NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

An idyllic small American town may hide a seedy underbelly in this thriller.

Scott Casey and his parents have lived in Ridgeport, Illinois, since 1986. It’s a veritable utopia, crime-free and abundant in neighbors who greet folks with a smile. That’s not by accident; residents must abide by copious rules lest they suffer fines or lose their “residency cards” that give them discounts at local stores. Scott is a mere 10 years old in ’96 when he first gets an inkling that Ridgeport isn’t so squeaky clean. While the town hasn’t seen any murders, a few people have mysteriously disappeared. When someone Scott knows vanishes years later, he and his best friend, Matt Norris, focus their suspicions on Matt’s mom, Sue Ellen. She created and heads the Neighborhood Watch Committee but may not be as stable as she appears in public. The boys desperately want to know what’s in her secret room in the basement—one so secure they’ll need to manipulate a fingerprint scanner to get inside. But neither friend can anticipate what lies beyond that door. Kenealy gradually builds suspense in a story that spans a couple of decades. The tale begins in the ’80s as Scott’s mother, Loretta, seems to fall under Sue Ellen’s spell. But the narrative teases the 2004 date of Ridgeport’s first homicide and works its way to that fateful year. The author’s largely unadorned prose aptly details the town’s centurylong history as well as its fat “residency book” (required reading for newcomers). Kenealy also wisely focuses on the cast. Young Scott’s rebellious acts form an enjoyable coming-of-age subplot that includes an episode in which he and his friends sneak alcoholic drinks at a wedding. But no character outshines Sue Ellen; even readers can’t be sure what the dubious woman has actually done. The revealing final act drops more than one surprise as it deftly cranks up the tension.

Superb characters headline this chilling, slow-burn crime tale.