The Girl Next Door : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Discover Patricia MacDonald
Review: Rather than review this particular book in depth, (I will leave that to the other reviewers), I would like to make a suggestion: Discover Patricia MacDonald! A previous reviewer stated that she had written three previous novels - actually, she has written quite a few more that. She is a very gifted writer of suspense fiction and should be giving Mary Higgins Clark a run for her money, but not enough people have discovered her yet.
After you finish this novel, you will be hooked. Run to your local bookstore and pick up the paperback issues of her previous novels and then hit the library or used book stores for the older stuff. Everything she writes is marvelous.
I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 because although this book is a real nail-biter, some of her others are even better! Look for "Suspicious Origin", "Not Guilty" and "Stranger in the House". Then go back even further for "Mother's Day", "Secret Admirer", "Lost Innocents" and "The Unforgiven" The list goes on... I am sure you will add her to list of favorite authors, as I have.

Rating:
Summary: A tense and gripping mystery.
Review: "The Girl Next Door," by Patricia MacDonald, is about a terrible act of violence that tears a family apart. Marsha Avery is the mother of three children, Nina, Patrick, and James, and the wife of Duncan, a respected physician. When Marsha is brutally murdered by an unknown assailant, Duncan is convicted and sent to prison. Although he has professed his innocence throughout the years, Nina is the only one who believes him.

Years pass, and when Duncan becomes eligible for parole, he is a broken man. He has been stripped of his medical license, and he lacks the friendships, money, and prestige that he once took for granted. His two sons are reluctant to associate with him. Only Nina has remained loyal and steadfast throughout the many years that her father has been in prison. Nina is horrified when her father tells her that he wants to return to the New Jersey suburb where her mother was killed. He insists that he needs to find out who really killed Marsha Avery. Duncan's fateful decision leads to unexpected and chilling consequences.

"The Girl Next Door" is a suspenseful psychological thriller that is hard to put down. The characters are nicely depicted, especially Nina Avery, the dutiful daughter who supports her father when everyone else has abandoned him. The plot is engrossing, with violence, romance, and enough surprising twists and turns to keep even the most clever reader guessing until the surprising, albeit melodramatic, conclusion. If you like intricate page-turners, pick up this fast-moving and exciting novel.

Rating:
Summary: strong psychological suspense tale
Review: Fifteen years ago Nina Avery returned home from her first date to find her mother dead and her father trying to shield her from the carnage. After an investigation Nina's father Douglas, a well respected doctor, is charged with the crime and found guilty of second degree murder. Her brother Jimmy, an alcoholic and drug addict, was placed in the care of neighbors where he straightened his life out, her older brother Patrick went on to college and married and had two children. Nina stood by her father while trying to find acting jobs in New York City.

At a parole hearing Jimmy fails to show up, Patrick speaks out against him and Nina does all in her power to get the board to let her father go free. Parole is granted and Douglas who swears he is innocent returns to the scene of the crime to find evidence that would exonerate him. Before he can find out anything he is murdered but someone made it look like suicide. With the help of the prison doctor, Nina takes up where her father left off and finds herself in danger from a killer she has known for almost two decades.

Fans of Marry Higgins Clark will want to read THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, the quintessential psychological suspense tale. The Avery clan is a dysfunctional but likeable family who pull readers into their angst laden drama and end up hoping they will recover from the traumas they have endured. Patricia Macdonald is a brilliant writer known for her works of intrigue; her latest novel is definitely her best but this reviewer will probably say that about her next novel too.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: strong psychological suspense tale
Review: Fifteen years ago Nina Avery returned home from her first date to find her mother dead and her father trying to shield her from the carnage. After an investigation Nina's father Douglas, a well respected doctor, is charged with the crime and found guilty of second degree murder. Her brother Jimmy, an alcoholic and drug addict, was placed in the care of neighbors where he straightened his life out, her older brother Patrick went on to college and married and had two children. Nina stood by her father while trying to find acting jobs in New York City.

At a parole hearing Jimmy fails to show up, Patrick speaks out against him and Nina does all in her power to get the board to let her father go free. Parole is granted and Douglas who swears he is innocent returns to the scene of the crime to find evidence that would exonerate him. Before he can find out anything he is murdered but someone made it look like suicide. With the help of the prison doctor, Nina takes up where her father left off and finds herself in danger from a killer she has known for almost two decades.

Fans of Marry Higgins Clark will want to read THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, the quintessential psychological suspense tale. The Avery clan is a dysfunctional but likeable family who pull readers into their angst laden drama and end up hoping they will recover from the traumas they have endured. Patricia Macdonald is a brilliant writer known for her works of intrigue; her latest novel is definitely her best but this reviewer will probably say that about her next novel too.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Like............WOW!
Review: I have read all of Patricia MacDonald's book, but this was the best. I read it in two days. You have to really admire Nina for having so much faith in her Dad with all the evidence against him. Especially since it is her Mom that he is convicted of killing. And, it had a touch of romance without all the sexual dancing that so many books have. I am not a prude, I just rather have a good book with a good story and this one delivered just that.

Rating:
Summary: Good read if you need a book in a pinch
Review: I ordered The Girl Next Door based on the description. While the book was a moderately good read, (I had no expectations of the book so to say i was dissapointed is not right because I was not.) it just didn't satisfy my reading need. Of course, all readers need to experience books for themselves and if they like thrillers (though this lacks a bit of thriller), you may wanna try this one. The story unfolds as most, with small speed bumps, and i can say i did not guess the bad guy. She did a good job with that one. I gave it two based on my reading standards.

Rating:
Summary: Very Suspenseful
Review: I really liked this book. It had quite a few twists and turns and was very well-written. The characters were well developed and I would definitely recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Good Book
Review: I thought this book was great. It just keeps you going. And the ending is something you would never expect. Very hard to put it down.

Rating:
Summary: Observations on the many facets of obsession
Review: 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 [e-mail].