The Mother Next Door

May 1, 2021

A bunch of take-charge neighborhood mothers dubbed the Ivy Five always plan the annual block party for the suburban cul-de-sac Ivy Woods Drive. But for years there have been only four of them, and therein hangs a tale. After a new mother moves in and is invited to round out the group, anonymous missives start arriving that threaten to reveal secrets about the neighborhood implicating our do-gooding moms. Laskowski won Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity first-book honors for One Night Gone; with 75,000-copy first printing.

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August 2, 2021
After too many lean, lonely years as a single parent in Philadelphia, journalist Theresa Pressley, the protagonist of this atmospheric if flimsily plotted thriller from Agatha Award finalist Laskowski (One Night Gone), is plunging headfirst into the opportunities awaiting her and her teen daughter in Ivy Woods, an affluent, seemingly idyllic Washington, D.C., suburb, where her new husband just became high school principal. But what Theresa will discover only gradually about her formidably polished neighbors, locally famous for the Halloween block party they stage each year, is that Kendra McCaul, nicknamed Queen Bee, and her court may be hiding skeletons far scarier than those swaying from the cul-de-sac’s trees. And as suggested by their response to the anonymous threats that Kendra and crew begin receiving weeks before the Woods’ big night, there’s little the “Ivy Hive” would balk at to keep them buried. The suspense builds as Theresa’s curiosity, coupled with some explosive secrets of her own, increasingly put her and her family in jeopardy, but several subsequent twists prove unconvincing. Hopefully, Laskowski will return to form next time. Agent: Michelle Richter, Foreword Literary.

September 1, 2021
Raised in poverty, Theresa Pressley has made her share of mistakes, but as an adult, she's been focused on being a good single mom to her daughter. Recently, though, she married Adam, and the newly formed family has moved to a home in Ivy Woods, a smart cul-de-sac with a ready-made group of families to befriend. Theresa, who's never had close female friends, is delighted when she's asked to join the Ivy Five, a group of overachieving "perfect" mothers whose annual Halloween party is the stuff of legend. But the veneer of civility and friendliness is soon shattered when dark secrets emerge, not only from Theresa's past, but also from those of her new friends. A terrible tragedy occurred 13 years ago, and the Ivy Five were involved. Now someone seems bent on revenge. In a terrible twist of fate, history seems destined to repeat itself, but are loyalty and friendship more important than discovering the truth? Smartly paced, menacing, full of bizarre twists, and offering a collection of thoroughly fascinating (if sometimes a mite loathsome) characters, this is a fine domestic thriller.

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