A Crime In The Neighborhood

Welcome to A Crime in the Neighborhood (1998) by Suzanne Berne (Penguin), ISBN 0140273328 — Used (because of course it is), and sold by Crappy Old Books, where we specialise in stories that arrive with a little wear and a lot of opinion.

This is the sort of novel that whispers, very politely, “Everything is perfectly normal here,” while you can practically hear the suburban hedge twitching with secrets. It’s neighbourhood life in its natural habitat: trimmed lawns, ordinary routines, the soft tyranny of appearances — and the creeping realisation that “nice” is often just a paint colour. The crime, as promised, is in the neighbourhood, but the real mischief is how it spreads through people’s thoughts, their friendships, their silences, and the things they pretend not to notice because it’s easier to keep smiling.

Berne has that rare talent for making the everyday feel faintly haunted. You know the vibe: long summer days, kids roaming just a bit too freely, adults doing adult things (which mostly involves denial and iced drinks), and a sense that something has shifted slightly out of place — like a picture frame that’s been nudged and now you can’t stop staring at it. It’s subtle, sharp, and quietly unsettling in the way the best “nothing-to-see-here” stories are.

And this copy? Used, which is perfect, because a clean, immaculate book about a community getting smudged by suspicion would be… suspicious. Expect the friendly evidence of past readership: a softened spine, corners that have stopped trying so hard, pages that may have that faint, warm paperback patina. It’s not “damaged,” it’s “seasoned.” Like a neighbourhood after the police tape comes down and everyone goes back to saying hello — slightly differently.

Ideal for readers who like their tension slow-burn, their observations incisive, and their fiction quietly judgemental in the most entertaining way. Also ideal if you enjoy buying from a shop called Crappy Old Books, which is either an act of bravery or an admission that you know the best reads don’t always come with glossy perfection.

A Crime in the Neighborhood (1998), Suzanne Berne (Penguin)
ISBN: 0140273328
Condition: Used
Sold with a straight face by Crappy Old Books — because nothing says “community spirit” like a shared sense of unease.

Keep browsing: See more Fiction books Other books by Suzanne Berne