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A terrific read that delivers it all – two fascinating first-person POV protagonists who may or may not be reliable; a colorful posse of flawed and mostly unlikable neighborhood characters; a terrible murder and the mystery surrounding it; and all the juicy gossip and secrets of an uber-wealthy, beautifully-written, literarily-rich take of TV’s Wisteria Lane.

When new mother Alexis and her lawyer husband Sam move into their dream house – a ramshackle mansion, alone in its decrepitude on a street of picture-perfect estates in a DC suburban area – they underestimate both the work they have in front of them, and the limitations their budget will impose.

Alexis is a vulnerable and relatable character, whose attempts to fit in with her glossy new neighbors finally seems to be on the right track when she hits it off with the woman across the street, the lovely and supremely confident Blair. Some ten-years older, and a successful interior-designer with multi-generational wealth behind her, Blair may be Alexis’s ticket to finally achieving emotional acceptance (self and otherwise) and the start of a new and more fulfilling life.

But as the plot twists and turns, a body and a mystery, (with clues that keep on coming but do not easily add up), coupled with the secretive and sinister ongoings revealed in this fractured community, lead Alexis onto a path that may in fact be fraught with personal danger.

A suspenseful and engrossing read, this is a book which this reader thoroughly enjoyed, right up to the satisfying (and only partially-guessed) humdinger of an ending.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.