I am very picky about my mysteries; I have grown up reading Agatha Christie’s Poirot stories, which for me are the epitome of mysteries, and TV Shows like Monk – as far as I am concerned, one of the best TV detectives – so, in comparison, I find a lot of new mysteries and thrillers pretty boring and uneventful.

That being said, this story was pretty damn good. It wasn’t exactly that great, but given some of the trash that has been published in recent times, it was pretty damn good in comparison. It is a pretty good, cosy summer psychological thriller.

The Woman in the Window is a sort of homage to Rear Window and other classic mysteries and thrillers of that era. It follows Dr. Anna Fox, a child psychologist, who is agoraphobic and hence is confined to her house, where she drinks too much red wine and watches a lot of classic B&W movies.

Being at home, constantly, is quite a boring activity, and so she also spends her time spying on her neighbours. When new folks move into the opposite house, she gets quite interested in their lives, and while spying, she witnesses the murder of a woman in the house, but hen she reports it, it seems as though there was no murder at all – no body whatsoever. She is adamant that it had happened, but people believe her to be crazy and under the influence.

The book follows a pretty classic unreliable narrator format with Dr. Fox mixing her meds with excessive amounts of wine leading to hallucinations. On top of that, her mental state is brought into question about 65% of the way through which complicates the matter further, with one revelation in particular.

I must admit, the final reveal was a tad predictable, and not unexpected. But I did thoroughly enjoy myself while reading this book. It’s the kind of psychological thriller that is cosy, but keeps you at the edge of your seat, but not so much that it is uncomfortable.

Seriously, though, what is with these mysteries with “Woman” and “Girl” in the title, I am so tired of them, what’s with giving all of the women mental health issues and drinking problems. One could swap one female lead for another and the story wouldn’t be affected by much.

Still, though, out of all the other similar characters, Dr. Anna Fox was a pretty good one, and an interesting one too; you want to sympathise with her, but also you’re not sure if you can trust her. I must commend Finn’s characterisation of Fox with her agoraphobia and depression. He has also crafted an interesting assortment of supporting character where most of them are not who we think they are.

It’s not the best thriller out there, nope, but it is pretty damn good and entertaining. If you like a good cosy psychological thriller, then this is the book for you. It would make for a very good summer read.