Not a Happy Family
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- Create Date：2021-07-28 21:21:12
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Shari Lapena
- ISBN：B08SQ1ZM92
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Summary
9 hours， 11 minutes
"In this fast-paced， twisted family saga， Shari Lapena keeps you guessing until the very last page。。。。" （Paula Hawkins， number one New York Times best-selling author of The Girl on The Train）
The new domestic suspense novel from the New York Times best-selling author of The Couple Next Door and Someone We Know who has sold more than seven million copies of her books worldwide。
In this family， everyone is keeping secrets - even 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 Fred and Sheila Merton certainly are rich。 But even all their money can't protect them when a killer comes to call。 The Mertons are brutally murdered after a fraught 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 vindictive father and neglectful mother， but perhaps one of the siblings is more disturbed than anyone knew。 Did someone snap after that dreadful evening？ Or did another person appear later that night with the worst of intentions？ That must be what happened。 After all， if one of the family were capable of something as gruesome as this， you'd know。
Wouldn't you？
"In this fast-paced， twisted family saga， Shari Lapena keeps you guessing until the very last page。。。。" （Paula Hawkins， number one New York Times best-selling author of The Girl on The Train）
The new domestic suspense novel from the New York Times best-selling author of The Couple Next Door and Someone We Know who has sold more than seven million copies of her books worldwide。
In this family， everyone is keeping secrets - even 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 Fred and Sheila Merton certainly are rich。 But even all their money can't protect them when a killer comes to call。 The Mertons are brutally murdered after a fraught 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 vindictive father and neglectful mother， but perhaps one of the siblings is more disturbed than anyone knew。 Did someone snap after that dreadful evening？ Or did another person appear later that night with the worst of intentions？ That must be what happened。 After all， if one of the family were capable of something as gruesome as this， you'd know。
Wouldn't you？
Reviews
Leanne
，
Shari Lapena books never take me very long as I can't put them down。 I wasn't sure with this one at first but it didn't take me long to get into it and then I was hooked。 Usually I have the killer and motive figured out but Lapena got me this time and I was wrong （I had 4 potential killers in mind that I couldn't rule out but I was sure it was a certain one and then changed my mind and was sure it was another） Shari Lapena books never take me very long as I can't put them down。 I wasn't sure with this one at first but it didn't take me long to get into it and then I was hooked。 Usually I have the killer and motive figured out but Lapena got me this time and I was wrong （I had 4 potential killers in mind that I couldn't rule out but I was sure it was a certain one and then changed my mind and was sure it was another） 。。。more
Luanne Ollivier
，
I've enjoyed each and every one of Shari Lapena's suspense novels。 I was eager to read her newest - Not A Happy Family。 And like the ones gone before， I tore through it in two days！Check out the synopsis below - you'll be hooked！ "Brecken Hill in upstate New York is an expensive place to live。 You have to be rich to have a house there， and Fred and Sheila Merton certainly are rich。 But even all their money can't protect them when a killer comes to call。 The Mertons are brutally murdered after a I've enjoyed each and every one of Shari Lapena's suspense novels。 I was eager to read her newest - Not A Happy Family。 And like the ones gone before， I tore through it in two days！Check out the synopsis below - you'll be hooked！ "Brecken Hill in upstate New York is an expensive place to live。 You have to be rich to have a house there， and Fred and Sheila Merton certainly are rich。 But even all their money can't protect them when a killer comes to call。 The Mertons are brutally murdered after a fraught 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 vindictive father and neglectful mother， but perhaps one of the siblings is more disturbed than anyone knew。 Did someone snap after that dreadful evening？ Or did another person appear later that night with the worst of intentions？ That must be what happened。 After all， if one of the family were capable of something as gruesome as this， you'd know。 Wouldn't you？"Lies。 Secrets。 Greed。 Conniving。 Scheming。 Murder。 Each and every character is unlikable and yes - detestable in one way or another， even the spouses of the Merton adult children。 But it is Catherine， Dan and Jenna that are truly unbelievable。 Their blatant desire to know how much they're going to inherit is brought up even before the funeral arrangements have been discussed。 There are quite a few other players added to the mix - all with ties to the deceased Mertons。 It did take me a bit of back and forth to keep track of who was who。 But I loved having so many suspects。 Kudos to Lapena on her characterizations。Lapena lays a bread crumb trail of dropped hints， twists and turns on the way to the final whodunit。 There's absolutely no way to predict the final aha moment。 But I had a lot of fun guessing and re-guessing。 Not A Happy Family had a bit of an Agatha Christie feel for me。 （a good thing！） I really enjoyed this latest！ 。。。more
danielle
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Solid 4 star star story！While I know this is a popular author， this was actually my first book by her。 I will definitely check out other books by her。 Solid， tight story that was woven together。 None of the characters are really good people， and everyone， absolutely everyone could be the killer。 I had lots of guesses about what the truth was， but really since all of them were rather unredeemable it started mattering less who was the killer since they all seemed guilty of something or other。 Stil Solid 4 star star story！While I know this is a popular author， this was actually my first book by her。 I will definitely check out other books by her。 Solid， tight story that was woven together。 None of the characters are really good people， and everyone， absolutely everyone could be the killer。 I had lots of guesses about what the truth was， but really since all of them were rather unredeemable it started mattering less who was the killer since they all seemed guilty of something or other。 Still， I didn't really guess the right one， other than I knew they were lying about something。 。。。more
Rebecca
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Thank you to Netgalley， Shari Lapena and the publisher for the ARC。 This was definitely the best Shari Lapena book I've read。 In the past， I've found her thrillers to be quite cheesy， but this one kept me guessing！ It wasn't really a unique concept by any stretch， with parents being murdered， but I really liked the way Lapena laid it all out and the characters she included。 Audrey was quite the personality！ I would definitely recommend this one if you are looking for a quick， easy to read thrill Thank you to Netgalley， Shari Lapena and the publisher for the ARC。 This was definitely the best Shari Lapena book I've read。 In the past， I've found her thrillers to be quite cheesy， but this one kept me guessing！ It wasn't really a unique concept by any stretch， with parents being murdered， but I really liked the way Lapena laid it all out and the characters she included。 Audrey was quite the personality！ I would definitely recommend this one if you are looking for a quick， easy to read thriller。 。。。more
smalltownbookmom
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SO。 MANY。 LIES！！！Man if you're in the mood for a totally twisted， never going to figure who did it murder mystery involving a family of manipulative liars this is the story for you。 Fast-paced， with never a dull moment， this book reminded me a lot of a cross between The nest and The good sister （but more murder-y）。 When their parents are brutally murder， three grown siblings and the former nanny/housekeeper become prime suspects as they are all in line to inherit millions。 Every has a motive and SO。 MANY。 LIES！！！Man if you're in the mood for a totally twisted， never going to figure who did it murder mystery involving a family of manipulative liars this is the story for you。 Fast-paced， with never a dull moment， this book reminded me a lot of a cross between The nest and The good sister （but more murder-y）。 When their parents are brutally murder， three grown siblings and the former nanny/housekeeper become prime suspects as they are all in line to inherit millions。 Every has a motive and no one is innocent but only one of them is the killer。 Your head will be spinning （right along with the detective's） trying to figure this one out。 It was my first by Canadian Shari Lapena and definitely won't be my last。 Highly recommend for domestic thriller/suspense lovers！ 。。。more
Jessica
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My main hold up with reading mystery/thrillers is my ability to guess the ending before the plot unfolds。 That was NOT the case with this book。 Not even close。 The amount of times I changed who I thought did it was insane。 I kept going back and forth and eventually， I began to sympathize with the detectives， because even I couldn't figure out this mystery。Things I liked:‣ I'm a huuuuuge fan of character driven stories and this book scratched that itch for me。 Every character was fleshed out just My main hold up with reading mystery/thrillers is my ability to guess the ending before the plot unfolds。 That was NOT the case with this book。 Not even close。 The amount of times I changed who I thought did it was insane。 I kept going back and forth and eventually， I began to sympathize with the detectives， because even I couldn't figure out this mystery。Things I liked:‣ I'm a huuuuuge fan of character driven stories and this book scratched that itch for me。 Every character was fleshed out just enough to aid the plot when needed。‣ The epilogue。 It was easily one of my favorite parts of the book。‣ Audrey， the vindictive aunt。 Gosh， I just wanted to punch her。‣ The huge guessing game between the siblings and their significant others。‣ How often the POV is switched。 Normally， this would drive me insane but it works well with this storyline。‣ It gave me major Knives Out vibes and I freakin' loved that movie。This is my first Shari Lapena read， and I've got to say， I am extremely impressed。 There was a moment while reading when I thought， "Wow， this is an author who has honed her craft。"， and I can't think of any other way to describe her writing。 It just felt effortless。 I see why people call her the Queen of domestic thrillers。 If you're a fan of fast paced whodunit reads， then you won't want to miss Not a Happy Family！Thank you @vikingbooks for my #gifted copy。 。。。more
CKF
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Whenever you have dysfunctional family dynamics bursting to the fore with unresolved vibes and secrets， you have the key energies of this wonderful work。 Not enough is written about how dysfunctional many families can be。 Perhaps a film not unlike ear Ordinary People， American Pie， etc。， is in the offing？
Maggie Boyd
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As the title suggests， the wealthy Merton Clan is not a happy family。 Fred， the patriarch， is malicious and makes his adult children miserable with his endless sly manipulations and vicious put downs。 Matriarch Sheila has survived her marriage by drawing completely into herself。 She never challenges Fred’s abuse and is concerned only with what their equally rich neighbors think of them。The kids don’t spend much time with their folks， but holiday gatherings are a mandatory event， and Easter Sunda As the title suggests， the wealthy Merton Clan is not a happy family。 Fred， the patriarch， is malicious and makes his adult children miserable with his endless sly manipulations and vicious put downs。 Matriarch Sheila has survived her marriage by drawing completely into herself。 She never challenges Fred’s abuse and is concerned only with what their equally rich neighbors think of them。The kids don’t spend much time with their folks， but holiday gatherings are a mandatory event， and Easter Sunday morning finds all three Merton offspring getting ready for dinner at their parents’ house。 Catherine， the eldest， is a successful doctor married to an equally successful dentist。 The only thing she looks forward to that day is being in the family home。 She loves the lavish estate with its beautiful furnishings， tasteful and expensive artwork， elegant， pricey dishware and costly antiques。 When her parents die， Catherine plans to take the house as her inheritance and let her younger siblings have all the cash。 Her husband Ted doesn’t want to attend。 He knows Fred will start an argument with someone and doesn’t want to get caught in the middle of it， but Catherine pushes him into going。Youngest daughter Jenna is the family wild child。 An artist who specializes in sculptures of female genitalia， she spends most of her time partying in New York City。 Jenna has zero desire to see her family， but she lives off a stipend her parents provide and has no choice but to go when they demand it。 To annoy her dad， she brings along James， a young artist she recently met， and the two of them smoke pot on their drive to upstate New York from the city， giggling over the fact that they will reek of marijuana when they arrive。The person who least wants to attend this little get together is Dan， the middle child。 His father hates him the most and has made no secret of that。 Dan worked for his father for years， putting up with being insulted and berated on a regular basis by holding on to the dream that he would eventually inherit the family business。 Then his father sold the company， leaving Dan with no job and no future prospects。 Thanks to a foolish investment， Dan’s savings are tied up and he’s pushed the limit of all his credit cards trying to stay afloat。 He hates that he will have to ask his father for a loan or face the fact that he and his wife Lisa will be in deep financial trouble without it。There will be two other guests at the dinner。 Audrey， Fred’s sister， joins the family for all their celebrations even though the kids and Sheila can’t stand her。 And Irena， the children’s beloved former nanny who now works two days a week as housekeeper， will earn her dinner by helping set up and clean up the meal。 Everyone but Audrey （who has the flu） duly shows up， and everything goes as badly as they expect it to。 Fred has a knack for crushing people’s hopes and at the dinner he tells Catherine he’s selling the house， tells Jenna he’s cutting off her allowance， and advises Dan there will be no loan。 Lisa， Ted， James and Irena are forced to sit as awkward witnesses to both Fred’s cruelty and the fallout。 Before dessert is even put on the table， the guests all leave angry。 A fact they all try to hide from the police when Fred and Sheila are violently murdered later that night。The family presents a united front to the detectives investigating the crime。 They all went directly back to their own homes after dinner and stayed there all night。 The dinner was pleasant， and everyone got along。 They know of no one who would be angry enough with their parents to do this。The police don’t believe their lies。 See the rest of my review at https://allaboutromance。com/book-revi。。。 。。。more
Laurie • The Baking Bookworm
，
Wow！ Just wow！ Damn， this was a great whodunnit！Toronto-based lawyer turned suspense author Shari Lapena has done it again with this tension-filled mystery that has twists， loads of possible culprits and a look into a highly dysfunctional family。The cast isn't an overly likable bunch which sometimes bothers me， but in this case Lapena makes it work。 Her characters are a fascinating and oh-so-very-flawed and by using multiple POVs， she gives her readers a bird's eye view into the lives of the Mer Wow！ Just wow！ Damn， this was a great whodunnit！Toronto-based lawyer turned suspense author Shari Lapena has done it again with this tension-filled mystery that has twists， loads of possible culprits and a look into a highly dysfunctional family。The cast isn't an overly likable bunch which sometimes bothers me， but in this case Lapena makes it work。 Her characters are a fascinating and oh-so-very-flawed and by using multiple POVs， she gives her readers a bird's eye view into the lives of the Mercer clan， exposing their emotional damage， secrets， greed， and plausible motives for being the murderer。 Readers may get whiplash from changing their minds about the identity of the murderer because they all have reasons and the capability to kill Fred and Sheila Mercer， a couple who has as much money as they have issues within their family。While this is a tense suspense read， it is also a character study in dysfunction， sibling rivalry， deceit， and conflict within families。 The suspense continues right up until the very end when the murderer is revealed with a quiet but still impactful resolution。This is my favourite Lapena book to date。 Well-crafted， highly suspenseful， and just s'darn unputdownable， this is a must-read this summer for fans of the mighty whodunnit！Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to DoubleDay Canada for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
SOP Subarashi
，
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Anne
，
Fred and Sheila Mercer host the annual Easter Sunday dinner for their three adult children; Catherine， Dan and Jenna。 Also present are their partners and the family housekeeper Irena。Dinner is not an enjoyable affair for any of them， except for Fred， who seems to take great pleasure in pulling down each of his children。 Expressing his disappointment， and anger about what he sees as their failures。 His wife says nothing， although is clearly uncomfortable throughout his tirade。 The guests leave th Fred and Sheila Mercer host the annual Easter Sunday dinner for their three adult children; Catherine， Dan and Jenna。 Also present are their partners and the family housekeeper Irena。Dinner is not an enjoyable affair for any of them， except for Fred， who seems to take great pleasure in pulling down each of his children。 Expressing his disappointment， and anger about what he sees as their failures。 His wife says nothing， although is clearly uncomfortable throughout his tirade。 The guests leave the party。Two days later Fred and Sheila are found brutally murdered in their own home。 Whilst the children appear to be devastated， there is the matter of a $26 million inheritance to be split between them … it also appears that the final dinner was not the last time that any of them saw their parents。 This is a domestic suspense story that twists and turns in every chapter。 As long-held secrets and grievances are revealed， everyone becomes a suspect。 Who had the most to lose if Fred was still alive？Throw in an unexpected revelation from Fred’s aggrieved and angry sister Audrey， and a bombshell from his solicitor and the tension just amplifies。 Filled with characters who are all flawed， spoilt and difficult to like， this is a very well plotted whodunnit， combined with a twisted and vicious family drama that will keep any reader on their toes。 It is said that blood is thicker than water， but these family members are certainly only concerned about themselves …。。 and about wealth。Addictive， fast paced and filled with suspense。 。。。more
Jennifer
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Thanks to netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for allowing me to read this book。
Erica
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I won this book from Goodreads！ Thank you， Goodreads。 As the title states， The Mertons are not the happiest of families。 When a murder occurs within the family， it is anyone’s guess who did it。 This was a fast paced book with some twists throughout that left me turning the pages to find out the culprit。
Ceylan （CeyGo）
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When their parents are found viciously murdered in their home after a very fraught Easter dinner， all three siblings are suspected of murdering them… but which one did it ？✔️ I honestly had no idea who did it - at one point I must have suspected everyone in the book✔️this s a fairly slow paced mystery， but it kept me turning the pages✔️ the title definitely suits - this was not a happy family at all
JaymeO
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Who killed Fred and Sheila Merton？Not a Happy Family is Shari LaPena’s best writing to date！ It is a whodunnit domestic suspense thriller that you do not want to miss。 The Mertons are a crazy dysfunctional family， who are hiding secrets from each other， while pointing the finger at the others。 When Fred and Sheila Merton are discovered by their housekeeper brutally murdered the morning after Easter dinner， their children become the prime suspects。 The killer must be someone close to the family， Who killed Fred and Sheila Merton？Not a Happy Family is Shari LaPena’s best writing to date！ It is a whodunnit domestic suspense thriller that you do not want to miss。 The Mertons are a crazy dysfunctional family， who are hiding secrets from each other， while pointing the finger at the others。 When Fred and Sheila Merton are discovered by their housekeeper brutally murdered the morning after Easter dinner， their children become the prime suspects。 The killer must be someone close to the family， as they are murdered in a hateful rage。 What happened at that fateful dinner？ Each sibling has something to hide from the other， and their greedy， manipulative， self-absorbed personalities battle to keep secrets hidden。 You see， Fred Merton was planning to change his will and everyone had something to gain from his murder。Catherine is the oldest， most successful and favorite child。 She wants the Merton mansion。Dan is the middle child and biggest disappointment。 He is the least favorite child and is having major financial troubles after his father sold the company that he was due to inherit。Jenna is the youngest child and just barely tolerated by her parents。 She is living off her parents’ allowance and leads an out of control， rebellious lifestyle。Then there’s Rose…how does she fit into this family？ I furiously kept turning the pages of this thriller， full of twists and turns and plenty of suspects。 LaPena successfully casts doubts on all of the characters and makes the reader suspect everyone throughout the book。 This is a stay up all night， don’t want to put it down kind of read that will keep you guessing until the very last page。 I did not successfully predict the ending， while I did have my suspicions throughout。 I wanted slightly more from the reveal， otherwise this would have been a 5 star read for me。 I predict that this book will be a smash hit for Shari LaPena and I can’t wait to read her next thriller！4。5/5 starsThank you very much to Ben Petrone at Penguin Random House who kindly gifted me the ARC of Not a Happy Family in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Rebekah Reads
，
Full review to come！Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and Double Day Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review。
Alicia （thriller_chick）
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She is an auto buy for me but this was my favorite of all her books！ She kept me questioning every character until the very end。
Corinne
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🎧 This sounded great in the blurb and I thought it was an interesting intertwining plot。 I was enjoying it till about halfway but I found myself getting bored。 The pace was good but could have done with a little more action。 Such unlikeable characters other then the detectives who we don’t really know much about。 The suspense builds and there are some twists and turns but they were lacking and with such building suspense the outcome was so underwhelming。 I liked the narration。 Thanks to Netgalle 🎧 This sounded great in the blurb and I thought it was an interesting intertwining plot。 I was enjoying it till about halfway but I found myself getting bored。 The pace was good but could have done with a little more action。 Such unlikeable characters other then the detectives who we don’t really know much about。 The suspense builds and there are some twists and turns but they were lacking and with such building suspense the outcome was so underwhelming。 I liked the narration。 Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this ARC thats due to be published on the 27nd of July。 。。。more
Hayley
，
Thank you to Penguin Random House/Doubleday Canada and NetGalley for early access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review。 Not A Happy Family publishes on July 27， 2021。Fred and Shelia Merton are a wealthy couple living in upstate New York。 They are killed after their annual Easter Dinner with their three adult children， Catherine， Dan and Jenna， their partners and their long time house keeper， Irena。 Fred's sister Audrey didn't make it to the annual dinner this year but that doesn't keep Thank you to Penguin Random House/Doubleday Canada and NetGalley for early access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review。 Not A Happy Family publishes on July 27， 2021。Fred and Shelia Merton are a wealthy couple living in upstate New York。 They are killed after their annual Easter Dinner with their three adult children， Catherine， Dan and Jenna， their partners and their long time house keeper， Irena。 Fred's sister Audrey didn't make it to the annual dinner this year but that doesn't keep her out of the story。Each of the living characters has secrets in their past that unfold for the reader concurrently， making it possible that anyone is the murderer。 There is so much deceit in this book， between siblings， spouses， other family members， I didn't know who to trust when。 It was a fast paced book， with enough possibilities that I did not know who had actually killed Fred and Shelia until the final reveal。The story is told in multiple perspectives， enough that a few times I had to think particular hard to figure out what was going on and who was who especially at the beginning， but once I was into the story I kept up fairly easily。 I would have liked to see more at the end of the book， it felt a little short but I loved the epilogue and it has me wondering what happened after the book ended to the characters。This was a quick read for me， and I enjoyed the writing style， its my first book by Shari Lapena and I will definitely be trying out some of her backlist。Rating: 3。5/5 。。。more
Stephanie
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Shari Lapena has done it again - another fantastic whodunnit， this time focused on a very dysfunctional wealthy family with 3 adult kids and their parents， the latter who are brutally murdered in their home。 Who did it？ Could it be one of the kids eager to get their sizable inheritance？Fast-paced plot with short chapters that make you want to just keep turning the pages to find out happens next。 The story has lots of twists and turns and the plot effectively unfolds from various points of view。 Shari Lapena has done it again - another fantastic whodunnit， this time focused on a very dysfunctional wealthy family with 3 adult kids and their parents， the latter who are brutally murdered in their home。 Who did it？ Could it be one of the kids eager to get their sizable inheritance？Fast-paced plot with short chapters that make you want to just keep turning the pages to find out happens next。 The story has lots of twists and turns and the plot effectively unfolds from various points of view。 The characters are fascinating and you just can’t look away from how greedy and shallow they are。 Great ending and I loved the epilogue！！I inhaled this novel and throughly enjoyed it。 You really can’t go wrong with a Shari Lapena novel。 Not A Happy Family is out next Tuesday - July 27。Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Barbara Behring
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Review I received a kindle version of this book through a goodreads giveaway。 I had only read one previous book by Shari Lapena prior to this， The Couple next door， and I found that book predictable and I did not like the ending。 I thought I would give her another try and am I glad I did。 I absolutely loved this book。 It was a fast read and kept me guessing till the very end。
Andrew Smith
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Fred and Sheila Merton live in a big house in upstate New York。 Fred has been a successful businessman and following tradition the pair have invited their three adult children， and partners， around for an Easter dinner。 It turns out be a fraught affair as Fred imparts some unwelcome news on his offspring – each will be affected in a different way but none are happy with this particular festive gift。 Shortly after， both Fred and Sheila meet a grisly end - murdered in their own home。 Could it be t Fred and Sheila Merton live in a big house in upstate New York。 Fred has been a successful businessman and following tradition the pair have invited their three adult children， and partners， around for an Easter dinner。 It turns out be a fraught affair as Fred imparts some unwelcome news on his offspring – each will be affected in a different way but none are happy with this particular festive gift。 Shortly after， both Fred and Sheila meet a grisly end - murdered in their own home。 Could it be that one of the dinner guests perpetrated this crime？ The children all have motive， but as we learn more about the circle of people surrounding this family it seems that others might be similarly inclined。 The children are a pretty mixed-up bunch: a grasping daughter desperate to get her hands on the family pile， another daughter whose rebelliousness makes her something of a black sheep and a son who is suffering from money problems and mental health issues。 Then there is Fred’s sister， a bitter old crow whose dislike of all of the children is unhesitatingly reciprocated。 There are others too， lining up to be included in a lengthy list of possible suspects。 It’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out， so bring on a couple of punchy， provocative detectives and let’s have at it。It’s good fun， if all a little unlikely， as the siblings and partners lie and cover-up whilst also suspecting each other of potentially being the murderer。 The best character， though， is Fred’s vitriolic sister who has no end of run-ins with the family group。 The whole thing lights up whenever she’s on the scene。 There are plenty of twists and it’s practically impossible to guess whodunnit as all seem to have both the motive and the means。 A pretty decent and undemanding mystery that kept me guessing and – just about – held my interest throughout。 I listened to an audio version which was capably narrated by Ellen Archer。 My thanks to Penguin UK Random House Audio and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Marg
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3 1/2
Patty Rice
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Thank you to Goodreads for giving me this book in the giveaway。This is a suspenseful drama about a family whose wealthy parents were killed on Easter evening。 All the siblings are suspected in the murders。 The books takes you back & forth on the detectives journey to solve the murders。 There are the usual twists。 I was disappointed in the ending。 It seemed to fall short。 Not a typical Shari Lapena ending for me。
Lindsay
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Loved it！ It had so many layers that kept unraveling at a suspenseful pace。 This book didn't disappoint and reminded me of the movie Knives Out。 Love。 Loved it！ It had so many layers that kept unraveling at a suspenseful pace。 This book didn't disappoint and reminded me of the movie Knives Out。 Love。 。。。more
Devon
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Lapena's latest slow burning， twisty tale takes you down a dark path of lies， secrets and deceit alongside one wicked family where everyone has more than a few screws loose。 The Merton family definitely does not need enemies when they have a family this twisted; talk about dysfunctional！ Makes my family look normal。The story starts with a gruesome bang then slowly unfolds， revealing the true events leading up to the night of the murders while leaving a couple of surprising twists throughout。 I'v Lapena's latest slow burning， twisty tale takes you down a dark path of lies， secrets and deceit alongside one wicked family where everyone has more than a few screws loose。 The Merton family definitely does not need enemies when they have a family this twisted; talk about dysfunctional！ Makes my family look normal。The story starts with a gruesome bang then slowly unfolds， revealing the true events leading up to the night of the murders while leaving a couple of surprising twists throughout。 I've read quite a few of Lapena's novels， and in my opinion， this one is her best work yet。 I really enjoy a slow burning domestic mystery when it's done right， and I think Lapena did a fantastic job of creating such vile characters while still being able to keep the reader interested with the storyline。 You want to know what deranged thing these family members will do next。 I did have one tiny problem with the fact that a lot of characters introduced at once。 It took me a few chapters to get them all straight in my head。 But， once I had everyone straight， Lapena kept me hooked。 I also really enjoyed the ending， especially how Lapena managed to leave the door to the story open just a crack。 Not a Happy Family is chock-full of unlikable， terrible characters that will keep you on your toes and you'll never know who is telling the truth。I would absolutley encourage fans of Lapena's earlier work to add this to their TBR。 It's out July 27th so you can find out for yourself about how twisted this family really is。 Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House/Doubleday Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Tiffany www。instagram。com/tiffs_bookshelf
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In Shari Lapena's newest book we meet the Merton family。 Father Fred， mother Sheila， and their three children Catherine， Dan， and Jenna。 The story is based on who murdered Fred and Sheila。 Their three children stand to inherit millions on their parents death。 These three children aren't as innocent and angelic as they perceive themselves to be。 Nothing is ever as it seems to be in the wealthy peoples lives though。 Who killed Fred and Sheila Merton？？？？ Read this book to find out。。。。。。 I didn't In Shari Lapena's newest book we meet the Merton family。 Father Fred， mother Sheila， and their three children Catherine， Dan， and Jenna。 The story is based on who murdered Fred and Sheila。 Their three children stand to inherit millions on their parents death。 These three children aren't as innocent and angelic as they perceive themselves to be。 Nothing is ever as it seems to be in the wealthy peoples lives though。 Who killed Fred and Sheila Merton？？？？ Read this book to find out。。。。。。 I didn't know what to expect starting Shari Lapena's newest book。 I did expect it to be great because I am a huge fan and have read all of her previous books。 I did not know what I was getting into when I started it though。 Shari Lapena is one of those authors for me who I don't even read the sypnosis because I know I'll enjoy it。 This book is so good I flew through it in one work day（8hrs）。 It has her signature style of thrilling， twisted storytelling。 You never know what to expect but you know it is gonna be a great read。 I promise if you're a thriller fan you will be on the edge of your seat with this oneI highly recommend this book。 。。。more
Melissa
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Not A Happy Family was a solid book by one of my favourite authors Shari Lapena。 It follows a wealthy family in a quaint little neighbourhood who are enjoying a wonderful Easter dinner together。 All goes a little haywire when Fred （the father） causes a stir at the dinner and all the kids leave unhappy and unsettled。 Fred and his wife Sheila are found brutally murdered the next day and of course the adult children are to blame。 Each one having a reason as to why it could be them。 Maybe it was Dan Not A Happy Family was a solid book by one of my favourite authors Shari Lapena。 It follows a wealthy family in a quaint little neighbourhood who are enjoying a wonderful Easter dinner together。 All goes a little haywire when Fred （the father） causes a stir at the dinner and all the kids leave unhappy and unsettled。 Fred and his wife Sheila are found brutally murdered the next day and of course the adult children are to blame。 Each one having a reason as to why it could be them。 Maybe it was Dan who needed the money immediately。 Or maybe it was Catherine who would do anything to live the life her parents did。 Or Perhaps it was Jenna， the youngest of the three who was always feeling cut short of her siblings。 Or could it be the house keeper Irena- she was the first to find them and started tidying up the scene。 It is your job to figure out who the guilty one is and what their motive was。 You would think you would know if one of your siblings was a murderer。 Wouldn’t you？I loved that this book had so many twists and turns and had me guessing until the very end。 Each of the siblings had a plausible reason to commit the brutal murder and it was a fun read trying to figure out who did it。 Not A Happy Family has short chapters （my fave） and had me turning the pages so quickly。 I needed to know what was going to happen and with each chapter only being a few pages， I got through this one in only a few sittings。 Shari Lapena has a way with her writing and she will lead you down multiple incorrect paths throughout the story。 I really liked the whodunnit style of this book and her classic “open ended ending”。 I also really liked the fact that with each of her books， she lets you really digest the book and predict where it will go in the future。 Overall I rate this book a solid 4。5 stars。 It was my second favourite by her and just further solidified that I will be reading more from her in the future。 If you are looking for a book to read by her while you wait for this one， I definitely recommend reading The Couple Next Door。 Check out my review of that one if you’re interested in learning more about it。 Not A Happy Family hits shelves on July 27th and I highly recommend you put this one on your list immediately！ Thank you to Shari Lapena， NetGalley and Pamela Dorman Books for this advanced copy。 I absolutely loved it and cannot wait to read more from this incredible author。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Not a Happy Family
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Not a Happy Family&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Not a Happy Family&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0