Title: The Couple Next Door
Author: Shari Lapena
Pages: 320
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Source: Free ARC from Viking
Rating: A
Note: As stated under the Source (above), I received this book for free from Viking via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review (and trust me, honest is always what you’ll get).
Review: The Couple Next Door is riveting! Truly. The pace is relatively quick with a lot happening in a very short span of time. Towards the end, you don’t know which end is up!
The story follows a couple whose baby has disappeared from her crib in the middle of the night. Who did it and why? How did they manage it? Was it planned in advance or did the kidnappers see an opportunity and run with it? Will the baby be found…alive?
What I think I loved most about this book (aside from the fact that it was actually suspenseful when so many of the thrillers and suspense novels I’ve read lately haven’t been) is the exploration of motive because it raises a lot of questions and highlights our human failings. Do we really know what our loved ones are capable of? How far will a person go when they are desperate? Is there a limit to forgiveness and understanding?
My singular complaint is the ending. Of course, I can’t be specific, so I’ll just say, I don’t understand why it was necessary (I have thoughts about why, but again…spoilers). For me, it in no way enhanced the story and felt a little disjointed.
Despite the ending, it was smartly written and such an engrossing story, that I have to put it in the must read category.