This book is very suspenseful, with examples of ordinary people making terrible decisions. There is plenty to keep the reader involved and the ending IS a surprise although you might guess it a few pages early, but not many, I don’t think.Shari Lapena's mystery, The Couple Next Door, is a must-read. I sat up late into the night to finish it. It is not, however, a difficult read and can be enjoyed in a few sittings.

Part of the fun is trying to figure out who has done what and for what motive. None know what the others are thinking, or doing, but the reader has an insight into them all - except –even with that knowledge there are many surprises and most of them difficult to guess. Back stories are told through the thoughts of these characters. The story is told through the thoughts and actions of the various characters, the young mother suffering post partem depression, the husband with a failing business, the investigating police officer and various other characters making minor appearances. Where is the baby and who is the culprit? And will the baby be found alive?

They check on her throughout the evening, but when they return home after midnight, the baby is gone. The Couple Next Door was published in Australia and Britain before its North American appearance.Īlthough not a particularly keen mystery/thriller reader, being one of the few, apparently, who hated Girl on the Train (protagonist was too unsympathetic), I really did enjoy this book.Ī young apparently well to do couple goes to a dinner party next door, leaving their 6 month old baby alone in the house with a baby monitor so they can hear her. The English version was acquired by Pamela Dorman Books, a Penguin Random House imprint and it was sold at auction in 25 territories around the world

Heller flew to New York and by the time she returned every publishing house wanted this book. Heller, who says she turns down 499 of every 500 manuscripts she receives, contacted Shari Lapena the following day. She submitted her manuscript to literary agent Helen Heller in October 2015 and Ms. Lapena is a Canadian who divides her time between Toronto and a farm in Coburg. A creditable feat for a relatively new author. It was published in Canada in August of this year and currently is number 2 on the Globe and Mail’s bestselling mystery list.

T he Couple Next Door is the debut thriller of Shari Lapena, a lawyer and English teacher turned author, who penned two literary novels prior to embarking on this venture.

Book review the couple next door