Review: Creepy Psychological Horror
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 3, 2014
In Neighborhood Watch, Derek and wife Toni live in an average Kansas town. They have a good relationship except for little tiffs like any normal couple until a deceptively simple thing happens, the sort which happens to all of us: they get new neighbors. The neighbors are rude, creepy, and even belligerent, despite Derek’s attempts to be friendly. As tension mounts, we know something’s going on, something that’s tied to the land they’re on and its history of violence, but the mystery unspools a little at a time and keeps the reader always off balance.This novel reminds me of the psychological novels of the past before the hack-and-slash trend grew popular. Specifically, it reminds me of Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin. Even though clues point to a conspiracy among townspeople, Derek is never sure if it’s real or if he’s over-reacting just as Rosemary was never sure if she was imagining how dangerous her own neighbors were. With compassionate portrayals of the lead characters, the author easily gets the reader to identify with them and feel all the confusion they do. The story slowly builds to a shocking but satisfying conclusion. If you like psychological horror stories, you’ll definitely enjoy this novel.