The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Child psychologist Anna Fox lives in a small New York neighborhood. She lives in her house alone, and spends her time watching old black-and-white movies and spying on her neighbors. Anna suffers from PTSD and agoraphobia, brought on by an accident she was involved in. When a new family moves into the house across from hers, Anna begins watching them. And when she says she witnessed a crime in the house, no one believes her due to her prescription drug and wine addictions. Did it really happen? Or is Anna hallucinating as everyone seems to think?
This one was recommended by one of my daughters. I have to say, I had a hard time getting into it at first. The beginning part of the book seemed to drag a lot with not much happening. Since Anna doesn’t ever leave her house, and is reluctant to let anyone in, it was a bit repetitive for a while. Still, there were too many intriguing pieces to just put it down. What was the story with Anna’s estranged husband and daughter? Who was Jane, the neighbor’s wife? And the new folks’ son seemed to be hiding secrets of his own. Once the story got going, it was as twisty and surprise filled as the Alfred Hitchcock movies Anna was so fond of. (Rear Window was the first that jumped to my mind, but there are nods to several.) By the end, I had figured it out, but it kept me guessing longer than many mysteries I’ve read.
The chapters vary a lot in length, some being no more than a few paragraphs, but it suits Anna’s sometimes shaky mental state and the ups and downs she rides as she tries to get her bearings on what she thinks she saw. It did make the reading move along quickly. Anna herself is a complex character- likable one minute, and frustrating the next. Her battles, both in her mind and with the pills and wine, are written very well and the broken parts of her personality are sometimes almost frightening in their reality.
The plot does take a bit to get going, but once it does, there are enough twists and unexpected revelations to keep the pages turning. Readers who enjoy a well-written mystery with psychological twists should enjoy this. Anyone who loves those old Hitchcock movies will love the references and homage given to the classics here. Worth the read.
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Coming in December 2018: Two’s Company, a sci-fi novel in the space opera tradition.
Medusa “Deuce” Grainger is smart, confident, and as good a pilot as she is a poker player. A freelance shuttle jockey working for an independent terraforming company, she’s left her former life, and her father, behind. Mostly.
Now, her AI has downloaded another Personality off a wrecked ship, and he’s acting oddly ever since. Someone wants to sabotage her friend’s company out of business, evidence of tampering is being corrupted, and people have died. With an investigation looming that could shut down the company and cut off her main source of income, Deuce needs to figure out what’s going on. And she needs to do it fast, because there’s more at stake than anyone realizes.
Two’s Company is listed on Goodreads. If you like what you see above, I’d appreciate you adding it to your Want To Read list. Thanks!
Available now :
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