Things are changing in the life of CIA analyst Beth Bradford. Her last child is leaving the nest, her home is being sold to a younger family, her husband is acting strange, and when she returns from some time off she finds things have also changed at her job. Protesting will not help but she is also suspect of everyone and everything as she tries to find answers to the questions about "The Neighbor". Karen Cleveland writes a suspenseful thriller in her new novel, The New Neighbor. Beth can't willingly accept that she is no longer useful to the project she has worked on for so many years. How could it possibly be linked to her neighborhood? She has known these people for years and nothing to date has been suspect. Suddenly everything is. This book has lots of fun characters, many of who work for the various spook organizations that surround the neighborhood. Do they have anything in common that Beth needs to know or is she simply losing it herself? A fun read with a fast-paced narrative and surprising ending. #NetGalley#TheNewNeighbor for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Karen Cleveland is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers and her story of Beth, a CIA analyst who’s unceremoniously dumped from a case she’s been part of for years. I expected the story to be more of a thriller and while there was some of that, there was a great deal of focus on Beth slowly losing all that’s familiar with her life, her house, her husband and her children who’ve flown the nest.

Keep reading and the ending will blow you away!

I won’t ever look at my neighbors the same way again after reading this book. What a wild and entertaining thrill ride! Beth was working in the CIA and had been tracking someone known as “the neighbor” for fifteen years, and then she got a new clue as to who the neighbor could be and was suddenly taken off the case and demoted. As this was happening she sold her house and was very suspicious of the people moving in. This lead her down a dark and dangerous path as she realized she couldn’t trust anyone.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review - - Wow -
Beth lives on a culdesac in a perfect neighborhood, with a perfect family, and a perfect job with the CIA.- but then it all ends - she is moved to another job, her children grow up, and her husband leaves her. They sell the house and Madeline and her family move in.
Beth becomes obsessed with Madeline and stalks her thinking she is the spy they have been looking for - or is Beth paranoid?
All the neigbours on the culdesac are they carrying secrets also? And then the unreal conclusion - what a book!!

I will say this read kept my interest! I did find the narrative to be far fetched……albeit the author is a former CIA counter terrorism analyst, so who am I to say? If you're looking for a fast paced book, with lots of twists and turns, The New Neighbor is for you! The ending was even more unconvincing, in my opinion. Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read this ARC. #netgalley #TheNewNeighbor @netgallyarc @ballantinebooks.

This was a good thriller with lots of twists. The characters in the cul-de-sac will have you changing and re-changing your mind about them! This was a quick, flowing read and I enjoyed it.

Definitely a plot-driven story that keeps moving at a quick pace before taking surprise turns that keep you guessing.

I loved this book! Well written with a ton of twists and turns. I can not wait for more by author!! Thanks to publisher and NetGalley for this book.

OMG. This was amazing!!! I could not put it down... the suspense and intrigue from this book blew me away. Excellent writing and the characters were fantastic!!

I enjoyed the book very much. I really liked the twists and turns it took. The book kept me guessing and was captivating throughout. I was never bored. It reads like a good mission impossible movie with a female lead.

The New Neighbor is Madeline Sterling and she has moved into Beth’s old house. It seems she has what Beth once had with a husband and loving children and she seamlessly slips into Beth's spot in the close neighborhood community in the cul-de-sac.

Beth happens to be CIA and she has suffered a fall from grace due to a work issue - she hasn't identified a major spy in a project she has run for several years. She is reeling from a demotion, issues in her marriage and watching the new neighbor move into her old home.

It's not long before Beth realizes that all with Madeline is not as perfect as it seems. She suspects that Madeline could even be tied to her last spy mission. But is she just envious or is there more to the New Neighbor?

I enjoyed this thriller quite a lot. Believable and interesting.

I received an ARC of this thriller from NetGalley.

The protagonist in this story is Beth Bradford. She is a long-time CIA employee and a mother of three living on a quiet cul-de-sac with friendly neighbors, most of whom have some connection to the American intelligence community. Beth has spent 15 years trying to figure out who The Neighbor is. The Neighbor is an Iranian spy, recruiting for additional spies within the American intelligence agencies (CIA and FBI) to pursue some sort of mission against the United States. After these 15 years, Beth is yanked off this responsibility involuntarily. At the same time, her personal life has fallen apart. Shortly after her third and final child is sent off to college, her husband leaves her for another woman.

Beth continues her pursuit of The Neighbor from her new position, though no longer with the authority to do so. She pursues lead after lead, rubbing people the wrong way all along the way.

There is not much in the way of character development here. The author focuses on the chase for information that would lead to the identity of The Neighbor and his or her recruits. This pursuit gets repetitive and somewhat tedious as the story moves along.

Will Beth (and the reader) ever figure out who The Neighbor is? I won't spoil.

So good! Really enjoyed the back and forth plots and the ending was awesome. Definitely recommend. Great thriller! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

4.5 stars rounded up. This book absolutely captivated me. I read it so quickly and became so immersed in the mystery. The premise in short is that Beth, the main character, is experiencing a dwindling marriage, an empty nest and a slow career in the CIA. She chooses to move from her previous home - a picture perfect house on a cul-de-sac with houses of wonderful families. Her CIA role involves tracking “the neighbor” a Iranian controlled American close to home. As she moves she starts to suspect that someone on her street has been “the neighbor” all along. I loved the plot and I loved the twist at the end that leaves you wanting another novel. This a fast-paced, clever spy mystery that is oh so enjoyable. My only criticism would be that the “lonely, heavy drinking, unreliable female” lead has been quite common with novels such as Girl on the Train and Woman in the Window. Some people may think this is too overdone but I can honestly say I liked this book better than both of those novels.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for sending me this eARC to review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for allowing me to read The New Neighbor by Karen Cleveland prior to publication in exchange for my honest review.
I love a good spy thriller and this book did not disappoint! CIA agent Beth has the dream life: a successful career, a beautiful home in Langley Oaks, a terrific family, and wonderful neighbors. Beth has stopped many Iranian spies, except one: The Neighbor. Beth finds herself in a season of changes: her children all leave the nest, she is moving out of her dream home, separating from her husband, and being reassigned in the CIA. The woman who bought her house seems off and Beth’s intuition is telling her that the new neighbor is a spy! It begs the question, how well do we really know our neighbors?!
This book was fast paced and filled with many twists. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good spy thriller!

As a fan of Karen Cleveland’s previous novels, I was excited to receive an advance reading copy of her latest book, The New Neighbor. The plot revolves around Beth Bradford, a CIA employee who has been obsessed with finding a spy referred to as “the Neighbor” for 15 years. She experiences a tremendous amount of turmoil in connection with becoming an empty nester, a job demotion, moving from a home after approximately 20 years and a marriage falling apart.

Beth is not a likable character. This reader found her to be a self centered person who did not believe in following the rules and one who had no compunctions about using others to obtain information useful for her tunnel visioned objectives.

The reader is swept along with her quest to uncover the identity of the Neighbor, while blanching at her methodology. Overall, I found the novel disappointing and actually laughed at the preposterous conclusion in the epilogue.

I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review The New Neighbor.

The New Neighbor
A Novel
by Karen Cleveland

Wow. The New Neighbor was a good book. It was a train at full speed. NO stops insight. It is different than most mystery/suspense novels. It has you ripping thru the book to see, KNOW the whys. Who was this new neighbor? You will love the answer.

Hey my dudes!

Thank you for tuning into my second book review on my blog!

I was sent this book advanced reader copy (ARC), from the Random House Publishing Group through NetGalley, and asked to give an honest review in return.

Here is the blurb of the book from GoodReads:

"Idyllic neighborhood, perfect family, meaningful career. CIA analyst Beth Bradford has it all—


Until she doesn’t.

Now, facing an empty nest and a broken marriage, Beth is moving from the cul-de-sac she’s long called home, and the CIA is removing her from the case that’s long been hers: tracking an elusive Iranian intelligence agent known as The Neighbor.

Madeline Sterling moves into Beth’s old house. She has what Beth once had: an adoring husband, three beautiful young children, and the close-knit group of neighbors on the cul-de-sac. Now she has it all. And Beth—who can’t stop watching the woman stepping in to her old life—thinks the new neighbor has something else too: ties to Iranian intelligence.

Is Beth just jealous? Paranoid? Or is something more at play?

After all, most of the families on the cul-de-sac have some tie to the CIA. They’re all keeping secrets. And they all know more about their neighbors than they should. It would be the perfect place to insert a spy—unless one was there all along."
**CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD!**



I really enjoyed this book! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it! I would lay in bed at night and tell myself one more chapter, about thirteen times before I could finally shut off my kindle and go to bed. I had to know what happened, and who the neighbor was! I read this book in any spare moment I had. When I first read, I swear I thought it was Madeline who was the neighbor. Then as time went on, I thought it was Alice or Mike. I was concerned at first about Beth, even I thought she was crazy! She was basically stalking her old neighborhood. I thought it was wild to find out Madeline was FBI. I still don't trust her, and think she was involved somehow, I think she wanted the credit for the case and didn't care who she had to step on to get there. There as a distinct parallel between Beth and Madeline. Through the flashbacks, we can see how Beth and Madeline started off the same. New house, children, good marriage, and then both of their lives fall apart. I think Karen did a good job explaining how Mike was the neighbor, and how he gave the neighbors money for their children's college fund so they didn't have to take out loans like he had to. I appreciate how she gave us pieces and clues about Mike being the neighbor. I appreciated the flashbacks, and the use of them helping me understand what was happening, and how it all happened. I feel like Beth nor Madeline got the justice they deserved. Beth was still not on the case, and Madeline was basically getting kicked off of the case. In the end, I was left wanting more. I feel like there was more to Madeline and Beth's story, and to find out Aubrey was the new neighbor? I feel like it was rushed. I would have liked more of a build up, and more of a backstory of why she was the new neighbor. But Beth did say Aubrey was always a daddy's girl, but I want more behind that as well. I wanted more of the story, to see how everything played out, and if Aubrey every got caught. I wonder if there will be a sequel, but regardless I will be buying this book when it comes out in 2022, and I appreciate Karen Cleveland, NetGalley, and Random House Publishing Group for allowing me to read this book, and being able to give my honest review!

Beth is a CIA analyst who is tracking an Iranian agent when she’s suddenly taken off the case. However, she continues to try and track down the agent, who may be closer to home then she realizes. The New Neighbor is a tense, page-flipping thriller that continually turns you upside down as Beth chases lead after lead, only to get thwarted at every turn. Filled with tantalizing clues as to the agent’s identity, the suspense level is off the charts with each chapter, as the reader (and Beth) keep getting it wrong as you fly through the pages. The author’s prior books were all 5 star reads, and you can definitely add this one to your collection. Outstanding in every respect, loved it!

A great thriller that will do very well in bookstores. This book would appeal to fans of books about espionage and also fans of family-driven thrillers (like The Woman in the WIndow).