A.J. Finn
2018
4/5 stars
Anna Fox is a recluse, trapped in her home due to agoraphobia, who spends her days watching vintage suspense, drinking wine, and spying on her neighborhood. One night, she sees a neighbor apparently dying from a stab wound, but the police find nothing wrong in the house across the way. Now Anna must decide if she is delusional, or if she really did witness murder.
This novel, a loving tribute to Hitchcock, builds up the psychological suspense well, slowly spooning out Anna's backstory, and leaving the reader as unsure as Anna is about what to believe. The surprise is not fully unpredictable, but still makes a nice twist. The book moves too slowly in parts, and Anna's character will certainly be unappealing to some readers, but overall it was an above average thriller.
A note about the audio book: Ann Marie Lee is an exceptional narrator, expressing emotions perfectly and adding to the suspense with her tone. However, she failed to correctly imitate the famous actors in the movies Anna was watching, and it was galling to one familiar with those voices.
