clutch pearls))



As you can imagine, neighbors are not impressed. In fact, their presence causes so much stress that several people discuss selling and moving on.

Long-term owners on the street refuse to be cowed by the newcomers, however, and that's when the diabolical scheming begins.



Y'all, these neighbors are savage.

They take their domestic peace extremely SERIOUSLY!!! I can't say I blame them but, damn, the stuff they come up with. Brutal.



I had a really great time reading this. As with Our House, you know from the very beginning that a crime has occurred, but you aren't quite sure who the victim is. Overtime, through interviews and the perspectives of multiple characters the true story is revealed.

This style, for me, makes the plot move along very quickly and I love starting a new chapter in order to see someone else's point of view.



At this point, I am a fangirl for Candlish and will definitely continue to pick up any Domestic Drama she writes.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Publishing Group, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I truly appreciate it!

[Felicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

The development of the plot of this book unfolds at the breakneck pace of O.J.'s Bronco chase on the LA 405 freeway, only it's not nearly as entertaining.


I always keep notes as I'm reading a book...quotes, pivotal moments, etc. I only had one note on this book upon completion and that was...

page 113

...that's how long it took for something of the most miniscule bit of interesting to happen in this book, and even that something was so cursory I nearly drowned in it's wake.

The best descriptive word that comes to mind for this story is LABORIOUS with a capital L for "LAWD LET THIS BOOK END ALREADY".

I looooved the domestic cray cray of Our House by this author but this book was insipid domestic and about as cray as Cocoa Puffs.


2 Stars ⭐⭐ because I thought the format was cleverly composed.



*** I received an ARC from via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ***

[Holly B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever had some dreadful neighbors? This couple just moved in and have disrupted the happy neighbors on Lowland Way...

When Darren and Jodie move in....all hell breaks lose. Can you hear the whispers...."I could kill him." Well, of course, they didn't mean it literally, did they?

The pages are filled with some very unlikable characters and a menacing tone. The new neighbors completely put the prior  "family-friendly" atmosphere and turned it on it's head.

The mystery element was strong and I was super curious to find out more. The pace is steady, but the need to find out more made this one a page turner for me. I was entertained and thanking my lucky stars for normal neighbors!

I had fun guessing throughout, wondering how far some people would go, and surprised by some shockers more than once.

Sign me up for Candlish's next novel please. Fans of this author and her unique style will enjoy this one.

Thanks to Berkley for my review copy.
Pub. date on June 11, 2019.

 

 

[Kaceey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*
One downside of home ownership is the sadness of watching a beloved neighbor pack up and move on. Another is the accompanying anxiety of who will be moving in, just mere yards from you. (Cross your fingers!)
As I’m writing this I’m watching a for sale sign going up across the street and cringing!

The residents of Lowland Way neighborhood are in for a big shock when the epitome of all bad neighbors moves in at the end of the block. Doing all the standard bad neighbor things. Loud music at all hours, questionable home renovations and full-blown general nastiness!

When there’s a death at this new neighbor’s home it soon becomes an all-out whodunit! With every neighbor having their own questionable behavior.

This was an interesting, fun premise. I always love reading about these “neighborhood” books! They play on my own fears of what goes on down the street from me.

Unfortunately, the execution of the story just missed the mark for me. Just didn't grab me as much as I would have liked.

A buddy read with Susanne🌸

Thank you to Edelweiss, Berkley Publishing Group and Louise Candlish for an ARC to read and review.

[Norma ~ The Sisters * I can like but not comment 🤷🏻‍♀️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Menacing, topsy-turvy, & brassy!

THOSE PEOPLE by LOUISE CANDLISH is an outlandish, eccentric, and wacky tale that definitely amused and entertained this reader. The fun here is deciphering who “Those People” are and seeing what lengths they will go to in order to protect their cushy neighborhood from those not so likeable new neighbors. Hmmm or maybe it’s the not so new residents?

LOUISE CANDLISH delivers a vivid, entertaining, and steady-paced read here with lots of unlikeable characters to either be entertained by or maybe a little disgusted with. I chose to be entertained by them and couldn’t get enough of their idiosyncrasies.

The mystery unfolds slowly from alternating perspectives as we meet the neighbors. There is quite a huge cast of characters to keep track of which I did find a little bit confusing in keeping them all straight and who belonged to whom.

I didn’t really think there were any real surprises here but I did really enjoy the way this story was formatted. Which definitely set a menacing and sinister tone here for a fun and entertaining read.

3.5 Stars!

* This was a Traveling Sisters Read and this book produced quite the awesome discussion! *

Thank you so much to Elisha at Berkley Publishing and to Louise Candlish for gifting me a copy of this book.

Review can also be found on our Two Sisters Lost in a Coulee Reading book blog:
https://twosisterslostinacoulee.com/

[Debra - can't post any comments on site today grrr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neighbors...Aren't they the worst? Imagine living next to "Those People” You know the ones who break down walls, don't follow the rules, park where they want, play loud music, etc. They suck, right? But what about the neighbors who think it is their job to police the neighborhood and make it their mission to make their unruly neighbors fall in line.

This was slow all the way through for me. Yes, it looks at behavior and social class. First impressions go a long way and the neighbors in this book really failed here. I think most readers can relate to one time or another of having a neighbor or neighbors who was annoying or obnoxious in some way. In this book, readers are presented with their characters perspectives and their versions of what occurred - but are they being truthful. Try finding a likable character, I dare you! You may find one or two, but in the end, even they might let you down.

Although I did not enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed, Our House, said that, I do believe this is a great book for book clubs. There is a lot to discuss in this book and whether one enjoys this book or not, there is a lot to discuss and stories of bad neighbors to share.

This was a Traveling Sisters Group read.

I received a copy of this book from Berkley Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

[j e w e l s · Rating 2 out of 5]

TWO STARS

Evidently I'm not a good fit for this author. She writes with a curious detachment that makes me feel so unsympathetic to the characters and bored with the story. I felt this way with her previous novel Our House, except there were some elements of that plot I found interesting.

Ugggghhh. I can't say I found this plot anything but DULL. THOSE PEOPLE moves at a glacial pace and I just can't be bothered to even relate much to you in a review.

If you are a big Louise Candlish fan, then I'm sure you will enjoy this one. Her writing style is just not my cup of English tea.

Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read the early galley and offer my honest opinion.

[Kylie D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lowland Way is a quiet, community minded street in South London. Until the Booth's move into number 1 that is. Playing loud music at all hours, noisy household renovations, not to mention the illegal car dealing business they are running from the house, taking up all the resident's parking spaces, the Booths are definitely not welcome in Lowland Way.

The neighbours are up in arms. Complaints go unheeded, well in fact they just escalate the problem. The once well manicured street has turned to a pile of rubble, bringing the housing prices down. The neighbours unite against the Booths. Then a tragedy happens...

I did enjoy his psychological thriller, reading it in a day. It's full of unlikeable characters, both the Booths and the neighbours, though I'm sure that's intended. The conclusion was somewhat satisfying, but honestly I doubt I'll remember this book in a months time.

My thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia for an uncorrected proof to read and review. the opinions are entirely my own.

[MarilynW · Rating 3 out of 5]

Those People is the first book I've read by Louise Candlish and I plan to read more of her books, especially Our House. This book starts out in beautiful, peaceful, well organized Lowland Way, where there are Sunday car-free play times in the street, the houses are gorgeous and well cared for, the community communicates and works together and it's as if this street is insulated from the dirt, noise, and commotion of "lesser" communities. Then Darren moves into the corner house he inherited from his aunt and all hell breaks loose. Darren is slovenly in dress and he soon turns his property into an under "destruction" junk heap of construction equipment, a huge scaffold, loud machinery running at all hours of the night and day and dust a churning, as he destroys walls and an almost historic tree. Not only that, Darren moves his used car business onto his lot and into the street, taking up six or more already scarce parking spaces in front of other homes while he has about twelve cars under repair, with all the noise of a revving engines and clanging steel. Darren plays extremely loud hard rock at all hours of the day and night, ruining any peace in this neighborhood. For some reason there is nothing that authorities can do to alleviate any of these transgressions, which seemed a little hard for me to believe since Darren was so extreme in his destruction of anything good in his area.

Ralph, Naomi, and a few others on the street make token efforts to befriend Darren but he can see through their snobbish, condescending ways. We get to read chapters from the many points of view of specific neighbors and there were very few of them that I liked, once I knew their inner holier than thou thoughts, not only towards Darren but towards each other. I did like Sissy, a sixty year old woman whose husband left her for someone younger, who found a way to support herself by turning her home into a successful bed and breakfast. Sadly Darren's junk yard of a property destroys Sissy's business and ruins her life. I also liked Ant, married to harpy Em, whose home is connected to Darren's house. Ant, Em, and their baby are bombarded with sound torture as Darren ruins any hope of a normal home life with his noise and intrusion of a scaffold into their living space. Ant is extremely henpecked and his wife probably doesn't care for him because he is such a pushover and nice. He also has a crush on Naomi, Ralph's wife, so will side with that couple at the drop of a hat but he still feels compelled to impress his wife, an impossible task.

Secret plans abound, to get rid of Darren, with one or more of the neighbors involved in each plot and one plot often taking place at the same time as another plot. This neighborhood disruption causes lots of rumors and suspicion of other neighbors as property values plummet and tempers flair. Finally, there is a death and everyone is under suspicion, wondering which neighbor is a murderer. I enjoyed getting to read the thoughts of each neighbor, knowing how they thought of themselves and their neighbors and then finding out what the others thought of that person. The downside to knowing each person's hypocrisies, prejudges, and high mindedness was that it was hard to care about most of the neighbors even though I felt great sympathy for what they were experiencing.

The murderer was a big mystery for me and I enjoyed the slow reveal of the murderer. Then there is another death and that's another mess to ponder as every neighbor seems to be involved in schemes and secrets. By the end of the book, we do get to learn who was responsible for what but at the very end we are left hanging concerning my favorite character, Sissy, and I do wish it was made clear what a minor character may or may not have revealed about Sissy. Since I liked her so much, I wanted to have closure to her story and I didn't get that with her.

Thank you to Berkley/Penguin Publishing Group and Edelweiss for this ARC.

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

My reviews can also be seen at: https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpr...

3.5 Stars

Having had my fair share of horrible neighbors, I was looking forward to reading this novel. As I’m writing this, I’m pretty sure my upstairs neighbors are all jumping up and down at the same time. I used to have a neighbor who complained that we made a lot of noise, but the times she said it was noisy we weren't even home. On top of that, SHE would play the same Sarah Mclachlan song over and over until four A.M. Also had people that lived next door who “wrestled” loudly every night.

On to the book...

Lowland Way is a place with beautiful homes and friendly people. They even have “Play Out Sunday" where everyone moves their cars so the children can play outside freely and safely.

The book opens as police are interviewing everyone because of a recent death in the neighborhood.

Eight weeks earlier:

Ralph and Naomi Morgan live right next door to Ralph’s brother, Finn and his wife, Tess. They’ve lived side by side on Lowland Way for the last twelve years. Naomi works and Tess is a stay at home mother. Therefore, Tess often helps out with the children, family pets, etc. Everyone is happy with this situation. Or are they?

House number one on has been empty since the owner passed away a year ago. But it’s not empty anymore. The new residents, Darren and Jodie Booth are not very friendly, far from it. Darren is blunt and sarcastic and Jodie isn’t much better.

Right from the start the Booth’s loud renovations, blaring music, and numerous cars parked all over the place cause problems for the rest of their neighbors.

The Booth’s house is attached to Anthony (Ant) and Em Kendall’s house. Their shared wall almost constantly vibrates from either drilling and/or loud rock music. The noise keeps their baby and everyone else up until all hours.

Sissy Watkins lives in number two. She lives alone but runs a lovely bed and breakfast. Sissy’s B&B got great ratings…until the Booth’s moved in.

The Booth’s have destroyed the comfortable way of life on Lowland Way. Everyone is at each other’s throats. Something has to give.

In the midst of all the craziness, someone dies. Was it an accident or the result of foul play?

And the madness doesn’t stop there…

I really enjoyed Louise Candlish’s previous novel, “Our House”. While I thought the plot for this novel was intriguing, I found it a bit over the top at times. I usually enjoy multiple points of view, but it took me a while to get everyone straight.

While this novel didn’t grip me as much as “Our House” did, I still thought it was a decent read with a kicker of an ending that I didn’t see coming.

I look forward to seeing what this author comes up with next.



I'd like to thank Berkley Books for providing me with a copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

[Jayme C (Brunetteslikebookstoo) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Darren and Jodie are the new neighbors on Lowland Way, and they DON’T FIT IN.

“Inconsiderate” would be an understatement.

In just 8 weeks, Darren will be dead. (Not a spoiler, you learn that on page 1)

Could one of his neighbors have been angry enough to murder him?

Great premise, but the execution was not working for me. The story was not holding my attention, and I was wishing I could read faster, so I could move on to my next book.

Finally, I just skimmed to the end, to find out who was “guilty”.

Disappointing because “Our House” was a 5 star read for me.

I would like to thank Edelweiss, Berkley Books, and Louise Candlish for the digital ARC I received in exchange for a candid review.

This book will be released on June 11th, 2019 and although it wasn’t for me, it may be a fit for you!!

[Brenda ~The Sisters~Book Witch · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

What a great premise for a twisty, domestic thriller that explores the darker side of human social interaction in such an entertaining way. Things start off a bit slow here as we get to know both sides of “those people” and soon tempers are flaring and hostilities escalate and the characters are driven to their breaking points. At times my head was spinning with those twisty turns the story took and how I felt about the characters shifted as we started to see them conflicted and reacting to each other's behaviour.

The end came together so well in such a satisfying way for me. I highly recommend for a fun and entertaining read.

Norma and I read Those People with a few members of the Traveling Sisters Goodreads Group and it lead to quite the entertaining discussion and we talked about these people and shared stories about our neighborhoods from different parts of the world and I think we all can relate to Those People in some way.

Thank you so much to Elisha at Berkley Publishing for our complimentary copies.

For our blog
https://twosisterslostinacoulee.com/2...

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

Double float for double releases today because I do what I want and I don’t give out many 5 Stars.

Those People is the story of what happens when a picture perfect neighborhood like this . . . .



Is infiltrated by new people who have inherited one of the houses that happen to be a little more like this . . . .



What are the established residents to do????

“We’ve said we’ll give it till the end of the month and then . . . “

“And then what?”

“Then we kill them.”

Starting in the present where there is, in fact, a dead body and immediately reversing eight weeks into the past so the reader can learn exactly who is dead and how they came to be that way, Louise Candlish’s newest release might make some reminiscent of Liane Moriarty’s approach to storytelling in Big Little Lies. Simply put, this is my wheelhouse. I freely admit that as soon as I see a cover with a house in it, I’m all like . . . . .



And I’ll take any excuse to confirm that . . . .



I enjoyed Our House, but admitted the ending kind of lost me. However, the little extra added on here??????



This is a must add for some summertime fun. All the Starz!

ARC provided by Berkley in exchange for an honest review.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.

THOSE PEOPLE.....WHAT A NIGHTMARE!

If you prefer flawed, unlikable characters, you've come to the right place.

The setting is south London on an exclusive street with homes averaging in the high six figures and neighbors who follow the rules of the council and politics of the people.....until Darren Booth & company move in.

Disruption is immediate as ear-piercing music blares....the used car business of junk-mobiles makes its appearance, and umpteen unfinished home renovations result in a new "apocalyptic landscape."

Told from alternating voices, we meet all the neighbors, discover their relationships, some chilly, others competitive....even conniving, but all are in agreement that the newbie neighbor from hell must go. Meetings are held, options discussed, but all are not privy to each plan of action.

And then....a shocking accident. Tempers flare and hatred grows. Something must be done!

THOSE PEOPLE....Solid storyline, decent "psycho" mystery albeit a bit wordy and slow going. (for me)

[Shelby *trains flying monkeys*]

Let's be real. I've been reading this since May 13th. I'm never going to finish it. I'm bored...and I don't want to read it. Plus we know how we all feel about our neighbors....


Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review

[Mackenzie - PhDiva Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s the type of block that everyone wants to live on.... When you live on Lowland Way, you’re one of the privileged few who are protected from the outside by your closely bonded neighborhood association. Until one day, new neighbors move in, and they don’t play by the same rules…

Those People is the 4th book by Louise Candlish that I’ve read and I love that she has such a unique style, voice, and feel to her books that is so quintessentially Candlish. I’d describe her books as neighborhood noir—seemingly peaceful suburban streets where all of the neighbors get along, until one day it becomes clear that those residents aren’t as protected from the outside as they thought.

Candlish explores what happens when your suburban oasis is turned upside down. And most importantly, what happens to seemingly good people when they find out how fragile their lives truly are?

In Those People, we are transported to the idyllic street Lowland Way. This street made headlines and were recognized by the city for their efforts to create “Play-Out Sunday”, a day when they close their street to traffic and let the children play out on the street like their parents did way back when. But when a new neighbor moves in down the street, everything may change.

Darren and Jodie are not like the rest of the residents of Lowland Way. They play loud music at all hours of the night, they sell used cars from their front yard, and they have no interest in things like Play-Out Sunday. But when someone ends up dead, the list of suspects is as long as the resident directory!

In typical Candlish style, none of the characters are especially likeable, but they feel like real people—I could really picture them and they were developed well and quite early. The pace is fast, switching between narrators and police interviews. We see what each person is dealing with, both in terms of the new neighbors as well as behind closed doors. Candlish always plays with the fragility of a great life. It is so easy to feel protected in a bubble—get married, have kids, climb the career ladder, buy a nice house on a nice street. But everything can change so quickly...

I think you’ll find that the new neighbors bring some unattractive qualities to light in these residents, but not necessarily qualities they didn’t already possess. Lowland Way has become a pressure cooker after the new neighbors arrive, and it is only a matter of time until someone—or multiple people—pop off!

Thank you to Berkley for my copy. Opinions are my own.

[Susanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars.

Neighbors. Everybody has them. As we all know, some are better than others.

For “Those People” who live on Lowland Way, they had always lived a lovely, peaceful existence, that is until Darren and Jodie moved into the neighborhood. Darren and Jodie are the kind of neighbors nobody wants. The loud, destructive kind. The ones everyone thoughtfully tries to “approach” - albeit unsuccessfully.

Well, drat. Except, of course, that it doesn’t end well. At all.

Imagine that.

“Those People” started out well enough for me.. I was turning the pages, anxious to find out what happened, though I personally despise gossip and then well, drat. What can I say? It lost a bit of steam and it didn’t end well, for the characters or for me. Having read and liked “Our House” by Louise Candlish, I will definitely be on the lookout for this author’s next novel.

Another great buddy read with Kaceey!

Thank you to Edelweiss, Berkley Publishing Group and Louise Candlish for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on Goodreads and Edelweiss on 6.30.19.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a deliciously wicked look at smug, middle class surburbia and what happens when someone who doesn't fit the mould moves in.

Lowland Way in South London is a seemingly perfect model of surburban harmony where the people are pleasant and friendly, houses and gardens are large and well maintained, the children go to good schools in the area and on Sundays the road is closed to traffic to allow them to play games together in the street. But then loud mouthed, uncouth Darren Booth inherits his aunt's house and moves in with his girlfriend and the dark underside of the street emerges. Darren doesn't give too hoots about fitting in or keeping onside with the neighbours. He immediately knocks down a wall, cuts down a treasured tree and turns his front yard and surrounding street into a used car lot with numerous cars in various states of repair. He then starts on haphazard house renovations, running power tools at all times of the day and night and when he isn't doing that he's blasting the neighbours with loud music.

Em and Ant who live in the adjoining semi next door are tired and frazzled because their baby Sam is constantly being woken by the noise and no one is getting any sleep. Sissy, who lives opposite is divorced and makes her living running a B&B, suddenly finds her business dropping off due to the noise and construction going on. Although the other residents are not affected as much they resent the impact Darren is having on their pleasant street and band together to think of ways to get rid of him, especially as the police and the council have been no help, telling them in fill in forms and wait some months before action can be taken.

This is such a fun read and is formatted in short, snappy chapters from different points of view. Louise Candlish clearly has a keen sense of observation of domestic relationships and how they can be manipulative. Most of the residents are not very likeable and don't always treat their partners and relatives well. As their vindictive schemes to remove Darren fail, cracks appear in their relationships as their true characters emerge under the stress and many of them find that they don't really like each other. Eventually someone goes too far and the whole street finds themselves under suspicion. The plot does take a while to come to a simmer, but it's well worth waiting for it to boil over and enjoy the understated humour along the way.

With many thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for a digital ARC to read.

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved my first read from Louise Candlish! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Lowland Way is an idyllic place where everyone wants to live. Gorgeous homes, wonderful, welcoming neighbors, and children who can play together.

Darren and Jodie are the new neighbors, and they aren’t being neighborly. Their music is always blaring, they immediately start renovations and all that comes along with that, and they have a used car lot in their yard- no joke! Honestly, I would have a hard time if they were my neighbors! 😂

As a result, a war breaks out among the neighbors.

Then a death happens in the neighborhood, and everyone stars pointing fingers.

Those People is my first read from Louise Candlish. She has a unique style, and I absolutely loved it. It felt fresh and original. I could feel sinister vibes from the start. I loved the mystery involved, and I thought the pacing was strong. There were also plenty of surprises. To me, Candlish writes in the more British thriller style, which tends to be more mystery and slow burn, but oh-so-tantalizing, which this absolutely was!

Overall, Those People is an original, captivating read, and I’ll definitely be back for more from this author.

I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com

[Julie (JuJu) · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading this book, I can’t complain about any of the bad neighbors I’ve had!

One bad neighbor can disrupt an entire street, turning previously happy neighbors spiteful and vicious. I liked the author’s writing style, but not her final wrap up of this story. Which is frustrating, because I was really enjoying the book until the end. I’m not sure if it was her intention to leave an opening for a follow-up book, but the ending ruined this book for me. I do “Our House”, so I’ll probably give her another try and hope for a better outcome.

Darren and Jodie move onto a nice peaceful street and bring the home values down fast! They are far from the ideal neighbors and it doesn’t take long before they’ve disrupted the neighborhood. They play loud music at all hours of the day and night; their numerous home projects are leaving rubbish everywhere; and they are running a used-car business that is adding to the unsightly mess.

But the other neighbor’s aren’t as flawless and superior as they appear.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for this digital ARC, in exchange for my honest review!

My Rating: 3 ⭐️
Published: June 11th 2019 by Berkley Books
Pages: 368

Recommend: Maybe, if unlikable characters are your thing.

Excerpts:

“Do you know the Russian proverb, ‘Don’t buy the house, buy the neighborhood’?”

[Suz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I owned this book, with a big thanks to Allen & Unwin, then I decided to listen to the audio version as recommended by a new Goodreads friend, via Libby and my local library. The narration was good in most part, from male to female and different nationalities. I read physically and listened in parts.

The book was slow. It lagged for me and I was bored. I kept listening to the book to simply find out who dunnit, which was a murder of a new neighbour who just happened to disrupt the status quo in a well to do part of town, in a street full of snobby people who do not like or appreciate 'those people' encroaching on their turf.

The new owners are making noisy renovations, they are selling used cars and taking up the coveted car parking spaces on the street, playing loud music and basically getting drunk and not caring about the noise levels.

The occupants of the street don't care about approaching the newbies directly, are not bothered by confrontation, and really are getting into getting rid of this couple whom are not as good as them.

Well written but not interesting to me, the audio sped up the process but did not capture my interest. I have so many books this doesn't matter, and will move on to the next!

[Sandysbookaday (taking a step back for a while) · Rating 3 out of 5]

EXCERPT: - Yes, we're aware that someone's been killed, of course we are. What a terrible way to die, absolutely horrific. My wife was one of the first on the scene. She's over the road right now at number two, Sissy Watkins' house - Naomi Morgan, she's called, you've probably spoken to her already?

- I personally wasn't here, no, I was playing tennis at the club on the other side of the high street...

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Lowland Way is the suburban dream. The houses are beautiful, the neighbors get along, and the kids play together on weekends.

But when Darren and Jodie move into the house on the corner, they donʼt follow the rules. They blast music at all hours, begin an unsightly renovation, and run a used-car business from their yard. It doesn't take long for an all-out war to start brewing.

Then, early one Saturday, a horrific death shocks the street. As police search for witnesses, accusations start flying--and everyone has something to hide.

MY THOUGHTS: I was rather disappointed with this read...I had heard a lot about the author, but for me this was 'meh'. The writing is very detached which, in some instances, can work very well. But not here. I was left not caring about any of the characters, except perhaps for Sissy, a sixty-year old woman running a B&B and struggling to make ends meet.

We hear the story from the points of view of all the immediate neighbours, so we tend to go over the same ground again, and again.....

The story is slow and just, only just, staggers along.

2.5*

THE AUTHOR: Before writing fiction, I studied English at University College London and worked as an illustrated book editor and advertising copywriter.

Though my stories are about people facing dark - often dangerous - dilemmas, I try to get through the day without too much drama of my own. I live in a South London neighbourhood not unlike the one in my novels with my husband, daughter and cat.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Berkley Books via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Those people by Louise Candlish for review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system.

This review and others are also published on my webpage sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly, yes, you say it ‘THOSE people’ with a shuddery sneer of horror!!

Louise Candlish writes about houses, streets, communities and the people that live in them, her take on neighbours and ‘hoods is second to none, ‘those people’ continues this!

Lowland Way is perfect, an idyll in South London, not too far from ‘estates’ BUT far enough, the neighbours all get on, why they even have a ‘safe street sunday’ where cars lay idle and children play freely
Heaven
Until its turned into Hell
New neighbours arrive at Number 1, Darren and Jodie, loud, uncouth, ‘common’, they are going to change the street forever, and they couldn’t care a less
Watsapp groups are started, FB secret groups updated with these intruders movements and neighbours form allegiances and stick together to rid the street and themselves of this menace
Never has a street been more united
Until tragedy strikes
And they are all under suspicion, now the ties that bind them loosen and fractures appear, maybe the neighbours are not as close, or as goodytwoshoes as we think
Brimming with characters and alive with descriptive vocabulary this tale moves you into Lowland Way and had me ‘setting up camp’ there to see exactly what happened, who was guilty and what would become of all the neighbours
As said at the beginning the author writes just superbly on these themes
Only disappointment was it ended quite abruptly, I would have been happy for another 400 pages
Seamlessly eye waveringly great fiction
10/10 5 Stars

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lowland Way is the perfect neighborhood in every way. Family-oriented, quiet, upscale, beautiful homes and gardens. Perfect, that is, until those people move in and ruin everything.

Darren and Jodie simply aren't Lowland Way material. Their used car lot in the front yard, loud music at all hours, and endless remodeling have enraged the residents on the street. They make sure Darren and Jodie know they're not welcome, but what will it take to reclaim their perfect neighborhood? 

THOSE PEOPLE was an entertaining, slow-burn mystery that really had me hooked from the beginning. Dealing with bad neighbors is something most people can relate to. Darren and Jodie were a nightmare, but even the seemingly perfect Lowland Way residents weren't so flawless when you got beneath the surface. Lots of drama and tension there, which only gets exacerbated by the distressing situation.

I enjoyed this twisty, character-driven novel, and though none of the characters were particularly likable, I couldn't look away. A satisfying follow-up to last year's Our House! ♥

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher thorough NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

The nice quiet suburban Lowland Way is shattered as the arrival of Darren and Jodie to the street soon annoy the rest of the neighbourhood with their antisocial behaviour.
From loud music to the array of cars parked around the house, the other residents vow to make them pay.
But it's not long until the feud reaches breaking point...

The book certainly captures how small incidents of annoying behaviour can soon great, especially as everyone of the street seems to be affected by Darren's actions.
From next door neighbour Anthony who's anxious that the loud music is effecting his babies sleep patterns to Sissy and her B&B which has seen a rise of negative reviews and a reduction in bookings.

Straight from the first page the reader is aware that someone has died, it's seeing how the events quickly escalate and the ultimate fallout that makes this novel so addictive.

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having neighbors can be wonderful. When we lived in Pittsburgh, my husband and I became friends with several of our neighbors there. We went out to dinner together, had Super Bowl parties, and played innocuous practical jokes on one another. (Hey, Jamie was very good-natured about it that year the Steelers made it to the big game, and we took all the signs out of his yard and replaced them with ones for the Seattle Seahawks.) It's not like that where we live now. Here we only hear from our neighbors when they want something: Can you get my mail? Water my plants? Feed my parents? (Yes, one woman didn't hesitate to ask me if I'd prepare meals and deliver them to her elderly parents while she went on vacation.) Annoying, yes, but I've never had neighbors like the couple in this book.

Imagine . . . music blaring til the wee hours, power tools constantly tearing up a quiet afternoon, decrepit cars parked for days weeks in front of one's home. That's exactly what happens when new neighbors disrupt the tranquility of a posh London neighborhood . . . though a closer look at all parties involved reveals that things were not quite as serene as they seemed even before the newcomers arrived. And, before you know it, there's murder, and mayhem, and detectives asking questions like:

"It sounds to me as if there might be quite a few people who'd have a reason to want to harm Mr. Booth?"

I started this one very enthusiastically. The situation intrigued me and I wondered what I would do in these characters' places. It was fun in a what-fresh-hell-is-this kind of way. But after a while, I realized I just didn't care about any of these people, and it wore me down. The ending is pretty strong, with a nasty little final twist, but its not enough to raise my rating above three stars . . . though I am at least grateful my neighbors lay off the Swedish death metal before midnight.

[Michael David (on hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

OUR HOUSE, by author Louise Candlish, was maybe one of the best books I've read in quite some time...the reveal of the very last sentence leaving me breathless. You can imagine my excitement when I received an ARC of THOSE PEOPLE, her newest thriller, to review.

This book deals with a community of people who live on Lowland Way. They are seemingly rich, do community events together, close their street on Sundays so the children can play on the street with no threats of danger. That all changes when Darren Booth and Jodie move into the open house at the corner. To the community of Lowland Way, Darren and Jodie are the neighbors from hell: Rude, loud, blasting music at all hours of the night, dangerously remodeling their house with no thoughts to anyone else's safety, etc. Things come to a head when someone tragically dies.

This book has a lot of characters, which made it a little bit difficult to get into at first. After that, I was fully on the ride. It's a suspenseful tale of what people can do when pushed up to their tipping point. Although I would recommend it, it was a bit disappointing when compared to OUR HOUSE. The characters are all unlikable, and the ending, while satisfying, didn't quite pack the punch I was expecting. Still, a great read. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Thanks to NetGalley, author Louise Candlish, and Berkley Books for an ARC.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I had to describe this story in one word, it would be frustrating. Initially it moves at a snails pace. I enjoyed the writing and character development (although they were all infuriatingly snobbish). I finished the story because I did want to figure out “who did it” so the author was successful in hooking me.

Not a great read, but decent. Closer to 2.5 ⭐️ rounded up.

*Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

A coveted neighborhood, new neighbors who are trouble, and a terrible accident is where we meet everyone who lives on Lowland Way.

We meet the original neighbors of Lowland Way through police interviews as well as the weeks prior to the incident where the neighbors had to put up with loud music, cars being sold like a used car lot, rude comments, and unsafe scaffolding that extended into a neighbor's property.

We also meet Darren and Jodi Booth, the new neighbors, who are causing all the trouble and turning the quiet Lowland Way neighborhood into a nightmare.

Each chapter was titled with the name of one of the residents and described their interaction with the rowdy neighbors and each other.

THOSE PEOPLE did take some effort to continue because the characters were not likeable.

Darren was a troublemaker extraordinaire. He turned things around to make it look like it was someone else who caused the accident as well as other incidents and claimed nothing was his fault. He even had the police convinced someone had tampered with the scaffolding at this home and made it collapse.

It actually was difficult to believe anyone because the other characters were not living in reality and whined a lot.

It took a few chapters to get interesting and realize any one of the disgruntled neighbors actually may have done something to Darren's scaffolding.

The style of the book was different and kept me guessing about who caused the accident - was it faulty construction, was it done on purpose to harm Darren but instead backfired and killed someone else?

There was a lot of drama going on before the new neighbors arrived and even more now.

If you enjoy a slow, drawn out mystery, you will want to add THOSE PEOPLE to your TBR. 4/5

This book was given to me as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read Our House by Louise Candlish last year I jumped at the chance to read Those People. And happy to say that it lived up to expectations. There are some questionable characters here, and not only the one that the book is focused on. I loved the way it is written in short chapters for multiple residents points of view and the start of the book goes back to weeks before the turning point. It is a very easy, quick read and is absolutely a book I recommend.

Welcome to Lowland Way - a quiet street where all the neighbours get along, they close the road every Sunday so the kids can play and a nice place to live. That is until one of the neighbours dies and her nephew Darren Booth moves into number 1. From the very start he does little to fit into the aesthetic of the area - working on old cars, putting up scaffolding and renovating loudly, playing loud metal music until all hours. The neighbours try to reason with him but he does not wants anything to do with it, going about his business without care for anybody else. When there is a death on his property the neighbours immediately believe Darren is to blame - but the police do not agree. This is where the true characters of the street come out.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Australia for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.