The Deadly Neighbors

I have read all three in this series, The Nanny Murders, The River Killings and Now The Deadly Neighbors. I have loved them all. AND I can't wait for the newest one to come in September of 08. Merry Jones has a unique sense of style when it comes to writing, there are plot twists and turns that you never see coming until after you read them. Most of these plots are not what we see from other authors....they are Jones Entirely!! As for the endangering of the child and her unborn baby....That is in the book. I don't think any sane person would do this in real life. But we have to remember this is fiction and therefore an "alter life". However I do see where some people are coming from thinking that it is not quite right. I guess this is where "literary licence" comes from....You have to take the whole and enjoy the book. I love this series....It is right up there with the best, and I will purchase all of her books (I just wish she could write faster) as they come in. All in all I love these!!!

Art therapist Zoe Hayes worries that her program will be eliminated and she downsized as The Philadelphia Psychiatric Institute where she works is facing difficult funding decisions. However, the six month pregnant Zoe puts aside her employment worries when she receives a frantic call from her estranged father's neighbor Lettie Kinkaid in Mount Airy. Taking her six years old adopted daughter Molly with her to meet her grandpa for the first time, Zoe finds quite a scene as Walter is stabbing his girlfriend Beatrice Kendall in the throat. Zoe grabs the knife and dials 911. Her angry fiancé homicide detective Nick Stiles, who never knew about Walter's existence, concludes Beatrice choked to death on pari-mutuel betting tickets. Though the police are unhappy as they still suspect Walter of murder; no charges are filed against him for performing a tracheotomy. His daughter moves him into an assisted living home as he keeps thinking she is his long dead wife her mother who died when she was Molly's age. Zoe learns of another recent homicide and soon others follow. As Zoe investigates while Nick fumes, the neighbors are less then cooperative; they are hostile towards her. The third Hayes amateur sleuth investigation (see THE NANNY MURDERS and THE RIVER KILLINGS) is a fabulous over the top thriller that seems implausible yet recent real events provide genuineness to the tale. Zoe is at her best as her inquiry with sidekick Molly forces her to look back at her family secret skeletons while seeking to learn the truth behind what seems like a serial killer at work. Fans will enjoy her efforts as Nick worries about her activity in the Philadelphia suburb as she carries their offspring and her child into danger. Harriet Klausner