This was definitely an interesting read that kept me on my toes. Having just gone to my condo associations meeting this really hit a nerve. It does a great job of representing the secrets and fighting that goes on for both power in the neighborhood and the weirdness of some of your neighbors.

I'll admit I wasn't quite as sold on this one as her last book, but it did keep me reading and wanting to know what happened.


Susan Dalian narrated this one and brought the quirkiness of the neighbors to life.

Shannon moves to a neighborhood where she will be working with a renowned writer. She believes she will be writing about the beautiful houses in the neighborhood. The fabulous 40s is what the neighborhood is called. Known for stylish homes in Sacramento.
when she gets there it seems Rosella wants her to spy on her neighbors and write about them instead
seems everyone has a secret that should be revealed
Then Rosella ends up dead and everyone in the neighborhood has a reason to have killed her
Book started out really good. Then went downwards and fell flat

A desperate housewives feel made this book so fun! It was definitely a suspenseful thriller but there was so much more to the story and parts were really heartwarming. The one plot twist really blindsided me! The choice of names for some of the characters were interesting, ie: Holiday

There has been a recent murder in the neighborhood and now everyone is a suspect. This is really saying something in this bougie California neighborhood. Shannon just began working with Rosella who also lives in the neighborhood and is suspect of her neighbors. Shannon wants to help in anyway she can. However, with the announcement of this murder, Shannon finds her self in the mix. This book kept me intrigued. It did feel a little slow and at times hard to get through. I enjoyed it but not as much as I had hoped.

Ragan masterfully builds suspense, keeping readers guessing as the layers of deception are peeled back. The novel explores the dark side of suburban life, where appearances can be deceiving and the people you think you know best might be hiding the most sinister truths. "Best House on the Block" promises a gripping and suspenseful read, filled with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the shocking conclusion.

This was a great thriller with original ideas from T. R. Ragan. I love thrillers that involve a new neighbor moving in. It was fun reading this suspenseful novel and the relationship between a Shannon and her neighbor Rosella progresses. This is a page turner for sure!

I did not care for this book, I have read two of his books in the past and enjoyed them but this one just fell flat for me for some reason.

This is the kind of thriller that grabs you from the first page and doesn't let go! From the opening scene, I knew I was in for a whirlwind of suspense. I was constantly surprised by the unexpected connections between characters, and the shocking reveals kept me turning the pages. While the large cast of characters occasionally caused confusion, the ending tied everything together satisfyingly. I'm eager to read more from this author!

Nobody knows what goes on behind the closed doors. A neighborhood full of secrets. Easy read with lots of twists. Keeps you guessing throughout. An enjoyable 'Who Done It'.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and T.R. Ragan for an ARC of "The Best House on the Block".

Shannon Gibbons has moved her family and becomes friendly with a neighbor pretty quickly. Her neighbor is renowned journalist Rosella Marlow and she seems to want to help Shannon pursue her own as an investigative journalist. Rosella isn't as nice and innocent as she appears, wanting to destroy those around her. Shannon has no clue what her new mentor is up to. When someone dies Shannon wants to dig into the death and figure out what is going on in her new neighborhood. Wonderful read that takes you through many twists and turns.

A great page-turner about nosy neighbors in an insular, wealthy community in California. When the neighbor no one liked turns up murdered, there's a pretty long list of suspects, and it's up to a couple of amateur sleuths in the neighborhood to figure out what happened. Was the murder tied to a long-ago kidnapping? A mysterious death in the family? Or any number of personal matters the nosy neighbor inserted herself into among the other residents in the neighborhood?

I really enjoyed the fast-paced plot and the interesting cast of characters in the neighborhood. I will definitely read more from TR Ragan!

Best House on the Block by T.R. Ragan is a thrilling and twisty tale set in a seemingly perfect suburban neighborhood, where appearances quickly unravel to reveal darker secrets lurking behind every door. Shannon Gibbons, an aspiring investigative journalist, and her family have just moved into an idyllic home in East Sacramento’s prestigious Fabulous Forties. She quickly bonds with her neighbor, the renowned journalist Rosella Marlow, who offers Shannon a career-boosting opportunity as her personal assistant on a new project.

But Rosella, driven by bitterness and grief, hides a much more sinister agenda. Obsessed with exposing the secrets of her neighbors, she ropes Shannon into a web of manipulation and deceit. As Rosella’s increasingly toxic influence begins to take its toll, a murder rocks the neighborhood, and Shannon finds herself drawn into a dangerous investigation that pits neighbor against neighbor, each with their own secrets to hide.

Ragan masterfully builds tension, creating a chilling atmosphere where every character is a potential suspect. The story is a compelling mix of psychological suspense and domestic drama, exploring the dark side of envy, ambition, and human nature. Best House on the Block is a gripping read that keeps readers guessing until the very end, delivering plenty of surprises along the way.

This book was fantastic! I loved that the story was set in a neighborhood and that it was told from different perspectives. I was drawn into the story from the first page and couldn't put it down.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

3.5/5

I enjoyed this psychological suspense novel, though I found the beginning a bit confusing as there are numerous characters/story lines that took some time to establish and sort out.

The story follows aspiring journalist Shannon Gibbons as she becomes entangled with her mysterious neighbor, Rosella Marlow, in the Fabulous Forties of East Sacramento. What starts as a promising career opportunity soon spirals into a chilling tale of dark secrets and obsessions, culminating in a murder that shakes the neighborhood.

Overall, it’s a compelling read with enough suspense and twists to keep you turning the pages.

Thank you to NetGalley, TR Ragan and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC!

I do love a good neighbourhood psychological thriller and this one does not disappoint. Lots of dark and deceitful characters holding a ton of secrets. Very good mystery. Highly recommended xx

Best House on the Block by T.R. Ragan is a chilling psychological thriller that explores the dark secrets lurking behind a seemingly perfect suburban life. The story follows a woman who begins to uncover unsettling truths about her neighbors, leading her into a web of suspense and danger. Ragan’s writing is tense and immersive, with well-drawn characters and a plot full of twists that keep readers guessing. Best House on the Block is a gripping and engaging read for fans of domestic thrillers with a dark edge.

This one sounded like it was going to be a real winner! I was super excited to read it. however, it did not live up to its expectations. It started off pretty good but then went downhill. It was SOOO obvious who the culprit was. No surprises there. The characters were all super annoying. We didn't get any sort of answers until the very end, but there was no surprise or schock factor. Too many characters. No purpose or point to the story.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me the chance to read an early digital copy of this book. I started reading this book and was really enjoying it, but I recently lost my mom, and I haven't had much mental focus or concentration to read, so I am going to set aside this book for now and pick it up at a later date.

TR Ragan, you speak my love language and I will forever be a huge fan of yours.

I’ve read every thriller imaginable. The cheating husband, the evil children, the woman plagued with amnesia……..but nothing and I tell you nothing has ever been written like Best House on the Block, to date .

Best House on the Block, is completely original to anything I have ever read and has left me transfixed on what this book just put me through. I might just have to read it again to make sure I did not miss anything .

I’m left with a massive book hangover and can not stop thinking about this book!!!

Check out this teaser :

Revealing a neighbor’s deep secrets and dark obsessions turns to murder in a shocking novel of psychological suspense by a New York Times bestselling author.

Aspiring investigative journalist Shannon Gibbons and her family have moved into a beautiful house in the Fabulous Forties of East Sacramento, where Shannon finds a fast connection with a new neighbor. Renowned journalist Rosella Marlow appears to have a genuine interest in giving Shannon’s own career a boost—as personal assistant on Rosella’s new project. Appearances are deceiving.

Bitter, resentful, and consumed by excruciating grief, Rosella is obsessed with wiping the smiles off her contented neighbors’ faces. Now she’s watching closely, ready to expose their secrets. Secrets dark enough to destroy lives. In Shannon, Rosella has a trusting and unwitting accomplice. But Rosella is being watched, too. And when someone is found murdered, everyone on this quiet block is a suspect. Because everyone has a motive.

With the help of a friend, Shannon begins an investigation into the death of a person she just met. As neighbor is pitted against neighbor, the truth is much scarier than anything they imagined.

"𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴; 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦." (quoted from advanced copy)


First read of 2025 complete, and it was... okay. 🤷🏻‍♀️

It was a good premise, but I personally thought it was pretty predictable. That could just be on me though and all the other mysteries I've read lol

I also felt like there were a lot of "murder mystery clichés" - some that just felt like they were shoved in there for the heck of it. And after a certain point, it was just a bit much for me.

Ultimately, none of the "twists" really shocked me.

Also, I had the worst time trying to keep track of how old each of the characters were. Some were in their 50s or 60s but had like young kids, it was just a bit confusing at times 🙃
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