What if your spouse vanished in the middle of an ordinary day, leaving behind their car, keys, phone—and no trace of where they went? That’s the unsettling setup of She Didn’t See It Coming by Shari Lapena, a novel that blends true crime grit with domestic suspense.
Lapena’s latest reads differently than her earlier thrillers. This one feels more like a police procedural with a true crime edge, pulling readers into the investigation from both the detectives’ perspective and the world of amateur sleuths. I was especially intrigued by the way she wove in the true crime ecosystem—neighbors rushing to post their theories in Facebook groups, family members consuming crime podcasts for clues. Bryden’s sister, Lizzie, is a true crime addict who inserts herself into the search, raising an uncomfortable question: do amateur sleuths actually help an investigation, or do they only spread speculation that leads investigators off track?
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