Publication Date: July 7, 2026
From internationally bestselling author Louise Candlish, a witty psychological suspense novel in which an older woman’s suspicions about her charming new neighbor ignite a dangerous spiral in their luxury apartment building.
In Columbia Mansions, secrets don’t stay behind closed doors for long.
It’s rare for a room to open up in London’s storied Columbia Mansions, and lonely Gwen is thrilled when her neighbor’s new subletter, Pixie, brings a friendly breath of fresh air to its stuffy halls. Their unexpected bond soon becomes the bright spot in Gwen’s quiet life. But Gwen can’t help noticing cracks beneath Pixie’s cheerful surface—especially when it comes to her questionable financial arrangement with her live-in landlord, Alec.
As suspicions mount, Gwen’s protective instincts go into overdrive, triggering a dangerous chain of events no one is prepared for. The last thing Columbia Mansions wants is a scandal on its hands … Let alone a murder.
One question opens an entire can of worms in A Neighbor’s Guide to Murder by Louise Candlish.
Gwen is enjoying her later years in life in the beautiful Columbia Mansions. Living with her son, temporarily, she hopes, she meets the vibrant and kind, Pixie. Striking up a friendship with her, Gwen learns that Pixie’s living situation is not what she once thought. Believing Pixie’s landlord/roommate Alec is taking advantage of Pixie, Gwen takes on the role of protector. But things spiral, and nothing is what it seems.
If you are expecting murder in A Neighbor’s Guide to Murder, don’t hold your breath. Does it have a murder? Yes. Is that murder nearly 300 pages into a 320-page book? Also, yes. Most of the book was difficult to get through, and honestly, very few characters were likable. Least of all Gwen, the story’s narrator. From the first chapter, I knew this was going to be a rough one. Gwen tells the story like a Boomer writes a Facebook post. Both vague and packed with too much information that doesn’t matter to the main story. She makes the stupidest decisions and talks about other characters horribly. The ending of the story wasn’t even satisfying, more just frustrating. While I could see that Candlish was a good writer, this story is just not it for me.
A Neighbor’s Guide to Murder is an unusual psychological story that just didn’t hit the mark as a murder mystery. 
Hello and welcome! You may already know my domestic noir thrillers or perhaps you’re curious and not sure which to try first – either way, you’re in the right place…
My latest is A NEIGHBOUR’S GUIDE TO MURDER, out now in the UK and coming July 7 in the US and Canada. An instant Sunday Times Top 10 bestseller, it’s about a friendship between neighbours that escalates to scandal and murder. It’s been dubbed ‘Notes on a Scandal meets Indecent Proposal’, which I think is perfect description…
My previous thrillers include OUR HOLIDAY, a Sunday Times bestseller, WHSmith Richard & Judy Book Club pick, and OUR HOUSE, now a major four-part drama starring Martin Compston and Tuppence Middleton (watch the full series on ITVX in the UK and PBS/Amazon Prime in the US) and winner of the British Book Awards Book of the Year – Crime & Thriller.
Not so long ago, I celebrated my 20th anniversary as an author with the news of two prestigious awards for my 90s-set thriller THE ONLY SUSPECT: the Capital Crime Fingerprint Award for Thriller of the Year and the Ned Kelly Award for Best International Crime Fiction. Filming has just started in London for the ITV adaptation, with Kevin McKidd starring as Alex, a middle-aged man with a deadly secret to hide. More on that soon!
A bit about me: I live in South London with my husband, daughter and a fox-red Labrador called Bertie who is the apple of my eye. Books, TV and long walks are my passions – and drinking wine in the sun with family and friends. Authors I love include Tom Wolfe, Patricia Highsmith, Barbara Vine, Agatha Christie and Evelyn Waugh. My favourite book is Madame Bovary.
