The Cul-de-sac by Joy Fielding is about 5 families who live on a cul-de-sac in Florida. One night a gunshot was heard, who was shot and who was the shooter. This book kept me guessing because all the families living there were all keeping secrets and do you ever really know your neighbors. I really liked this book and highly recommend it. Thanks to Netgalley for my arc.

Joy Fielding’s latest novel, Cul-de-sac, is an interesting “beach read.” There are 5 houses on the cul-de-sac, all occupied by disparate, unhappy people - newlyweds with mother-in-law problems, a mother separated from her husband with a rebellious teenager, a married couple with an abusive husband, an elderly widow with a grandson addicted to “weed” who steals from her and, finally, an out of work husband who lies to his wife and is an alcoholic.
Despite the closeness of the 5 houses, the neighbors do not really know each other and an attempt at a 4th of July block party has disastrous effects.
An underlying theme of the book is guns - both for sport and protection.
This reader was fascinated by the interweaving of the individual stories - stories filled with mostly unlikeable and unsympathetic characters - and read with tremendous interest to discover the victim alluded to in the prologue.
This is one of the author’s best books and I thank NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this soon to be best seller and, perhaps, a future movie or TV series.

Five families live on this Florida cul-de-sac. Every one of them has their dreams, secrets & problems, Some of them own guns. Each chapter of this utterly addictive read is about a different household. The story flows beautifully & pulls the reader in to a front row seat to the drama taking place inside each home. Extremely well written. WARNING: Best read when one can put everything aside to immerse themselves in this voyeuristic thriller.

My thanks to Netgalley, the exceptional author Joy Fielding & the publisher Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the free ebook I was granted in return for my honest opinion.

This book is about the lives of the families that live on a cul-de-sac in a suburban city of Florida, the secrets they have and hide from each other. What will they do to keep these secrets hidden? These secrets slowly come out and wreak havoc in each family as well as in the friendships they all have on the cul-de-sac. I enjoyed the slowly increasing tension as each characters' secrets were exposed and the stunning climax.

Solid Psychological Thriller Escapism

I have not read Joy Fielding’s fiction for a long time. Reading this book is reminiscent of her ability to move the reader through the story. She can chop up the chapters to keep you wondering what will happen, “telling” you to turn the page, keep going.

She has a solid cast of characters, each with his or her own foibles. Definitive personality disorders are entrenched in many of the characters. Some of the male characters in this mystery show behavior disorders. At the worst level is Nick, the esteemed oncologist, who is an abuser, both verbal, but mostly physical. He pushes the reader to want to get out a gun and point it at him.

Then there is Aiden, a PTSD sufferer, who is under the malicious rule of his mother, Lisa, who is an extreme example of the worst mother in the world.

And the women, they suffer from these men or their own insecurities. They are not always painted as wonderful either. Fielding takes a good shot at Erin, teen age daughter of Maggie, probably the most gracious female and better friend. These people and other couples live in the same cul-de-sac. They are truly physically close neighbors.

Everyone seems to conceal secrets, all have serious problems. One husband, Sean, who lost his job, keeps lying to his over-the-top understanding, hardworking wife that he either had a great interview, will be hired, is hired and on and on. He became tiresome but believable.

There are five households for the reader to ponder and no less than five accessible guns.

My gratitude to NetGalley and Ballantine for this pre-published book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Wow, I usually have mixed feelings about an alternating narrator but I don’t think I’ve ever been so invested in characters lives!! Devoured this book from start to finish and loved every second of it!

A shooting occurs in a normally sleepy suburban neighborhood in Florida. We quickly learn that the 5 families that live in the quiet cu-de-sac are not exactly what they seem to be. Each character has secrets and lies that will be revealed in time.

I am a fan of Joy Fielding and have read several of her books. This wasn't my very favorite so far, but still a very good book. If you enjoy books with lots and lots of characters, this one may be for you!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine Books for allowing me to read an arc of Cul-de-sac by Joy Fielding. Many years ago I read all of Joy Fielding’s books. Then I changed genres and moved on. I was so thrilled to be approved for this book, and happy to see her writing is as good as I remember. I didn’t like any of the characters at all. Additionally, there were so many people and so many stories that it was hard for me to keep track of who was who. Each of these families could have been a book! Three and a half stars for the writing, rounded up to four.

It’s almost summer in tony Palm Beach Gardens, Florida and the thoughts of the residents of Carlyle Terrace have turned to…guns.

It seems like all the neighbors on this small cul-de-sac are armed. From the prologue, we know that someone has been shot. We don’t know who the victim was but we will learn that many had a motive.

Could the killer be Aiden, a war veteran with PTSD who lives with his wife Heidi and his domineering mother?

Or newly separated Maggie who lives in such fear that she carries a gun with her everywhere she goes?

Maybe it’s the 84 year old widow Julia who has her husband’s old service revolver and a drug using grandson living with her.

And then there are the Drs. Wilson, an oncologist and a dentist, whose secrets threaten to break through their carefully crafted facade.

We can’t forget Sean, either. His deception and lies have put him in a dark place where he sees no way out.

This is Joy Fielding’s twentieth novel. She is a master at suspenseful plotting and developing characters who make you feel like you’ve known them forever. Cul-de-Sac could not be anything but a 5 star read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books and Joy Fielding for this ARC.

Great story. My big complaint is there was little made, little told of the escalating event. Lots of buildup & an epilogue as well. Not enough story on the actual event. Still a good read.

Wow, what I fantastic, unputdownable thrill ride! The character development was flawless, which help invest me to the story! I loved the many dizzying twist and turns, thrilling thrills, bone chilling chills, and gasp worthy shocks! I found it to be very fast paced and absolutely hard to put down! I cannot wait for more by this author and will definitely be looking for some of her older books to read! Highly, highly recommend!

Will make sure to buzz around and use low Amazon reviewer number on release date!

Five families living on a cul-de-sac in Florida, all with deep secrets laying just below the surface. Each family has access to guns and someone on the street will not survive. A page turner, Joy Fielding at her best.

The author has written an excellent thriller that captures your attention right from the start. Five families are living in a cul-de-sac that appears to be a quiet happy neighborhood. Someone is shot at the very beginning of the book but we don’t know who or why. Below the surface, each household had it’s secrets and multiple characters had reasons to be the victim. Many family members lying to each other and to themselves. Joy Fielding keeps the tension high throughout the novel and keeps you quickly racing to the end. Very enjoyable read! #Cul-de-sac #JoyFielding #netGalley

I have read the majority of Joy Fielding's books and I think I liked this one the best! I adored the cast of characters - the families living in a close knit cul-de-sac in Florida. This one kept me guessing right until the end. The last few chapters, I had an inkling on "whodunnit". Overall, a great read. Can't wait to recommend this one. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

This was an enjoyable read about 5 different households living on the same cul-de-sac in Florida. The reader finds out about the background of all five families, their issues & reasons for living there. Not every neighbor is what they seem like to the outside world. Behind closed doors, the reality is often different. They come together for a street barbecue which reveals some of their secrets and leaves one of them dead a few days later.

I didn't realize how much I missed a Joy Fielding book. I stayed up until 2am to finish the book. I can't even say what the best part was, it just kept me so intrigued I couldn't put it down. I hope she has another book in less than the 2 years for this one.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

A great read about a neighborhood with secrets! A lot of really intriguing characters.

It's been a bit since I've read anything by Joy Fielding. I was excited to see her new release and the synopsis drew me in and the book itself didn't let me go! Fantastic! Thankful to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this title.

So exciting to see a new title from Joy Fielding! I adored her last work, and while I did love this quite as much it did not disappoint.

Secrets in suburbia. That is what comes to mind when I was reading this. I really enjoyed this book, and I found it to be a quick read. Each of the main characters was pretty well developed and I feel like I really got to know them. Each had their own unique story arc while weaving their story with the others. While this is categorized as a "mystery", I think this falls more in the realm of "domestic fiction". The incident and very brief mystery/suspense surrounding the shooting only comes to light within the last few chapters, with no mention of it except in the prologue. All in all, a very enjoyable read which I think will be a hit with book clubs.