First published 2010
Leslie's world has crumbled. Her marriage to Roger ended badly, and now they battle constantly over their teenage son Ian. When Ian vanishes along with his young stepsister, Roger blames the boy for kidnapping the girl. Leslie believes Ian simply ran away from their toxic family drama. She begs for his safe return, certain he will come home soon. Ian hears every word of his parents' arguments and his mother's tears through the thin wall that separates them. He desperately wants to comfort her, but he cannot make a sound. Hector Woollie holds both children captive in the house next door. Woollie believes he saves children from their imperfect parents through murder. He has made his threat clear: one noise from either child means death for both. Ian must stay silent while his family tears itself apart just feet away, never knowing how close he really is.
Genres: mystery, crime, psychological-thriller, family-drama
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
352 pages · Kindle Edition · Tor Books
Content warnings: domestic-violence, emotional-abuse