"The Couple Next Door" by Shari Lapena | Book Review

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

Publishing Date: August 23, 2016
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Pages: 320
Links: Goodreads | Indigo | Book Depository | Amazon | Kobo

Anne and Marco Conti's seemingly perfect lives are turned upside down one night when their 6-month-old daughter, Cora, is abducted from their home while they're at a dinner party next door. They're immediately pegged as the prime suspects, but it's much more complicated than that.

What follows is a story of lies, deception, and breakneck twists. As it starts off, we as the readers have mixed feelings about the parents. Even though they checked on Cora frequently, Anne and Marco left their 6-month-old home alone while they were next door, which is really not advisable. That said, the onus is of course on the kidnapper.

What may at first seem like a cut and dry situation is actually a dark and twisted tale. Once the action of the story gets going, which is pretty much immediately, the suspicion begins. Can we really trust these people? Is everyone really telling the truth?

We get several different perspectives in this story, from the parents to the neighbours to the lead detective. It's hard to trust some of the characters because you get this deep sense that they're "off", or that they're not letting us (or the police!) in on everything they know. At first, with all the secrets that were being revealed, I was left wondering which couple the ominous title alludes to, but it's actually relatively obvious.

The sheer amount of twists and secrets that are revealed are nearly whiplash-inducing, and that makes for a pretty entertaining story. I really liked the way those things were revealed as well, because it was done in such a way that I couldn't guess what was happening or what people were hiding until I was specifically told.

Whether or not you see the ending coming, this is a great thriller and I definitely recommend it if you want a quick read that packs a punch.

*This book was kindly sent to me by Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.