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Risking reproach from English majors everywhere, sometimes a cliché is all that will work. Just as you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find the prince, a reviewer has to slog through a lot of average reads to find a keeper. THE GIRL NEXT DOOR is that pleasant surprise we all hope to find when reading a new author. Although she has written three previous novels, Patricia MacDonald is not yet well known but is sure to achieve that status if she continues to write like this.
THE GIRL NEXT DOOR is anything but what the title may imply. It is a deftly written thriller that will keep you reading well past your bedtime, as you try to unravel the carefully crafted clues that pepper the pages. In addition to the intricate plot, MacDonald has created characters who elicit empathy; you care about what happens to them. For me, this is rare in books that are not part of a series in which I have already grown fond of the players.
Nina Avery is a budding actress, working in commercials and off-Broadway theaters. She is affable, people like her and try to help her succeed. She is also the daughter of Duncan Avery, a convicted murderer, who is up for parole after spending 15 years in prison for the murder of his wife, Nina's mother Marsha. Nina never believed that her father was guilty and was as fiercely defensive of him as her brothers, Jimmy and Patrick, were condemning toward him.
Once Duncan wins his parole, MacDonald begins her exploration into the pathology of a dysfunctional family, and that's where the suspense begins. Her keen observations of the many facets of obsession are thorough without being tedious. The ending will surprise some, but others will see it coming about halfway through the book. She provides foreshadowing but neatly holds enough back to keep you guessing. Though the themes are often heavy, the tale never bogs down and there is even a bit of a love story included for us romantics. I am definitely looking forward to reading Patricia MacDonald's other books, STRANGER IN THE HOUSE, SUSPICIOUS ORIGIN and NOT GUILTY.
--- Reviewed by Maggie Harding, a substance abuse counselor in Phoenix, AZ who wanted to be Brenda Starr before life intervened. She also reviews for www.womenonwriting.com. To contact Maggie, e-mail Magster2@cox.net.
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