The New Neighbor

An Ending I Did not See Coming!



Cleveland's book begins with intrigue.
Beth Bradford is a well-respected CIA analyst in counterintelligence related to Iran. She's tracked an elusive target for over a decade, named, “The Neighbor”. Beth and her attorney- husband, Mike, live in a McLean, VA suburban cul de sac, with several neighbors, who also have ties to the CIA.
The Bradford's are empty-nesters. The last of their three children just left for college, so Beth is eager to immerse herself in her work, to find the unidentified target that she has pursued for so long. Then suddenly her life is turned upside down. She is pulled off the case, her husband wants a divorce it's all a hot mess. Which made for a great story.
Beth is reassigned to the Kent School, to teach and train newly-minted CIA hires. Beth feels blindsided and banished. She drives home in a daze. Beth moves to the rental home that she'd planned to share with Mike, after the sale of their beloved house. Reeling from all of the changes, she tries to digest the abrupt implosion of her life and career. Cleveland does an excellent job of conveying the unraveling of Beth, who is now solely-focused on uncovering the secrets of “The Neighbor”, despite not having the same access and resources that her prior position allowed

This was a quick read for me. I love a great thriller and the ending of who is actually “the Neighbor is something I did not see coming.

 Idyllic neighborhood, perfect family, meaningful career. CIA analyst Beth Bradford has it all— Until she doesn't.

I fell that there were too many twists and turns in this book. Just as we were getting over something a new thing slams right into us.
About half way through the book I was able to guess who the agent known as The Neighbor was, and at one point I had an idea on who the next one was going to be and it was confirmed later on.

With being able to guess this it took me out of the story for the most part.


Thank you NG and Ballantine Books for the review copy. 

This book was fast-paced and riveting. I enjoyed it very much. I'd like to thank the publisher and author for my hardcover copy of this book. It's shiny and green monochromatic slipcover really caught my attention and I couldn't wait to crack it open and begin reading. This was a definite page-turner, although there were some brief moments in the book during which I became a little bored, but that could just be my adult ADHD talking! I highly recommend it for those who enjoy neighborhood scandal and domestic thrillers.