If you like a good thriller or whodunit, you’ll have trouble putting this cleverly written novel down. She Didn’t See It Coming by Shari Lapena is about a family who appear to have it all—a luxury apartment, thriving careers, great friends, and a beautiful young daughter. Then one mishap happens– something that could happen to anyone at any time – and everything begins to fall apart.
Bryden Frost is a 30-something Mom who doesn’t show up to pick up her child at daycare. Police are called in for a missing person report that, in short order, turns into something much more serious. Suddenly, their “perfect life” turns into chaos. Bryden’s purse and keys are found in the apartment, and her car is still in the underground parking lot. But where is Bryden? Can police find her before it’s too late?
Lapena’s brief but crisp chapters and point of view from all the main characters, plus the dizzying number of twists, turns, secrets, deceptions, coincidences, half-truths, and outright lies, will keep you guessing until the last page.
The plot allows the author to touch on a couple of curious themes. First, how well do you know or trust your neighbours? What really goes on behind closed doors? Second, the tendency of some detectives to look for evidence that supports their view of a quick solution to a crime, rather than the time-consuming digging and following clues that might point to a different resolution. Detective Jayne is a digger, and that’s why just about every character in the book becomes a suspect. A thrilling page turner. 9 out of 10.
She Didn’t See It Coming by Shari Lapena. Copyright © 2025 by 1742145 Ontario Limited. Published by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
About the Author
Shari Lapena is the internationally bestselling author of eight thrillers (including The Couple Next Door), which have all been on the New York Times, Sunday Times, and Globe and Mail bestseller lists. She lives on a farm near Toronto.
by Laurie Wallace-Lynch
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