My Husband Next Door
My husband Matt and I are an ordinary married couple in every way but one. At the end of each day, we return to our own homes and our own spaces. Some people think this arrangement is odd, but for us it’s perfect.
But beyond the fairy lights I string at my window, darkness is pressing in. Two local women have gone missing, and I don’t want to be alone. With Matt away for work, I find comfort in chatting to my new neighbor Brenda, who drops in regularly with casseroles and groceries.
Sipping our coffees, looking out of my kitchen window, I soon notice how observant Brenda is. So when she tells me that perhaps my husband isn’t simply working late, something cold takes root. I think of Matt’s recent vague tone, the way he brushes off my questions. Brenda thinks I should pop by when Matt’s not at home. Just to check everything’s as it should be.
I should be able to trust the man I married. But when I do go through my husband’s things, I discover that our perfect living arrangement is hiding a shocking secret…
- Ellie - Student nurse, 22
- Sylvie - Matt’s wife, Jess’s mother, 45
- Matt - Sylvie’s husband, 35
- Jess- Sylvie’s daughter, 20
- Kendra - Jess’s friend, 20
- Ed - Jess’s partner, 25
- Nige - Matt’s best friend
- Brenda - Sylvie’s new neighbor, retired nurse, 60s
- Helena - Detective Inspector investigating Ellie’s case
- Matt lives in a house he inherited when his grandfather died and Sylvie lives two doors down in her own house.
- A man kidnaps Ellie.
- Jess gives birth to Scarlet Mae and moves in with Sylvie temporarily so she can help with the baby.
- Brenda moves in across the street from Sylvie.
- Brenda immediately pushes her way into Sylvie’s life.
- When Sylvie suddenly goes in for emergency surgery Brenda takes care of Jess and Scarlet but also starts rearranging the house.
- Matt is irritated by Brenda’s constant presence in Sylvie's house.
- Ellie wakes up and recognizes her kidnapper as someone she knows.
- The kidnapper says he wants to keep her safe from being unhappy.
- Ellie thinks it’s nice there and not as bad as the prison she left.
- A female body is found in the woods - it’s Kendra.
- Ellie was in on her own kidnapping because she wanted to get away from her controlling parents.
- Sylvie snoops in Matt’s house and finds an earring.
- Sylvie confronts Matt about being distant and he tells her that Nige got himself into huge financial trouble and Matt has been helping him pay off his debts.
- Jess tells Sylvie that she thinks Kendra was sleeping with Matt.
- Helena does a press conference and reveals Kendra was missing an earring when her body was found, it matches the earring Sylvie found in Matt’s bedroom.
- The kidnapper tells Ellie he killed Kendra for her and Ellie thanks him.
- The police question Matt in front of Sylvie and Matt admits that he was having a fling with Kendra.
- Matt is arrested for Kendra’s murder.
- Sylvie follows Ed to an abandoned recording studio.
- Ed drags Sylvie into the room where Ellie is staying and she finds Jess in there too.
- Ed grew to hate Jess when he realized Scarlet Mae wasn’t his baby.
- Scarlet Mae’s father is Nige.
- Brenda bursts in to help Sylvie and the police show up a minute later.
- Matt is cleared of all charges.
- Ed is charged with murder and Ellie as an accomplice.
- Brenda admits to planting Kendra’s earring in Matt’s house.
- Matt’s grandfather, Arthur, was Brenda’s patient before she retired.
- Arthur used to talk a lot about Matt, Sylvie and Jess so when Brenda saw an opportunity, she moved to the neighborhood on purpose to get to know them.
- Kendra - Dead - Strangled by Ed
- Ed - Alive - In prison for killing Kendra
- Ellie - Alive - In prison for her role in staging her own kidnapping
- Sylvie - Alive - Unable to forgive Matt for his betrayal
- Jess - Alive - Grateful to still have her mom looking out for her
- Matt - Alive - Presumably upset that Sylvie left him over his affair with Kendra
- Nige - Alive - Took off after Jess told him he was Scarlet Mae's father
- Brenda - Alive - Happy to still have Sylvie and Jess as friends
- Helena - Alive - Satisfied with a job well done
- Infidelity
- Murder
- Kidnapping
- Pregnancy
- Confinement
- Stalking
Publisher: Bookouture
ISBN: 9781835252741
Publish Date: October 28, 2025
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.