Title:	Quiet Neighbors
	Author:	Catriona McPherson
	Published:	2016, Midnight Ink
	No. of Pages:	360
	Cover Price:	$18.95 Hardcover, $10.99 Kindle

---

In Quiet Neighbors, by Catriona McPherson, Jude, who is a librarian, runs away after a painful divorce and the death of her parents. She runs to a small town where she vacationed the summer before and fell in love with an old, messy bookshop. The owner of the bookshop hires her to clean up and organize the shop, and invites her to live in his house. However, when his daughter shows up, he lets Jude live in the gravedigger’s cottage where her neighbors are quiet. As Jude goes through the books in the shop, she finds notes from people long dead, and finds the cottage she lives in was previously occupied by one of the now quiet neighbors.

Lowell, the owner of the bookshop, has secrets, and Jude is forbidden to look at his picture collection that is locked away in the bookstore. Lowell’s daughter says she’s pregnant, but Jude thinks she’s lying and simply putting on an act. As the story unfolds, the suspense is palpable, and readers will be on the edges of their seats.

McPherson is quite good at characterization, and the personalities of the main characters come through. They seem real, albeit a little strange, so the story will keep the interest of readers. From the moment the story begins, there is a aura of suspense, and as more facts are brought out, the book is very difficult to put down. The story is dark, and that aspect also adds to the suspense. By the end of the novel, readers will be surprised at what has really been happening. While this is not a particularly fast read, it is interesting, and those readers who want something different will enjoy the book.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying an advanced review copy of this novel.

This book may be purchased at Amazon:
Quiet Neighbors: A Novel, hardcover
Quiet Neighbors: A Novel, Kindle