Jaclyn’s Review: The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

The Couple Next Door
written by Shari Lapena
published by Pamela Dorman Books, 2016

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Did I enjoy this book? This book was just OK. Someone steals a baby in the first chapter, and you spend the rest of the book trying to figure out who stole her and why. Characters and motives pop up all over the place, and there are a lot of false leads throughout. This wasn’t a truly great book, but I kept reading because I really did want to know what happened to the baby. One of the darker plots is mostly ignored until the very last chapter, but it does eventually become relevant again. Unfortunately, since the author waited until the last chapter, it felt more like a forgotten plot point hastily tacked onto the end.

Would I recommend it? If you like a psychological thriller, this isn’t the worst one that I’ve read. It isn’t the best either, so if you have a stack of thrillers on your TBR, I’d try a different one first. But overall, I would recommend reading this book.
 

 

About the book – from Goodreads: 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.

 
 

 
 

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** This post first appeared on Every Free Chance Books (everyfreechance.com) on September 17, 2019.