Blog Tour: The Good Neighbor by Cathryn Grant

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Sometimes the past just won’t stay buried.

When 14 year old Brittany disappears one night, her parents are devastated, certain she has been taken.

They can’t bear to think about who has done this and what might be happening to their precious girl.

Even worse, the police seem to see them as suspects, implying that they may have had a part in their own daughter’s disappearance. Only their neighbor, Taylor, is a rock. She organizes search parties, feeds the volunteers, works night and day to help them find Brittany.

But as this affluent California community becomes focused on the hunt for the missing girl, it slowly becomes clear that her disappearance is linked to terrible secrets from the past.

Secrets that must be kept hidden at all costs….

The Good Neighbor is a gripping psychological thriller that twists and turns as it races towards its nerve-shredding climax. Perfect for fans of K. L. Slater, Teresa Driscoll and Mark Edwards.

Wow…

And you thought you had problems?

Insanity is only one tragedy away.

This is Cathryn Grant’s first book I have read and holy shit it packs a punch.  This book is the tipping point for me to immediately add a few more of hers to my TBR (I seriously don’t need to be adding more but screw it…I can rest when I’m dead).  I love the way she has weaved a chilling tale that in all honesty is completely believable.  How real it was scared me acutely.  I’m in awe how she used the enormity of a mother’s love and twisted and twisted and twisted until it became something else entirely.  How far will a mother’s love go?  Can you love someone too much?

It’s no secret that I love a psychological thriller, and this delivered, straight.to.the. door.  The synopsis had me at the first sentence and I was already buckled in and ready for a tale of thrills, suspense and a secret that was better of buried, or was it?  Can a good intention be done for the wrong reasons?  Do we deserve to make decisions for vulnerable people no matter the consequence?  This is what Cathryn Grant examines under the microscope. 

The prologue is a shit your pants opener.  It quite literally goes for the jugular.  “There was so much blood.”  This instantly had my attention and the author held it there for the entirety of the story.  The story picks up in a privileged Californian community and you get a real feel of how secluded and out of the way they are.  You also start to get little hints about how something is off – What’s the issue with Moira?  Why is there something so off about the daughter, Brittany?  From the offset the visual doesn’t match what they are being told.  Warning bells are ringing, and they are deafening.  The authors writing style had me captivated and I was on the edge of my seat awaiting the next twist to be revealed.  The main characters are strong but with flaws but equally the supporting characters are just as relatable.  They don’t suffer or stand in the shadow of the MC’s; they enrich the story and give it a 3D quality.  Taylor is one of these characters – she is what I would hope humanity is all about.  She has that never give up approach to life, she has hope and love and wants to see the best in people even it has a detrimental effect in her own life. 

Moira was an odd character to me right from the bat.  She behaved oddly, she had odd reactions to her neighbors and how she was with her daughter.  Christ on a bike!  I get the whole you want to protect your daughter from all the bad in the world, keep them from harm and keep them innocent for as long as possible but you really can’t wrap them in cotton wool!  Children need to grow up, they need to be given the freedom to make their own mistakes, otherwise there is going to come a day when your child is going to turn against you for not allowing them to experience these things.  She proclaims to the police that they were a happy family and that they never argue…the police are baffled.  I’m baffled.  What teenager doesn’t argue with their parents over this or that.  They time and time again insist that Brittany isn’t like normal teenagers, she doesn’t argue over the rules, she doesn’t want what other teenagers battle over.  Why is that exactly? Why is she so different?  Moira and Alan are hiding something.  They protest just a bit too much. 

The novel is a swift descend into madness.  Everything happens very quickly, and I read this book in two sittings (damn the need for sleep).  Who is guilty of Brittany’s disappearance?  It’s like whispers, over time they change, and the original is no longer the same.  You can tell where its leading, but the journey shocks you all the same.  There is a sinister figure in the corner and it’s never quite forgotten.  The ending is off the charts, can a perceived good thing cover up a world of hurt or are you so broken that you can’t see past your reasoning and won’t let anyone stand in your way.  No-one. Nothing. 

The Good Neighbor packs a swift punch.  You’ll stagger, you’ll trip and before you know it, you’re on your knees reeling from the truth.  It’s addictive and terrifying as hell.  A story so tragic you don’t know which way is good and bad.  A toxic tale of motherly love.

Thanks to Emma @ Damppebbles for my spot on the blog tour and for the copy of the book.  All thoughts are my own. 

Meet The Author

Cathryn’s fiction has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen Mystery Magazines, The Shroud Quarterly Journal, and The Best of Every Day Fiction. Her story “I Was Young Once” received an honorable mention in the 2007 Zoetrope Fiction contest.

She’s the author of the Alexandra Mallory Psychological Suspense series, Psychological Thrillers, Suburban Noir novels, The Haunted Ship Trilogy, and the Madison Keith Ghost Story series.

When she’s not writing, Cathryn reads fiction, eavesdrops, and tries to play golf without hitting her ball into the sand or the water. She lives on the Central California coast with her husband and two cats. 

Social Media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CathrynGrant

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CathrynGrant.Writer/

Website: https://www.cathryngrant.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cathryngrant_fiction/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cathryn-Grant/e/B004G1I484?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3&qid=1566901527&sr=8-3