The Party Wall — Stevie Davies

Mark lives next door to Freya. When her husband dies tragically, he determines to be her saviour, come what may. Whether that means walking the dog, minding the house or taking her on day trips. However, her neighbours on the other side keep getting in the way, as do her two lumpen brothers-in-law.... But Mark has another life, one he hasn't told Freya about, one that increasingly impinges on his desire to make Freya his own. As he lies in his bed at night, listening to her movements the other side of the wall, the gentle sighing and creaking of bed springs, he plots his movements towards an idyllic future. A future that doesn't feature his ex-girlfriend who still lives in the other house or his dead wife. As Mark ingratiates himself, Freya, lost in a sea of grief, only slowly begins to realise that Mark's motives may not be quite as compassionate as they seem and her eyes are opened to the threat she has guilelessly invited into her home.