‘Bad Neighbor’ Thrillers That Are Must-Reads

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Most of us have experienced a bad neighbor or two in our lifetimes. From dorm life to 20-something apartment life, I remember a lot of neighbors with loud music, pot wafting through the halls, wild parties, and some squeaky bed frames I’d like to forget, but those were simply slight annoyances compared to the bad neighbors in these spine tingling thrillers.

In my new novel, The Vacancy in Room 10, I had loads of fun creating sinister neighbors keeping dangerous secrets. So if you’re also a fan of scary neighbors you won’t want to miss these. From gaslighting, kidnapping, betrayal of all kinds, and even murder, this list of thrillers is guaranteed to give you the chills and keep you up all night.

City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita

In a small Alaskan town every resident lives in a single, highrise building. The setting is already incredibly unique and haunting, but when body parts wash up ashore, a chain of events are set into motion that will change the life of Cara Kennedy, an Anchorage detective, who is sent to look into the case.

This book is written by an Academy Award nominated screenwriter, and you will be able to see why when you read it because the setting really gets into your bones and it feels cinematic and gritty yet somehow unrelatable and eerie all at the same time. This thought-provoking, clever, and devastating story is one you’ll be telling your friends about and thinking about long after you’ve read the last page.

Quiet in Her Bones by Nalini Singh

What could be more delicious than a thriller set in a cul-de-sac full of secrets and gossip and danger? A woman disappears along with a mountain of cash, but that was ten years ago and it was written off as a trophy wife getting out from under her wealthy husband. Now, her bones are found in the forest surrounding the neighborhood and when her son, Aarav, decides to stop at nothing to find out what happened to her, he unearths secrets and horrors that the well-to-do residents have gone to great lengths to keep hidden.

I love a neighborhood drama. What sets this one apart is the Hindu culture as a backdrop and the male protagonist which seems a rarity in these sorts of thrillers, but it made for a really unique perspective and I was here for it. The author expertly sets up red herrings and page-turning, pulse-pounding moments. Aarav comes off as a bit unhinged and you don’t know if you can trust all that he says because of the memory problems he’s suffering, but all of this combined, sets the stage for a really different and outstanding thriller. 

The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn

A reclusive woman spends her days in her New York apartments, drinking wine, hiding from life, and spying on her neighbors when she witnesses what she thinks is a murder, but nobody seems to believe her. The lines between real and imaginary blur as the deeper she digs, the more of her own secrets surface. 

I listened to this one on audio, and it was a few years ago, but for the simple fact that I remember where I was when the shocking twist came, I have to add it to the list. I was pulling into my garage and I stopped the car with a screech and yelled “no way” out loud. I don’t recall audibly emoting over a book before, so it was powerful enough to make me remember how much I loved it, even though I have probably read two hundred thrillers since that moment. The Woman in the Window is reminiscent of Hitchcock’s Rear Window, and deserves a spot on everyone’s thriller shelf.

Perfectly Nice Neighbors by Kia Abdullah

When Salma Khatun moves into a new, upscale development, she is excited and hopeful, but when a neighbor is caught ripping out an anti-racism sign she put up, battle lines are drawn and a slew of misunderstandings, prejudice, and self reflection on both sides which is well handled by the author and forces the reader to really weigh all sides of the difficult topic.

This is a story that you could, sadly, see ripped from the headlines on the nightly news. Two neighbors grappling with racial tension that escalates that meets a tragic end. The author explores the human condition and creates unforgettable, multi-layered characters, with unique voices, and hard topics. 

Stranger In The Lake by Kimberly Belle

Charlotte has escaped her troubled past and impoverished childhood and now lives her dream life, in her dream house, with a loving husband and seemingly no problems…except that everyone talks. Did she get pregnant to trap him, did the trailer park girl marry him for his money? 

That all seems like petty gossip when a body washes up by the dock behind their house and she’s faced with real, life altering problems. Does she really know the man she married? Can she trust his friends who are all suspect and seem to be hiding secrets themselves? Is she in danger?

This story was immediately gripping and atmospheric. Belle breathes fresh life into a familiar storyline and creates a truly page-turning and spellbinding mystery. 

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

Something will always go wrong when the baby is left sleeping and the parents go next door to  party, thinking the baby monitor will alert them if anything is wrong. It’s a chilling start to a story you already know can only snowball into trauma and chaos from there. And that’s how Lapena starts this rollercoaster of a book, which doesn’t slow down until the shocking end. 

When the baby is snatched, and the police get involved,  just about everyone is a suspect, and nothing is quite as it seems. Parents Anne and Marco are beside themselves and desperately search for answers to find their infant daughter. Everyone is pointing the finger at someone else…and there is more than enough blame to go around. Can you trust your spouse, your in-laws, your friends, your neighbors…or nobody? The lies, betrayals, and cover-ups in this one will have your head spinning in the best way. 

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