In closing, my deepest appreciation to my husband, whose skills with his new ice cream maker made revisions to this book much more fun and fattening than they otherwise would’ve been; to my adorable daughter, who, yes, helped inspire Ree, while always being a True Original; to Sarah, for your constant care; to Mimi, who we still miss and wish the best; to my brilliant editor, Kate Miciak, who definitely improved this novel, even if I was very writer-like (cranky) about it at the time; and finally to my fabulous agent, Meg Ruley, and the rest of the team of the Jane Rotrosen Agency, for having just the right way with writer-like (cranky) authors.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A self-described research junkie, LISA GARDNER has parlayed her interest in police procedures, twisted plots, and compelling characters into a streak of New York Times bestselling suspense novels, including Say Goodbye, Hide, Gone, Alone, The Killing Hour, The Survivors Club, The Next Accident, The Other Daughter, The Third Victim, and The Perfect Husband. Lisa lives with her family in New England, where she is writing her next novel, Live to Tell. Visit her website at www.LisaGardner.com.

SPECIAL_IMAGE-00005.jpg-REPLACE_ME
The Neighbor is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2009 by Lisa Gardner, Inc.

Published in the United States by Bantam Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

BANTAM BOOKS and the rooster colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Gardner, Lisa.
The neighbor / Lisa Gardner.
p.  cm.
eISBN: 978-0-553-90663-9
1. Missing persons—Fiction.  2. Boston (Mass.)—Fiction.  I. Title.
PS3557A7132N45 2009
813′.54—dc22
2009009861

v3.0