Everybody needs good neighbours…
When Claire Corral goes missing from her home on Carnation Way, her neighbour Jamie isn’t too concerned. He’s busy—caring for his dad, recovering from a broken heart and eating himself into a bigger pair of pants.
Then the police turn up.
Is Claire’s disappearance connected with the body found next door thirteen years ago? Does Jamie’s father, now grappling with dementia, know more about these events than he should? And then there’s Tess, equal parts mysterious and charming, who just moved in at number thirty-five…
As Jamie asks around, an unsettling picture begins to form. Perhaps quiet, respectable Carnation Way is home to the same secrets and heartaches as any other neighbourhood—with a few more murders thrown in.
Zane Lovitt, the Ned Kelly Award-winning author of The Midnight Promise, returns with a gloriously entertaining and compelling suburban mystery-thriller.
INTERVIEWS and REVIEWS
Carpe Librum
Conversations podcast
NZ Booklovers
andThe Body Next Door
‘The Midnight Promise delivers. Zane Lovitt is a writer to watch.’
‘A crime story with a clear heart of gold and a genuinely enthralling mystery. It’s good-natured, one of the funniest crime books in my recent memory, and occasionally heartbreaking.’
‘[Lovitt has] an attentive ear for language and a nuanced understanding of how quite ordinary extraordinary people may find themselves up to their necks in trouble. This is original Australian crime fiction of the first order.’
‘Superb characterisation and meticulously curated exchanges heighten the tension throughout, while recognisable Melbourne landmarks and Australian colloquialisms imbue the narrative with an unsettling familiarity—culminating in a surprising ending that will turn every expectation on its head.’
‘It’s Aussie noir, but much funnier than your standard noir, and Lovitt is a wonderfully inventive writer.’
‘Zane Lovitt blends humour and intrigue while the novel’s twists and turns maintain suspense in this fresh take on the amateur sleuth genre. You’ll be left questioning what you really know about your neighbours!’
‘An entertaining read…The novel conveys a simple message: “to recognise the small, good things that make up a life and a love”.’
‘Zane does not disappoint with a compelling suburban mystery…An absolute delight!’
‘4 stars. The Body Next Door by Zane Lovitt is a double cozy mystery and Aussie whodunnit that plays out in a very entertaining way and is highly recommended for fans of Benjamin Stevenson and the lighter side of Jack Heath.’
