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Neighborhood Watch
A riveting and frightening tale of false accusation from the author of Eye Contact Twelve years ago librarian Betsy Treading was convicted of murdering her neighbor, the bohemian loner Linda Sue. After DNA testing finally exonerates Betsy, she returns to her suburban community determined to salvage her life and find the true killer. As she begins to pick apart the web of secrets, lies, and love affairs uncovered in the wake of her trial, Betsy suspects that her tight-lipped neighbors may know something that she has denied even to herself. In Neighborhood Watch, Cammie McGovern captures the nail-biting electricity of the best literary thrillers and zeros in on the subterranean tension abuzz in a town whose dark secrets threaten to obliterate the glossy façade of a perfect life. It is also the story of a woman coming into her own, finding her strength, and taking control of her life. It asks readers, what sort of price would
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
14 people are currently reading
1042 people want to read
About the author
Cammie McGovern
13 books656 followersCammie McGovern was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford and received the Nelson Algren Award in short fiction. Her work has been published in Redbook, Seventeen, Glimmer Train, TriQuarterly, and other publications.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 225 reviews
June 16, 2010
Way too much going on -- murder, sleepwalking, memory loss, AND cold fusion experiments in the basement.
January 19, 2013
Actually, my feeling about the book is "it's better than a 2, but not quie a 3"; however, I'll give it a 3 rather than am "it was OK" 2 star rating.
The premise of the book is that Betsy spends 12 years in prison for murdering her neighbor, Linda Sue, apparently while sleep walking. Now, she is being relaeased b/c DNA evidence proves she did not commit the murder. Betsy goes back to the same suburban neighborhood and mves in with neighbrs, since she and Her husband divorced while she wa in prison, in an attempt to figure out what happened.
As the story is getting set up and all the characters, especially all the neighborhood folks, it seems like an intriguing story. I get interested in figuring out this "whodunit". However, as the book goes along, the story gets weirdly convoluted, the characters get more bizarre and I'm feeling like I'm reading the script for a season's worth of Desperat House4wives. Reading this book confirmed my aversion to living in suburban housing developments. By the end of the book I was exhausted from all the twists & turns and strange characters that the ending seemed out of left field.
If you liked the TV show Desperate Housewives, you might find this book right up your alley!
I've read other Cammie McGovern books and really liked them; this one, not as well. I'll keep my eyes out for her next one and hope it's as good as Eye Contact.
The premise of the book is that Betsy spends 12 years in prison for murdering her neighbor, Linda Sue, apparently while sleep walking. Now, she is being relaeased b/c DNA evidence proves she did not commit the murder. Betsy goes back to the same suburban neighborhood and mves in with neighbrs, since she and Her husband divorced while she wa in prison, in an attempt to figure out what happened.
As the story is getting set up and all the characters, especially all the neighborhood folks, it seems like an intriguing story. I get interested in figuring out this "whodunit". However, as the book goes along, the story gets weirdly convoluted, the characters get more bizarre and I'm feeling like I'm reading the script for a season's worth of Desperat House4wives. Reading this book confirmed my aversion to living in suburban housing developments. By the end of the book I was exhausted from all the twists & turns and strange characters that the ending seemed out of left field.
If you liked the TV show Desperate Housewives, you might find this book right up your alley!
I've read other Cammie McGovern books and really liked them; this one, not as well. I'll keep my eyes out for her next one and hope it's as good as Eye Contact.
February 10, 2011
You wouldn't find too many novels classified as fiction/literature that will give you everything you would want in a true mystery. "Neighberhood Watch" does it.
This is a very low key novel that is almost totally devoid of action, but provides an ending that few will be able to unravel.
The story concerns four families living in an isolated cull de sac. Although the families interact with each other, all harbor secrets.
Betsy Treading, town librarian, has spent the last twelve years in the Connecticut Correctional Institute for Women. She has been convicted for the murder of her neighbor, Linda Sue Murphy.
Betsy wins her release when DNA testing shows she did not murder her neighbor. Betsy has nowhere to go and accepts her former neighbor's offer to live with them until she can get settled. She, obviously, finds it hard to move back into he old neighberhood, especially when her neighbors are still unsure of her innocence.
Betsy starts her own investigation to find out who the real killer is, and starts to discover the dark and hidden lives of her neighbors. The more Betsy gets involved the more difficult it becomes to separated the different stories about what happened the night of the murder.
"Neighborhood Watch" will give you plenty of possibilities and many characters to change your mind as to what happened that night, who is responsible, and just how it all came about. Although many will find the book a little sluggish in the middle, they will also find that the ending makes it all worthwhile.
This is a very low key novel that is almost totally devoid of action, but provides an ending that few will be able to unravel.
The story concerns four families living in an isolated cull de sac. Although the families interact with each other, all harbor secrets.
Betsy Treading, town librarian, has spent the last twelve years in the Connecticut Correctional Institute for Women. She has been convicted for the murder of her neighbor, Linda Sue Murphy.
Betsy wins her release when DNA testing shows she did not murder her neighbor. Betsy has nowhere to go and accepts her former neighbor's offer to live with them until she can get settled. She, obviously, finds it hard to move back into he old neighberhood, especially when her neighbors are still unsure of her innocence.
Betsy starts her own investigation to find out who the real killer is, and starts to discover the dark and hidden lives of her neighbors. The more Betsy gets involved the more difficult it becomes to separated the different stories about what happened the night of the murder.
"Neighborhood Watch" will give you plenty of possibilities and many characters to change your mind as to what happened that night, who is responsible, and just how it all came about. Although many will find the book a little sluggish in the middle, they will also find that the ending makes it all worthwhile.
November 5, 2016
Very interesting mystery, the main character Betsy Treading, a town librarian has been serving a long prison sentence for the murder of the lone single woman in her neighborhood. A murder she confessed to, but immediately wanted to recant, and had no way to do it without jeopardizing her defense.
Betsy has many problems, typical of most of us who have been socialized to behave within narrow bounds of acceptability. This is especially noticeable within the middle and upper-middle class, who often go into considerable debt to make it appear that they have arrived at, or ensconced in a certain level of achievement and acceptability. We are groomed by society as children to fall into certain behaviours, hold certain interests and attain a level of popularity and acceptance that will not disappoint our parents. Often we have family secrets that seem so shameful to us when we are young that we live in fear that they will be found out. This makes it extremely difficult to figure out who we truly are and what we are truly interested in and want to engage in and who we want to share our lives with as a balanced adult.
Cammie McGovern has selected a perfect foil for the investigation of how we lie to others and our selves. She sets her characters down in a typical middle class suburb, with homes that are much the same, likely 2 models with four elevations, the biggest changes between them being reverse floor plans....and how neighbors try to be the very epitome of what each feels is the perfectly happy and normal couple with or without perfectly happy and normal children.
Betsy gets exonerated and released from prison after serving 12 years and returns to her old neighborhood to try to figure out who the real killer is. She and her husband have been divorce and much has changed in the old neighborhood, and one of her old neighbors offers to let her stay at their home until she can get on her feet. Her ways of viewing life has changed over her years in prison and she sees her neighbors, friends and husband and the person she was 12 years earlier in a different light. This allows her to look back on that night when Linda Sue was murdered and figure out who was actually the real killer. Very insightful, and the perpetrator was the last person anyone would expect. Well crafted and very engaging.
Betsy has many problems, typical of most of us who have been socialized to behave within narrow bounds of acceptability. This is especially noticeable within the middle and upper-middle class, who often go into considerable debt to make it appear that they have arrived at, or ensconced in a certain level of achievement and acceptability. We are groomed by society as children to fall into certain behaviours, hold certain interests and attain a level of popularity and acceptance that will not disappoint our parents. Often we have family secrets that seem so shameful to us when we are young that we live in fear that they will be found out. This makes it extremely difficult to figure out who we truly are and what we are truly interested in and want to engage in and who we want to share our lives with as a balanced adult.
Cammie McGovern has selected a perfect foil for the investigation of how we lie to others and our selves. She sets her characters down in a typical middle class suburb, with homes that are much the same, likely 2 models with four elevations, the biggest changes between them being reverse floor plans....and how neighbors try to be the very epitome of what each feels is the perfectly happy and normal couple with or without perfectly happy and normal children.
Betsy gets exonerated and released from prison after serving 12 years and returns to her old neighborhood to try to figure out who the real killer is. She and her husband have been divorce and much has changed in the old neighborhood, and one of her old neighbors offers to let her stay at their home until she can get on her feet. Her ways of viewing life has changed over her years in prison and she sees her neighbors, friends and husband and the person she was 12 years earlier in a different light. This allows her to look back on that night when Linda Sue was murdered and figure out who was actually the real killer. Very insightful, and the perpetrator was the last person anyone would expect. Well crafted and very engaging.
April 28, 2010
I won this book through the first-reads program and I have to say I really enjoyed it... to me it was a mix of a women's Oz and a private citizen's Law and Order. Betsy Treading gets convicted of a murder she can't remember doing and spends 12 years in jail until DNA evidence proves her innocent. She should be happy to be out of the joint, but it seems life is more complicated that it once was, people have changed... she's changed, but one thing hasn't changed, she still wants to find the real murderer. As she looks into her past, she realizes things weren't always what she thought and people are hiding things from her. Will she ever find out what happened 12 years ago when her life was forever changed?
This book was so entertaining. The first half focused on her time in prison, the friends she made, and the fact that even though she's glad to be out, she's really going to miss it because after she gets out of prison, that's when things start to get complicated. This book is an absolute page-turner with drama at every corner. Every time I thought I knew who the real murderer was, McGovern threw me for a loop and I was way off. You have yourself second-guessing everyone by the end and believe me when I say, you will never guess who the real killer is.
This book was so entertaining. The first half focused on her time in prison, the friends she made, and the fact that even though she's glad to be out, she's really going to miss it because after she gets out of prison, that's when things start to get complicated. This book is an absolute page-turner with drama at every corner. Every time I thought I knew who the real murderer was, McGovern threw me for a loop and I was way off. You have yourself second-guessing everyone by the end and believe me when I say, you will never guess who the real killer is.
July 5, 2010
Miscarriages, prison romance, a murder, cold fusion, good books, eccentric neighbors, extramarital affairs, a mysterious cat, somnambulism, mental illness, a teen pregnancy, Buddhist monks---all this and more is tossed together to make an oddly tasty bowl of Implausible Soup. I finished this book and thought, "What the hell just happened?" There was entirely too much going on but I had a hard time putting it down, which is a tip of the hat to Cammie McGovern's writing rather than the chaotic and kind of silly plot of this novel. I've read Eye Contact (same author) and really liked it, so I haven't given up on McGovern yet.
October 27, 2015
I couldn't finish this book. I really did try, and I *hate* giving up on a book, but this one I just couldn't stomach. It's about a woman named Betsy who is wrongfully convicted of killing her neighbor while she was sleepwalking, freed on a DNA exoneration, and then presumably must find the true killer. I'm sure this author is a capable and well established author, but I found so many errors in this book that I just couldn't suspend any fraction of disbelief. Firstly, the author would have us believe that there are no mirrors in prison, and therefore the main character hadn't seen a reflection of herself in the 12 years she was incarcerated. Then she wanted us to believe that her heroine asked her husband for a divorce so that she, the prisoner, could have "a life." Save yourself the trouble of reading this book, and just read the last chapter, or find a spoiler elsewhere.
April 30, 2010
When I first read the synopsis for this book, I was excited to read this story. Unfortunately, this book was a big disappointment to me. The main character, Betsy, just didn't seem believable to me. The author spent alot of time describing Betsy's thoughts and emotions, but she still seemed so plastic. I thought the supporting characters were more well written than the main character (who hasn't had a rude, controlling neighbor like Marianne?). Also, the plot line didn't flow well for me. The chapters alternated between present day and past scenes, but they weren't put together in a cohesive way. I do have another one of Cammie McGovern's books, I hope I will be able to appreciate that one more than I did this particular book.
June 23, 2019
Audio by Coleen Marlo
July 4, 2011
I had difficulty connecting with this book. I found that the story line kept skipping around and the characters did not feel developed. It didn’t make sense that this ideal community could be so bizarre in the individual stories that were told.
Linda Sue, the newest neighbor was an interesting character but there was not enough about her to make her such a pivotal person. The idea of Betsy confessing to a murder she did not commit was a possibility but it took a long time to find out why this happened. When she was released from prison and returns to the neighborhood, I found the living arrangements and interactions implausible. She was found innocent and then came back to live in the community with the neighbors did not seem realistic. The ”Neighborhood Watch” group bringing in experts to help them work together on community safety issues is done in many communities but the idea of selling guns and locks etc felt a bit contrived.
There were some interactions between the characters such as the flashback where the librarian (Betsy the main character) and Trisha, the young neighbor which rang true for me.As a child I used to ride my bike to the quiet and cool McKinley Library in Sacramento where I hung out and read. Now, as a librarian my interaction with the kids that come into our library and want to be read, be seen and heard and have a safe, cool and friendly place to enjoy the world of reading I am taken back to the wonderful feeling I had as a child.
This novel may have been deeper that I experienced but for me and other may enjoy the lack of cohesiveness I experienced reading it. For me it was not as enjoyable read though I finished it appreciated the free copy provided to me from the publisher. I gave this a 3 star but would have probably given it a 2.5 if that was a possibility since it is better than a 2.
Linda Sue, the newest neighbor was an interesting character but there was not enough about her to make her such a pivotal person. The idea of Betsy confessing to a murder she did not commit was a possibility but it took a long time to find out why this happened. When she was released from prison and returns to the neighborhood, I found the living arrangements and interactions implausible. She was found innocent and then came back to live in the community with the neighbors did not seem realistic. The ”Neighborhood Watch” group bringing in experts to help them work together on community safety issues is done in many communities but the idea of selling guns and locks etc felt a bit contrived.
There were some interactions between the characters such as the flashback where the librarian (Betsy the main character) and Trisha, the young neighbor which rang true for me.As a child I used to ride my bike to the quiet and cool McKinley Library in Sacramento where I hung out and read. Now, as a librarian my interaction with the kids that come into our library and want to be read, be seen and heard and have a safe, cool and friendly place to enjoy the world of reading I am taken back to the wonderful feeling I had as a child.
This novel may have been deeper that I experienced but for me and other may enjoy the lack of cohesiveness I experienced reading it. For me it was not as enjoyable read though I finished it appreciated the free copy provided to me from the publisher. I gave this a 3 star but would have probably given it a 2.5 if that was a possibility since it is better than a 2.
April 27, 2010
May Contain Spoilers - I won this book in a First Reads Giveaway so this is an advanced copy and review....
I just finished reading this book, it was a quick read (only 2 days) at under 300 pages. There were many new twists/turns that kept me guessing. While I enjoyed McGoverns commitment to her character development and plot twists I felt that the jumpy connection between past and present hindreed the storytelling and made it difficult to follow at certain points.
The underlying theme to the book is how well do you know your friends, neighbors and loved ones, its hard to not find yourself questioning your own relationships when reading this novel, for that reason I found myself easily drawn into the book.
I would recommend this novel as a pleasure read.
I just finished reading this book, it was a quick read (only 2 days) at under 300 pages. There were many new twists/turns that kept me guessing. While I enjoyed McGoverns commitment to her character development and plot twists I felt that the jumpy connection between past and present hindreed the storytelling and made it difficult to follow at certain points.
The underlying theme to the book is how well do you know your friends, neighbors and loved ones, its hard to not find yourself questioning your own relationships when reading this novel, for that reason I found myself easily drawn into the book.
I would recommend this novel as a pleasure read.
July 25, 2011
I began reading this book as a way of taking a break of international conspiracies, zombies, vampires, alcoholic detectives, or wars between space empires.
I though that reading a literary book about a woman falsely accused of murder coming back to her old neighborhood to begin rebuilding her life and maybe find the real killed would be a good read.
I think I have been ruined by pop literature.
I found this book SLOOOOOOW, pretentious, confusing, and frankly, boring. Maybe I am too jaded and addicted to the "action" of other genres, but I just kept waiting for the twist, the big reveal, and when they came, I just said ho hum...
I am sure the book is well written and enjoyable. It just did not do much for me.
I though that reading a literary book about a woman falsely accused of murder coming back to her old neighborhood to begin rebuilding her life and maybe find the real killed would be a good read.
I think I have been ruined by pop literature.
I found this book SLOOOOOOW, pretentious, confusing, and frankly, boring. Maybe I am too jaded and addicted to the "action" of other genres, but I just kept waiting for the twist, the big reveal, and when they came, I just said ho hum...
I am sure the book is well written and enjoyable. It just did not do much for me.
August 29, 2010
Cammie McGovern's NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH is a gripping novel about a childless woman haunted by a string of miscarriages and more than a decade in prison. From a women’s prison where there are no secrets, to a suburban neighborhood where there are nothing but, Betsy’s search for the truth draws the reader in. Strong characterization and clever plotting overcome what might have been an implausible premise — that an otherwise intelligent woman would confess to a murder she can’t remember committing. To see the rest of my review, originally published in The Boston Globe, http://www.hallieephron.com/Prisoners...
May 7, 2016
Dear author,
No no. Just no. That's not how you end a crime book. I mean don't you know that you're supposed to have strong evidences, suspects, DNA testing, forensic reports, careful examination of the crime scene and then you let out how the killer proves positive to all the tests? You don't just say I'm sorry I killed her and end a book without any proof except of your words which can be one massive lie. Really. Maybe you should work on your crime tactics. I mean I give credit for all the mystery that you created but cmon this cannot be classified as a crime/suspense because of its oh so bad plot line. Honestly.
No no. Just no. That's not how you end a crime book. I mean don't you know that you're supposed to have strong evidences, suspects, DNA testing, forensic reports, careful examination of the crime scene and then you let out how the killer proves positive to all the tests? You don't just say I'm sorry I killed her and end a book without any proof except of your words which can be one massive lie. Really. Maybe you should work on your crime tactics. I mean I give credit for all the mystery that you created but cmon this cannot be classified as a crime/suspense because of its oh so bad plot line. Honestly.
July 23, 2013
This was a good book. It is a story about suburban living. How well do we really know our neighbors? This story is about neighbors on a street who form a Neighborhood Watch group, and then have to deal with the murder of one of their neighbors. You will discover the secrets that each character is hiding from their neighbors and/or loved ones. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy a murder mystery as well as friendships, and life-choices and how they affect our lives.
September 18, 2019
My sister lent me this book - a librarian in Connecticut wrongly accused of murder! What wouldn't there be to like about it? Turns out, plenty. The characters lacked depth and seemed too far-fetched and stereotyped to be believable. Add in a little cold fusion experimentation in a basement, sleepwalking, mental illness, and gay repression, and you have yourself a book that tried way too hard and turned up short.
June 24, 2010
I wanted to like this one...about a librarian wrongly convicted of murder. The plot and characters are contrived and disjointed. Can't believe I read (sorta) all the way to the end to find out the identity of the murderer.
September 1, 2019
Fun! Jumps the shark a bit with the mad scientists sub plot but otherwise a fun read.
January 24, 2019
This is an example of how a book can tumble from 4 stars to 2.
The interesting premise of a woman released from 12 years of prison falsely accused of murder gets mangled as different characters are teased to be the possible actual murderer. This is interesting for several hours of listening although so little is focused on actual murderer. Then there is Betsey, the falsely accused who apparently during her 12 years in prison hasn't focused as much on the crime as she does once she is out.
Adding to this is the fact this woman sleeps walks, had infertility problems with multiple miscarriages, a husband who discovered he was gay (she has no idea if he has a partner or not but kept contact for 12 years!). She also seems to have memory lapses. A poor dead cat is supposed to play a role here too as well as a young woman who spends time in psychiatric ward. There is hint of lust between her and a neighbor husband to throw us readers off the scent, and a jail house letter writing romance....then the biggie: A whole mess of info on cold fusion and nuclear combustion. Really. Lots of scientists in the neighborhood and everyone, police too? seem to understand about toxic waste, solar power, cathodes, test tubes, and energy. At one point our heroine, who holds no grudges for all the wrongs done her, is about to admit to a 2 nd murder...
The murderer is ultimately revealed and its no surprise but there is a moral to the story wrapping it all up.
The interesting premise of a woman released from 12 years of prison falsely accused of murder gets mangled as different characters are teased to be the possible actual murderer. This is interesting for several hours of listening although so little is focused on actual murderer. Then there is Betsey, the falsely accused who apparently during her 12 years in prison hasn't focused as much on the crime as she does once she is out.
Adding to this is the fact this woman sleeps walks, had infertility problems with multiple miscarriages, a husband who discovered he was gay (she has no idea if he has a partner or not but kept contact for 12 years!). She also seems to have memory lapses. A poor dead cat is supposed to play a role here too as well as a young woman who spends time in psychiatric ward. There is hint of lust between her and a neighbor husband to throw us readers off the scent, and a jail house letter writing romance....then the biggie: A whole mess of info on cold fusion and nuclear combustion. Really. Lots of scientists in the neighborhood and everyone, police too? seem to understand about toxic waste, solar power, cathodes, test tubes, and energy. At one point our heroine, who holds no grudges for all the wrongs done her, is about to admit to a 2 nd murder...
The murderer is ultimately revealed and its no surprise but there is a moral to the story wrapping it all up.
August 3, 2021
For me, three stars is "okay, " but here it's "liked it." I didn't like it so much as I wanted to finish it. At first it didn't interest me, and wasn't getting much read. The, it picked up and I reconsidered, only to lose interest again towards the end.
It felt like two stories crammed into one book. There was no relation to the "mystery" of the basement lab and the murder. All that scientific stuff and fusion and alternative energy really could have been omitted. The story was about a murder that took place 12 years earlier, that Betsy confessed to, for really odd reasons. Even finding out why, they were odd. There was definitely something odd about Betsy! One of the oddest, besides confessing and serving 12 years before she wised up, was her creepy "children." Sure, miscarriages (and at 5 months I'd say a still birth) are traumatic (I've suffered on early one), but... it's really, really odd to have these "children" living in her mind, not only named, but having personalities, and adventures. Being disappointed in the Christmas presents their mom "gave" them. She had lost touch with reality years before the murder.
I'm not too sure a relationship with a freed felon is the best idea for Betsy's mental health. She needs to get a handle on her own mental health, not worry about Leo's drinking issues.
It felt like two stories crammed into one book. There was no relation to the "mystery" of the basement lab and the murder. All that scientific stuff and fusion and alternative energy really could have been omitted. The story was about a murder that took place 12 years earlier, that Betsy confessed to, for really odd reasons. Even finding out why, they were odd. There was definitely something odd about Betsy! One of the oddest, besides confessing and serving 12 years before she wised up, was her creepy "children." Sure, miscarriages (and at 5 months I'd say a still birth) are traumatic (I've suffered on early one), but... it's really, really odd to have these "children" living in her mind, not only named, but having personalities, and adventures. Being disappointed in the Christmas presents their mom "gave" them. She had lost touch with reality years before the murder.
I'm not too sure a relationship with a freed felon is the best idea for Betsy's mental health. She needs to get a handle on her own mental health, not worry about Leo's drinking issues.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2019
This book could have been titled Suburban Secrets. It seemed that everyone in Betsy's close knit neighborhood was harboring secrets as well as Betsy herself. When Betsy confesses to Linda Sue's murder none of the neighbors come to her defense....how can that be? Her husband Paul is the only one who stands by her. Paul's best friend Geoffrey talks to all the neighbors after she's sent to prison but is that helping or hurting her chances of being exonerated? Who's really on her side? What are the neighbors hiding that could have helped in her defense? Betsy, who suffers from sleepwalking doesn't know what she can trust about her memories or the lapses in time she can't remember. Revelations and surprises around every corner make this a page turner.
I'm a fan of Cammie McGovern's writing. From young adult novels to adult fiction her stories have depth. The writing is intelligent without being intellectual. Her descriptions just enough to give you a sense without painting the entire picture for you, leaving something to the imagination. Her characters feel real, like people you know, people you can relate to, people you care about. In my opinion she's a must read author.
I'm a fan of Cammie McGovern's writing. From young adult novels to adult fiction her stories have depth. The writing is intelligent without being intellectual. Her descriptions just enough to give you a sense without painting the entire picture for you, leaving something to the imagination. Her characters feel real, like people you know, people you can relate to, people you care about. In my opinion she's a must read author.
September 3, 2021
This story had a whole lot going on in it. I almost think it was too much.
Betsy Treading was a librarian before she was sent to prison for 12 years for the murder of her neighbor, Linda Sue. She was released because there was no DNA evidence found at the scene of hers.
As the story goes on you learn that she has sleepwalking episodes where she blacks out and has no memory of what she's done. So once she gets out she's trying to piece together who actually killed Linda Sue. Betsy is staying with her old neighbors, Marianne and Roland. This couple also has a daughter named Ashley. This family has their own secrets from the past that get tied into Betsy's storyline while she's trying to locate the murderer of Linda Sue.
Then there's not quite affairs, but there is some feelings that are/have happened between neighbors.
The story overall sounded promising but the overall execution was just a bit too much. Way too much going on. Betsy also wasn't the strongest protagonist and she just seemed to be a bit wishy washy. The ending at least closed everything up, for the most part. Decent read but not quite the type mystery/thriller that I enjoy.
Betsy Treading was a librarian before she was sent to prison for 12 years for the murder of her neighbor, Linda Sue. She was released because there was no DNA evidence found at the scene of hers.
As the story goes on you learn that she has sleepwalking episodes where she blacks out and has no memory of what she's done. So once she gets out she's trying to piece together who actually killed Linda Sue. Betsy is staying with her old neighbors, Marianne and Roland. This couple also has a daughter named Ashley. This family has their own secrets from the past that get tied into Betsy's storyline while she's trying to locate the murderer of Linda Sue.
Then there's not quite affairs, but there is some feelings that are/have happened between neighbors.
The story overall sounded promising but the overall execution was just a bit too much. Way too much going on. Betsy also wasn't the strongest protagonist and she just seemed to be a bit wishy washy. The ending at least closed everything up, for the most part. Decent read but not quite the type mystery/thriller that I enjoy.
May 14, 2017
Keep a watchful eye on all your neighbors.... This suspenseful mystery by Cammie McGovern lets you in on all the secrets of the residents of Juniper Lane. Betsy Treading has just been released from prison after twelve years of being committed for a crime that she didn't do. At least, this is what Betsy now believes. After thinking over her confession to the neighborhood murder, Betsy comes across new evidence, new stories, and new lies that help her discover the real person behind the murder. It keeps you on your toes, only for the sake of discovering what actually happened. It was well-written, but used a lot of exposition in order to tell the story. Character development was really weak, and it was hard to actually picture the personalities of each person. There were a lot of twists, too many. Despite this, I still enjoyed the read as I followed along with every detail trying to uncover the mystery myself. The larger question at hand, though: Does Betsy, the librarian, make us wonder if the books we read really reflect more about us than we thought?
January 14, 2017
Before this past fall, I had never read a murder-mystery/thriller set in the suburbs with an unreliable female narrator who may or may not be involved in the crime. Now, I've read three in less than four months. Since this was published back in 2010, it's more a fluke of my reading habits than anything I could actually blame the author for, but it's true that it compares poorly to my recent read-alikes.
The beginning of the story is strong. The way McGovern describes Betsy's life in the women's prison is intriguing, and Betsy comes off as an unusual and interesting narrator - a past-middle age (McGovern is vague with her age, but her white hair is mentioned several times) woman who has just come out of a 12 year incarceration for a crime she didn't commit. There's a sort of zen to the early chapter Betsy, a feeling that she's walked through hell and found a sense of purpose there. You don't expect suburbia to be able to rattle her.
Unfortunately, it's in suburbia that the story really starts to fade (and most of the story takes place there). McGovern's attempts at social commentary and psychological insight fall flat. The characters feel like stereotypes gleaned from other media, not people that you might actual wind up with as neighbors. As more and more of the dark secrets that everyone in Betsy's suburban community seems to have been keeping get revealed, the farther and farther the story drifts from believable reality, with some aspects edging closer to science fiction. It becomes truly annoying how many male characters Betsy is romantically entangled with in some way, shape, or form, and the sheer number of words the author devotes to spelling out (or rather, never spelling out, but implying in infinite shades of excruciating detail), the exact nature of the relationship between Betsy and Geoffrey and Paul and Geoffrey is eye-rolling at best, especially since Betsy contradicts herself on this point repeatedly.
Worst of all, Betsy deteriorates as a character. As the narrative digs into her suburbanite self, the zen prison librarian disintegrates into a neurotic mess of a 70s housewife who occasionally reminds us that she is also a dang good librarian--when she's not totally falling apart or making questionable relationship choices. (I don't think the book was supposed to be set in the 70s, but I constantly got that vibe from the writing). She wasn't strong, she wasn't intriguing (being a mess of issues does not make you interesting by itself), and by the end, I didn't find her likable. Despite all the crap she had been through, I didn't feel like she "deserved" a happy ending. I wasn't really rooting for her to piece together the mystery or to get her life back. In fact, she comes across like she really was her best self those last few years she was in prison... and maybe she should have stayed there to continue being that best self.
The story plays fast and loose with Betsy's memory issues, and it does it in a way that is downright frustrating for anyone who cut their mystery teeth on Agatha Christie and "fairplay whodunnits." We know from the beginning that there are periods of time which Betsy can't remember--either because she was having sleepwalking episodes or because she was asleep and simply didn't form memories--and we know that everything happened 12 years ago and so her memories of things she didn't think were important at the time are naturally foggy. All of that is fair enough. However, throughout the course of the story, Betsy is constantly unearthing "repressed" or forgotten memories... that aren't from sleepwalking episodes or closely linked to them, and so shouldn't have been forgotten by all of the "rules" we learn about Betsy early on. She also "revises" certain memories--remembers things happening one way, and then several days later suddenly remembers that it happened completely differently. I understand that memory is a terribly complicated thing, but there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to why Betsy would suddenly remember something that (it later turns out) didn't actually happen. This is fundamental to the plot of the story, and the way it is written made me seriously confused as to how I was supposed to understand the motives of the killer.
Plot threads are dropped constantly. The story lacks focus, shifting constantly from present day to suburban past to prison life with little warning or reason. There doesn't seem to be any point at all to including Betsy's prison romance in the story, except perhaps to give her a man that is not entangled at all in the murder plot. Most of the characters come across as plot devices, and most are uninteresting plot devices at that (although I was genuinely invested in Trish).
By the time the story plodded to its (by then, telegraphed) conclusion, I was more than ready to be done with this story. Unfortunately, the ending was a disappointing as the rest of this intriguing, but ultimately limp mystery.
The beginning of the story is strong. The way McGovern describes Betsy's life in the women's prison is intriguing, and Betsy comes off as an unusual and interesting narrator - a past-middle age (McGovern is vague with her age, but her white hair is mentioned several times) woman who has just come out of a 12 year incarceration for a crime she didn't commit. There's a sort of zen to the early chapter Betsy, a feeling that she's walked through hell and found a sense of purpose there. You don't expect suburbia to be able to rattle her.
Unfortunately, it's in suburbia that the story really starts to fade (and most of the story takes place there). McGovern's attempts at social commentary and psychological insight fall flat. The characters feel like stereotypes gleaned from other media, not people that you might actual wind up with as neighbors. As more and more of the dark secrets that everyone in Betsy's suburban community seems to have been keeping get revealed, the farther and farther the story drifts from believable reality, with some aspects edging closer to science fiction. It becomes truly annoying how many male characters Betsy is romantically entangled with in some way, shape, or form, and the sheer number of words the author devotes to spelling out (or rather, never spelling out, but implying in infinite shades of excruciating detail), the exact nature of the relationship between Betsy and Geoffrey and Paul and Geoffrey is eye-rolling at best, especially since Betsy contradicts herself on this point repeatedly.
Worst of all, Betsy deteriorates as a character. As the narrative digs into her suburbanite self, the zen prison librarian disintegrates into a neurotic mess of a 70s housewife who occasionally reminds us that she is also a dang good librarian--when she's not totally falling apart or making questionable relationship choices. (I don't think the book was supposed to be set in the 70s, but I constantly got that vibe from the writing). She wasn't strong, she wasn't intriguing (being a mess of issues does not make you interesting by itself), and by the end, I didn't find her likable. Despite all the crap she had been through, I didn't feel like she "deserved" a happy ending. I wasn't really rooting for her to piece together the mystery or to get her life back. In fact, she comes across like she really was her best self those last few years she was in prison... and maybe she should have stayed there to continue being that best self.
The story plays fast and loose with Betsy's memory issues, and it does it in a way that is downright frustrating for anyone who cut their mystery teeth on Agatha Christie and "fairplay whodunnits." We know from the beginning that there are periods of time which Betsy can't remember--either because she was having sleepwalking episodes or because she was asleep and simply didn't form memories--and we know that everything happened 12 years ago and so her memories of things she didn't think were important at the time are naturally foggy. All of that is fair enough. However, throughout the course of the story, Betsy is constantly unearthing "repressed" or forgotten memories... that aren't from sleepwalking episodes or closely linked to them, and so shouldn't have been forgotten by all of the "rules" we learn about Betsy early on. She also "revises" certain memories--remembers things happening one way, and then several days later suddenly remembers that it happened completely differently. I understand that memory is a terribly complicated thing, but there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to why Betsy would suddenly remember something that (it later turns out) didn't actually happen. This is fundamental to the plot of the story, and the way it is written made me seriously confused as to how I was supposed to understand the motives of the killer.
Plot threads are dropped constantly. The story lacks focus, shifting constantly from present day to suburban past to prison life with little warning or reason. There doesn't seem to be any point at all to including Betsy's prison romance in the story, except perhaps to give her a man that is not entangled at all in the murder plot. Most of the characters come across as plot devices, and most are uninteresting plot devices at that (although I was genuinely invested in Trish).
By the time the story plodded to its (by then, telegraphed) conclusion, I was more than ready to be done with this story. Unfortunately, the ending was a disappointing as the rest of this intriguing, but ultimately limp mystery.
May 17, 2017
Cookie cutter homes and secrets...
A twisted tale of murder and secrets on a street where all the houses are alike, but the people within...well, they hide secrets from themselves and their neighbors. Who killed Linda Sue? Was it the protagonist who served twelve years in prison, or is another person in the neighborhood? Follow the paths, let the story unfold, as Betsy trues to figure it out, too.
A twisted tale of murder and secrets on a street where all the houses are alike, but the people within...well, they hide secrets from themselves and their neighbors. Who killed Linda Sue? Was it the protagonist who served twelve years in prison, or is another person in the neighborhood? Follow the paths, let the story unfold, as Betsy trues to figure it out, too.
January 26, 2021
I can't even tell you how long this book had been sitting on my bookshelf, but lockdown seemed as good a reason as any to finally read it.
I really enjoyed this one. It was about so much more than what was written on the back, and I always appreciate when you don't learn all of the secrets before reading a book. Betsy was so incredibly relatable and I could really see how someone could end up in a situation like this.
I really enjoyed this one. It was about so much more than what was written on the back, and I always appreciate when you don't learn all of the secrets before reading a book. Betsy was so incredibly relatable and I could really see how someone could end up in a situation like this.
September 17, 2017
While it was nothing spectacular that I have never read before, I still enjoyed Neighborhood Watch. Prior to this I read an almost 1,000 pages novel that took a long time to get through. It was nice to have a quick read. I think the perfect time to read this type of novel is between summer and fall.
July 10, 2019
Very engaging with good character descriptions.
The old adage that the killer is someone you least suspect applies here.
I didn't figure it out. The plot twists and turns a little too much to my taste toward the end, but overall , I really enjoyed it. Wasn't familiar with the author prior to finding this book.
The old adage that the killer is someone you least suspect applies here.
I didn't figure it out. The plot twists and turns a little too much to my taste toward the end, but overall , I really enjoyed it. Wasn't familiar with the author prior to finding this book.
January 12, 2020
This book took some really unexpected turns! The science subplot was super unusual and interesting. The whole story was full of people making morally questionable, gray area decisions and it kept me interested until the end.
September 22, 2021
Deserves a higher rating by more readers. Well done story telling with much depth & not predictable. A real pleasure reading such an interesting & complex story in about half the length of most stories in this genre.
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