Publication Date: August 6, 2024
An unflinching examination of motherhood and the dark side of domesticity set against a suburban backdrop that’s anything but blissful. This twisty tale invites readers to a slow motion unravelling that culminates in a devastating finale!
Who was I? What had I become?
Breathe, I commanded. You’re doing this for your family.
When Laurel and Rob West move into their new home in New Jersey, it seems too good to be true. But Laurel can’t shake off her old feelings of anxiety. The neighbor who pays far too much attention to the Wests’ two young children . . . Rob watching her every misstep . . . and there’s something people aren’t telling her about this house . . .
I promised myself I wouldn’t go to that neighborhood again. Not that street. Not so soon.
But I couldn’t help it. They made it too easy.
Corey Sutton is trying to outrun her past. Recently divorced and reeling from a devastating loss, she moves into her widowed mother’s retirement condo in Florida. Everyone says she just needs some time to recover and rebuild . . . but is Corey beyond saving? She wants answers. And there’s very little she won’t do to get them.
Though Laurel and Corey have never met, the women have something in common, and if they’re not careful, it may just destroy them both . . .
A young family moves into a new home, not realizing they’ve set a series of events in action that will push them over the edge.
Author Liz Alterman uses a dual point of view in The House on Cold Creek Lane. Laurel West, who has just given birth to her second child, struggles to fit into the neighborhood. Her anxiety serves as a focal point regarding interactions with others, leaving open the possibility that her perceptions differ from the reality her husband sees.
Meanwhile, a second storyline unfolds through the eyes of Corey Sutton. Also, a mother is unable to recover from the loss of her daughter. Shifting between the two perspectives initially requires extra attention to prevent missing details. As the story evolves, the author weaves a connection between the two women, cementing the alternating points of view.
Psychological twists add to the complexity of the story, especially Laurel’s fears that her mother’s recently paroled murderer is planning revenge. Couple that with strange encounters with new neighbors, and the tension escalates.
Another interesting technique the author uses is foreshadowing. She drops little tidbits of information as indicators of what’s to come but doesn’t give away any spoilers.
The House on Cold Creek Lane leverages edge-of-your-seat suspense to keep you guessing until the end.
Liz Alterman is the author of The Perfect Neighborhood, He’ll Be Waiting, and Sad Sacked. Her work appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, McSweeney’s, and other outlets. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and three sons where she spends most days microwaving the same cup of coffee and looking up synonyms. When Liz isn’t writing, she’s reading.
