Mark Edwards is an author whose books I always read. They are typically dark and gripping and real page-turners. The Psychopath Next Door is no exception, making me stay until way past my bedtime to get to the end of the story.

In this book, we get the POV from Fiona, a young woman fresh out of prison with an ax to grind. It takes a while to learn exactly why she’s targeted the Dove family.

In the other POV, we see things unfold from Ethan Dove’s point of view. He’s a middle-class, normal guy who owns a record shop and has two children. When Fiona moves in next door, she offers to help care for Ethan and his wife Emma’s daughter Rose. Their son Dylan is more interested in playing video games than anything else.

Rose and Fiona grow closer and Fiona notices she and Rose share a similar trait, I think it's what we would call “being a psychopath.” Fiona is excited to bring out this side of Rose.

This is a fast-moving novel and I liked it!

Synopsis:

Ethan Dove’s family has moved to a new home in a safe community, and it’s exactly the fresh start they need. Not only is his marriage to Emma hanging by a thread, but his son, Dylan, and twelve-year-old daughter, Rose, deserve to have a happy childhood.

After Rose is bullied by the boys across the road, Ethan is relieved when the woman who lives next door steps in. Fiona Smith has come into their lives at just the right moment, and when she offers to look after Rose during the school holidays, Ethan and Emma can’t believe their luck.

Which is exactly what Fiona wants. Because, far from being the perfect neighbour, Fiona is the last person you should trust with your child. With a vicious plot for revenge, Fiona is happy to train Rose to be her accomplice, especially when she begins to suspect that Rose might not be as innocent as she appears…

I was delighted to be able to get an advanced copy of “The Psychopath Next Door”, meaning that (after “The Darkest Water“) I’ve been able to read two books by my favourite author this year. The book also flowed very nicely after the previous book that I read, “The Survivors” by Caroline Mitchell. The premise, which can be garnered from the title of the book, is that a psychopath moves in next door to an ordinary family. But how ordinary are they all?

As is typical of Mark’s books, he manages to weave together a somewhat (I hope) fantastical story while having the hook, at least for a male reader, that you could imagine getting yourself caught up in something like the main (male) protagonist, Ethan. While Ethan comes across at the main protagonist, most of the key action surrounds two female characters; Rose (Ethan’s daughter) and Fiona, the next door neighbour. The story is fast paced and I got through the book quickly as I wanted to know what would happen. And I wasn’t disappointed.

As usual there were a few particular bits of text that stood out for me that I found either helped provide insights into a character or I found relatable in some way. For example, the following about Fiona,

She had been living here for a few days now, and free for nearly two years, but she was still able to appreciate the luxury of being on her own, of having her own stuff. Not having to look at or be looked at by anyone else.

and

Her dad’s parents had been ten-pound poms, part of that wave of British emigrants who took cheap passage down under, arriving on a ship in Fremantle in the fifties.

My aunt had been one of these ten-pound poms and never (other than a short visit) returned to the UK, living most of her life in Port Douglas, Queensland. This is the second book that I’ve read recently (the other being “Grave Talk” by Nick Spalding) that had an Australian link, although it was more subtle this time.

I liked the line,

I used to think that Lionel Richie must have written ‘Easy’ before he had kids – Sunday mornings were far from relaxing for a long time!

I could certainly relate to this for many years.

Ethan and his wife, Emma, are having marital difficulties. As Ethan says at one point,

we had become co-parents rather than friends or lovers. I was almost embarrassed when we started seeing the therapist, because it was all so unoriginal.

While this sounds quite conventional, I liked how Mark creates situations that show the challenges Ethan was facing and how the psychopathic neighbour was able to get close to the family. For example, Ethan is happy when there’s an additional person (in the form of Fiona) at the house as he knows this would stop any arguments flaring up with Emma. Linked to the marriage problems, Emma as described as having had ‘an emotional affair’ with a friend. I don’t think I’ve come across this term before, which Ethan describes as not involving her sleeping with the other person but having ‘lots of intense feelings’, and I liked it how the book didn’t resort to the more typical type of affair. However, Ethan points out the problem with an ’emotional affair’,

‘I think that was even worse. Maybe. I mean, at least I don’t have images of her naked with him to haunt me, of the two of them in bed. But they had a “special connection”.’

When Emma talks about her ’emotional affair’, as well as confirming there was nothing physical, she describes it as

I was a little bit in love with him. That infatuated, new-person kind of “in love”, when you meet someone that you feel you have a connection with.

Emma also adds

Maybe it was just a twenty-year-itch thing. I don’t know. Marriage is hard, isn’t it, especially when you live in a world full of other people.

The line that made me laugh (not that it should be a subject to be laughing about – as Ethan notes ‘I was so tense because of my marital woes that I could barely function’) most about Ethan’s marital problems was when one character says to him,

‘Good luck with your missus,’ he said to me before he left. ‘My advice – bin her and find someone who looks at you like you’re made of chocolate.’

While most of the book is set in and around London, there is also mention of some other places, including Shropshire, where I am originally from, and which has appeared in a few of Mark’s books. But in reality, as with many of Mark’s books, the story feels like it could happen almost anywhere – that’s part of what make his books so relatable and chilling at times. Much of the climax of the book takes place in another venue which reminded me of another of Mark’s books, Follow You Home.

There is one piece of text, that takes up a whole page on my Kindle due to the large font size that I like to use, that I particularly liked, but which is too long to quote here. It relates to when Ethan hugs Fiona. I love the description of the hug itself and the descriptions of what goes through Ethan’s mind.

As noted earlier, while Ethan is the main protagonist, there are times when the focus is much more on Fiona, as can be seen from the first two quotes I provided. Another moment of the Fiona POV text that I liked was when she feels like stripping off and running naked across some fields, but that as

She pictured herself doing it, got deep into the fantasy, and when she emerged she didn’t know how long she’d been in a fugue state; was afraid, for a second, that she might have actually done it, which wouldn’t have been at all wise.

I find this sort of ‘fugue state’ very relatable – and worry about unwise things that I’ve done in them.

The line that I liked most in the whole book was

The kind of eureka moment that doesn’t make you want to leap out of the bath but jump into it and hold your head under the water.

There are so many times when I wish I could have used this line.

Overall, this book is another to add to the ‘classic Mark Edwards’ collection and I highly recommend it.

2* DNF. Sadly, not at all believable and at the sake time, very predictable.

This reads as if the author's throwing all that he's read/heard/watched about psychopathic characters and thrown them into the same book, and I'm sorry but I can't bring myself to believe that a psychopathic adult moves into a house next door to a psychopathic kid in the making - whose father seems to have a pretty good read in her, but seemingly doesn't tackle her - and inveigles herself into her world.

This right here is why I love Mark Edwards’ writing so much! This book had everything; suspense, twists, a demented child! I was hooked immediately! The way Fiona’s story was laid out was very well executed and it kept me wanting to read more. I really hope we get more of Rose’s story, please let there be a sequel! Excellent book overall!!

Wow, what a book! This is definitely one of my favourite reads this year and maybe even the best Mark Edward’s book.
I was completely engrossed from page 1 and loved the dark and twisted plot. It’s more than worthy of 5 stars, it’s a fantastic read!

This book starts off slow however it speeds up so quickly with heaps of twists and so much suspense, I could not out this book down. Yet again, Mark Edwards delivers an on your edge thriller with a fascinating and new storyline. Highly recommend.

Another Mark Edwards hit! Whenever someone is asking for thriller recommendations, Mark is my go to because his books hook you from page one...this one is no exception. Love that it's a continuation of the Magpies series but totally stands up on it's own if you haven't read them yet. Just know to expect the unexpected. It's dark and twisty in the best ways. As always in a Mark Edwards book, no one is safe! Fasted book I read this year. LOVED!!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

My heart is still racing from finishing this! I have not got enough words to describe how much I loved this book!

I wish I could go back to the start and read it again for the first time. I really liked how it was written from a male POV in most chapters, this threw me a bit to begin with , not sure why. It also seriously made me think about how, as a parent, you would react to your child turning out to be a psychopath. A lot of questions were racing around my head, especially as I have a daughter of a similar age.

An absolute winner for me, if I could give it more than 5 stars, I would!!!!

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am a huge Mark Edwards fan - Here To Stay and The Magpies are among the first books I will always recommend to new thriller fans. This book is set in the Magpies 'universe', with cameos from Lucy Newton, and it gave me the same tingles I got when reading The Magpies.

I loved everything about this - the writing, the scene-setting, the characterisation and the slow build of tension where you could feel that awful things were about to happen and the characters would have no way of stopping them. The ending was shocking, grisly and brilliant.

Another thing I love about Mark's books is that whilst absolutely awful, hideous things happen to the humans, the pets always get to live their best lives (hooray for Lola and Karma!)

I would 100% recommend this book, but would advise reading The Magpies trilogy first to get the most out of it, and just because it's fantastic!

THE PSYCHOPATH NEXT DOOR BY MARK EDWARDS.
5 stars
Release date set for the 28th of January 2025.
This is my first book by this author and it did not disappoint.
There's shocking twists and turns and i truly enjoyed this book.
I read this book all evening and during the night and finished it off this morning.
I was fully invested and engaged and flew through the pages.
I will be reading more of his work.

W.O.W what a fantastic read!
This was a great physcological thriller. When Fiona is released from prison, she buys a house, with the money her partner Maisie left her.. AS she mones in next door neighbours emma, ethan and their 2 children Dylan and rose get chatting and Fiona pushes herself into their lives., but there is a reason but what is it? Fiona sees something of herself in Rose and takes her under her wing., Rose's personality starts to change but why? What had Fiona been in prison for before moving next door to the doves. Cracking plot, highly recommend

Mark Edwards never lets me down with his twisty thrillers!
Ethan, Emma, Dylan, and Rose Dove have a new neighbor, Fiona Smith. Not only is she pleasant, but she takes an immediate interest in Rose. Being that it is summer break, and both Ethan and Emma work, she volunteers to watch Rose, saving the youngster, the humiliation of attending group summer activities. What is Fiona’s history, and what exactly does she want from Rose?
I’m not going to delve deeply into this one, but the title might be very appropriate. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, the author pulled the rug out from under me. As usual. Again. Well done. 4.5 stars.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley.
Totally and utterly hooked - couldn’t put it down!
You don’t have to have read the Magpies books to read this. Finished so you know there will be more - please Mark!!
If you haven’t read a Mark Edwards book you don’t know what you are missing.
Thank you and more more more please!

Another cracker by Mark Edwards! I really love this author's books, bad things that happen to ordinary people. This one is a continuation of the Magpies theme which is always good, and I found it more than a little unsettling. I guess that is the point, the examination of what makes a psychopath, the old debate of nature or nurture. Very disturbing, I am just thankful I don't have neighbours like those in the book (hopefully)!

The Psychopath Next Door represents a masterpiece by Mark Edwards. I have read all of his books, including those he co-wrote with Louise Voss. Up until this point, my favorite has always been Follow You Home, which was the first Mark Edwards book I read. I think The Psychopath Next Door shows how much Mark Edwards' writing has evolved over the years. There is great character development, scenes you can picture in your brain, wonderful and surprising plot twists and turns, and interesting connections to some of his prior work. I highly recommend this book!

A chillling thriller with lots of tense moments. Not to be missed. The author is very talented and knows how to get the reader’s attention from the very beginning. I highly recommend this book.

After some years writing stand-alone novels, Edwards revisits his “Magpies” universe with a very suspenseful book. The plot is as twisty as always and the characters are well built. Like the other volumes in the series, this one deals with normal, ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. Ethan Dove and his family are reasonably happy when they meet their new neighbor Fiona, who may not be as perfect as she seems. This novel put me in a conundrum. I was definitely rooting for Ethan, who is just trying to be a good dad and fix his marriage, but I also didn’t want Fiona to get caught. Rooting for one meant rooting against the other and it made me conflicted. The fact that Ethan’s daughter shows aggressive tendencies adds another layer of suspense. The plot is tight and so easy to read that I couldn’t put it down. I’m usually not a fan of changing POV but in this case it works. I am also extremely happy that Edwards’ psychopaths seem to have a soft spot for animals. Another great read!
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Thomas & Mercer.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!!

What a great book! I really enjoyed this book. I couldn’t put it down. The author has such a good writing style. This was a first for me by this author but will not be my last! I enjoyed the characters. They had good chemistry.

I received a complementary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the author and the publisher.
This is my first book by author Mark Edwards. The title drew my interest. This was a slow build as Fiona was making herself a regular in her new neighborhood. Fiona hides her feelings well and she decides her young neighbor Rose is like her and she decides to take her on as her mentor. When I got to the end I really was ready to see how this story could possibly end. And I must say I was not expecting what happened to happen. If you are interested in psychological thrillers this is one you shouldn't miss.

5 stars. Mark Edwards is a favorite author of mine. He did not disappoint with The Psychopath Next Door. This can easily be read as a stand alone book. In fact, I thought it WAS a stand alone book until the end where the author mentioned the Magpie series. I read that quite a while ago but do recall names and events. Anyway, Ethan and Emma Dove live in quiet suburbia with their children Rose and Dylan. Rose is 12 and Dylan is 15. A new neighbor moves in next door, Fiona. She is nice and so helpful. Fiona, though, has her eye on one of them. Actually 2 of them. Bad things begin to happen. Emma and Ethan had moved there to save their crumbling marriage, but it appears to be crumbling even more.

This book is fast paced. I loved it. No slow burn here. Every bit is packed with suspense, twists, and me longing for the book not to end. Well, end it did and what a fantastic ending. I seemed to be reading a lot of books lately where the ending just left me shaking my head. True book slump. This book took me out of the slump. I cannot wait to read more from him.

Thank you to the publisher and Nergalley for the ARC. I greatly appreciate it. I highly recommend this book.