The Neighbor

Lisa Gardner Detective D.D. Warren series are very entertaining, fulfilling my need for escapism. She creates mysteries that are imaginative and intricately woven. The Neighbor does contain some flaws. I could do without the details of the Detective’s desire for an intimate relationship. It’s unnecessary and her manner is overly crude. The back-stories are lacking for some of the most critical characters. Finally, the ending is wrapped up to quickly; leaving ends loose causing me to want more. Nevertheless, similar to my last Gardner read The Neighbor was hard to put down. I read until 10pm last night. Today, between meetings, waiting in my car because I am always early, I was happy for the extra free moments to read. Although I am not thrilled that her paperbacks are commonly found in supermarkets or pharmacies I am going to read Gardner’s mysteries freely and try to change my book snob demeanor. One should never judge a book by its cover, especially when so much enjoyment is gained. As a pre-teen I ate up every Agatha Christie novel available. Gardner may be my new Christie.

Reading this book made me think of Gone Girl. This particular Gardner must have influenced Gillian Flynn as the style and even the premise are similar. I would love to hear if this opinion is shared by any of my blog readers. Let me know!