WHAT THE NEIGHBORS SAW

A shocking death rocks an upscale neighborhood and makes it harder for the residents to conceal dangers that lurk beneath the surface.

When Alexis Crawford and her attorney husband, Sam, decide to buy a fixer-upper for their growing family, they follow the adage of looking for the worst house in the best neighborhood. And River Forest is about the best neighborhood they can afford: It’s D.C.–adjacent, it’s certainly safe, and it has a run-down yet gorgeous Cape Cod Revival that’s just come on the market and is the sort of place that realtors might call gracious. Alexis and Sam don’t often act impulsively, but soon they find themselves moving in and trying to get to know their new neighbors. Immediately, Alexis feels out of place, not only as a Black woman in a largely White neighborhood, but also as someone from a different class background. Though she tries to talk with Sam, he’s too busy working to make partner to notice how isolated she’s becoming. The tragic death of neighbor Teddy Bard gives Alexis a chance to connect to his widow, Blair, and the story continues in alternating chapters from the two women's first-person points of view, with varying degrees of reliability. After the police determine that Teddy’s death was a murder, Alexis starts to wonder if this is a sign of more simmering tensions in what was supposed to be her safe haven. Sam’s ongoing distance and Blair’s friendship make Alexis wonder how much she really knows herself as well.

May have fans of “all’s well that ends well” rooting for an imperfectly fitting ending.