Book Reviews: The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena and Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris

I am super picky about reading mysteries and thrillers. If not properly set up, there is no page turning suspense and if the character is not gripping then I lose interest quickly. So when I find books that have me turning pages quickly, I want to share my finds with other book lovers!

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena centers on Anne and Marco Conti, an ideal couple with a beautiful baby girl. One evening, they go next door to their neighbors for dinner and leave their sleeping baby home, only a few feet away, taking with them the baby monitor and a plan to check on the baby every half an hour, which they take turns doing. Until Anne goes back to find their baby is no longer sleeping in her crib, but is missing. Soon, everyone is a suspect in the infant's disappearance. Slowly we learn that everything is not so perfect in Anne and Marco's world and that nothing is as it seems.  This book has twists and turns that kept me hooked until the conclusion. A must-read!

Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris is another gripping novel. Jack and Grace seem to be the very definition of a perfect couple. Gorgeous and smart, Jack is a lawyer who has never lost a case, Grace doesn't work, she stays home to tend to their garden and dote on her sister Millie, who has Down syndrome. To their friends, Jack and Grace seem too good to be true. Obsessively devoted to each other, they share everything including an email address and Jack never lets Grace out of his sight, not even to use a public restroom. Something is amiss but what? In alternating past and present chapters, the reader learns how Jack and Grace met and the origins of their relationship. The story is so suspenseful that I could not stop thinking about Grace and the ending was ultimately very satisfying. I don't want to give anything away and say too much but get your hands on this one as soon as you can then prepare to devour this in one sitting.