The Apartment Across the Hall by Jack Dane

A woman becomes fixated on the handsome neighbor across the hall, who keeps bringing women home that she never sees leave.

Author

Diego Dunne
May 24, 2026

Hey,

This week, I read The Apartment Across the Hall by Jack Dane.

And it follows a woman who becomes obsessed with the couple across the hall.

I've read a few thrillers where one character can't let go of someone else's life, and it's the kind of setup where you watch a person talk themselves deeper into trouble.

Here are my favorites.

Dangerous Obsession Thrillers

Count My Lies by Sophie Stava

Sloane is a compulsive liar who tells small lies to make her life feel less dull. One of them lands her a job as a nanny to a wealthy, glamorous couple, Jay and Violet.

In Count My Lies by Sophie Stava, we follow Sloane as she gets pulled deeper into the couple's lives, and finds out their picture-perfect marriage is hiding plenty of its own.

None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

Alix is a podcaster who has a chance encounter with Josie, a woman who turns 45 on the very same day, in the very same restaurant. Josie suggests Alix feature her on the podcast, and Alix agrees, curious about Josie's troubled past.

In None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell, we follow both women as Josie slowly works her way into Alix's home and life, and Alix realizes too late how much danger she has let in.

And the newest addition to the list:

The Apartment Across the Hall by Jack Dane

Salem has a troubled past and a hard time finding somewhere to live in New York City. So when a friend turns up a cheap apartment, she takes it, even if the building and her new neighbors are anything but welcoming.

The neighbor across the hall, Victor, is tall, dark, and handsome, with a girlfriend who looks like she stepped out of a magazine. Salem can't stop watching the couple and the perfect life they seem to have. Then she sees Victor with another woman. And another. And another. She never sees any of them leave. Salem can't shake the feeling that something is very wrong and that lives might be at stake.

Trigger Warnings: Murder, kidnapping, torture, explicit violence.

The Apartment Across the Hall by Jack Dane is a domestic thriller set in a New York City apartment building.

Domestic thrillers: a subgenre of psychological thrillers set in a single location, focused on the unstable minds of characters, exploring perception, reality, and psychological tension, often leaving readers questioning what's real. The emphasis is on internal conflict and mental unraveling rather than external action.

The writing is functional and stripped back. Short sentences and short chapters. It gets clunky here and there, and some of the dialogue tipped into cheesy. But the simplicity is also why the book moves: this is a genuinely quick read, the kind you can finish in one or two sittings.

We follow two POVs, Salem and Victor, in a single timeline. There are no flashbacks. The pacing is snappy throughout. The short chapters keep things interesting throughout.

Salem is a proactive character. Once she decides something is wrong across the hall, she pushes the plot forward. I think this is a perfect book to read between longer series as a palate cleanser.

The story kicks off with the mystery but quickly turns to thrills. Once Salem starts to suspect what is happening, the tension ramps up, and the book delivers on its premise. The tone reaches for dark, and some of the scenes genuinely land there. My one issue was believability. The story asks you to suspend your disbelief further than I found realistic at one point. That didn't ruin it for me, but mostly because I wanted to find out how it ended.

There is no romance and no spicy content. There is also no swearing. There is graphic violence, though. The book doesn't shy away from describing the aftermath of torture, and some of those scenes are grim.

So, what about the ending? (No spoilers, obviously)

I love my stories to wrap up nicely, with a neat little bow at the end. I like to read a cathartic scene where everything our characters have been through finally pays off physically and emotionally. Then a denouement in another chapter (or chapters) following the characters decompress where things are resolved and I’m left delighted at how well things played out at the end, every plot thread resolved.

I enjoyed the ending. It wraps the story up well, and the payoff was good. I did get a short denouement, which was appreciated, just enough time after the climax to see where the characters land.

The Apartment Across the Hall by Jack Dane is a popcorn domestic thriller built around one woman who can't stop watching her neighbour. If you like a thriller that hooks you with a nosy-neighbor premise and doesn't let go, you'll have a good time with this one.

Latest Updates

  • The Divorce by Freida McFadden comes out May 26. It follows Naomi, who sets out for revenge after her husband leaves her. It is the first book McFadden will publish since revealing her real name.

That’s all for this week. See you next time.

— Diego Dunne

P.S. Let me know how I did today by replying to this email.

P.P.S. I would love to hear your recommendations for thrillers you loved. Reply to this email, and I’ll add them to my TBR list. Thanks!

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