Lisa Thompson’s debut novel is a page-turning mystery with an emotionally driven, complex character study at its core—like Rear Window meets The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
Matthew Corbin suffers from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. He hasn’t been to school in weeks. His hands are cracked and bleeding from cleaning. He refuses to leave his bedroom. To pass the time, he observes his neighbors from his bedroom window, making mundane notes about their habits as they bustle about the cul-de-sac.
When a toddler staying next door goes missing, it becomes apparent that Matthew was the last person to see him alive. Suddenly, Matthew finds himself at the center of a high-stakes mystery, and every one of his neighbors is a suspect. Matthew is the key to figuring out what happened and potentially saving a child’s life—but is he able to do so if it means exposing his own secrets, and stepping out from the safety of his home?
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“This story is an emotional roller-coaster ride, and narrator Leon Williams treats each twist and turn with depth and passion, holding listeners in rapt attention to the end. He provides a spectacular portrayal of twelve-year-old Matthew…Williams takes listeners from one emotion to the next, anxious, horrified, hopeful, heartbroken, and relieved all in one performance. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile
“This empathetic debut is a middle-grade whodunit with a very special heart.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“Successfully weaves Matthew’s personal struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder and the search for the missing toddler into a compelling story with a hearty dose of mystery and adventure. Though the topic is serious, the tone is fairly light and the story well-paced… Readers will root for Matthew…Ideal for building empathy.”
— School Library JournalBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Lisa Thompson is a writer and radio producer living in England.
Leon Williams is a Earphones Award–winning narrator as well as a producer and actor known for Knight School, Carlo’s Wake, and Stand Alone.