L'uomo alla finestra

by Sharon Doering

Con il divorzio finalmente alle spalle, Grace si trasferisce a Saint's Crossing, certa che sia il posto ideale per i suoi due bambini e per lei che, negli ultimi tempi, soffre d'insonnia. Il quartiere sembra un luogo sicuro, vanta ottime scuole e gli abitanti sembrano amichevoli. Ma a Grace basta poco per scoprire il motivo per cui è riuscita ad acquistare a buon prezzo una casa così grande: il suo vicino. Leland Ernest è sospettato di essere responsabile della scomparsa di una bambina. Grace potrebbe aver commesso una leggerezza imperdonabile. La polizia, però, così come il giudice, non sembra ritenere Leland una minaccia. Sopraffatta dalle voci che girano e dalle notti insonni, Grace sviluppa una vera e propria ossessione per Leland Ernest. Ma è solo paranoia o quell'uomo rappresenta davvero un pericolo per la sua famiglia? È solo una tua ossessione oppure i tuoi figli sono in pericolo?

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

320 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 2020

About the author

SHARON DOERING has worked on Wall Street, in a lab, and as a science professor. She has also been a good waitress, a mediocre bartender, and a terrible maid.

She lives in Chicagoland with her family and a big, silly dog. Upstanding Young Man is her third novel.

Follow her on Instagram @sharondoeringauthor

Reviews

[Jayme C (Brunetteslikebookstoo) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Five year old Ava Boone has been missing for six months.

Newly divorced Grace Wright, mother to two young children (one a 3 yr old daughter) has just purchased a new house, and found out that it is next door to the only “suspect” in the Ava Boone case.

Fearing for her children’s safety, and unable to get the answers she seeks, she begins to investigate on her own, becoming obsessed and a bit delusional in the process.

Sounded like something I would enjoy reading about...

But, I struggled from the beginning as there are ENDLESS descriptions of parenting two young children...the day to day tasks..when the kids are “cute” and when they are “not so cute”....you get the picture.

Each chapter also had a “descriptive” title which I found VERY ANNOYING.

AND, you won’t believe the WEIRD places this book will take you to-ranging from an encounter with bats to a mishap with an IUD-

Yep-this one is.......different.

It’s not your standard “missing child” story.

But, it isn’t one that I will be recommending.

Thank You Titan Books for providing a digital ARC through Edelweiss in exchange for a candid review.

Available Oct. 13, 2020.

[Mary Kubica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sharon Doering arrives on the mystery scene with an explosive, darkly comedic thriller that belongs on every to read list. Scrupulously plotted with one of the most memorable protagonists I've read, SHE LIES CLOSE is a live wire of a debut.

[Samantha Downing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should come with a warning: Contents are much darker and more shocking than they first appear. Every curve, every twist takes you further down the rabbit hole. Sharon Doering has written a crackling debut that should be on your 2020 list!

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book in a GR giveaway, and I guess it's just human nature, but whenever I win a book I really want to be able to give it rave reviews - unfortunately, it was just not possible with this one.

Grace, the protagonist, is a recently-divorced mother of two young children who has recently moved into a neighborhood and discovered that her next-door neighbor, Leland, is a suspect in a five year-old girl's disappearance. There is no proof that Leland was involved, but Grace becomes obsessed with proving his guilt (and I mean obsessed). Aided by insomnia and Adderall, Grace's obsessions turn to delusions, and this is where it quickly fell off the rails for me, as it is page after page of Grace's obsessive internal monologues and crazy behavior. Once Leland is murdered, it crosses the line of completely ludicrous.

Nothing about it made any sense - Grace, who is outwardly paranoid and delusional still somehow manages to hold down her job as a preschool teacher, and no one notices she is bats*** crazy? (and no pun intended on the bats, as that is another outlandish part of the book). She is a hyperfocused, helicopter mother when it comes to her two young children, but even after she hears about her neighbor, she jogs around the neighborhood every night while her kids are at home in bed alone? It just so happens that one of the officers investigating Leland's murder is a friend from high school and she starts dating him (which also provides the backdrop of several odd sex scenes complete with a dislodged IUD)? I don't even know how many times I said, "wtf" to myself reading this book. It was so disjointed and full of unnatural, bizarre events that just did not work for me in any way, and the ending was flat with no surprises or plot twists.

Overall, this debut relies very heavily on the unrealiable narrator effect, so if that's your thing (and you don't mind an overload of unbelievable scenarios), you might like this book, but for me, it was a big no. 2 stars.

Thank you to Titan Books and Sharon Doering for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a wild ride and definitely never boring (the cardinal sin for thrillers in my book). Doering successfully created a building sense of tension, anxiety and darkness in the mind of her narrator, simmering at first until it reached the boiling point. This was thrilling and at times uncomfortable to read. Grace, our narrator, is mom to a three year old girl. When Grace and family move next door to a creepy suspected child abductor, Grace begins to grow obsessed with the idea that her neighbor kidnapped and murdered another missing child, and her own daughter may be in danger. The reader lives claustrophobically inside Grace’s head as she grows more and more obsessed with what her neighbor may be doing in his house, and whether he has designs on her daughter. When things take a dark turn, we wonder whether the danger might actually be closer to Grace’s home than her neighbir’s.

There were lots of promising things in this debut. I really liked Doering’s writing style. The way she built tension, anxiety and madness in the mind her narrator was skillfully and scarily done in a way many other authors in the genre can’t seem to achieve. But the plot of the story was rather disjointed, with numerous things straining credulity (I would love to list them, but don’t want to spoil). Some of these plot points created holes or problems in the story that were never satisfactorily explained. Certain parts of the story were drawn out too long for me. I also found the ending to be a letdown, especially in context of the building tension.

Overall, Doering is a talented and scary new voice in the thriller genre. I foresee great books from her in the future . This one just wasn’t quite there yet for me. But I’ll definitely read her next one. 3.5 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley, Titan and the author for the advance copy!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A relatable, if unreliable, heroine, darkly funny, and engrossing, this thriller asks how far you’ll go to protect your child.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Behold we have my favorite thriller so far of 2020!
This book knocked it out of the park, I could not put it down and I'm sad it's finished.

Ava Boone is missing and Grace just moved next door to the creepiest man she's ever encountered. Grace quickly spirals as she tries to figure out where Ava is or who killed Ava. Twists are on every page- bat bites, a down and out tired mother, an ex husband that suddenly wants her back and a hot detective!
Soon Grace doesn't know if she is living in reality or if she is hallucinating.
This book was explosive and dark and I craved every single word!

If you love Thrillers, add this to your October 2020 TBR!!!
Thanks to Edelweiss, the publisher and author for my advanced ebook copy.

[Hank Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I am gasping for breath--what a terrific book. SHE LIES CLOSE is a masterclass in voice, a psychological tour de force, and one of the most original stories I've ever read. Doering's talent leads the reader on a page-turning non-stop obsessive journey--but also skillfully weaves in true emotion and laugh out dark loud humor. Do not miss this!

[itsallaboutbooksandmacarons · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick listening that was reccomended to my by my good friend. And was full of secrets, mystery and also some fun dialogs I laught loud. It is one nice debut. It was quite intense but really interesting reading. Escape a bad marriage and start new.. but maybe you would choose a different place to stay. Anyway all happens with a reason.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely an interesting thriller but not the best one I've ever read.

I thought the writing was really good. It was really engaging right from the start.

But the main problem I had with this book was that it was all really ridiculous and a bit stupid.

The main character was really annoying and her actions were just stupid. I definitely couldn't connect with her.

I also had an issue with how OCD was referred to in the book, it was very inaccurate and offensive.

This book heavily plays into the unrealiable narrator trope, so if you like that trope I'm sure you all this book.

Unfortunately I found everything a bit too predictable. It was very clear to me where the book was going. But that could be because I've read a lot of thrillers like this before.

Overall, it was a fun well written thriller but it definitely had some major flaws but on the other hand was not too bad for a debut.

TW: murder, child abuse and violence

[Nursebookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grace Wright is a struggling mother of two, trying to make ends meet, after her messy divorce from her cheating ex Nate, a gastric surgeon. Moving into their new home, and hoping for a fresh start, Grace was shocked and upset to realize that she just moved in next door to Leland Ernest, a prime murder suspect of a missing five year old, Ava Boone.

Doering writes Grace’s character so exquisitely, and in the most vivid detail, that I am taken through her inner most thoughts, desires, feelings, fears, and emotions, unlike anything I have ever read.

Sharon Doering’s debut psychological thriller is a riveting, chilling, and compulsive read. Narrated in the first person point of view by a mother who is so desperate to protect her children from the next door neighbor, in a storytelling style that is incredibly disturbing, dark, and devious.

The story is so mind bending with amazing and surprising twists of this sinister plotting I found completely enjoyable and highly entertaining!

Thriller lovers, don’t miss this one!

[Danielle B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grace is divorced and has recently moved to a new house. She finds out her neighbor, Leland, was a suspect in the disappearance of five-year-old, Ava Boone. Grace becomes obsessed with her neighbor and the Boone family. When Leland is found dead, Grace becomes a suspect. What really happened to Leland and Ava?

I listened to the audiobook of SHE LIES CLOSE and I was quickly sucked into this story. I was shocked this was Sharon Doering's debut. If you enjoy a good psychological thriller filled with suspense, I highly recommend this one. I thought it ended perfectly!

This audiobook was available free for members on Audible Plus.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

[Rachel Bridgeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enormous thanks to the epic Sarah Mather from Titan Books for the chance to read 'She Lies Close' which has rocketed into my Top 10 books of 2020. It is available now in paperback and ebook formats and I cannot recommend it strongly enough.

The creeping and insidious sense of dread as you tear through the chapters looking for clues to what happened to Ava is juxtaposed with the sense that Grace is not the most reliable narrator. You are unsure whether your front row seat to her fragile hold on reality slipping borders voyeurism , and at the same time, her desperate need to keep her children, and by extension herself, safe, provides her with a moral core which eats away at your doubts.

Between societal expectations on the role of women as mothers, her own desires to be wanted and seen in her own right exists the gap where doubts creep in. Grace rages against what is expected of her, her failure to secure and keep a marriage afloat has erased her as a sexual being and left her as a referee to her children's fights, battling to keep up her teacher persona when all she wants to do is sleep.

However, sleep holds no respite, insomnia becomes her closest friend and as reality and dreams begin to interweave, she becomes increasingly reckless in her investigation of neighbour Leland Ernest.

A casual comment by another neighbour, about Leland harrassing his teen daughter plants the seed in an already fractured psyche, and her concerns over her fitness to be a mother exacerbate her thought processes until she finds herself in perilous positions. She begins to haunt the internet and then the family of Ava Boone. She listens to all the talk in the staff room about Ava's brother and begins to compile an image of herself as an avenging angel who wants to bring Ava home. Her lack of self worth is so tied up in her husband abandoning her and being unfaithful , that she finds the whole of Ava's case occupying her every thought.

This can easily be reflected onto cases such as Madeleine McCann's, the type of abduction with no conclusion which has led to endless speculation, blame and arm chair theorising which can easily turn into obsession. It;s such a touchstone for this character, it makes her painfully relatable as a mother, as a parent, would you ever stop looking?

Between her fugue state from sleeplessness and exhaustion and her public persona this case takes a hold and as a reader, you completely empathise with her. She is so raw, so vulnerable and so honest yet like any fallible human, she makes mistake after mistake until the discovery of a body flips everything she knew upside down.

In Grace, Sharon Doering has created the most believable picture of motherhood that I have read about in years. Her descriptions of how she interacts with her children, toddler Chloe and teen Wyatt, were an absolute attack on all senses and so damn accurate it hurts. She confronts the fine line between loving your children so much you want to inhale the air from their lungs, remember their scent, the feel of their sticky fingers and yet want to burn down the kitchen because it is the site of so many screaming matches and destruction. Her honesty and rawness on the dichotomy of mothering is incredibly real and takes your breath away. You want to say, 'Yes, YES YOU GET IT!!!!'

A damning indictment on the state of modern motherhood, a searing insight into a vulnerable divorcee and a gripping thriller which opens and closes unlike any I have read before, this is an absolute belter of a book which , don't tell my to read pile, I was uniformly unable to cheat on until I had finished 'She Lies Close'. As a serial multiple-book-at-a-time reader, this is about the best praise I can give, it consumed ll my thinking, I had to slow down my reading because I wanted to absorb every detail and I did not want it to end, yet at the same time, I absolutely did want that finality. And boy, does Sharon deliver. My only regret is that she is a debut author and there will be some time to wait until her next novel arrives. But I will absolutely be there for it.

I don't know if any of this makes any sense but please, if you are looking for a thriller with a slow burn and a blow your socks of punchline, this is the book for you. I'm off to have a lie down and breathe again, and if you have the ability to, reserve this at a local library, or put it on your book wish list. Damn, it's a great book.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grace Wright has just moved to a new neighbourhood with her two young children after leaving her cheating husband. What Grace doesn't know until a neighbour confides in her is that her new next door neighbour, Leland Ernest, is the prime suspect in the case of missing five year old Ava Boone.

Increasingly obsessed with the case, and desperately concerned for her own children, Grace will stop at nothing to find out what really happened to Ava. But when Grace's reality and dream life start to merge, she's not even sure she would recognise the real truth...even if it's closer to home than she might think....

I loved the sense of quiet menace in this book, and the author deftly managed the ramping up of Grace's mental health issues. I really liked the blurred lines between reality and imagination, which elevated what could have been a fairly standard thriller into something more. That. and the beautifully realised, complex characters, particularly Grace herself, who seemed both warrior-strong and as delicate as porcelain in turns.

A capably plotted, well-written, and sometimes harrowing novel - I really enjoyed it, and am already looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher, who provided me with a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Stephanielikesbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

She Lies Close is a fascinating psychological thriller about how far a mother will go to protect her children. Grace is a divorced, struggling mother of two young children who has just moved into a new neighborhood only to discover her next door neighbor is a suspect in the abduction of a young girl. As Grace’s worries for her family mounts, she starts to investigate her neighbor. To what lengths will she go and just what is she capable of to protect her children?

The novel is well-plotted and moves along at a good pace. Grace is a fascinating character who is struggling with her own psychological issues, making her an unpredictable and unreliable narrator. Being inside the mind of an unreliable, flawed character is so intriguing and I went back and forth between liking and disliking her as the story unfolded. The author does a great job of vividly depicting the anxiety and overwhelming fear that she feels for her kids. This is a very strong debut!!

Thanks to @titanbooks and @Netgalley for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Sherri Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mother’s worst nightmare leads to shocking revelations in this suspenseful and emotionally charged debut. She Lies Close is the perfect blend of dark writing, gripping characters and gasping twists that will keep you reading late into the night. Sharon Doering has knocked it out of the park with her first novel!

[Natasha Wilson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not going to lie. I struggled listening to this. Nearly gave up numerous times. It could be as I had this as an audio book but my word did the constant description of every single thought she had drove me nuts. They also had a dog but that dog only appeared when needed in the story. The kids were annoying, in fact everything was annoying.

[Jeneva Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

She Lies Close is a gritty and engrossing thriller that will leave you spellbound thanks to Doering's beautifully written prose and captivating story. You'll be trying to both savor every word and turn the page as fast as possible! It's a remarkable debut that should not be missed!

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

She Lies Close is a clever psychological thriller with a slightly weird feel to it that is extremely involving. It lives and dies on the voice of its main protagonist- a sharply ironic tone with an obsessive outlook engages the reader immediately, even as things get ever stranger.

This is not your typical missing child story, it actually focuses very little on that aspect but more on how it affects the behaviour of our main character who gets embroiled in a kind of madness.

I really enjoyed it, the resolutions to the various strands remained unpredictable throughout and it is extremely well written with some cleverly observant plotting.

Overall a great read. Recommended.

[Nila (digitalcreativepages) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of the story was great. I liked the claustrophobic feel of Grace's fears when she moved in next door to a suspect in a missing child case with her daughter. I could understand her apprehension and worry. I loved how the author stayed true to the emotions a mother would have.

The story started fine, but some sections droned on a bit too much, and I didn't need such a descriptive prose. The suspense felt to be bang-on in certain areas, but the writing was disjointed in some others.

Overall, I would say it was a different read. Maybe the next book from the author would be rocking.

[Diane Merritt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure what was happening. This book didn't hold my attention. Was more about the mom and her kids than the missing girl. The book sounded like it would be good but just fell flat. I did not finish.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for an early release of this book.

[Alice4170 🌙 · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75/5 ⭐️
This was waaay to put there tbh, I found the mom super paranoid and just uhg

[Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

*1.75

really underwhelming, really dumb, and I was annoyed with the characters

[Kylie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated spending time in this woman's head and world.

She is the kind of human I try to avoid in life.

[Megan Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been so addicted to this book over the last few days, staying up way later than I’d planned in order to keep reading. SHE LIES CLOSE follows Grace, who recently moved with her two young children next door to a man who is the suspect of a child abduction case. As Grace begins to worry about the missing child and obsess over the man’s proximity to her own children, she loses herself to anxious thoughts, possible hallucinations, and wildly violent dreams. And then a body turns up. 😱 I can’t overstate the excellence of the voice in this book. It is razor-sharp, darkly funny, and begins with this line that I will never get over: “My mind is a snow globe in the hands of a toddler who’s shitfaced on apple juice.” The prose continues to be just as fresh and engaging throughout the rest of the book. The story itself is a delicious slow burn with Sharon Doering doing a masterful job of making us both fear and doubt each new twist that comes. She layers on the tension, the dread, the sense of foreboding, dealing out creepier and creepier details like a hand of cards we’re afraid to hold. I also love how she explores in vivid, terrifying ways the relentless anxieties of motherhood, showing us that caring for and deeply loving children can both strengthen and cripple a person. I highly recommend this eerie psychological thriller!

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Divorced Grace Wright and her 2 kids, 3 year old Chloe, and 8 year old Wyatt, moved into the neighborhood a few months ago. A few days ago, a neighbor told Grace that the guy living in the house right next to her is a suspect in the disappearance of a young girl 5 months ago. Since then, Grace has not slept. To make matters worse, she is attacked by bats while out jogging. Seriously, she's not having good days lately. But you can bet she's not going to let some pervert mess with her daughter.

First of all, I wouldn't make it 24 hours before I would automatically fall asleep but then, I've never taken Adderall so maybe staying awake days is possible. Grace is paranoid about everything and I do mean every single thing. Her obsessive thinking almost got on my nerves. I didn't know if her thoughts & hallucinations were caused by her meds, lack of sleep, or if she was simply batshit crazy. The story was a rollercoaster ride. Not boring but sometimes a little crazy. It's not a crime story, but it's a debut novel and I bet this author has a good future.

[Judy Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG!!! Sharon Doering's SHE LIES CLOSE absolutely has my vote for the "Best Debut of 2020" and the "Most Entertaining Humorous Thriller of the Year! I started reading it late Friday night. I slept for one hour and I was back reading. and did not stop until I finished!

Where has this author been? I adore her writing style and her dark humor reminds me of Karin Slaughter, Kaira Rouda and Victoria Helen Stone. This book and author will be a New York Times Bestseller and I cannot wait to see what comes next. I will read anything she writes. It is like nothing you will ever read. More please!

This book is so good and the quotes are off the chart. I bookmarked many many pages. An excellent psychological thriller, delicious dark humor, spot on character development and full of emotion. Get this one on your list NOW! Standout.

My new favorite author. Top books of 2020. My full review coming soon!

[Maddie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to this book on audiobook more or less nonstop for four days straight. At one point my spouse walked into the kitchen while the book was playing and said gently, “Do you enjoy listening to this?” “That is an excellent question,” was my answer.

The book was well written and the pacing was engaging. However, I lost track of the plot approximately six times amid cloying internal monologues, an abrupt and uncomfortable romance, and dialogue between the narrator and her two small children that was at once arbitrary and endless. The last 2% of the book, where everything is revealed, was somehow the longest and least exciting part. I wish I could say I loved this book, but it felt more like reading the diary of a troubled coworker than a thriller. I think I might also hate the unreliable narrator trope.

Anyway, if anyone figures out whether or not I enjoyed listening to this book, let me know. I’m still not sure.

[Robin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dear Publishers and Authors: This is the last time I'm going to say this. From this point forward, I am simply going to give your book a 1-star rating. STOP MAKING FEMALE CHARACTERS UNRELIABLE NARRATORS!!! STOP. STOP. STOP. STOP. STOP. Is this clear for you now?

Women do NOT appreciate reading books where the main female character is a complete nut job or drunk who makes questionable or really just STUPID decisions and conclusions. I will say this again for the last time in a review. Women are NOT stupid. Women do NOT jump to hysterical, stupid conclusions. STOP writing female characters this way!!! Even more damning is the fact that it's constantly done by female authors. I could almost understand it if male authors were the ones doing this. Unfortunately, it is not men, but women doing this. Please find a new trend to jump on and ditch this one.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was odd. The narrator is unreliable and annoying. The ending feels wholly unearned.