She Didn't See It Coming

“‘There’s no way she wouldn’t pick up Clara, unless something was really wrong,’ Lizzie says uneasily.

Sam swallows. ‘I know.’”

In this passage, Lapena uses subtle details to develop the main characters. With the pointed focus on Sam and Lizzie’s uneasiness, the author uses the exchange ton inject a note of urgency and foreboding into the narrative, foreshadowing the revelation of Bryden’s demise. The scene also illustrates that Bryden was a responsible mother, as it was so out of character for her not to pick up her daughter from day care.

“She wonders if he realizes that he just slipped into using the past tense in reference to his wife.”

Detective Jayne Salter is shown to observe subtle details and clues as she investigates the murder of Bryden Frost. In this scene, she notes that Sam is referring to his wife in the past tense, even though Bryden is only missing at this point; her body has not yet been found. Given the author’s fondness for inserting red herrings into the narrative, this detail is meant to suggest that Sam may already be aware of Bryden’s death and therefore may have been involved in the crime.

“‘I know that Bryden and Sam are good together. They’re happy.’ She adds, ‘Neither one of them would ever cheat.’

But she’s glancing away and to the left as she says it. Jayne finds that interesting. It’s an indication of a lie.”

This exchange between Jayne and Paige is an early example of The Tension Between Outward Appearances and Hidden Realities in She Didn’t See It Coming.