✼ We may earn an affiliate commission if you make a purchase through links on our site.
The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena is sure to provide some thrilling chills to fans of the thriller genre. This book is so fast-paced, it will make your head spin. Also, Lapena does a fantastic job developing all of the characters that at some points, the reader is never really sure who the culprit really is. The writing is so descriptive as well, and it makes the events that unfold seem to come alive as you are reading this incredible story.
Title: The Couple Next DoorAuthor: Shari Lapena
Also by this author: A Stranger in the House
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Genres: Adult Fiction, Thriller
Publication Date: August 23, 2016
Rating:
It all started at a dinner party. . .
A domestic suspense debut about a young couple and their apparently friendly neighbors--a twisty, rollercoaster ride of lies, betrayal, and the secrets between husbands and wives. . .
Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all--a loving relationship, a wonderful home, and their beautiful baby, Cora. But one night when they are at a dinner party next door, a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately focuses on the parents. But the truth is a much more complicated story.
Inside the curtained house, an unsettling account of what actually happened unfolds. Detective Rasbach knows that the panicked couple is hiding something. Both Anne and Marco soon discover that the other is keeping secrets, secrets they've kept for years.
What follows is the nerve-racking unraveling of a family--a chilling tale of deception, duplicity, and unfaithfulness that will keep you breathless until the final shocking twist.
❃ I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ❃
Review: The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
When a book keeps you up into the wee hours of the night, it is typically because there is so much excitement that you just need to know what happens next. While reading The Couple Next Door, I had a very hard time setting this book down. The events happen quite quickly in this novel, but they are just the right pace for the reader to digest and then move on to the next part of the story. Lapena really knows how to captivate her readers and keep them wanting more.
❀ Lots of Suspects
There are a handful of characters in The Couple Next Door that pop up as possible suspects in the kidnapping of baby Cora. Told in multiple perspectives, the reader gets the opportunity to understand each character and try to figure out if there is a motive for the crime with each of them. Without overwhelming the reader, Lapena develops the characters just enough to give a hint of possibility in almost all of them. One character that gives a lot of insight to the story is detective Rasbach, as he is unraveling the details. Through his thought process, we are steered into all sorts of directions.
❀ Fantastic Writing
Lapena’s writing style really makes the plot so realistic and exciting. One is left wondering how well you actually know the people around you. Just when I thought I had figured out who the kidnapper was, Lapena twisted the story around once more. She seems to love keeping her fans on their toes. The reader will be kept guessing right until the end and it is such a shocking ending that really pulls the whole plot together.
❀ Intense Read
The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena is definitely one of those books that will make you wonder and keep you entertained at the same time. While reviewing a mystery is always quite difficult because so much of the plot can be spoiled, this quick and intense read will be sure to thrill you. One of my favourite mystery novels for a fall TBR, for sure.
Book Quotes: The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
“She’s inside and running up the staircase and down the hall to the baby’s room, with Marco right at her heels. When she gets to the baby’s room and sees the empty crib, she screams.”
About Shari Lapena
Shari Lapena is the internationally bestselling author of The Couple Next Door and A Stranger in the House. She was a lawyer and an English teacher before turning her hand to fiction.
She lives in Toronto.
About Lori
Avid reader. Contributor to The Candid Cover. Educator.
This sounds like a gut renching story.
It really does tear you apart as you are reading!
I don’t read a ton of adult fiction, but when one is talked about to the extent I have seen this one talked about in only a week, there must be something special about it. I definitely think that this is one adult fic that I NEED to read~!
I think that you will really enjoy this one! I was definitely drawn into it and it does have a special quality to it. 🙂
Oh boy! You have really piqued my interest in this one! I need to read it soon!!!
I love a good book that makes me ask: And then? And then?
slehan at juno dot com
Hahaha! This book will absolutely do that for you!
Glad you liked this. This sound like a real thriller! I like mystery and I like stories that are fast paced. Thanks for sharing your review.