The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

The Couple Next Door

by Shari Lapena

'So full of twists, yet so utterly believable. Loved it' Richard Osman

'The Queen of the one-sit read' Linwood Barclay
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PEOPLE ARE CAPABLE OF ALMOST ANYTHING.

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?
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Readers are obsessed with The Couple Next Door

***** 'I couldn't put it down! . . . The plot twists and turns at break neck speed'
***** 'I was totally gripped right through to the shocking ending.'
***** 'it really is "unputdownable" . . . and racks up the tension throughout.'
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OUT NOW the new Sunday Times bestseller from Shari Lapena: SOMEONE WE KNOW

COMING SOON the brand-new unputdownable thriller: THE END OF HER ***AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW***

Reviewed by Leah on

4 of 5 stars

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The Couple Next Door is one of those books that keeps you turning the pages. It probably isn’t my favourite thriller as the pace is slower than I like, but it is fascinating to see the lives of everyone in the book slowly unravel, until the truth comes out. And boy, is it worth the read for the truth because it will blow your mind. I had questions the entire time I was reading – because who leaves their kid, even if you’re just next door, even if you have a baby monitor, even if you check on her every half hour? You just don’t, and it mirrors the real life Madeleine McCann case (except it wasn’t in a foreign country). The worst thing really, is that the innocent party in this is baby Cora, and that’s what made me so angry at Anne and Marco, because Cora didn’t ask to be left alone.

I genuinely trusted nobody but Detective Rasbach, because none of them could lie straight in bed, I’m not even kidding. Marco and Anne in particular had secrets and lies coming out of their ears, and it was so hard to by sympathetic to two people who couldn’t tell the truth if you paid them. But it was certainly fascinating reading the book, because you do become invested in what actually happened to little Cora. You do start to try and piece the plot together, though never in a million ways did I think it would all go down like that, and that was another plus, because some thrillers are super obvious, but Shari Lapena has written such an engaging, compelling plot, and not only that but she managed to outsmart me on what actually happened that night.

I can see now why everyone raves about The Couple Next Door, it was thrilling, with secrets coming out left, right and centre, and while it was a bit slower than I would normally like, it was still a fascinating, absorbing read and the tension never, ever lets up. I’ll be thinking about this book weeks after reading, that’s for sure and I look forward to what Shari writes next. Boy does she know how to tell a story!

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 25 September, 2016: Finished reading
  • 25 September, 2016: Reviewed