Only-child Eliza is not thrilled her parents are moving them from San Francisco to the suburbs, and meeting the intriguing, decidedly odd residents of their new cul-de-sac, readers will hardly blame her. There’s Klaus, a German computer scientist who keeps to himself, except when he’s killing women and burying them in his garden. Then Alex, who’s physically disabled by kidney disease and socially by DIY haircuts, and who’s reluctantly roped into tutoring Eliza in algebra—he explains that he’s independently wealthy and doesn’t need or want the job, but her mom insists. Their neighbor Peggy tries to be friendly but is just off. Then there’s a house that’s burned and remains empty, apparently for years. This lonely street is made sinister by its silence, but there’s activity behind closed doors. A fledgling romance—or are they just friends?—sets off the central problem of the book: one neighbor is killed, others are involved in the aftermath, and the police are not letting it go, with the investigation revealing Klaus’s garden of horrors. A closing twist when a neighbor does something most unexpected caps this quirky, often amusing suburban jaunt that’s a must for fans of domestic suspense.
