The House Across the Street by Jill Childs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The House Across the Street is a new release Popcorn Thriller from Jill Childs. This is my first work from this author and it did keep me at attention and entertained.
This is a neighborhood drama following a few different perspectives. The main focus is on Anna and Lily, life-long best friends. They grew up across the street from one another, and have grown up more as sisters than friends.
Anna is a single mother to a 11-year old daughter, Cassie, who she gave birth to when she was just 17. They were barely done school by the time Cassie was born, but Lily never deserted Anna, like many other teen girls might of.
As adults, even with all that has gone on in the past, they are still present in each other lives. One night, at the start of our story, Anna spies across the street, through the windows of Lily’s father’s home, someone who shouldn’t be there. It’s ominous and she fears something is wrong.
After investigating, Anna’s fears are proved true. Someone has murdered Lily’s father in his bed. After the authorities are notified and it appears that Anna is the only witness, she begins to receive threatening notes.
Fearing the killer may be after her, or worse, after her daughter, Anna stops aiding with the investigation, even though she had promised Lily she would help.
There’s back and forth between Anna and Lily as we try to piece together what the hell is going on in this neighborhood. We also get a bit from Cassie, as she tries to understand all that is happening around her, and why she may suddenly be a pawn in someone else’s game.
Overall, this was a good story. It did nothing wrong, it’s fast-paced and well-told, but I can’t say I found it overly-compelling, or memorable.
It’s simple, easy to follow, and could be great for someone looking for a quick read to distract them on a road trip or while doing some housework. It’s definitely a story I’ll forget pretty quickly though.
I did feel like the male characters were very forgettable. It took me over half the book to even realize that Anna’s ex-boyfriend and Lily’s brother weren’t the same person. That’s not necessarily a good sign.
I also was a little turned off by a couple of twists at the end, but that is purely personal opinion. Others may find them to be jaw-dropping and interesting.
I’m happy to have given this one a listen. The audiobook was well narrated and I wouldn’t be opposed to picking up more from this author in the future.
Thank you to the publisher, Bookouture, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
I love a good Popcorn Thriller every once in a while. They’re great palate cleansers amongst some of my darker reads.