Review: The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

Genre:
Thriller, Suspense, Mystery

Format:
E-ARC

Publisher:
Pamela Dorman Books

Release Date:
August 23, 2016








Synopsis from Goodreads:

You never know what's happening on the other side of the wall.

Your neighbour told you that she didn't want your six-month-old daughter at the dinner party. Nothing personal, she just couldn't stand her crying.

Your husband said it would be fine. After all, you only live next door. You'll have the baby monitor and you'll take it in turns to go back every half hour.

Your daughter was sleeping when you checked on her last. But now, as you race up the stairs in your deathly quiet house, your worst fears are realized. She's gone.

You've never had to call the police before. But now they're in your home, and who knows what they'll find there.

What would you be capable of, when pushed past your limit?

My Review

A dinner party at their next door neighbor’s house turns into a nightmare for Anne and Marco Conti. When their babysitter cancels at the last minute, they decide to leave their six month old daughter alone with a baby monitor. They figure they will check on her every half hour and have the monitor to hear if anything goes wrong. Of course, nothing is that easy.

After dinner is over, they go home to find the baby’s crib empty. The child is nowhere to be found. They call the police and the investigation begins. The lead detective obviously suspects there is more to the Conti’s story than they are telling. Everyone in their lives is under great scrutiny and suspicion. Nobody can be overlooked until the child is returned safely. As the days go by, it’s becoming less likely that will happen.
I was mesmerized by this book. It grabbed me right in from page one. Like the police in the book, I suspected everyone. I don’t think there was one character that I trusted and that includes the parents.

Every character had their own dark secret. Just when you think you know what’s happening, you really don’t. There was one shock after another. The author does a great job with keeping the readers at the edge of their seats. I was so tempted to turn to the last page and see who the culprit was, but I was good and I let the story unfold as it should.

This is the first book I read by this author, but it definitely won’t be my last. It had everything I love in a thriller with many twists and turns throughout the book. It’s fast-paced, a well-written plot and well-developed characters. This is a hit with me.

FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.