Best House on the Block

A Thriller

By: T.R. Ragan

Narrated by: Susan Dalian

Revealing a neighbor’s deep secrets and dark obsessions turns to murder in a shocking novel of psychological suspense by a New York Times bestselling author.

Aspiring investigative journalist Shannon Gibbons and her family have moved into a beautiful house in the Fabulous Forties of East Sacramento, where Shannon finds a fast connection with a new neighbor. Renowned journalist Rosella Marlow appears to have a genuine interest in giving Shannon’s own career a boost—as personal assistant on Rosella’s new project. Appearances are deceiving.

Bitter, resentful, and consumed by excruciating grief, Rosella is obsessed with wiping the smiles off her contented neighbors’ faces. Now she’s watching closely, ready to expose their secrets. Secrets dark enough to destroy lives. In Shannon, Rosella has a trusting and unwitting accomplice. But Rosella is being watched, too. And when someone is found murdered, everyone on this quiet block is a suspect. Because everyone has a motive.

With the help of a friend, Shannon begins an investigation into the death of a person she just met. As neighbor is pitted against neighbor, the truth is much scarier than anything they imagined.

©2025 by Theresa Ragan. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“The murder of a bullying ex-journalist threatens to rip the lid off the many scandals plaguing a toney Sacramento neighborhood.”—Kirkus Reviews

“An original and deftly crafted suspense with more unexpected plot twists and turns than an Oklahoma tornado.”—Midwest Book Review

“Best House on the Block is bestselling author T.R. Ragan’s perfectly executed Olympic-level dive into a new genre. Ragan’s voice comes across just as strong as ever, if not more powerful—blazing an intense new psychological trail—with all the twists and turns she’s delivered in the past.”—Steve Konkoly, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of A Clean Kill

Best House on the Block

Had my attention fron the beginning to the end. The characgers were very interesting and the book had wanting to read the authors other boo5.

Well developed characters and their relationships with each other. Masterful!

Same as above, but add to that mystery and suspense with lots of twists and turns. And a light touch of humor here and there. You'll love it!

Prepare to be completely immersed!

If you're looking for a great book that you won't want to put down until its end, this is the book for you. There's a lot to unpack with this group of neighbors, and I'm not talking about household goods.

Not for me

Struggled through the audiobook's French accent, hindering comprehension and enjoyment after multiple attempts. So i stopped reading and returned book.

Holy wow

Absolutely amazing! So well written with great characters, storyline, and setting. Absolutely loved it!! The characters were my favorite part. Highly recommend!

Everyone has a secret

It was a good story. Lots of names to keep track of. I enjoyed it!

Great storyline

I have listened to all of T R Ragan‘s books and this one is one of the better ones! I thought the storyline and characters were unique with some surprises and heartfelt moments. I listen to a lot of crime fiction and my only criticism with this author is the very modern and unique names of characters often gets confusing which might be easier when reading versus listening to the books. Overall, it was much than anticipated and worth the credit! Excited for the next release from this author!

Enjoyed this book

Interesting story line . Different from my usual listen and I will check out more from this Author.

cute

This was such a cute, cozy mystery. The sleuthing and nosy neighbors kept me guessing. The connection between Chloe and Shannon was heart-warming 💓

Loved the suspense

Loved the story, the narrator, the characters. It kept me guessing and drew me into the characters.