Book ~ "Getting Away With Murder" (2026) Shari Lapena

From Goodreads ~ Jill and Ted adore their New York brownstone the way others adore their children. They have carefully, expensively, made every inch of it their own. It reflects who they are, their status and tastes. With the grand mahogany staircase and state-of-the-art kitchen, it is the stuff of glossy magazines and real-estate dreams. It is their sanctuary.

So when Ted’s inheritance runs out and he makes a bad investment, they panic. How can they protect their beloved home and enviable lifestyle?

The answer is obvious. Or at least, it is obvious to Jill and Ted. The death of one wealthy family member - from whom they stand to inherit millions - could solve all their problems. Together, they will get away with murder.

As long as they trust each other.

As long as neither makes a mistake.

As long as there are no surprises.

Married couple, Jill and Ted, are suddenly faced with losing the wealthy lifestyle they've always enjoyed. Desperate to avoid financial disaster, they come up with a plan to kill a rich family member and collect the inheritance. What seems like the perfect crime quickly starts to fall apart. As the police investigate and people around them begin asking questions, Jill and Ted find themselves dealing with suspicion, secrets and unexpected complications. Keeping the truth hidden becomes harder and harder as the pressure builds and they must decide how far they're willing to go to protect themselves.

I’ve read a few books by this author and thought this one was okay. I liked the writing style. It’s told in third person and shifts focus among several characters. It was interesting knowing right away what Jill and Ted had done and to whom. We see how things don't go as planned and how they scramble. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "She Didn't See It Coming" (2025) Shari Lapena

From Goodreads ~ When a beloved wife and mother disappears, a luxurious condo building transforms into a potential crime scene, and the investigation begins: can the detectives find her before it's too late?

Bryden and Sam have it all: thriving careers, a smart apartment in a luxury condominium, supportive friends and a cherished daughter. The perfect life for the perfect couple.

Then Sam receives a call at his office. Bryden - working from home that day - has failed to collect their daughter from daycare. Arriving home with their little girl, he finds his wife’s car in the underground garage. Upstairs in their apartment her laptop is open on the table, her cell phone nearby, her keys in their usual place in the hall.

Except Bryden is nowhere to be seen. It’s as if she just walked out.

Bryden and Sam are a successful married couple with a young daughter named Clara. One day when Bryden fails to pick Clara up from daycare, Sam gets the call. But when he gets home, he finds Bryden’s car in their underground garage and her belongings including her purse, laptop and phone, inside their condo. The only thing missing is Bryden herself. Worried, Sam calls the police and soon the investigation begins with Sam quickly landing under suspicion, as is often the case with spouses. 

I’ve read a few books by this author and thought this one was okay. I did enjoy the writing style. It’s told in third person and shifts focus among several characters. As the story unfolds, there are quite a few people who might be involved in Bryden’s disappearance and they all have secrets ... Sam, her sister, her best friend, a neighbour with a disturbing past, a man she was in a car accident with recently and others. There’s a good twist when the truth comes out but I didn’t fully buy into the reveal. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "What Have You Done?" (2024) Shari Lapena

From Goodreads ~ Nothing ever happens in sleepy little Fairhill, Vermont. But this morning that will change. And one innocent question could be deadly. What have you done?

The teenagers get their kicks telling ghost stories in the old graveyard. The parents trust their kids will arrive home safe from school. Everyone knows everyone. Curtains rarely twitch. Front doors are left unlocked.

But Diana Brewer isn’t lying safely in her bed where she belongs. Instead she lies in a hayfield, circled by vultures, discovered by a local farmer.

How quickly a girl becomes a ghost. How quickly a town of friendly, familiar faces becomes a town of suspects, a place of fear and paranoia.

Someone in Fairhill did this. Everyone wants answers.

Diana is a popular teenager so everyone is surprised when her naked body is found in a farmer's field. Surprisingly there are lots of suspects for the police to interview. Mourning her are her mother, who believes Diana's presence is still with her, her broken-hearted boyfriend, Cameron, and her best friends, Riley and Evan. As the story evolves, we discover that many in the cute friendly town have secrets they don't want revealed.

I've read a few books by this author and thought this one was okay. I liked the writing style. It's written in third person perspective with a focus on wherever the action is along with Diana's ghostly narrations and Evan's diary entries. Though there were lots of red herrings as to who could have murdered Diana, I thought the "whodunnit" was a bit of a letdown and kind of came out of the blue. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "Everyone Here is Lying" (2023) Shari Lapena

From Goodreads ~ Welcome to Stanhope! A safe neighborhood. A place for families.

William Wooler is a family man, on the surface. But he's been having an affair, an affair that ended horribly this afternoon at a motel up the road. So when he returns to his house, devastated and angry, to find his difficult nine-year-old daughter, Avery, unexpectedly home from school, William loses his temper.

Hours later, Avery's family declares her missing.

Suddenly Stanhope doesn't feel so safe. And William isn't the only one on his street who's hiding a lie. As witnesses come forward with information that may or may not be true, Avery's neighbors become increasingly unhinged.

Who took Avery Wooler?

Nothing will prepare you for the truth.

William is a doctor who is having an affair with a neighbour who is a volunteer at the hospital. Both have families to consider and the woman breaks it off. When William goes home broken-hearted, Avery, his nine-year-old daughter, is unexpectedly there. She has deemed "difficult" by everyone and does what she wants (her family lets her get away with it). She provokes William's anger, he slaps her, apologizes and then he leaves. When the family gets home, they discover that Avery is missing and contact the police. As the police investigate, they discover there are many who could have made Avery disappear ... her father, a couple older boys who live on the street, perhaps a stranger, and more.

I've read a few other books by this author and thought this one was okay. I would have enjoyed it more except I disliked Avery immensely and found her character way over the top and unrealistic ... I was hoping the kidnapper would kill her (nasty to say about a child, I know). It's written in third person perspective with a focus on wherever the action is. It ended abruptly ... I turned the page expecting a new chapter to start but there were only blank pages. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "Not a Happy Family" (2021) Shari Lapena

From Goodreads ~ In this family, everyone is keeping secrets - especially the dead. Brecken Hill in upstate New York is an expensive place to live. You have to be rich to have a house there. And they don't come much richer than Fred and Sheila Mercer. But even all their money can't protect them when a killer comes to call. The Mercers are brutally murdered the night after an Easter Dinner with their three adult kids. Who, of course, are devastated.

Or are they? They each stand to inherit millions. They were never a happy family, thanks to their capricious father and neglectful mother but perhaps one of them is more disturbed than anyone knew. Did one of them snap after that dreadful evening? Or was it someone else that night who crept in with the worst of intentions? It must be. After all, if one of your siblings was a psychopath, you'd know.

Wouldn't you?

It's Easter Sunday at Fred and Sheila's.  They are very rich and have Catherine, Dan and Jenna (their adult children), their children's spouses and Irena, their former nanny/now cleaning lady, for supper.  Fred is not a nice man and has always pitted his Catherine, Dan and Jenna against each other and belittled them.  Sheila retreats into herself when things get too stressful.  Sunday dinner, as usual, isn't pleasant and the children leave before dessert is served.

A couple days later, Irena finds Fred and Sheila murdered in their house.  It looks like it could have been a robbery gone wrong.  But the police look at Catherine, Dan and Jenna because they had the most to gain financially from their parents' deaths.  They aren't sad that their parents are now dead and look forward to spending their inheritances.

I've read a few other books by this author and liked the writing style.  It's written in third person perspective with a focus on wherever the action is.  As a head's up, there is swearing.  I thought the story was intriguing because so anyone could have killed Fred and Sheila since Fred had given many people reason to.  And as the book progressed, more and more information is revealed as to why someone would murder Fred.  I thought the "whodunnit" was a bit of a letdown, though, and the ending would have been more exciting.  All of  sudden it was revealed and the book was done.

Book ~ "The End of Her" (2020) Shari Lapena

From Goodreads ~ In upstate New York, Stephanie and Patrick are adjusting to life with their colicky twin babies. The girls are a handful but Stephanie doesn't mind being a stay-at-home mom, taking care of them while Patrick does the nine-to-five to pay the bills.

When a woman from Patrick's past drops in on them unexpectedly, raising questions about his late first wife, Stephanie supports her husband wholeheartedly. She knows the car accident all those many years ago was just that - an accident. But Erica is persistent and now she's threatening to go to the police.

Patrick is afraid his job - and his reputation - will be at risk if he doesn't put an end to Erica's questioning immediately. And when the police start digging, Stephanie's trust in her husband begins to falter and Patrick is primed to lose everything he loves. As their marriage crumbles, Stephanie feels herself coming unglued and soon she isn't sure what - or who - to believe. Now the most important thing is to protect her girls but at what cost?

Stephanie and Patrick are parents to six-month-old twins who have colic ... so Stephanie and Patrick are exhausted all the time.  This is Patrick's second marriage ... his first wife, Lindsay, had passed away about ten years ago in an accident while pregnant.  Erica, Lindsay's good friend, appears in their lives wanting money and threatening to go to the police to say that she and Patrick had been having an affair and that Patrick had murdered Lindsay.  Patrick admits to sleeping with Erica a couple times but swears that Lindsay's death was an accident.   At first Stephanie supports Patrick but when he is arrested for Lindsay's murder, Stephanie starts to doubt her love and trust for her husband.

I liked this book and as with this author's other books, there's always a weird twist at the end, which I'm not sure I was buying them in this one.  I was okay with the epilogue.  I liked the writing style ... it's written in third person perspective with a focus on wherever the action is.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "A Stranger in the House" (2017) Shari Lapena

From Goodreads ~ Karen and Tom Krupp are happy - they’ve got a lovely home in upstate New York, they’re practically newlyweds and they have no kids to interrupt their comfortable life together. But one day, Tom returns home to find Karen has vanished - her car’s gone and it seems she left in a rush. She even left her purse - complete with phone and ID - behind.

There's a knock on the door - the police are there to take Tom to the hospital where his wife has been admitted. She had a car accident and lost control as she sped through the worst part of town.

The accident has left Karen with a concussion and a few scrapes. Still, she’s mostly okay - except that she can’t remember what she was doing or where she was when she crashed. The cops think her memory loss is highly convenient and they suspect she was up to no good.

Karen returns home with Tom, determined to heal and move on with her life. Then she realizes something’s been moved. Something’s not quite right. Someone’s been in her house. And the police won't stop asking questions.

Because in this house, everyone’s a stranger. Everyone has something they’d rather keep hidden. Something they might even kill to keep quiet. 

Tom comes home from work late one night and discovers the door is unlocked, Karen, his wife, is gone, her car is gone but her phone and purse are in the house.  Then he gets a call that Karen has been in a car accident and is in the hospital.  He rushes to the hospital ... Karen is battered but okay but has amnesia.  It's a good thing she has the support of Tom and Brigid, her best friend from across the street, to help her through this.  Then a dead body is found near where Karen had her accident and the police are looking at Karen for murdering the man ... the problem is, though, that Karen can't remember that night, why she was even in that 'hood and if she did indeed murder the man (and why).

I liked this book and as with this author's other books, there's always a weird twist at the end, which I liked in this one.  I liked the writing style ... it's written in third person perspective with a focus on wherever the action is.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "An Unwanted Guest" (2018) Shari Lapena

From Goodreads ~ A remote lodge in upstate New York is the perfect getaway. ... until the bodies start piling up.

It's winter in the Catskills and the weather outside is frightful. But Mitchell's Inn is so delightful! The cozy lodge nestled deep in the woods is perfect for a relaxing - maybe even romantic - weekend away. The Inn boasts spacious old rooms with huge wood-burning fireplaces, a well-stocked wine cellar and opportunities for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing or just curling up with a book and someone you love. 

So when the weather takes a turn for the worse and a blizzard cuts off the electricity - and all contact with the outside world - the guests settle in for the long haul. The power's down but they've got candles, blankets and wood - a genuine rustic experience! 

Soon, though, a body turns up - surely an accident. When a second body appears, they start to panic. Then they find a third body. Within the snowed-in paradise, something - or someone - is picking off the guests one by one. They can't leave and with no cell service, there's no prospect of getting the police in until the weather loosens its icy grip. The weekend getaway has turned deadly. For some couples, it's their first time away. For others, it will be their last. And there's nothing they can do about it but huddle down and hope they can survive the storm. 

Ten people head for a weekend getaway to a quaint inn in the Catskill ... two girl friends, an engaged couple, a dating couple, a couple whose marriage is in trouble, an author and an attorney.  Because of the nasty wintry weather, staff and other guests can't make it and it's up to the owner and his son to take care of everyone.

On the second morning, one of the guests is found dead at the bottom of the stairs.  It looks like an accident but the attorney wants to make sure so asks that the body not be moved until the police arrive ... which probably wouldn't be until the next day.  Then another guest is found dead, obviously murdered.  And later that day, there is another murder.

No one trusts each other now.  Was it someone who was staying at the inn committing the murders?  Or was there someone else hiding there they aren't aware of?

This was an interesting story with lots of twists and turns to throw you off and get you thinking in different directions about whodunnit.  The whodunnit was a surprise to me and I bought it.  What I wasn't buying, though, was how they were caught (the clue they left behind).  I liked the writing style.  It's written in third person perspective with a focus on wherever the action is.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "Someone We Know" (2019) Shari Lapena

From Goodreads ~ "This is a very difficult letter to write. I hope you will not hate us too much.  My son broke into your home recently while you were out."

In a quiet, leafy suburb in upstate New York, a teenager has been sneaking into houses - and into the owners' computers as well - learning their secrets, and maybe sharing some of them, too.

Who is he and what might he have uncovered? After two anonymous letters are received, whispers start to circulate and suspicion mounts. And when a woman down the street is found murdered, the tension reaches the breaking point. Who killed her? Who knows more than they're telling? And how far will all these very nice people go to protect their own secrets?

In this neighborhood, it's not just the husbands and wives who play games. Here, everyone in the family has something to hide.

You never really know what people are capable of.

When Amanda doesn't come home after a shopping weekend away with a friend, her husband, Robert, reports her missing.  It turns out she wasn't away with her friend after all and everyone assumes she has left her abusive husband ... until her body turns up.  Then the police start investigating.  It seems like all the men in the neighbourhood were attracted to Amanda (and she didn't discourage them) and because of this, their wives didn't like her.

In the meantime, Olivia and Paul's son, Raleigh, has been breaking into houses, not to steal anything, but to hack into their computers.  When Olivia finds out, she feels bad and sends anonymous letters of apology to the two houses she knows about.  This puts one neighbour on the hunt to find out who had broken into her house.

This was an interesting story with lots of twists and turns to throw you off and get you thinking in different directions about whodunnit.  The whodunnit was a surprise to me and I'm not sure I'm really buying it.  I liked the writing style, though.  It's written in third person perspective with a focus on wherever the action is.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I look forward to reading other books by her.

Book ~ "The Couple Next Door" (2016) Shari Lapena

From Goodreads ~ Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all - a loving relationship, a wonderful home and their beautiful baby, Cora. But one night when they are at a dinner party next door, a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately focuses on the parents. But the truth is a much more complicated story. 

Inside the curtained house, an unsettling account of what actually happened unfolds. Detective Rasbach knows that the panicked couple is hiding something. Both Anne and Marco soon discover that the other is keeping secrets, secrets they've kept for years.

Anne and Marco are married and have recently had a baby named Cora.  They were supposed to go next door to their friends' place for supper but the babysitter cancelled at the last minute.  Their friends made it clear that it was a no-kid supper so Anne and Marco decide to leave Cora home with the baby monitor turned on and they would check on her every half hour.  This works out okay until they go home at 1am and discover that the baby is gone.

Anne and Marco immediately contact the police who start the investigation.  Detective Rasbach, the lead police office, suspects the couple and sets out to prove they are involved.  Did the parents have something to do with Cora's disappearance or was she kidnapped and if so, by whom?

This book has been on the best seller lists for months and I finally got a chance to read it.  It was an interesting story with lots of twists and turns to throw you off and get you thinking in different directions.  I liked the writing style.  It's written in third person perspective with a focus on wherever the action is.  As a head's up, there is swearing.

I didn't find the characters particularly likable.  Why did Anne and Marco think it was okay to leave their six-month-old baby alone next door with a broken monitor while they got hammered with their neighbours?!  Though supposedly happily married, we discover that Anne and Marco were keeping secrets from each other.  Anne was close to her wealthy parents even though she had married Marco against their wishes.  They were supportive of Anne and would do anything they could to help her but I found them cold.

I look forward to reading other books by this author.