It’s the darker side of family, the greedy side of relationships, and the unstable introspection of flawed characters caught out in selfish acts and violent reprisals, promoting page turning absorption.ĭespite the current bevy of Gone Girl wannabe novels, nothing really compares with Flynn’s initial shocker (except perhaps What She Knew) and even devoted fans of this sudden thriller/mystery/bad couple fiction aren’t truly impressed by the mimicry. Along the way, the next-door couple will be revealed in all of their true, blackmailing glory as scarred police detective Rasbach follows a convoluted history scattered with lies, misnomers, and shrouded motives. By the end, Anne and Marco’s darkest secrets and long hidden pasts will emerge. Returning home, a gaping front door and an empty crib tell a story of kidnapping and begin a hectic negotiation process riddled with pitfalls and suspicious police intervention. Determined that checking in occasionally on their sleeping infant is sufficient, the stage for betrayal and disaster is set. A last minute cancelation leaves them in a sticky situation however, especially because the sexy woman next door (and consequentially, Anne’s friend) doesn’t allow babies in her pristine house. Marco and Anne leave their new baby next door, with the understanding that a babysitter will be watching their child while they toast the night away.

It all starts with a dinner party between two apparently content and normal neighbor couples. Rating: A Darker Gone-Girl Wannabe: Captivating and Yet ImperfectĪlways in search of another Gone Girl or The Girl in Cabin 10mystery/twisty thriller read, I selected The Couple Next Door, acquired through my trusty addiction fix, Book of the Month, and settled in for another promisingly tense story of deception and the truth behind seeming suburban banality.

The couple next door review