Those people next door

'a gripping page-turner about nightmare neighbours' platinum 'a small act of malice between suburban neighbours snowballs, bringing tension and terror. terrific and hugely thought-provoking' ian rankin 'one of my ten best reads of the year. easy five stars' lisa jewell * waterstones thriller of the month - august 2023 * 'intelligent, clever, poignant, sharp, and thought-provoking, right through to the perfect final line. another sure hit for kia abdullah' andrea mara 'brilliantly pacey and wonderfully written with a lovely big twist. highly recommended' neil lancaster * * * you can choose your house. not your neighbours. welcome to your dream home... salma khatun is extremely hopeful about blenheim, the safe suburban development to which she, her husband and their son have just moved. their family is in desperate need of a fresh start, and blenheim feels like the place to make that happen. meet your new neighbours... not long after they move in, salma spots her neighbour, tom hutton, ripping out the anti-racist banner her son put in their front garden. she chooses not to confront tom because she wants to fit in. it's a small thing, really. no need to make a fuss. so salma takes the banner inside and puts it in her window instead. but the next morning she wakes up to find her window smeared with paint. and prepare for the nightmare to begin... this time she does confront tom, and the battle lines between the two families are drawn. as things begin to escalate and the stakes become higher, it's clear that a reckoning is coming... and someone is going to get hurt. a gripping thriller about nightmare neighbours, those people next door explores the loss of innocence and how far we're prepared to go to defend ourselves and the people we love. * * * praise for those people next door: 'this powerful social drama about racism and microaggression in today's society is a must-read' prima 'a stunning, thought-provoking and morally challenging read. it had me guessing until the ingenious reveal - a world-class story' graham bartlett, author of bad for good 'a tense, clever tale about the seething underbelly of a picture-perfect suburban town' country and town house