Monday, July 5, 2010

Neighborhood Watch by Cammie McGovern


Librarian Betsy Treading is released from prison after DNA evidence clears her of killing her neighbor, Linda Sue. Betsy was incarcerated for twelve years and it's an adjustment for her on the outside. Divorced from her husband Paul, who always supported her innocence, she moves in with her former neighbors, Marianne and Roland. Living again on the same block where the murder happened allows Betsy to reflect on Linda Sue and who possibly could have murdered her. At the time, Betsy confessed because she had a large bloodstain on her nightgown, had a sleepwalking problem and couldn't remember anything about that night. But before her death, Linda Sue had started up an affair with another neighbor, Geoffrey. In addition, Betsy learns Marianne and Roland's family had secrets of their own. Betsy's journey is one of moving on and healing, in addition to hopefully finding the real murderer. While more leisurely paced than a thriller, the novel is nonetheless, an interesting read. I found it similar to the novels of Kate Morgenroth and Labor Day by Joyce Maynard.

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