The New Neighbor

A Novel

By: Karen Cleveland

Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan

Secrets, jealousy, and paranoia collide when a seemingly perfect new family moves into a neighborhood with ties to the CIA in this gripping thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Need to Know.

“Karen Cleveland ingeniously melds domestic intrigue with the lightning pace of a spy thriller, showing us the devastating personal costs of intelligence work.”—Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of Listen to Me

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: PopSugar

Idyllic neighborhood, perfect family, meaningful career. CIA analyst Beth Bradford has it all—

Until she doesn’t.

Now, facing an empty nest and a broken marriage, Beth is moving from the cul-de-sac she’s long called home, and the CIA is removing her from the case that’s long been hers: tracking an elusive Iranian intelligence agent known as The Neighbor.

Madeline Sterling moves into Beth’s old house. She has what Beth once had: an adoring husband, three beautiful young children, and the close-knit group of neighbors on the block. Now she has it all. And Beth—who can’t stop watching the woman stepping in to her old life—thinks the new neighbor has something else too: ties to Iranian intelligence.

Is Beth just jealous? Paranoid? Or is something more at play?

After all, most of the families on the cul-de-sac have some tie to the CIA. They’re all keeping secrets. And they all know more about their neighbors than they should. It would be the perfect place to insert a spy—unless one was there all along.

Critic reviews

“Tighten your seatbelt and prepare for a roller coaster ride while confronting secrets, betrayal, long-term friendships in question; all while your life is in shambles, as you battle jealousy and/or paranoia. . . . Karen Cleveland cleverly mines her own experience as a CIA counterintelligence analyst to fashion an immersive and twisted tale with many red herrings and unexpected reveals. The gripping narrative boils over with menace, intrigue, suspense and escalates to a page-turning unexpected denouement.”—Mystery & Suspense Magazine

“Have you ever wondered if you have what it takes to be a spy? In The New Neighbor, former CIA analyst Karen Cleveland shows you how to find the security threat in lurking in your own backyard. Filled with CIA insights that only an insider would know and every trick in the analyst’s toolbox . . . a cunningly constructed puzzle box of a thriller.”—Alma Katsu, author of Red Widow

“Clever . . . The strong plot takes several convincing twists. . . . Cleveland consistently entertains.”—Publishers Weekly

“Satisfying twists . . . It’s clear that we never really know our neighbors”—Kirkus Reviews

Meh...

Just meh 😕. it lasted too long to end the way it did. FBI, CIA, Secrets, lies and the obvious, it's not who you or anyone expected. I'm sure this happens in real life, but not shocked. The author has written better, I'm just mad I wasted my time on this book. well, on to the next one. #Book3of2022 #Bookworm #Whatsnext

Very intriguing!

At first I didn't think I would get into this, but as it went on I got into it. kept me interested. loved the narrator. she did a good job.

Exhausting

The tone of this book was exhausting. It kept you guessing but in a frustrating way.

I couldn’t stop listening!!!

I’m so glad I didn’t allow the mediocre or poor reviews to keep me from listening to this exciting book! I’ve loved all of Karen Cleveland’s books! She knows how to spin a story of espionage and weave it into the lives of seemingly ordinary people. Do we ever really know our neighbors????! Highly recommend this book!

Edge of your seat

Fast paced with lots of turns. Kept thinking I knew who had done it then another twist