Was looking forward to reading this book as I can't remember having read any other books by this author.
The book started well and kept interest but towards the end I felt that the storyline fell flat and can't say I was surprised by the outcome. The characters were, on the whole, likeable but some just fell flat!
Too many coincidences and a storyline that left me a little unsurprised.
Book was OK but not edge of my seat stuff! Can only award 3 stars as some of the ways in which the characters acted and spoke really weren't too believable.
Many thanx to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

The Couple Across the Street by Anita Waller was a story with two major story lines involving the main characters of the book. I enjoyed the pace of this book and it kept my attention. I do think these two stories did not come together as well as I had hoped but were well developed and entertaining. Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my ARC.

Pitched as a psychological thriller, I found that it was only in the final third of the novel where things really ramped up and the twists to the plot began to appear.

Throughout the book, there are two distinct storylines; one concerning Claire’s discovery that her deceased husband had fathered a son without her knowledge and the other centred on neighbour Vic, who discovers her husband murdered after finally finding the courage to leave him after years of abuse.

I liked the way the author builds up a detailed portrayal of both families before the police interviews start to reveal long hidden secrets and connections between the two in their search for Rob’s murderer.

The writing style is easy to read and the chapters short which helps to maintain the overall pace and flow of the story.

The timeline is set around the death and funeral of Queen Elizabeth and this was cleverly woven into the narrative.

While Eloise is not one of the central characters, I found her to be one of the most likeable and especially enjoyed the references to her ‘mashing’ tea, making chip butties and welling up at the images of the Queen lying in state.

An entertaining read.

With thanks to the author, Rachel at Random Resources and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to participate in the tour.

I received this book as an advanced copy from Netgalley

Recently widowed Claire is cleaning out things and decided she wanted to use her husbands deck in her work room. While she is cleaning it she finds a secret drawer with a fathers day card to him signed by Jed with a photo. She starts wondering who this Jed is and starts to hunt him down. Was he a secret son her husband had?

Very interesting story and well written. Enjoyed it a lot and read it in 2 days!

This book was ok, I felt it dragged a bit at the beginning but then picked up towards the middle and end. I thought perhaps the story was trying to go in too many different directions and wasn’t sure whether to be a crime story or not but overall it was ok x

Although I struggled at the start of this book it did pick up and became more interesting as the story unfolded. The ending was really good.

truggled to finish.

I felt like the story was trying to go in too many directions and had multiple plots and it just didn’t fit well together.

This opinion on this book is my own and new mystery readers might enjoy it.
This was my first Anita Waller book and I will try her again.

Thank you Boldwood Books for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Claire, recently widowed, is clearing her husbands desk out and stumbles upon a secret drawer. Inside is an envelope with a Father’s Day card signed Jed and a photo of a child she doesn’t recognise. Did her husband have a secret child? Claire does her best to track Jed down, until he tracks Claire down. Meanwhile, Claire’s best friend across the road leaves her husband Rob after her beats her up. Claire and Vic go to gather some of Vics clothes and discover a body in the house.
A compelling tale of two halves that become entwined. Anita Waller always impresses with her writing technique and cunning plots and this book is no exception. The main characters have empathic traits and really feel for their situation. You will be hooked from the beginning on this thriller.

2.5stars
Clare Staines has recently been widowed and as she is accepting her husband's death and clearing out her house she learns that her best friend Vic is being abused at home. Vic doesnt want anything to do with her husband anymore as he has become moody, withdrawn and abusive.
As the story progresses, Vic finds her husband Rob dead in the middle of a blood pool and cannot believe her eyes!
Who killed Rob and why? What happened in the past that could have led to this murder?

Overall an ok book - till ab0ut 30-35% there's only description about the characters and no suspense, thank you to netgalley, Anita Waller, Boldwood Books for the widget in exchange for honest review.

This mystery surrounds two families who live across the street from each other. The women of the two couples are best friends. One of the women, Clare Staines has recently been widowed. Her solicitor husband John, passed away at only fifty-three from cancer. She finds that although she does miss him, she is adjusting to living on her own much better than she thought she would. Then quite by accident, she discovers that John betrayed her in the worst possible way.

The other woman, Vic Dolan, has been having marital troubles, the latest of which saw her husband Rob being physically violent towards her - so she moved out. When Clare and Vic return to Vic's house to clear out some of her things, they find Rob dead.... bludgeoned to death.

Set near Sheffield, this crime thriller features members of the South Yorkshire Police. It is the week of the Queen's funeral, so police manpower is thin on the ground. The murder of Rob Dolan has few detectives investigating, but they do an excellent job.

The other characters in this mystery story include Clare's two adult daughters and their partners, as well as a young man named Jed who lives with his grandmother.

There were no great surprises in this novel. I had things sussed out fairly early, and was only a little off. The characters were well depicted and the plot well rendered. Having said that, I found I didn't like this book nearly as well as the author's previous novel "Fatal Secrets". For me, it was just missing an unidentifiable something, though I'm sure it will garner a lot of mystery fans who love it.

3.5 stars rounded up

The couple across the street has two different stories that merge nicely together. Clare’s husband does and leaves secrets behind and her best friend and neighbor Vic deal with tragedies and secrets and lies. A fast paced suspense

Nobody knows what goes,on behind closed doors and this story is no exception! A great read and definitely worth a read.

I really enjoyed this! The writing style and plot were very simple, but nicely done. As more came out towards the end about the characters' back-stories, it became easier to guess who the killer was and sometimes that's best.

Secrets, lies and murder - you just don't know what goes on behind closed doors.

This book has two storylines interwoven throughout and even though they have nothing to do with each other I did rather enjoy the two plots. When Clare is clearing out out her late husbands study she finds evidence of a secret that he had been hiding for many years, a son. In another part of town a young man is searching for his father, and I loved how that storyline brought them all together. Whilst this is going on however Clare's friend and neighbour Vic has fled her husbands violence and returns to the street to find him dead. Now with a secret love child and a murder on her doorstep Clare soon discovers more secrets from the past that will rock her family to the core.

4 stars

Thanks to #netgalley and Boldwood books for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. My first time reading from this author and it wont be my last, lucky for me there is a huge backlist to read! This was a fast paced domestic type thriller that had me staying up past my bedtime. It was a a whodunit style thriller with 2 main storylines that are separate but involve the main characters.
A great combination of sad, dark characters with some touches of humour tucked in along the way.
A very enjoyable twisty read that kept me guessing. #thecoupleacrossthestreet #anitawaller #netgalley #tea_sipping_bookworm #boldwoodbooks #getlitsy #thestorygraph #thriller #mystery #domesticthriller #kindle #bookqueen #bookstagram

I absolutely loved The Couple Across The Street. I was initially drawn to the character Vic as we share a name and when I saw her husband was called Rob - the same name as my husband - I could not resist it. I loved how the two plot lines in the story intertwined and I was totally hooked all the way to the ending that I did not see coming.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my ARC.

Another fantastic thriller by @anitawallerauthor I was drawn in from the first page as always. The twists kept me guessing and racing through chapters. I wouldn't have seen that ending, nor will I forget it in a hurry.

This was a good book. There were two different storylines, both very interesting. First there is Rob’s murder, and then there is the secret that Clare finds out! Due to the two story lines, there is always something interesting happening. When I say that I had no idea who the murderer was, I mean I was in complete shock when that information was revealed! I didn’t even have an inkling, and I really thought it was going to turn out differently. I will say this, while I did enjoy the books, the police officers really annoyed me. I just didn’t think they were intelligent at first. I wanted to scream at them, “Don’t you know how to do your job?!” But I guess evoking strong feelings about a character is a good thing! Overall, I think any one who loves a thriller or suspense book would enjoy this book.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW


Review for 'The Couple Across The Street' by Anita Waller.


Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Anita Waller, Boldwood, Book & Tonic and Rachel's Random Book Tours .


Publication date 20th June 2023

This is the first book I have read by this author.


This novel consists of a Prologue, 37 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!


Absolutely loved this fast paced, gritty and unputdownable psychological thriller filled with emotions and secrets!!!

This book is fantastically written with vivid descriptions that absolutely grip the readers attention and puts them right in the middle of it all making your heart pound and you constantly second guessing.


A huge success by Anita!!! This may be the first book I have read by this fantastic author but it most certainly wil not be my last and I've already added all the rest of her books to my Amazon wish list. This book had me hook, line and sinker from the first page and I could not put it down!!! Every time I said one more chapter it ended on a cliffhanger and I just had to know what was going on!!! This kept on happened over and over until before I knew it I had devoured the whole book in one sitting!! If you are going to read this then clear your day because it is truly unputdownable. I started this this morning and finished it at approx 2pm, reading it in one sitting. This is one of those fascinating books that will have you questioning the characters and yourself throughout!!! You have no idea who to believe and if any other of them can be trusted!!! There is plenty going on to keep the reader glued to the pages and I loved how Anita brought the multiple storylines together, weaving them together without giving too much away. It is ram packed with twists, turns, murder, secrets, deceipt and surprises you'll never see coming. I definitely didn't and I have read hundreds of crime and psychological books so a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS Anita!! It is getting harder and harder to surprise me but you managed it in this successful, chilling and page turning psychological thriller!!! Grab your copy and jump on the rollercoaster ride of secrets, family, suspense, chills, twists, thrills, mystery and everything you could ask for in an epic page turner!!! It is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture. The characters are strong and realistic and Anita's fantastic writing skills brings each of them to life.


This may be the first book I have read by this very talented author but it most certainly won't be the last and I cannot wait to get stuck into more of her previous and future books!!!

Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the first chapter of Anita's 'The Family At Number 12' which promises to be just as addictive as this book and is one I'm definitely looking forward to reading myself!!

Overall an addictive and gripping psychological thriller rammed with secrets and twists!!


Genres covered in this novel include Fiction Mashups, Women's Psychological Fiction, Hard-boiled Mystery, Domestic Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Literary Fiction, Suspense Thriller, Psychological Literary Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Women Sleuths, Noir Fiction, Womens Psychological, Domestic Thriller, Thriller, Mystery ,Thriller & Suspense Literary Fiction, Psychological Suspense, Suspense Thriller and Thriller amongst others.




I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of 'Gone Girl', 'The Wife Between Us', 'The Woman in the Window', 'The Girl on the Train' ,Lisa Jewell, ,Ruth Ware, Paula Hawkins, Gillian Flynn , Freida McFadden, K.L Slater, Daniel Hurst. Shari Lapeni, Lianne Moriarty, 'The Wife Between Us', 'The Housemaid' and anyone who loves a book filled with suspense and surprises!!


287 pages.


This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited and £9.99 in paperback via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!


Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.


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The Couple Across the Street by Anita Waller is pitched as a mystery book, however I got the impression that it didn't know what it wanted to be. A ficton book, police procedural or a mystery.

The book started as a novel, very character driven, slow burn story about a woman and her life. All of a sudden there is a murder, pretty grusome and violent, Then another story starts, then it moves on to the police investigation.

The overall impression is not bad I just think that the author spread the story in too many different directions with different plots.
The conclusion was not to my liking, I thought it was pretty simple and tame for crime of that kind.
There could have been two books instead of one and it would have been less confusing.
Nevertheless, it is not a bad choice for those just starting with reading mysteries.