January 2018

My first Bookreporter.com Bets On selection of 2018 is THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW, a thriller that I have been talking about since BookExpo last May when I interviewed its author, A. J. Finn, about it, as it was one of the show’s Buzz books. It’s tough to talk about a thriller without giving anything away, so here is what I can tell you.

Anna Fox lives alone; she is a recluse in her New York City home, suffering from agoraphobia. She spends her day drinking wine (Merlot by the caseload is delivered to her house) and watching old movies, preferably those in black and white. She reminisces about happier times in her life, bringing up many memories that weave their way into the story. For recreation, she spies on her neighbors. She charts what happens to these folks, chronicling their comings and goings, noting irregularities as well as routines.

The Russells move into the house across the way, and to Anna they are the perfect family. But when she is gazing out her window one night, she sees something she shouldn’t, and from there her world begins to crumble. What did she see, and what does it mean? This is a well-plotted thriller, with one twist I saw and one that I missed. I was thinking about Alfred Hitchcock films a lot as I read it.

THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW is a terrific look into the head of someone suffering from agoraphobia and how paralyzing that is. Oh, and there are times when a cover for a book is perfect; this is one of them.