Book Review - A Neighbour's Guide to Murder by Louise Candlish

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Title: A Neighbour's Guide to Murder

Author: Louise Candlish

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HQ

Publication Date: 17th July 2025

Rating: 5 Stars

Her secrets will be the death of you.

It’s rare for a room in beautiful, iconic Columbia Mansions to be up for grabs and Gwen is thrilled when its new occupant Pixie turns out to be the most delightful neighbour she could have wished for. Before long the two women have formed an unlikely age-gap friendship and Gwen is making herself useful to Pixie in all kinds of ways.

But when a crime comes to light Gwen’s protective instincts go into overdrive, igniting an appetite for revenge that none of the residents are prepared for.

The last thing they need in Columbia Mansions is a scandal.

The last thing they want is a murder.

Wow I'm reeling from this, I did not see a large amount of it coming, nor was I sure how to predict it for the most part. I was completely and utterly hooked and by the last quarter was totally unable to put the book down. 

I needed to see how everything would turn out, and in fact just what the truth was. 

The book is told in the form of a diary / journal from Gwen's point of view. She is the only head we get to go inside, and she has a wonderful turn of phrase and way of explaining things. 

It starts a bit confused, as we get mentions of many characters, but as the people start to develop and we get a gist of the first key pieces of information, it becomes more and more intriguing. 

We get to meet her next door neighbour Alec and his new lodger Pixie.  And Pixie and Gwen strike up a fast friendship and it's that friendship that is central to everything that occurs. 

I've noticed that Louise Candlish has found a niche in writing stories that seem to have properties and possibly crimes involving properties at their heart, and this is no exception.  It shed's light on an unsavoury renting practice, that I feel almost certainly catches young women especially out.   It's well researched and it's clear the topic has been given a big audience and will get you thinking. 

All in all a wonderful drama that I wasn't sure who to believe, and it certainly keeps you guessing.  Just fabulous. 

Thank you to HQ and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.