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Sometimes, life in a small neighborhood can be a good thing. Your street is filled with friends. You look out for them, and they look out for you. But in Raven Lane by author Amber Cowie, the residents of one tight-knit community find that their neighbors might be too close and know too much.
The story moves to Raven Lane, where new residents are all carefully screened to fit in with their neighbors. All are creative: authors, musicians, artists. And all are invited to the sometimes wild neighborhood parties thrown by single mom Kitty. But then tragedy strikes, shattering the neighbors’ solid bond. Esme Werner’s husband, Benedict, is pulling out of their driveway when he accidentally strikes and kills their neighbor, Torn Grace, a beloved writer. When Benedict is arrested, more and more secrets are revealed—and Esme struggles to stay strong for her teenage daughter, Zoe.
While Raven Lane may look like the perfect little community of talented, artistic people, it doesn’t take long for readers to discover that there’s so much more going on beneath the surface. It starts with Esme herself—a chef and restaurant owner, who was an up-and-coming young actress before walking away from a promising career. Or Benedict, whose substance abuse caused him to lose his successful modeling career. Everyone has their secrets, and as more of them come out, the mystery grows and expands into something unexpected. Was Torn’s death really just an accident? Was it planned? Was it a setup? The neighbors’ jealousies and frustrations seem to offer an endless number of scenarios.
If you love gossip and scandal, you’ll definitely get caught up in the lives of these characters: their struggles, their rivalries, their affairs. The story is dark and mysterious, and though the case may look straightforward at first, it quickly takes an unexpected turn—and the author will lead you to explore one theory after another. Unfortunately, though, when everything comes to light in the end, the conclusion doesn’t feel especially plausible. So while you’ll enjoy the secrets and the revelations of these creative neighbors, you may not feel satisfied when you finish reading.
Dark and scandalous, with a fascinating cast of creative characters, Raven Lane will draw you into the story and make you feel like a part of the neighborhood. But when all of the answers are revealed, it might leave you feeling frustrated.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
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