‘The Killer Next Door’: Strong women dominate thriller

Despite its title, “The Killer Next Door” by Alex Marwood centers more on the female neighbors and their dynamics than the murderer.

Marwood’s follow-up to her successful debut, “The Wicked Girls,” is ostensibly about a group of traumatized women living in a rundown house. But, it also addresses dysfunctional families and mother-daughter relationships.

Character Analysis

Main Characters

Lisa “Colette” Dunne
Cheryl “Cher” Farrell
Vesta Collins
Hossein Zanjani
Thomas Dunbar

Lisa “Colette” Dunne is the main protagonist of “The Killer Next Door.” The mid-30s British woman only returned to London to be close to her terminally ill mother. She’s hopped from country to country for the last three years.

Cheryl “Cher” Farrell is a 15-year-old girl pretending to be older to escape the foster care system. Her youthfulness allows her to befriend her neighbors but also leaves her open to serious harm.

Vesta Collins, 70, acts as the house mother. She was born, raised and now resides in the basement apartment. She is the keeper of secrets and a source of connection among the residents.

Hossein Zanjani is a refugee seeking asylum who develops a close friendship with Vesta and a romance with Colette. He came to the UK from Iran after his wife was attacked for expressing political beliefs. He’s an ally to all three women.

Thomas Dunbar is the quiet neighbor who pays his rent without trouble and mostly keeps to himself. His demeanor and attic apartment present him as an easily overlooked character. But, his actions drive a large part of the narrative.

Plot Summary

“The Killer Next Door” opens with a short prologue in which an injured young woman, Cher, is seated in a police station being asked to identify the photo of a woman she knew as Colette.

The novel features third-person points of view from multiple characters, including an unnamed killer known as the Lover.

It begins as Lisa interrupts her former boss, a money laundering nightclub owner, beating an associate to death. She ran from the scene with hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and has fled to Spain and other countries to avoid being killed.

After making a hasty retreat and barely escaping her hunters, Lisa decides to rent a room at No. 23 in south London under her middle name, Colette, to visit her dying mother. She unsuccessfully attempts to avoid interacting with her neighbors or drawing attention to herself.

The city’s in the midst of an intense heatwave and all of No. 23 has a fetid odor none can identify. It causes plumbing issues in Vesta’s bathroom forcing her to move furniture and sleep in her living room.

Cher’s youthful verve and familiarity with the woman who once lived in Colette’s apartment Cher’s ingratiate her to the new woman. The pair are soon spending time with retiree Vesta and refugee Hossein.

While Colette is keeping a low profile, she visits her ailing mother in a nearby facility. The older woman, Janine Baker, barely acknowledges her grown daughter. When returning from a visit, Colette grows suspicious that the nightclub henchmen know her whereabouts.

An incident in Vesta’s basement apartment forces all the available residents to collaborate. The closeness leads Colette to have stronger feelings for Hossein and develop a genuine maternal friendship with Vesta. She also views Cher as a troubled child who needs adults to help her.

Meanwhile, the Lover’s efforts to preserve the corpses of his companions are detailed and contextualized with the events at No. 23. A loner lacking social skills, he seeks to immortalize his victims as silent, feminine statues in the same vein as Carl von Cosel.

The inevitable discovery of the Lover’s lair puts Cher in danger while giving Colette a great plan for escape. With their immediate concerns addressed, the women get their happy ending.

Final Thoughts

Juggling multiple characters, “The Killer Next Door” deftly shifts perspectives and maintains a briskly paced plot. The novel offers a palatable exploration of the female experience dealing with violent men.

Each of the three main characters– Colette, Cher and Vesta– confronts trauma inflicted through treacherous acts of selfish, greedy and murderous men. Marwood doesn’t linger on the details and chooses to center the story on how the women cope with what they’ve witnessed and survived.

“The Killer Next Door” lacks the punchiness of more shocking thrillers, but it’s immensely readable and emphasizes how women working together can overcome obstacles and live their best lives.