The Perfect Neighborhood

May 30, 2022
YA author Alterman (He’ll Be Waiting) makes her adult debut with a skillful if conventional take on suburban noir. Actor Allison Langley and her former rock star husband, Chris, abandon their fast-paced New York lifestyle for idyllic Oak Hill, N.J., after his band breaks up. When their dreams of raising a family to match this perfect town are quashed by Allison’s infertility, the neighborhood is rocked by Allison’s leaving Chris and going into hiding. Then five-year-old Billy Barnes disappears while walking home alone from kindergarten. Billy’s mother, who has thrown herself into her real estate career to paper over her crumbling marriage, is distraught. Then a second child disappears while she’s being watched by the same teenage babysitter who showed up too late the afternoon Billy went missing. The frantic search to find the missing children exposes the ugly underbelly of Oak Hill: the alcoholic crossing guard, the babysitter distracted by an inappropriate relationship, the mommies who bring wine in their water bottles to PTA meetings and pool parties. Much of this is familiar territory, but there are enough fresh twists to keep the reader engaged. Alterman is off to a promising start.

June 10, 2024

The outstanding performances of narrators Amanda Dolan, Priya Ayyar, Gail Shalan, Hillary Huber, and Laura Jennings allow listeners to become absorbed in the drama of Alterman's (He'll Be Waiting) adult fiction debut. The "mommy mafia" of Oak Hill, NJ, a tony NYC suburb, consists mostly of wealthy women who don't work outside their fabulously decorated, spotlessly clean homes. While Oak Hill residents seemingly live in domestic bliss, they do find enough flaws in one another to maintain a steady stream of snarky gossip. When the five-year-old son of one of the few working moms disappears on his short walk home where after-school babysitter Cassidy should be waiting, the idyllic community veneer begins to crack as the moms struggle to cope with a real crisis, as opposed to those they typically manufacture (e.g., "Can you believe she served wine in plastic cups?" "Her house is a disaster since she had her third child!"). All the narrators excel, but Shalan, who voices 18-year-old Cassidy, is especially compelling, exuding teenage vulnerability and angst, especially when Cassidy becomes the prime gossip target because she was late meeting Billy before he disappeared. VERDICT Boosted by excellent performances, this well-constructed, twisty thriller should please mystery fans.--Beth Farrell

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