The Woman Outside My Door

Dublin housewife Georgina, the heroine of Ryan’s confident debut, is mourning her mother’s recent death and is going through a rough patch in her marriage when her seven-year-old son, Cody, says he’s made a new friend at the park, whom he calls New Granny. When Georgina expresses her concerns to her husband, Bren, he dismisses New Granny as an imaginary friend Cody has created to deal with the grief of losing his real grandmother, and suggests Georgina’s own suffering is making her exaggerate the issue. As Cody and New Granny get closer, Georgina becomes certain someone is spying on her and her family. Then the vandalism and strange phone calls start. All the while, Bren continues to tell Georgina she’s overreacting and needs to talk to a therapist. Ryan does a good job keeping the reader off balance, wondering whether Georgina is indeed going mad. The tension builds as long-held secrets are revealed, and Georgina proves that she’ll stop at nothing to protect her child. Fans of psychological suspense will be satisfied. Agent: Marianne Gunn O’Connor, Marianne Gunn O’Connor Literary (Ireland). (Jan.)