Author: Zane Lovitt
Genre: Fiction & Literature, Crime & Mystery, Armature Sleuths.
Year of release: 2025
Release Date: 03/03/25
Rating 🌟🌟🌟
Synopsis
Everybody needs good neighbours…
When Claire Corral goes missing from her home on Carnation Way, her neighbour Jamie isn’t too concerned. He’s busy caring for his dad, recovering from a broken heart and eating himself into a bigger pair of pants.
Then the police turn up.
Is Claire’s disappearance connected with the body found next door thirteen years ago? Does Jamie’s father, now grappling with dementia, know more about these events than he should? And then there’s Tess, equal parts mysterious and charming, who just moved in at number thirty-five…
As Jamie asks around, an unsettling picture begins to form. Perhaps quiet, respectable Carnation Way is home to the same secrets and heartaches as any other neighbourhood—with a few more murders thrown in.
Review
Carnation Way is a quiet cul-de-sac in suburban Melbourne. Jamie Fawkner has moved back home to help his father, Bruce, whose dementia is tightening its grip rather rapidly. After a recent divorce, Jamie is also seeking the comfort of familiar surroundings — and perhaps indulging a little too heavily in eating his feelings. At this rate, he may soon need to go up a waist size.
When news breaks that their neighbour Claire Corral has disappeared, it makes for excellent gossip around Carnation Way. Jamie isn’t overly concerned — until the police arrive and begin asking questions. Suddenly, he starts to wonder whether Bruce knows more about the events than he is willing to share… or even should know.
Then Number Thirty-Five — a house that sat empty for so long — becomes occupied. The new resident, Tess, is mysterious and charming. As Jamie’s curiosity surrounding Claire’s disappearance grows, he begins quietly asking neighbours whether they saw anything that night. An unsettling picture slowly starts to take shape.
Carnation Way may look like any other suburban cul-de-sac, filled with carnations and quiet routines, but beneath its surface lie secrets, heartaches… and perhaps more than one murder.
A cosy mystery set in suburban Melbourne, complete with octogenarians, neighbourhood gossip, and secrets blooming behind neat hedges? I simply had to spend time in this mysterious cul-de-sac surrounded by carnations.
What drew me in was the promise of something familiar — suburban streets, community chatter, older residents with long memories — paired with the quiet suggestion that something darker was simmering underneath it all. The Body Next Door offers that delicious tension between cosy and unsettling. It’s neighbourly chats and cups of tea… but with the police knocking at the door.
If you enjoy mysteries where suspicion seeps in slowly, where every seemingly harmless neighbour might know more than they’re saying, and where suburbia itself becomes a character, this one will absolutely tempt you to wander down Carnation Way.
What I appreciated most was how the reader can observe Jamie changing step by step throughout the narrative. His inner world — his thoughts, emotions, and vulnerabilities — gradually shifts as the mystery deepens. Watching that transformation unfold felt authentic and measured rather than forced.
The bond between Bruce Fawkner and Jamie is particularly admirable. I appreciated that the author avoided leaning heavily into family tension as a subplot — something many novels rely upon. Instead, The Body Next Door uses the strength of their relationship as one of the story’s greatest assets. Their connection adds warmth and emotional depth to what might otherwise have been a purely plot-driven mystery.
The supporting cast also adds to the atmosphere of Carnation Way, reinforcing that sense of a tightly woven community where everyone observes… and remembers.
Thanks to the author’s skilled writing, there were no major plotlines given away prematurely, nor were any twists easily guessed by this reader. The mystery is carefully constructed, and Zane Lovitt does an excellent job of keeping the reader uncertain right through to the end.
While I appreciated both the plot and the characters, I did find the pacing slightly uneven. The first half of the novel moved along easily and was engaging from the outset. However, around the midpoint, the narrative slowed and began to feel somewhat repetitive, as though it had briefly lost momentum.
I found myself hoping a key detail or sharper clue might emerge sooner to propel the story forward. When that shift eventually occurred, the plot regained its rhythm and carried through to a well-considered and memorable conclusion. The ending certainly holds its own and was thoughtfully executed — it will stay with this reviewer.
For me, this lull in the middle is what influenced my three-star rating. It wasn’t a lack of quality, but rather a temporary dip in pacing that slightly affected my reading experience.
What consistently grounded the novel, however, was the emotional strength at its core.
The bond between Bruce Fawkner and Jamie is admirable and deeply affecting. I appreciated that the author chose not to rely on heightened family conflict — a common subplot in many novels. Instead, The Body Next Door leans into loyalty, care, and quiet devotion, allowing their relationship to become one of the story’s greatest strengths. It adds warmth and depth, anchoring the mystery in something genuinely human.
Subplots and tropes included in The Body Next Door:
- Amateur sleuth
- Brother–sister relationship
- Death of a parent
- Death of a spouse
- Dementia / neurocognitive disorder
- Divorce
- Dual perspective
- Dual timeline
- Everybody’s a suspect
- Father–son relationship
- Female friendship
- Grief
- Lies
- Light-bulb moment
- Loss
- Loss of a child
- Loss of a sibling
- Multiple murders
- Potential new love interest
- Relationship breakdown
- Secrets
- The big reveal
- Whodunnit
The Body Next Door surprised me emotionally. I expected intrigue and suspense, but I didn’t expect to close the book feeling both content and quietly unsettled.
There is a sense of satisfaction in how the mystery resolves, yet alongside that came an unexpected sadness — a feeling of loss, almost as though I was leaving Carnation Way behind. The emotional threads woven through the story lingered longer than I anticipated, which speaks to the strength of its character work.
Readers who enjoy Amanda Hampson, Christian White, Laura McCluskey, or Sally Hepworth should certainly consider adding Zane Lovitt to their bookshelf. There’s that same blend of domestic intrigue, layered characters, and carefully controlled suspense.
I would recommend The Body Next Door to a mature audience who enjoys cosy mystery with a darker edge, or mystery–thrillers grounded in strong character relationships. If you’re curious about exploring the cosy mystery genre but would like something with emotional weight and a distinctly Australian suburban setting, this would be a wonderful place to start.
It doesn’t shout for attention — it draws you in quietly, then keeps you thinking long after the final page.
With continued thanks to author Zane Lovitt and Text Publishing for sending a gifted copy of this book to read and review in exchange for my honest opinion.