The Woman in the Window: A Novel

Anna is severely agoraphobic, unable to leave her townhouse, but she isn’t totally isolated. She talks regularly with her husband, David, and daughter, Olivia, who are living elsewhere; she draws on her former life as a psychotherapist to help others in her online agoraphobia community; and she has her neighbors, whom she watches steadily from her own home’s windows, observing their lives without getting involved. When she witnesses a shocking act of violence, however, she’s forced to act–but finds that the secrets she’s been harboring leave her more alone than ever. Only Anna knows what danger she’s in. But can she believe what she saw? How much can she trust herself?

Many thrillers promise to be page-turners; this one is the real deal. Though it’s explicitly influenced by masterworks of the genre, such as Rear Window, Finn’s novel is wholly original. Intelligently woven clues, suspicions, misbeliefs, and misdirections are coupled with genuine emotional depth and complex character development. Saying more would ruin the fun of this ideal beach read. Set aside a long spell to read this one–putting it down will be impossible.