THE COUPLE ON CEDAR CLOSE
By Anna-Lou Weatherley
The Couple on Cedar Close is a dark domestic thriller with basically no surprises or twists. Almost from the beginning, it was easy to guess where the story was going and “who-dun-it,” and about halfway through the book, everything is confirmed, so there’s little, if any, element of surprise and no hope for a twisty ending.
Laurie Mills and her husband Robert live on Cedar Close, across the way from her best friend, Monica. Laurie is a traumatized woman, having discovered her husband’s long-term affair, leading to a car accident during Laurie’s pregnancy, causing the loss of twins. The affair continues, and one day Laurie finds that not only has her husband continued the relationship, but the other woman has given birth to a little girl. These things contribute to Laurie spiraling out of control, and when Robert is found murdered, she is the most likely suspect.
There is a backstory involving two other characters, Kiki and Bertie, whose importance become relevant soon into the book. Again, there are not many surprises, and it’s easy to figure out how they play into the drama.
The most interesting character, by far, is the detective on the case, Dan Riley. He is working through his own loss, but seems the most human and a relatable character.
One interesting note: there are a heck of a lot of pregnancies mentioned in this book. If I was told I would be one of the female characters in the story, I would be well-prepared with plenty of contraceptives, as it appears no one else in the book remembers to use any.
Other than the disappointment of figuring out the plot early on, the storyline was interesting enough that I stayed with it throughout. Although figuring out the murderer was easy, I still wanted to know how the story would end, and the conclusion was satisfying.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookoutre for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Reviewed January 2019
House of Black and Blue 