Book Review: ‘A Neighbour’s Guide to Murder’ by Louise Candlish

Book Title: A Neighbour’s Guide to Murder
Author: Louise Candlish
Publisher: HQ
Number of Pages: 384
ISBN: 978-0008799595
Date Published: Aug. 13, 2025
Price: INR 360

Book Review

“A Neighbour’s Guide to Murder,” Louise Candlish’s most recent domestic thriller, exemplifies her ability to capture the essence of contemporary fears. The protagonist of this tale is Gwen, a lady who is rebuilding her life following a traumatic divorce and has at last found solace in her apartment complex. Gwen feels trouble when a delicate young woman named Pixie moves into the apartment across the street while Alex, a faded Britpop musician, watches suspiciously. Gwen becomes entangled in a murky “sex for rent” affair that has the potential to turn into a full-fledged moral panic as tensions across the island increase. Gwen soon finds herself doubting not only her neighbors but also her own position in an unsettling new social landscape due to the involvement of journalists, social media, and changing generational beliefs.

The author interweaves this story with relevant observations on generational gaps, housing insecurity, and the fuzziness of morality in a society influenced by social media uproar. The character of Gwen, who is torn between her own cautious outlook and her daughter’s generation’s fast-paced ideals, comes off as incredibly realistic. Her apprehension about the digital world her kids are embracing, her suspicion of Pixie’s motives, and her longing for a more humane society all speak to larger issues of how we adjust—or not—to societal upheaval. Through minor home observations, Candlish builds a slow-burning suspense that intensifies until the apartment complex feels like a powder keg on the verge of blowing up.

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This novel’s incisive critique on the modern world, where public opinion serves as judge, prosecutor, and executioner and online controversies have the power to instantly ruin names, is what makes it so captivating. By presenting imperfect individuals with ambiguous moral codes and requiring readers to negotiate the gray areas between guilt and innocence, Candlish avoids providing simple solutions.

Even Gwen is susceptible to being caught up in the storm, despite being the closest thing to a moral center. This gripping, thought-provoking, and unsettlingly realistic tale serves as a reminder of how brittle truth, stability, and trust can be in our increasingly unstable times. Its impact extends well beyond the last page.

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