Shari Lapena is the #1 internationally bestselling author of eight suspense novels including The Couple Next Door, A Stranger in the House, An Unwanted Guest, Someone We Know, The End of Her, Not a Happy Family, Everyone Here is Lying, and What Have You Done? A former lawyer and English teacher, Shari now writes full time from a farm in Ontario, where she lives with her husband. Her first thriller, The Couple Next Door, was a runaway global bestseller, selling 4 million copies worldwide. It was WHSmith’s “Book of the Year” in 2016 and the #1 Adult Fiction Title in the UK for 2017. All of Shari’s novels have been New York Times, UK Sunday Times, and Globe and Mail bestsellers. Four of her books have been Richard & Judy Book Club Picks. Her books have sold into forty territories around the world and have been optioned for film and TV.

Tell us about your new book.

She Didn’t See It Coming begins as a missing person story. A woman is working from home in her condo one day. She fails to pick up her child from daycare. When her husband comes home with the child, he finds her computer, phone, purse and keys all in the apartment but no sign of her. It’s as if she just stepped out for a minute. They don’t know if she ever left the building. What could have happened to her? I’ll leave it at that, as I don’t want to give too much away.

What drew you to the thriller genre originally?

It’s what I’ve always loved to read. I started out as a child with Nancy Drew and went from there—all of Agatha Christie, Josephine Tey, then as I got older, Daphne du Maurier and Patricia Highsmith. I loved it all. I have a natural interest in suspense—it’s what I mostly watch on film and TV too. And I’m always drawn to crime stories in the news.

What’s a recent thriller you loved?

So many good ones! The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore. The Secret Hours, by Mick Herron. The Chamber, by Will Dean.

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Buy The Secret Hours now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Buy The Chamber book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Who is a fellow author you’d want with you if there was a murderer on the loose?

What a great question! I don’t know—maybe Lee Child? He might be able to channel his inner Jack Reacher.

What’s the thing that scares you the most?

Catastrophic illness or accidents happening to me or those I care about. Other than that, snakes. And also, the climate emergency terrifies me.

What’s your favorite slasher movie of all time?

Oh dear. I can’t watch them. I’m too anxious with those kinds of films. I have to look away from the gory parts of anything on screen. I prefer psychological tension.

Which of your characters would you be most afraid to meet in real life?

Alice from She Didn’t See It Coming. She’s a highly intelligent psychopath, and she could get into my life and destroy it and enjoy doing it. A close second would be Avery, from Everyone Here Is Lying.

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Have you ever scared yourself writing a scene?

Actually no. I get really involved in writing my scenes, but I never feel scared, even when I’m in the point of view of someone who is terrified. I don’t feel scared, but I feel intense when I’m writing it. It’s weird, because I’m easily scared reading or watching other people’s work.

What’s creepier to you: an anonymous note, a neighbor who knows too much, or a familiar voice on the other end of the phone?

Hmmm. An anonymous note can be creepy. A neighbour who knows too much is definitely creepy—I’ve done that in my books. But a familiar voice on the end of the phone—that would not be creepy unless they said something deeply creepy and out of character. In which case, it would be very unsettling, even disturbing. So—that one. I could do something with that! Maybe I will…

What’s your favorite “thriller trope” to write or read?

I have to say I love missing persons stories. They’re so open ended—the question of what happened to them is so compelling—I just want to know what happened to them. And the longer they’re missing the more interesting it gets.

She Didn’t See It Coming by Shari Lapena

On the surface, Bryden and Sam have the perfect life in their luxury condo with their young daughter. Then Bryden disappears without a trace, leaving all of her belongings untouched. Sam and the community must reckon with the crumbling illusion of peace in the condominium building and uncover the truth about Bryden before it is too late.

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