The Neighbours Are Talking

Timeless reflections on local life, farming, literature, the churchs year, the seasons, that transcend boundaries of place and time.

Neighbours – we all have them and everyone has a story to tell about them. Have you ever had a disagreement with a neighbour? Have your neighbours woken you up shouting, slamming doors or revving a car at an anti-social hour? If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions then this book is for you!

Rain Woodrow is an entrepreneur, both at heart and by profession. She’s not afraid to do whatever it takes to make her company a success. It’s a work ethic that is about to come in handy at home too. One night, she and her boyfriend, Cullen Dangsi, notice something remarkable happen. At a gathering of their neighbours, each stands up and pledges to work towards their highest aspirations and goals. There is power in numbers, they realise, and soon the neighbours are working together for both individual and community objectives. This cooperative spirit does not go unnoticed by the media, and soon the spotlight of public attention shines brightly on Sunlit Avenue. But that attention comes at a cost. It draws focus to those who aren’t quite as dedicated to the communal projects, as well as those who are jealous of what others are achieving. Why can’t everyone be supportive of this initiative to make each other’s lives better? Rain and Cullen work to solve the mystery, so that they can achieve their dreams, with or without the naysayers. The neighbours have a decision to make: do they allow themselves to be pulled down by toxic people—or do they work even harder to accomplish their goals with renewed ambition?

Secrets, jealousy, and paranoia collide when a seemingly perfect new family moves into a neighborhood with ties to the CIA in this gripping thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Need to Know. “Karen Cleveland ingeniously melds domestic intrigue with the lightning pace of a spy thriller, showing us the devastating personal costs of intelligence work.”—Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of Listen to Me ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: PopSugar Idyllic neighborhood, perfect family, meaningful career. CIA analyst Beth Bradford has it all— Until she doesn’t. Now, facing an empty nest and a broken marriage, Beth is moving from the cul-de-sac she’s long called home, and the CIA is removing her from the case that’s long been hers: tracking an elusive Iranian intelligence agent known as The Neighbor. Madeline Sterling moves into Beth’s old house. She has what Beth once had: an adoring husband, three beautiful young children, and the close-knit group of neighbors on the block. Now she has it all. And Beth—who can’t stop watching the woman stepping in to her old life—thinks the new neighbor has something else too: ties to Iranian intelligence. Is Beth just jealous? Paranoid? Or is something more at play? After all, most of the families on the cul-de-sac have some tie to the CIA. They’re all keeping secrets. And they all know more about their neighbors than they should. It would be the perfect place to insert a spy—unless one was there all along.

Caroline Geish is a world-famous country singer living a perfect single life. Adrien Martel is a handsome and successful plastic surgeon who moves next door. After meeting Adrien the country starlet is framed for murder and taken to jail. Caroline’s parents must rush to prove her innocence before she is sentenced to life in prison. With the help of Caroline’s family attorney Paul Weinsmith and Nate Corel a tenacious investigator they unravel a deep-rooted plot to destroy not only Caroline, but also her entire family. Unfortunately, time is short and the evidence against the starlet is strong. Caroline’s team must work quickly to uncover a dark history, save Caroline and clear the family.

In our increasingly self-sufficient society, neighborliness is scarcely more than a nostalgic memory. Yet the need for sociability is still great—perhaps greater. And as Christians it is our responsibility to reach out and meet that need. A Cup of Sugar, Neighbor is a collection of 100 devotionals providing spiritual encouragement and instruction for being a better neighbor, a better witness, a better friend.