'WATCH OUT FOR HER'......WHO CAN YOU TRUST IN THE NEW NEIGHBORHOOD? DOES 'NOBODY' RING A BELL?

 Watch Out For Her by Samantha M. Bailey (2022)

              How can anyone resist a fast paced domestic suspense ride like this one - where those nice houses in nice neighborhoods are stuffed with dysfunction, deception, and no end of disturbing secrets. And don't forget the hidden cameras, mysterious unknown stalkers and vaguely suspicious neighbors with possible hidden agendas......ooo boy, can't wait to move in.

              So let's roll out the welcome wagon for nervous newbie Sarah, husband Daniel and rambunctious little toddler Jacob. They just moved out of their previous home after a weirdly upsetting experience with their early 20's babysitter Holly, who desperately latched on to them as a replacements after her own family disowned her.

         But Holly's quite a story all to herself, which indeed gets told in previous timeline'd chapters that alternate with Sarah's currently dread-filled attempts at a fresh start.......a fresh start at a life free of Holly's unhealthy needy attachment to her family.

          The dread comes to Sarah from all directions......Who stuck the hidden camera in the new house? who's sending the ominous, semi-threatening texts? Who's the unidentifiable person skulking around? And what in the world is up with the pushy, nosy next door neighbor and that creepy guy across the street who keeps staring?

                And right there we've got every element in place for an absolutely riveting trip into domestic thriller-land.

            True, there's no real sympathetic characters anywhere in sight here but Samantha Bailey never ever lets the pace lag for even a single paragraph. She deftly avoids the fatal flaw of other domestic thrillers that tumble down the rabbit hole of internal monologues and never climb out again. We simply couldn't zip through these pages fast enough.

         And all the startling twists and reveals arrive right on time with the breathless finale......and maybe we;re old fashioned but we do adore one of those hyped-to-the-max, melodramatic showdowns that channel old Hitchcock movies....which "Watch Our For Her" nicely serves up. That always makes for a fast, fun 4 star (****) read.......so if you love this genre, this one's a 'don't miss' to put on your spring-summer TBR list.