AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERShari Lapena’s new thriller, AN UNWANTED GUEST, is available now!“The twists come as fast [as] you can turn the pages.” —People“Provocative and shocking.” —Lisa Gardner, New York Times bestselling author of Find Her“I read this novel at one sitting, absolutely riveted by the storyline. The suspense was beautifully rendered and unrelenting!” —Sue Grafton, New … this novel at one sitting, absolutely riveted by the storyline. The suspense was beautifully rendered and unrelenting!” —Sue Grafton, New York Times bestselling author of X
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 lands 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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Okay, it was after this book that I knew for certain that I’m a Shari Lapena fan. Her gift is putting her characters into the pressure cooker and allowing us to watch how they react when the heat is upon them. She is the queen of the domestic thriller for that reason. 5 stars!
Lots of twists
The Couple Next Door is one of those books where it seems like there is very little ground. You either loved it or you hated it. I’m on the love it end. To be honest, some of the things the hate-it crowd have mentioned (a propensity for plot development through internal dialogue, one-dimensional characters) I did see, but I saw them in a different light.
The novel is a psychological thriller, full of secrets and manipulation. The focus of the story was a child abduction. It began with a truly “what the effing hell were you thinking” kind of moment when Anne and Marco leave their six-month-old baby at home with only a monitor while they attend a dinner party next door. Their babysitter had cancelled at the last moment, and so of course they have no other choice, I say sarcastically.
As with any great thriller, there are a lot of twists and turns, a lot of unexpected moments. But what I liked most about the story development is that, unlike many others in the genre, the big reveal as to the bad guy didn’t happen at the end of the book. On the surface, that may seem like a bad thing, but it really wasn’t. Roughly halfway through, the bad guy is revealed, and the story develops from there in interesting ways, which I won’t share for fear of spoiling the experience.
To address the hate things I mentioned above… Yes, there was a lot of plot development through the internal dialogue of the characters. But I felt like that was fitting for the story. Anne and Marco were barely communicating during this time, with each other or with anyone else, at least not in any real way. Secrets and suspicion kept them apart, and the amount of internal dialogue underscored that. As far as the one-dimensional characters, I think that’s pretty fair, at least for a big portion of the time, and I think that, too, fits with the story. Both Anne and March are each consumed with their daughter’s disappearance. It takes them over until there is almost nothing else there. Being so single-mindedly focused is one-dimensional, which seems right for these characters in this situation.
For me, the book was engrossing, especially with two unreliable narrators. It was thought-provoking in its own way… making you question how well I really know anyone, even those close to me, whether or not you truly understand the inner workings of someone else’s mind.
Every time I thought I had it the author just kept putting more plot twists. this book was absolutely fast-paced and could be read in a sitting.
What starts out as the straightforward kidnapping of a baby, soon becomes a tale of deceit, lies & hidden secrets. Each character has their own agenda, creating a complex case for investigating detectives. The author weaves the twists in and out expertly, making this a book that you will race to finish. The conclusion is dark & satisfying with one last nail in the coffin to create an unexpected finish. Definitely five stars.
Edge of your seat thriller!
When Marco and Anne leave their 6 month old baby Cora unattended while they are next door at a small dinner party with the baby monitor on, they never imagined their world would be turned upside down when they return home to find her gone from her crib. This story had so many twists and turns that once you think you’ve got it figured out, something else happens you didn’t see coming. No one can be trusted. Everyone has secrets. What really happened to baby Cora?
My book club picked this book and we all enjoyed it. This was a page turner for me as I was trying to figure out what’s going on. I loved how it was told in multiple POV’s so you can really get into the mind of each character. I’m not sure how I feel about the ending. I feel like it could be open to a sequel and maybe it should have ended with all questions answered and done with. Overall I liked it and will continue to read more from this author.
I enjoyed the path this book led me down. It never stopped twisting and turning!
I love this! Who can you trust, if not your friends?
I can’t believe I waited so long to read this book. The sinister premise of a couple’s baby being kidnapped while they attended a dinner party next door kept me gripped until the end. The twists and turns never let up. I loved it!
Best book I read in 2019 and I read a lot. So many twists. It was amazing.
This book is well worth reading. It is a very good page turner and great characters.
This was a fantastic read, never saw it coming. I couldn’t put it down, page after page kept me wanting to know the outcome. Loved it!
Enjoyed this book very much…
This is a book I couldn’t put down. I should have been doing my afternoon things, but I just had to know how it would end. Once again, I wasn’t disappointed and she shocked me with how it all played out. Detective Rasbach is my new favorite character. I hope he shows up in a lot more of her books. Read this book and you won’t be able to put it down.
Totally LOVED this book! Great story that shocks the living daylights out of
You!
I’m a fan of twisty-turning suspense novels and The Couple Next Door fits the bill. Really well-developed characters, a plot that thickens so much you fear it will become cement, and an unreliable narrator (or two or three?) all made this a fun, quick read. Shari Lapena is a fantastic writer and I’m looking forward to reading more of her books.
From the get go, there are so many characters to keep track of, and none of them were likable and a few were even stereotypical. The descriptions went on and on, and I found myself becoming frustrated with the third person narrative. As for the plot, it wasn’t anything new and, unfortunately, quite predicable. I hate to be so hard on a book from an obviously talented writer. There’s lots of folks who raved about this story, but sadly, I struggled with this one despite wanting to love it. Honestly, the best part of the book was the ending.
Trite, formulaic, silly.
I was in a slump when I picked this up and boy did it help me get out of it!
The Couple Next Door follows Anne and Marco Conti who left their baby at home, went to a dinner party next door only to find their child missing when they went home at 1AM. Who kidnapped her? What happened in between the minutes Anne and Marco weren’t checking on their child? Was the child even kidnapped? Was she killed?
Told in multiple points of view mainly of the couple, Anne and Marco, and the investigating detective, Detective Rasbach. The Couple Next Door doesn’t exactly take it slow. It’s a fast paced novel that really gets it going right from the start and really just gives revelations and further questions each chapter. It really kept me reading thus helping me get out of my slump.
I love the dynamic of the characters. As expected, it features a perfect-looking couple that surprise-surprise aren’t so perfect after all. Once Detective Rasbach delved into the lives of the couple, we find out that this couple may or may not be suspicious of what occurred. Where they involve? Are they hiding something from their partner? These questions really glued me to this book and I’m always at the edge of my seat for the next reveal.
The Couple Next Door is really more of a thriller than it is a mystery. Of course, there’s the possible kidnapping of the child but what comes after that is all about how revelations are done, what the other characters think of the others once they knew something, what their reactions will be once things happen. The unraveling of things is really well done and I really think I’m not giving justice as to how suspenseful this is done.
Around 70% of the book, I generally know every secret of the characters and I know what’s up already. I’m just bracing for the actual reveal and anticipating the reactions of everyone. It’s all very well done to be honest and w h o a at that ending!! I mean I probably saw that coming given all the information I got from this (?) but still a really gooooood touch.
OVERALL, The Couple Next Door is a recommend thriller! It’s got a mystery that, for me, really focuses on who the characters really are. The thriller aspect of the story is well done. And I’m really just out there reading it page after page eager to know what happens next.