Reading-wise, 2026 has been a mixed bag so far. My first book of the year was the brilliant The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell, then came two eminently forgettable books, and now here is Andrea Mara’s first novel, The Other Side of the Wall. Since I only post reviews of books I have enjoyed and would recommend, this one gets a guernsey, absolutely! I thought I had read all of Andrea Mara’s books, so coming upon this one, published in 2017, came as a hugely welcome surprise,
This is a fabulously creepy psychological thriller. Sylvia looks out her window one night and sees a child’s body floating in the pool in her new neighbour’s back yard. Or does she? Sylvia is exhausted from going back to work after the birth of her baby, on top of which the man who replaced her during her maternity leave is trying to sabotage her; she must have imagined what she saw. Sam and Kate are the people who have bought the next door house, and there is trouble brewing in their relationship as Kate is becoming ever more suspicious of Sam’s behaviour.
This is the ultimate nail biter, page turner, unputdownabler. Andrea Mara obviously began the novel-writing part of her career in the manner in which she intended to continue. In this one the suspense begins to build from page l and gathers momentum right up to the last line, leaving this reader needing a cup of tea, a Bex and a good lie down!
Published by Crimson
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