The Book:
The Couple in the Photo by Helen Cooper
Published January 9, 2024 by December 5, 2023 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Date read: January 3, 2024
The Characters:
Lucy and Adam
Cora and Scott
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The Plot (from Goodreads):
Lucy and her husband, Adam, have been best friends with another couple, Cora and Scott for years. The four are practically family at this point–they vacation together, co-own a beach cottage, and their young children are inseparable. So Lucy is devastated when, while looking at a colleague’s photos of a trip to the Malives, she spots a picture of Scott, apparently on a luxurious holiday with another woman.
Lucy is determined to protect her best friend from her husband’s seeming infidelity, but when she learns that the woman in the photo has gone missing, she can’t help but fear that Scott was involved. As she searches for answers, she uncovers secrets about her friends and her own husband that could destroy the wonderful lives they have built…and she suspects that everybody around her knows much more about the missing woman than they are letting on. Is Lucy actually the one most in the dark? If so, what are the consequences of discovering the truth?
How did The Couple in the Photo end?
The Reveal:
The reveal was that Cora had killed Guy in college–she was dating him but he was cheating on her. When Scott told her about Guy’s infidelity, Cora flew into a rage and pushed him; he hit his head and died. Scott and Adam loved her, so they helped her mask his death as a car crash.
Scott was having an affair with Juliette. The friends began receiving emails threatening them, saying the sender knew what they’d done. Cora knew about Scott’s affair, so she followed him to the Maldives to kill Juliette. She also hurt Ruth to prevent the picture of Scott and Juliette from getting out.
The next reveal was that Adam had been sending the threatening emails. There was no need to kill Juliette. He had a weird unrequited love for Cora despite his marriage to Lucy. They fought and Cora dove for Adam and hit her head and died.
Lucy had a head injury or something because she blacked out, and when she came to the paramedics were there.
The Ending:
Adam went to prison for his involvement in the murders and for Cora’s manslaughter. So did Scott.
I hope these The Couple in the Photo spoilers were helpful.
The Review:
Thank you to @putnambooks for this gifted copy! This is my third Helen Cooper novel. I loved the premise of a cheating couple getting found out over a careless vacation photo. Even better, the woman mysteriously disappears shortly after the photo was taken! This book had such an intriguing premise.
The main character Lucy was so determined to get to the bottom of what Scott (the cheater) was up to. I loved her ability to believe in herself regardless of the gaslighting she was subjected to.
There are some big twists in this one, so there’s a lot to look forward to as you read.
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