Nosy Neighbors

January 1, 2024

Sampson's debut, The Last Chance Library, was a GMA Book Buzz and LibraryReads pick; her second, The Lost Ticket, was a best seller too. In this pivot from fiction to mystery, 25-year-old Kat Bennett and 77-year-old Dorothy Darling, prickly neighbors in the historic Shelley House in England, band together to save their building and bring a criminal to justice. Prepub Alert.

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February 15, 2024
A Victorian house's disparate residents join forces to solve a tragic crime and keep their place in the property. Ms. (never Mrs.) Dorothy Darling, 77, has a talent for details, particularly the details about her Shelley House neighbors' comings and goings, and even more particularly the details about how each and every thing her neighbors do might be a legal violation, or maybe just an affront to common sense, something Dorothy has in abundance. She's most vexed when a girl with pink hair shows up at the door looking for a room even though all the tenants know subletting their spare rooms is illegal. The impertinence! The troublemaker, Kat Bennett, is equally aggrieved to have come all the way to the village of Chalcot without landing a place to live, but the real renter, the friendly Joseph Chambers, makes a strong pitch when he finally meets her, and Kat moves into the multi-unit building after all. Although Kat's not one to put down roots, there's something charming about Shelley House and its occupants, especially Reggie, Joseph's adorable Jack Russell. Kat's almost relaxed when a tragedy shakes things up and forces her and her neighbors to come together. As they keep trying to protect their homestead from opportunistic landlord Fergus Alexander, the occupants of Shelley House must get to know each other a lot better to find out who might have tried to hurt one of their own. Personalities clash as secrets are revealed, threatening either to divide the occupants forever or to galvanize them in the fight. The tenants are as crafty and charming as the house in this all's-well-that-ends-well tale.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 15, 2024
Ms. Dorothy Darling knows everything that goes on in Shelley House, a small, ramshackle apartment building in England. The opera-loving septuagenarian keeps watch from her front window, so she knows when her neighbor, Joseph Chambers, has illegally rented his spare room to Kat Bennett, a 25-year-old loner with pink hair. Kat wants nothing more than to keep her distance, so when everyone is served with an eight-week eviction notice, she figures she'll just move on. But then Joseph is attacked, and Kat stays to watch his dog, Reggie. Dorothy and Kat both have secrets keeping them at Shelley House, and soon they are caught up in Joseph's campaign to save the building from a shady developer. Sampson (The Lost Ticket, 2022) once again presents a charming story about intergenerational friendship leading to healing. As the narrative alternates between Dorothy and Kat's distinct voices, readers learn why the two women have their walls up, and have the pleasure of watching those walls come down. This heartwarming tale is full of subtle humor and rich characters.

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