Lowland Way is the perfect neighborhood in every way. Family-oriented, quiet, upscale, beautiful homes and gardens. Perfect, that is, until those people move in and ruin everything.

Darren and Jodie simply aren’t Lowland Way material. Their used car lot in the front yard, loud music at all hours, and endless remodeling have enraged the residents on the street. They make sure Darren and Jodie know they’re not welcome, but what will it take to reclaim their perfect neighborhood?

THOSE PEOPLE was an entertaining, slow-burn mystery that really had me hooked from the beginning. Dealing with bad neighbors is something most people can relate to. Darren and Jodie were a nightmare, but even the seemingly perfect Lowland Way residents weren’t so flawless when you got beneath the surface. Lots of drama and tension there, which only gets exacerbated by the distressing situation.

I enjoyed this twisty, character-driven novel, and though none of the characters were particularly likable, I couldn’t look away. Satisfying follow-up to last year’s OUR HOUSE.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher thorough NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

The residents of Lowland Way are proud of their beautiful homes and tranquil neighborhood in South London. Therefore, they are unnerved when a boorish couple, Darren Booth and his partner, Jodi, move in and immediately reveal a lack of respect for "the prevailing culture." Darren and Jodi drink excessively, lace their crude remarks with profanity, and start a used-car business on the block. Furthermore, Darren, who fancies himself a do-it-yourselfer, has begun to renovate his house. First, he breaks down a wall, and later, he embarks on a project that generates ear-splitting noise and unsightly rubble. Darren and Jodi ignore the complaints of Anthony and Emma Kendall, who live next door with their six-month-old son. The Kendalls have good reason to be furious, since they are subjected to a cacophony of ear-splitting music on an almost nightly basis, thanks to Darren's love of hard rock played at deafening decibels.

In Louise Candlish's "Those People," someone dies, although we do not know the identity of the victim until later. The author fleshes out the story using flashbacks and witness statements, but keeps us in the dark until she is ready to reveal the truth. The book's themes include the snobbery of those who have made it and do not want riffraff ruining their comfortable lifestyle; the cracks that threaten previously sound relationships when husbands and wives are forced to deal with overwhelming emotional stress; and the misdeeds that law-abiding citizens are capable of in their desperation to protect what they have worked so hard to achieve.

"Those People" is a skillfully written, suspenseful, and at times, heartbreaking novel. However, since the factions on both sides of the conflict are clueless, self-centered, and reckless, it is difficult to care very much about their fate. The smug Naomi and Robert Morgan live next door to Robert's brother, Finn, and his wife, Tess. Tess is a stay-at-home mom who resents Naomi's bossiness and condescension. At least Sissy Watkins, "a touchstone of old-school decency," is a woman with whom we can sympathize. She is a divorcée who lives alone and is struggling to make ends meet by running a bed and breakfast. Finally, all-out war breaks out between Darren and his foes. Violence ensues, lives are ruined, and there are no winners in this cautionary tale about the perils of acting impulsively without considering the possible consequences. ( )

The story begins with a teaser about the horrific, unexpected death of a character that is not immediately identified, and then travels back eight weeks to the events that was the reason for that death on the quiet little block of Lowland Way....a pricy, and until Darren moved in, quiet London neighborhood. This is where Ralph and his "take-charge" wife, Naomi; Ralph's less than successful brother, Finn, and his wife, Tess; the overly stressed young parents, Ant and Em, and the determined Sissy, who has turned her home into a bed-and-breakfast after her husband's departure. Into this uncertain 'Garden of Eden" arrives the unrepentant commoner Darren, who promptly turns the house he has inherited from his Aunt Jean into a “disaster zone” of a construction site, blasting away at hard rock at all ungodly hours, taking up valuable parking spaces with the used cars he sells, and generally turning the "solid, unassailable respectability” of the neighborhood upside down. Soon he and his “other half,” Jodie, have upset and turned upside down the very last nerve of everyone on the block. Every neighborhood conversation turns to a heated discussion of ways, legal and ethical...and some unethical...to get rid of them. The story soon turns from light comedy to something very much darker. While some of the turns the plot takes strain credulity, and some of the characters are much better developed than others, the author convincingly portrays the effects of pressure on this social habitat as fault lines begin to open; both within the characters and within their relationships. Although the Darren character is not, like the others, Candlish allows the reader to glimpse this complicated man behind the persona that his neighbors have created. Unless you live under a rock, the issues raised will certainly resonate with readers who live in a "nice" neighborhood and want to keep it that way. ( )

3,5* ( )

Uh. Why did I read this? Well, I read a few chapters and then took to reading just the beginning of the chapter (the police report), skimmed through the rest of the chapter, and finished it. I couldn't stand any of the characters and the plot was tedious. Not worth reading. ( )