Liz and Adam Dawson are newlyweds from East London. When Adam’s father passes away in Southern Australia, the couple travel there in order to settle his affairs. Adam’s Dad’s house was on the remote side of a creek and they live there on a temporary basis. Liz clearing out his father’s effects, while Adam commutes regularly to Sydney so that he can handle the legal side of the estate.

Liz really minds the long days left alone in this foreign place. She hates the house and the location and can’t wait to return to London. She has a perfect view of the three grand houses across the water from the loft in her father-in-law’s house. She takes to watching them with binoculars she finds in the loft. She wonders if Adam’s father used them to spy on his neighbours too….

She becomes obsessed with her neighbours activities – even more so when the beautiful woman in the middle house, along with her darling baby girl, goes missing…

A woman alone (for the most part), on the other side of the world from her home. An isolated locale, neighbours who are acting in a suspicious manner, and previous emotional trauma…. The setting played a huge part in giving this novel the ‘creepy’ factor. A tidal creek with few access points from one side to the other, one of which was via a mangrove.The characters in this thriller were well depicted and I could easily imagine them and felt I knew them in some small way.  If I had one grievance with the book is that the narrative jumped from person to person, and time line to time line too often. Or, at least often enough that I found myself wondering when the action was taking place.

This book examined parenthood. Those who wish desperately to have children, childless people and those who have children who they never really wanted. It also examines issues of trust and betrayal.

The story was suspenseful and the plot well executed. The ending was simultaneously satisfying and a tad ambiguous.  A great conclusion for a psychological thriller novel.

This is my first read from Ingrid Alexandra, and I would readily read another of her novels. Recommended!This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from One More Chapter (an imprint of HarperCollins UK) via NetGalley.

Publication date: July 9, 2020   Publisher: One More Chapter

ISBN: 9780008355487    eBook: 9780008355494    ASIN: B07RPNHSMP    384 pages

Ingrid Alexandra was born and raised in Sydney and now lives on the New South Wales central coast.
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Her work has previously been long-listed for The Ampersand Prize and while living in London, Ingrid had the privilege of being mentored by the Guardian First Novel Award shortlisted and Nestle Prize winning author Daren King.
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THE NEW GIRL was her first psychological thriller, debuting in July 2018. Her second, ACROSS THE WATER, was published on 9th July 2020.

Follow Ingrid Alexandra on Twitter and/or visit her website.