CUL DE SAC

Things aren’t always what they seem in Carlyle Terrance, a pleasant middle-class cul-de-sac in South Florida, as we learn in the first chapter of Joy Fielding’s latest thriller.Apparently, “fatal events” have marred an otherwise peaceful July evening. Someone is shot dead in the middle of the night.We spend the rest of the novel exploring events in the two months leading up to that fateful night and the personalities, dark secrets and motivations of members of the cul-de-sac’s five families to learn the victim’s identity and who did it.There are lots of candidates for this unpleasantness and, like many Floridians, they all have access to guns.One wonders who the victim could be. Could it be the one of the newlyweds struggling under the thumb of the husband’s nasty, overbearing mother or perhaps the otherwise highly respected oncologist who has a nasty habit of beating his wife, sometimes in front of the children?And what about the perfectionist wife who’s constantly on edge because of an incident she witnessed in California which motivated her family to move to Florida, rather than enter the witness protection program?Or could it be the successful career woman and her unemployed loser husband with his suicidal thoughts and imaginary job, or the recently widowed grandmother temporarily housing her troublesome pot- smoking grandson while her son pressures her to sell her house and move into a seniors’ home.There’s a dark side to these characters and their portrayal is so vivid you’d swear you’ve met some of them. The fact that they live on a cul-de-sac is critical to the plot as the curved enclave allows the neighbors to watch and interact with each other, not always in a pleasant way.I found myself picking favorites among these characters as to whom I would like to see meet an early demise. I was not disappointed as my number one choice bit the dust in the book’s surprising climax.Joy Fielding is a master story-teller. Her fans have been waiting two years for her latest offering and Cul-de-sac definitely makes the wait worthwhile.Barry Francis

I wait months for any new Joy Feilding books, even ordering them on pre order. I read this book in two days. I couldn't wait to see who done it and to whom. Excellent read.OK so I may be a nit picker but two things in this book caught my limited attention. When Heidi confides her condition, she is invited in for a drink. Later Heidi is invited for coffee. Any 21st century reader would frown on this, especially since Heidi is in her first tri mester. Never mind my Passive agressiveness - this is an excellent read from an excellent author. Already looking forward to her next one.

I always enjoy Fielding. The clear message I drew from this story ( and she obviously did her research!) was just how prevalent guns are in the US. In her novel, NONE of her characters were stable enough to have such easy access to firearms. Great read!

A good novel with an interesting plot. Easy to read and kept my interest up. I would recommend it to anyone.

I’ve loved all of Joy Feildings books and this one does not disappoint. Total page turner. Can’t put it down!