Domestic suspense, family drama and a murder mystery connect seemingly unrelated characters as two stories intertwine as the tale progresses. The sense of place and time is well created, and the characterisation is good. There is a twisty mystery to solve, giving this story an addictive quality.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Thank you to NetGalley, publisher and author, for the free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I love Anita Waller's books. The reason is, no matter what the story is about or how it ends, I am glued from first page to the last and I never want the book to end. This author's storytelling style is perfect for me. From beginning to end, I follow every line as I was hypnotized. This book was just spectacularly entertaining. The only bad part is, waiting for her next book.

Clare is widowed, but after he husband dies she feels relief rather than grief, but soon she will uncover his secret. But Vic needs to confide in her friend, a violent marriage means she needs her friend's support, but when Vic’s husband is found murdered it won’t be long before Clare is involved.

This narrative is written with a dual narrative, Clare uncovering her husband's secret and Vic dealing with her husband's murder, but Waller keeps us on our toes by adding multiple suspects and keeping us guessing until the end. Several times I switched my guesses and enjoyed the little twists in between.

Another great novel by this author who is a go-to for me.

This book has two stories going on within it. One has Clare Staines dealing with the aftermath of her husband’s death and her “muddled” feelings. What will she do with her life, house, etc. She seems surprised to find that she is somewhat relieved - now she can do what she wants, go back to hobbies she enjoys and just live after watching him suffer and die from cancer. While cleaning, she discovers a secret about her husband and again, she is confused in how to handle it. She confides in her best friend and neighbor, Vic. Vic brings in the other storyline as she shows up at Clare’s with a huge bruise on her face thanks to her husband Rob. Clare helps Vic, as Vic decides to leave Rob. Then Rob is found dead and the police are called in. All the suspects seem to revolve around Vic, Clare and Clare’s family. I don’t want to reveal the secrets revealed so I’ll just say a lot of things come up. The characters are interesting and it is well written. The story moves along fairly well, a bit slow at times but I believe this is done for us to get to know the characters and see how they interact. All in all, this book held my interest and it was a quick read. I give this book 4 stars out of 5.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After being widowed in middle age, Clare Staines feels a little guilty that she isn’t really grieving and is actually relieved instead, wanting to move on with her life. Eight months after John’s death, she plans to rearrange the house to suit herself for once, and stumbles upon something that turns her whole life upside down and makes her question everything that has gone before. However, whilst trying to deal with the shocking revelation that she now faces, her best friend over the road has problems of her own and desperately needs Clare’s help. Vicki Dolan has not been happy in her marriage for some time and being hit by her husband Rob was the final straw so she’s moved out while he was at work. Rob is furious and wants to find her but when Vic returns to her home to collect more belongings, she and Clare discover someone has killed Rob and, whilst Vic is the police’s obvious suspect, they soon discover it’s a whole lot more complicated than that. Who hated Rob enough to murder him? And how will Clare and her daughters Sara and Grace cope with all the surprises that just keeping coming at them?
Once again I was completely fooled as to whodunit, a testament to how great the writing is in this book with its ability to draw in the reader and have them suspect both everyone and no one at the same time. Set against the backdrop of our late great Queen’s funeral, something firmly embedded in all our memories and featuring two lovely detectives and a caring family full of warm humour, this is sure to be another hit for this highly talented author who has given us a cracking story of family love, loyalty amongst friends and a great mystery full of beautifully painted characters and loads of little twists to keep any reader thoroughly glued to the pages from start to finish.

A slow burning, suspenseful thriller that ramps up pace the deeper into the story we venture. There are two main plot threads taking place throughout the book involving the main characters, they confused me for a while, but they soon come together and everything begins to make perfect sense.

Clare and Vic had a pretty rough time didn't they, both losing their husbands in the most tragic of circumstances, but who is holding the grudge and more importantly, why?

You never know what goes on behind closed doors, family secrets are always there waiting to be exposed!

What a book, it had me glued to the pages and up late into the night. Loved it!

An engrossing story full of intrigue and deceit. A seemingly ordinary family with deep, dark secrets, a riveting read.

Another gobsmacking thriller from Anita Waller!

Clare Staines is recently widowed and, while her grown-up daughters expect her to be grieving, all she has is a sense of relief and wants to move on with her life. Her best friend, Vic, lives opposite and confesses that her marriage is troubled and she is leaving her husband. As the two women go to collect some of Vic's belongings, they find her husband's body - and he's been murdered. The investigating duo are leaving no stone unturned, but Clare has other things to worry about too; she has discovered some troubling things among her late husband's effects and she has a puzzle of her own to work out.

I love Anita Waller's books and have to confess that to begin with, I thought this one was just too 'nicey-nicey' to have been written by her, but this is a really enigmatic tale which kept me glued to the pages until the very last word! There is plenty going on and I was enthralled by the various threads of the story. The outcome shocked me - I didn't see THAT coming but that wasn't the last surprise. A fantastic thriller, full of surprises and I feel guilty that I ever doubted it would be so. A very definite 5*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

Thank you to NetGalley for Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of "The Couple Across the Street." I enjoyed this book and the plot. I thought it would be something very different based on the title, but I still enjoyed the story.

This was a good mystery with some solid plot twists. Clare finds out some shocking secrets after her husband passes away. In the meantime, her best friend and neighbor suffers a shock and the friends and family are thrown into a murder mystery. Without spoilers, I felt like this was more of a domestic story than a thriller, but I still enjoyed the story. It was well-written and I liked the characters.

I would recommend this book if you like a bit of a cozy mystery.

I know you shouldn’t Heidegger a book by it’s cover but the cover I felt lets it down as it looks a bit discount book shop. This book is so much more. I have recommended to friends and would look at what else the author has available. Great read.

A unique plot told as two very different stories, first is a murder and the second is a young man trying to track down his biological dad but both having a common thread. It is cleverly written and there is a great twist. I appreciate the opportunity for the ARC.

This was a great whodunnit! I loved both of the plots and the characters were fleshed out. I was really drawn in and also captivated. The pace was fast always leaving me wanting more.

3⭐
Genre ~ domestic drama
Publication date ~ June 20, 2023
Page Count ~ 287
Audio length ~ unknown
Narrator ~ Lesley Harcourt
POV ~ multiple 3rd
Featuring ~ dated chapters, dead husband with secrets, infidelity

The prologue grabbed me right away with a mother and young son both in a coma as a result from an auto accident...but then we don't hear more about it for quite some time.

Clare is learning to live without her husband, John, after he dies from cancer at 53. She's cleaning out his desk and finds a hidden compartment (how exciting) with something shocking.

Our other main characters are:
Clare's daughter and son-in-law, Sara & Greg, Clare's daughter and future daughter-in-law, Grace & Megan, Clare's bff, Vic, a grandson and grandmother, Jed & Eliose, & detectives Bren & Rosie.

There are 2 different story-lines going on ~ John's secret and Vic's husbands death. Although it's on the shorter side (under 300 is shorter to me) it moved along at a slow pace because I was waiting ages and ages for them to tie into each other.

I don't really have many complaints about the characters as they were all just fine. Except what we find out about the dead, Rob, but he doesn't have too much dialogue, so I don't consider him a main character even though his death is part of the main story. I was surprised about Greg and wasn't happy with that bit, which really why did we need that? I enjoyed when the detectives were on page as they seemed like they had a great working relationship. I, also, enjoyed the relationship between Jed and Eliose.

Overall, this was alright, but I might have liked it a smidgen more and would have rounded up if the plots would have come together. (view spoiler on my gr) I wish the killer would have spoken up sooner, too. I quite liked the last ding dong at the very end though, but it did leave me wanting more and to see how that would play out.

Side note #1 ~ please don't come at me my lovely British friends ~ the timeline takes place during Queen Elizabeth's funeral and there's a lot of talk about it, which is fine because it takes place in the UK, but was there a real point to it? I know she was a great lady, but I'm not sure the reasoning of why it was repeatedly brought up. Maybe it was to show why the police were slow doing their part because a lot of them were busy with that? Maybe I have to be British to understand. And do I need to be British to have one of these and what do I need to do to have one? ~ "This was a serious tea-drinking session."

Side note #2 ~ I like the cover, but I think there could have been a better fitting title. I don't know what it would be, but eh with this one.

When you find out your husband dead and then find he held on to some secrets what happens next .This is a fast pace well written suspenseful, psychological, thriller with twist and turns and family secrets. You never know what happens behind closed doors. Thank you netgalley

This was a good story but a little slow paced for my liking. I enjoyed all the characters. Clare, her daughters, their neighbors, and a young man that may or may not be related. There’s a murder that throws everyone off balance (as you’d expect) and lots of drama surrounding that and who may or may not be involved. A decent read - perfect for a week at the beach!

I'm a big fan of Anita's books, she is such a talented author. I've loved every book of hers I've read and this was no exception.

I had absolutely no clue who the killer was, I usually have a bit of a go at guessing but this book really left me stumped until the very last minute.

My heart went out to Claire and Anita's writing style had me in the same rooms as the characters, I couldn't put the book down.
Already looking forward to the next one ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another fantastic psychological thriller by Anita Waller that will keep you hooked from the very first page!!

The novel begins with a prologue set in July 2003. Eloise is in hospital with her six-year-old grandson Josiah (Jed), after he was in a car crash with his mother Kirsty. (We catch up with their story later.)
Then we move forward in time to September 2022. We meet Clare Staines, who is 53 years old and lost her husband John eight months ago. She has two daughters – Sara (married to Greg) and Grace (partner – Megan).
Clare is surprised to find that instead of feeling devastated by losing her husband, she finds it liberating and has already settled into her new life, living by herself and doing things her way, without John suggesting better ways of doing everything. But while cleaning out his office, Clare finds something that could change so much…
Clare’s best friend is Vicki ‘Vic’ Dolan who lives over the road with her husband. But her marriage to Rob has been going downhill lately. One day, she turns up at Clare’s house to say Rob hit her and she’s leaving him. But a few days later, she finds him murdered.
It was easy to get into the book, I liked Clare straight away and was interested in her story. (It helps that she’s the same age as me!) The chapters are a really good size for ‘just one more’ and you want to keep reading to find out what happens. The story is very well-paced and there are plenty of twists and turns to hold the reader’s interest.
I liked how the story was set last year and the references to the late Queen’s death. I always feel that mentioning news events of the time helps books feel authentic and connects you to the timeline.
I was interested in all the characters and finding out more about Jed’s story and how that connects with everyone else. All the characters felt very authentic and it was a very well-written story that held your interest from start to finish.
I highly recommend The Couple Across the Street and definitely hope to read more of her books in the future.

A story told as two very different ones, first is a murder and the second a young man trying to track down his biological dad but both having a centre core. Set in and around the late Queen's funeral, this adds a poignancy to the story as most people's emotions were high at that time. It is cleverly written in that I was not sure who was guilty until the end and even then there is a great twist !!

I received this e-book to give an honest opinion.

When this author comes out with a new book everything goes out the window, all house cores stopped and I put my kettle on make a cup of coffee and open my kindle!
WoW.......The Couple Across The Street by Anita Waller was another brilliant book from start to finish. Anita has a way of bringing her audience into all her book; which to me makes one of the best authors around.
The Couple Across The Street was a brilliant book, and had lots of crazy twists and turns throughout. It was sad and dark in places but with a humour which balanced it out, made this book another 5 star read.

I highly recommend this latest book by Anita. However, it should come with a Big trigger warning, that your house cleaning, Sleep will stop until you finish her books as they are so addictive from start to finish!!!

Big thank you to Netgalley, Boldwood books and Anita Waller the author for my copy of her latest book.