The prologue was amazing. Two neighbors see a trash bag with a severed arm sticking out. And they recall that they get rid of bodies on Tuesdays. Immediately I’m invested.

Nikki and Noah Anderson are newlywed New Yorkers moving to the suburbs. They are met with a very warm welcome from the neighbors who bring all kinds of desserts. They’re thrilled until one of the cupcakes says, “RUN.” They write it off as a joke but Nikki is a little uneasy about it.

Nikki doesn’t make the best first impression. Queen Bee neighbor Mary berates her for bringing store made macaroni salad instead of bringing homemade. Ridiculous. Then another time she accidentally breaks Mary’s beloved doll figurines. Now she’s on the shit list of Mary who also heads the HOA. So she starts getting fines for silly things. Keeping her car in the driveway instead of the garage for too long, having her grass too long or too short, etc.

One day Nikki finds a Halloween mask with what looks like blood on it. Then when her best friend Emma visits from the city, they accidentally uncover a hidden tunnel in the basement. When she looks outside to find the entire neighborhood dressed in red cloaks and Halloween masks, I almost didn’t finish. I literally laughed out loud. To make matters worse, they actually call themselves The Neighborhood. Original. They’re basically a cult who wants Nikki to be one of them. So she has a choice to make.

I was definitely hoping this was much better. The first Jack Dane book I read, His First Wife, was almost a 5/5. This was a quick and easy read for sure. But it was just too silly.

2/5

See listing on Amazon:

More from Jack Dane here:

As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases using my links. Thank you for your support!