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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.4 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)

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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like............WOW!, October 14, 2004

By

E. Alvis "book in hand" (Reedley, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Girl Next Door: A Novel (Hardcover)

I have read all of Patricia MacDonald's book, but this was the best. I read it in two days. You have to really admire Nina for having so much faith in her Dad with all the evidence against him. Especially since it is her Mom that he is convicted of killing. And, it had a touch of romance without all the sexual dancing that so many books have. I am not a prude, I just rather have a good book with a good story and this one delivered just that.

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Discover Patricia MacDonald, August 17, 2004

By

Noranne G "spookiemagic" (Las Vegas, NV United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Girl Next Door: A Novel (Hardcover)

Rather than review this particular book in depth, (I will leave that to the other reviewers), I would like to make a suggestion: Discover Patricia MacDonald! A previous reviewer stated that she had written three previous novels - actually, she has written quite a few more that. She is a very gifted writer of suspense fiction and should be giving Mary Higgins Clark a run for her money, but not enough people have discovered her yet.

After you finish this novel, you will be hooked. Run to your local bookstore and pick up the paperback issues of her previous novels and then hit the library or used book stores for the older stuff. Everything she writes is marvelous.

I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 because although this book is a real nail-biter, some of her others are even better! Look for "Suspicious Origin", "Not Guilty" and "Stranger in the House". Then go back even further for "Mother's Day", "Secret Admirer", "Lost Innocents" and "The Unforgiven" The list goes on... I am sure you will add her to list of favorite authors, as I have.

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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars strong psychological suspense tale, July 18, 2004

By

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Girl Next Door: A Novel (Hardcover)

Fifteen years ago Nina Avery returned home from her first date to find her mother dead and her father trying to shield her from the carnage. After an investigation Nina's father Douglas, a well respected doctor, is charged with the crime and found guilty of second degree murder. Her brother Jimmy, an alcoholic and drug addict, was placed in the care of neighbors where he straightened his life out, her older brother Patrick went on to college and married and had two children. Nina stood by her father while trying to find acting jobs in New York City.

At a parole hearing Jimmy fails to show up, Patrick speaks out against him and Nina does all in her power to get the board to let her father go free. Parole is granted and Douglas who swears he is innocent returns to the scene of the crime to find evidence that would exonerate him. Before he can find out anything he is murdered but someone made it look like suicide. With the help of the prison doctor, Nina takes up where her father left off and finds herself in danger from a killer she has known for almost two decades.

Fans of Marry Higgins Clark will want to read THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, the quintessential psychological suspense tale. The Avery clan is a dysfunctional but likeable family who pull readers into their angst laden drama and end up hoping they will recover from the traumas they have endured. Patricia Macdonald is a brilliant writer known for her works of intrigue; her latest novel is definitely her best but this reviewer will probably say that about her next novel too.

Harriet Klausner

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars THE GIRL NEXT DOOR
I CAN'T REMEMBER HOW I GOT STARTED READING PATRICIA MACDONALD, BUT I AM SO GLAD I DID! AS SOON AS I FINISH ONE OF HER BOOKS, I PICK UP ANOTHER. Read more

Published 5 days ago by LONG TALL SALLY

4.0 out of 5 stars Great read!!
Ok, I am a total bookworm, but I am also a book snob. I am a very picky reader. My husband gave me this book for Christmas and when I read the inside cover I wasn't sure that I... Read more

Published on December 26, 2009 by K.McBride

3.0 out of 5 stars a smooth mystery read
Nina Avery, fourteen years old, lived in a dysfunctional home. There is wonder that she could turn out so normal with little love between her parents and two older brothers with... Read more

Published on June 4, 2009 by L. B. Taylor

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW
I read alot of mysteries and suspense books and I must say I do not know how I have missed Ms. Macdonald. Read more

Published on March 13, 2009 by S. Bivins

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Satisfying
I had never heard of Patricia MacDonald, & rented this book out of curiosity since she was compared to Joy Fielding, & it didn't disappoint me. Read more

Published on November 16, 2008 by AirCharcoal

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book!!
I have been a mystery/thriller junkie for some time now, really soaking up and enjoying the work of John Sanford, Mary Higgins Clark and others. Read more

Published on October 24, 2006 by Gil

4.0 out of 5 stars Feels like Mary Higgins Clark
which is a good thing in my opinion. The mystery is well plotted and the characters are likeable. However, the pace could have been better. Read more

Published on November 28, 2005 by DoReMiFaSo

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book
I thought this book was great. It just keeps you going. And the ending is something you would never expect. Very hard to put it down.

Published on September 22, 2004 by true crime reader

2.0 out of 5 stars Good read if you need a book in a pinch
I ordered The Girl Next Door based on the description. While the book was a moderately good read, (I had no expectations of the book so to say i was dissapointed is not right... Read more

Published on September 4, 2004 by Aaron Jeffries

5.0 out of 5 stars Observations on the many facets of obsession
Risking reproach from English majors everywhere, sometimes a cliché is all that will work. Just as you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find the prince, a reviewer has to... Read more

Published on August 4, 2004 by Bookreporter

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Inside This Book (learn more)
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First Sentence:
NINA seated herself on a cold metal folding chair in the back of the parole board hearing room. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Aunt Mary, Chief Perry, Calvin Mears, New York, Duncan Avery, Seaside Park, Miss Avery, Lindsay Farrell, Rose Connelly, Doc Avery, Frank Hagen, George Connelly, Nina Avery, Stan Mazurek, Detective Hagen, Lafayette Street, Penelope Mears, Bergen County State Prison, Lieutenant Hagen, New Jersey, Ocean Breeze Motel, Officer Kepler, Patrick Avery, Perdita Maxwell, Arnold Whelan

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