Jenifer Ruff hits it out of the park again with The Bad Neighbor! Book 9 in the Agent Victoria Heslin series delivers a perfect blend of suspense, intrigue, and tension. Set against the picturesque yet eerie backdrop of Mountain Meadows, this novel keeps you guessing as FBI Agent Victoria Heslin uncovers dark secrets buried beneath the polished facades of a seemingly perfect neighborhood. The plot twists and turns as the layers of deception unravel, leading to an edge-of-your-seat conclusion.

Victoria’s relentless determination and sharp instincts shine through as she digs deeper into a chilling mystery that spans years. The more she investigates, the more dangerous the neighborhood becomes, and I loved how even the most mundane suburban activities took on a sinister tone. Ruff’s ability to create nail-biting suspense while maintaining a rich sense of place is outstanding.

Although The Bad Neighbor can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend starting from book 1 to truly appreciate the depth of Victoria’s character. Fans of Kendra Elliot, Melinda Leigh, and Lisa Regan will be thrilled with this compelling, twisty thriller. A must-read for any crime fiction lover!

Thanks to Ms. Ruff, the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

An interesting premise. I enjoyed it the drama of everyone on the street and thought Victoria was an interesting character with a fraught past.

This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really enjoyed this book!

This was the first book I read of the series and I didnt feel like I missed anything by skipping the other books. I was drawn in to the story from the first page. Victoria was full of all the stuff an FBI agent should have and when looking for the truth about what happened to Zoey. It was frustrating to have to put the book down to get back in to real life tasks. I will for sure be adding all of the Agent Victoria books to my TBR pile now!

Victoria Heslin, FBI agent turned suburbanite, finds herself embroiled in a neighbourhood mystery when a new neighbour vanishes. With her fiance Ned, she investigates the disappearance, uncovering a web of secrets and suspicious behaviour. This latest instalment in the series continues to deliver thrilling suspense, lovable characters, and a touch of canine charm.

The story starts with an introduction to the neighbourhood and the neighbours, in the past and present. I found this slightly confused, but it soon settles into a strong path as it progresses with Zoey's disappearance which is a mirror of the previous resident 5 years prior and Victoria taking centre. The FBI agent works to unravel the mystery of Zoey's fate through a tangled web hiding under the outwardly perfect manicured lawns and forced smiles of the residents of Mountain Meadows. A thrilling, intriguing and addictive read.

This book has excellent characters, but a rather basic plot, and I really don't like a story that's jumping back and forth in time. However, despite the storytelling, it's an entertaining book.

I could not put this book down. I liked the mystery and suspense promised from the very first chapter, it catches your attention pretty early on and I thoroughly enjoyed the pacing of this story. It never felt dull or as if it was dragging. Speaking of the chapters I could seriously appreciate a book with shorter chapters, it gives you a little sense of accomplishment as a reader every-time you finish a chapter. The book gives me similar vibes to the movie monster house so if that was something you loved growing up you would love this book. While this book can be read as a standalone, it is part of a nine book series I believe, I am looking forward to reading the others as this seriously caught my eye.

It has all the aspects of a mystery/thriller you need:
- Constantly questioning "who did it?"
- Feeling shivers during the eerie scenes
- Suspenseful moments that have you turning your page faster
- Realizing you don't know your environment as much as you thought you did

I like our main character and the world she's in. I just wish there was more POVs from Victoria's perspective as the whole "FBI agent" thing really intrigued me. Sometimes I wanted more of that.

All in all great book! Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in advance.

Main Takeaways:
- Suspenseful
- Eerie vibes
- Multiple POVs
- Who did it?
- 100% Recommend this book

This is my first Agent Victoria book, and I appreciate that each one in the series can be read as a standalone. This is the ninth installment, and there were clearly a few references to previous books, but they all felt well-explained and contextualized for a new reader.

I liked the fast-pace, short chapters, and felt the multiple POVs did a good job of building out the mystery that was afoot in Mountain Meadow. The cast of primary characters felt distinct, and I was definitely interested to see how the disappearance of the previous homeowner and alleged embezzler tied into Zoe’s eventual disappearance.

I think I would have appreciated more chapters from FBI Agent Victoria’s perspective — I went into this expecting it to be primarily from her perspective, and it ended up feeling like she wasn’t very present until the end of the story.

The Bad Neighbor is a terrific mystery with great suspense and characters. The fictional Mountain Meadows community is an intriguing setting and one of my favorites in recent years. I’ve not read the previous eight books in the FBI Special Agent Victoria Heslin series, but as noted by the publisher, each book in the series can also be read as a standalone. Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing me with an ARC of this novel for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

When I spotted this title, it piqued my interest and I did a little further investigating. I love a good mystery thriller and it has been a while since I’ve come across a modern day one, I really enjoyed. There are a few factors I consider as a praise worthy read. Everyone is a suspect; motives are running rapid; opportunity is the icing on the cake. Those things are easily contrived but not always easily blended in with the flow of the story. Too much misdirection can make things a bit chaotic and before you know it the plot is lost to say the least. There is also the “it factors” when it comes to the right amount suspense, pacing, trickery and well-drawn out characterization. Most of all, a solid plot to keep the readers interest.

Did this book meet all the requirements? Yes, and more! I came into this series with the ninth book. To be honest, I’m a bit taken back I have not heard of this series before or the author. I made the right decision to choose this book to read and can’t wait to read the others!

Ruff assembles a great cast of characters and the pacing, suspense, the crime, the victims, the neighbors, the neighborhood and the brilliantly written twist and turns had me completely glued to this story until the end. When I thought I knew who had done it, other developments would happen that made the suspense all the more intriguing. There was a detail in the end about one of neighbors and her family that wasn’t fleshed out and I’m hoping it is because it will be included in the next book in the series. I do hope Ruff is continuing the series. I’m hooked!
I like Victoria Heslin no nonsense attitude when finding out Zoey was missing. She could have easily shrugged it off as a couples spat but she had a good head on her shoulders about the situation and reacted the way all law enforcement should. Victoria has good instincts and Ruff does a great job in portraying that attribute. Ruff also does an amazing job at making you really dislike a character(s). There was this one character who thought the worse of everyone and everything it seemed and it was great to see her come to the realization of just how wrong she was and her reaction to it figures with people like that. You’ll just have to read the book to find out more about what I’m talking about. I would also like to add that It was so refreshing to read a story without profanity and explicit scenes.
A great stand alone and an intriguing mystery with all the right elements!

An unpredictable, unputdownable, page=turning mystery with great suspense and characters. One reviewer stated one character was similar to Delores Umbridge and honestly, that's pretty spot on if I do say so myself.

I enjoyed this this book. Though part of a series, you can really read it as a standalone. It was a good popcorn suspense. This was a quick read - I finished in two days.

Zoey and her husband Chris move to a new neighborhood. Something isn't right about the people in this town. Luckily FBI Agent Victoria lives here and is on the case.

I enjoyed the characters. Grace Fairchild was the perfect blend of nice-nasty. The story became a little predictable midway. I had an idea about what was happening, but the author threw in a nice twist at the end.

This was actually my first mystery book ever and I am so glad too!! I thought I knew what was going to happen but the twist were never ending. It was a fast and easy read for me especially since the chapters were short. I read it in one sitting! Definitely a 10/10 for me.

This was my first read by this author and I am hooked! It’s well-written and kept me turning the pages in anticipation of what would happen next! The characters were interesting and well developed. The storyline was engaging. When I thought I had it figured out, something else happened to make me think a different way. It’s a quick and great read. I am definitely looking forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to the publishers & Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in advance!

I couldn’t put this book down, I read it in a day! Each page just wants to keep you reading until there’s no more pages to read!

If you love mystery / thrillers then this book is definitely the one for you.

Once again thank you to NetGalley for choosing me to voice my thoughts on this book!

This is the ninth book about FBI Agent Victoria Heslin, but there’s no need to have read the previous eight. Well, unless you want to know how Victoria met the hunky veterinarian, Ned, who is now her fiancé.

Victoria and Ned are lucky enough to live in an upscale Virginia subdivision (thanks, grandpa!) called Mountain Meadows (which in Utah is a creepy name since there was a massacre named just that). Mountain Meadows is a bit more than a cul-de-sac within a larger HOA, with a newly sold home where the previous owner went suddenly missing 5 years; a loner guy collecting unfinished home-improvement projects; a vicious Karen who is the self-appointed “neighborhood president”; and two or three maybe normal couples. The newcomers (who, my goodness, dared to install colorful bird feeders out front) are not feeling very welcomed. Victoria worries about being a “bad neighbor” since she’s a bit of an introvert and reticent about her well-known FBI reputation, but she and Ned spring into action when they find a pair of wandering dogs without their owner. Their owner, the female half of the new couple, Zoe, has suddenly gone missing, unexpectedly leaving her dogs’ leashes behind on a gazebo near a nasty pond.

I love this series and this one was one of the best! You can always rely on and root for Victoria, there’s usually a few adorable dog moments, and the mystery will keep you guessing. As soon as I finish one of the Victoria Heslin books, I want a new one! 5 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): SORT OF Author Ruff doesn’t ever have characters with green eyes, but this time there’s a cat!
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): Grace, there was no need to replace the yellow mums for an “autumnal” display! They are autumn flowers. That’s perennial abuse. Also, I totally get the fear of my dogs getting poisoned in a pond without proper maintenance….maybe the HOA should have addressed that sooner (like 5 years ago),

Thank you to Books Go Social/Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

I Wanna thank NetGalley for having this book available to read!

this one was a heck of a page turner! I loved the short chapters which kept me reading faster and faster to get to the end and figure out who did all of this! Some parts in the book were eerie. I loved the feelings when Zoey would be left alone and she would feel that chill down her spine of being watched. That makes me even more interested. With the different point of view chapters made it also interesting and easy to understand everyone. What I didn’t like was the ending.. just felt way to rushed and to predictable! Otherwise a not bad read!

5* Shades of Mercy Kilpatrick. I need more, like yesterday!

Wow, I devoured this book. Like the author says, every one stands on its own, though it's part of a series, and I wasn't lost at all.

It's very reminiscent of the murder-mystery books by Kendra Elliott and Melinda Leigh, with a strong female agent who gets to the bottom of a case, trusting her instincts as well as her solid detection skills.

There's not a ton to the plot - an abducted female - but there are plenty of shady characters and one female who's reminiscent of Delores Umbrage, who really deserves to be taken down a peg or few. At the end, though we don't get to specifically read about it, she's cancelled her cleaner and is having to clear up her own vomit.

I can't wait to read more and am off to check out the author's back catalogue.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Greyt Companion Press for my reading pleasure.

I have read a couple of books by this author. After reading The Bad Neighbor I can't wait to read more.
The characters are fascinating and the plot draws you in. I read this one in less than 24 hours!