Crime & Beyond Book Club Reads The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

Kerry Hammond is here with the latest report from the Denver-based Crime & Beyond book club. They just finished a book by Shari Lapena.

Crime & Beyond met recently to discuss The Couple Next Door, written by new-to-us author Shari Lapena. The latest craze in books is the domestic thriller, think Gone Girl and Girl on a Train. A recent article in the New Yorker explains that these books are ”a subset of recent thrillers featuring “unreliable” female protagonists who, despite their considerable handicaps—which may involve alcoholism, drug addiction, paranoia, and even psychosis—manage to persevere and solve mysteries where others have failed.”

The Couple Next Door falls into the domestic thriller category and it features Anne and Marco Conti, a young couple who have just started a family with their new baby Cora. One evening they decide to treat themselves to a night out and go next door to have dinner with neighbors. While they are enjoying their little dinner party, their world is turned upside down when Cora goes missing. Blame and suspicion falls on Anne and Marco, and as the police investigate we see inside their marriage. We see that Anne was overwhelmed with her new baby, Marco was struggling at work, and Anne’s parents never approved of their daughter’s choice in husband. The story behind Cora’s disappearance takes more than one turn as each character’s story unravels and the truth is revealed.

This was a great book club pick and we had a very lively and spirited discussion. We delved into everything from Anne and Marco’s parenting skills to the author’s ability to build suspense and lay suspicion at everyone’s door. The pace of the book made it hard to put down and the style of writing kept us all interested. We had differing opinions of the final twist and this provided additional points to debate.