Not a Happy Family
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-27 11:31:49
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Shari Lapena
- ISBN：0593402138
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Sarah R | BiblioBonorum
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Thank you to the publisher and Goodreads for the early copy！
Lars Stuyts
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Quick， suspenseful， easy， beach read！ You read， you sleuth， you get pulled to the solution。 Shari Lapena has become known for her engaging crime novels， and this one will not disappoint。
Samantha Warren
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Plot: the parents of three adult children are found murdered after a tense Easter dinner。 Was it a robbery or was it a quick way to receive your inheritance。 This was a quick read。 There were lots of twists and turns。 All the characters were equally unlikeable--but that was a good thing。 Recommended。
Taylor
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Read on Netgalley。 So many twists and turns！ It never got slow and it never made you think you knew who the murderer was for sure。 It all played out to be a very interesting novel。 I do think the forensics were a bit off， but that's just because I watch too many crime shows。 Read on Netgalley。 So many twists and turns！ It never got slow and it never made you think you knew who the murderer was for sure。 It all played out to be a very interesting novel。 I do think the forensics were a bit off， but that's just because I watch too many crime shows。 。。。more
Eva 🌻
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3。5 ⭐️Not a Happy Family is about a family whose lives are all changed when there's a gruesome murder。 The family all suspects each other and is very shady about their whereabouts on the night of the crime。 As the story goes on， the family falls a part， and back together again， while the police fight to figure out who committed the murders with a complete lack of evidence。 I enjoyed this story！ It wasn't Lapena's best but it did keep me engaged and reading。 I really couldn't figure out who the k 3。5 ⭐️Not a Happy Family is about a family whose lives are all changed when there's a gruesome murder。 The family all suspects each other and is very shady about their whereabouts on the night of the crime。 As the story goes on， the family falls a part， and back together again， while the police fight to figure out who committed the murders with a complete lack of evidence。 I enjoyed this story！ It wasn't Lapena's best but it did keep me engaged and reading。 I really couldn't figure out who the killer was！ I found this story a bit choppy， as there were so many characters and little snippets the whole way through。 It was fairly easy to follow and even though each character played a small overall part I feel like I was able to get to know them and understand them well enough。 The characters themselves weren't likeable but that didn't influence how I felt about the book， which does happen。 I felt like the book kind of went along with nothing happening but so much happening at the same time。 The police investigation yielded nothing for so long， most of the story is the police trying to figure something out and each of the characters expressing their thoughts and feelings on who they believe the murderer is。 Lapena is such a great writer and this was another good story！ Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free preview in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
CF
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It's expensive to live in Brecken Hill， a neighbourhood in upstate New York。 But Fred and Sheila Mercer have no shortage of money after Fred made a fortunate at his robotics company。 The Mercers and their three adult children seem to be the perfect family， but the truth is that the Mercers all have secrets。 The perceived safety in Fred and Sheila's high-end， exclusive neighbourhood can't protect them when a murderer comes calling late at night after a particularly tumultuous Easter dinner at the It's expensive to live in Brecken Hill， a neighbourhood in upstate New York。 But Fred and Sheila Mercer have no shortage of money after Fred made a fortunate at his robotics company。 The Mercers and their three adult children seem to be the perfect family， but the truth is that the Mercers all have secrets。 The perceived safety in Fred and Sheila's high-end， exclusive neighbourhood can't protect them when a murderer comes calling late at night after a particularly tumultuous Easter dinner at the Mercer house。 And all of the children have motives。 Treated poorly by their manipulative father and neglectful mother， each sibling has a reason to be angry with their parents， and the millions of dollars they stand to inherit makes for a convenient motive。 Told through alternating narration， the book follows the siblings as their lies become unravelled and attempt to determine which one of them may have inherited their father's psychopathic traits。What a wild ride！ I devoured this book in two sittings as I couldn't put it down。 Shari Lapena has done it again—she's the master of domestic suspense。 Another book filled with vile， unlikeable characters that you can't help but admire the lengths they go in their deception and cruelty to one another。 A well-woven tale filled with suspense and twists and turns at every corner。 Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title。 I look forward to reading more of Lapena's work again soon。 。。。more
Kendra
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3。5⭐️
Heidi Sandiford
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A page-turning classic whodunnit。 Wealthy parents Fred and Sheila are murdered in their own house after a very fractious Easter dinner。 All three kids have motives and all are lying。 The reader is left to wonder which one of the kids is responsible or whether it could it be an outsider。 Well written， kept me engaged until the end。
Maureen
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Another fabulous book！！！ Parents murdered and every child is a suspect and all of them had reason to do it money hate it’s all there。 When you get to the last page you say wow！！！
Stephanie
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I have pretty consistently enjoyed Shari Lapena’s novels， rating The Couple Next Door， An Unwanted Guest， and A Stranger In the House all four stars。 So I had four-star expectations when I picked up her latest， Not A Happy Family （thanks to Penguin Group Viking and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for this honest review）。The premise suggested a cast of characters that weren’t exactly relatable: a very wealthy couple is murdered on Easter night， after a contentious family dinner at their home， wi I have pretty consistently enjoyed Shari Lapena’s novels， rating The Couple Next Door， An Unwanted Guest， and A Stranger In the House all four stars。 So I had four-star expectations when I picked up her latest， Not A Happy Family （thanks to Penguin Group Viking and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for this honest review）。The premise suggested a cast of characters that weren’t exactly relatable: a very wealthy couple is murdered on Easter night， after a contentious family dinner at their home， with all of their children present （well， almost all - but that’s a plot twist I won’t spoil in a review！） Fred and Sheila Merton lived in a rich area， with two of their three adult children nearby。 The eldest， their daughter Catherine， covets their big house and expects to move there after they are gone。。。their son Dan is married to Lisa， who is “。。。his first experience of unconditional love。 Unless you count the dogs。” He worked with his father in the business， which he expected to take over when Dad retired。。。but then Dad sold it and Dan is out of work。 “His father has ruined him， and he’s enjoyed doing it。”。 The youngest， Jenna， is an artist who creates sculptures of female genitalia -- all these young adults stand to inherit millions， and none of them really cared for their father。 Then there is Irena， “。。。the former nanny， now cleaning woman， who has been invited to dinner。 And to clean it lll up afterward。。。She can’t stop thinking about them， those children she brought up while Fred and Sheila couldn’t be bothered。”At the family dinner， Fred was his usual nasty， vindictive self， while Sheila was typically neglectful and vague。 Once the bodies are discovered， the truth starts to come out， and the fact that all three of them lie about their locations and activities following the dinner makes the police wonder if there is anyone they could believe or trust。 It was never a happy family， and “。。。relationships and patterns are established early; they don’t change。 Family dynamics play out again and again。” I’m one of those who rarely （if ever） figures out whodunit before the end， but I saw this one coming。。。and didn’t really care， since I didn’t like ANY of the characters。 Victims， suspects， cops， lawyer -- none of them were appealing。 Doesn’t mean it isn’t a fun read -- and the unraveling of the family drama is well done。 I’m going three stars on this one， just because it doesn’t seem like I’ll remember much about this one for long， and seriously， if I figured out the plot， I would guess anyone could。 。。。more
Wendy
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Fred is a mean， sometimes cruel father in Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena。 He who puts down his children at every turn， and his wife Sheila seems to be afraid of him。 With considerable wealth， Fred originally planned to leave the bulk of his estate to his children – all his children， including the one not born of Sheila。 But his sister Audrey insists he was going to leave half of his fortune to her。On Easter evening， someone slays both Fred and Sheila in their home after their three children Fred is a mean， sometimes cruel father in Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena。 He who puts down his children at every turn， and his wife Sheila seems to be afraid of him。 With considerable wealth， Fred originally planned to leave the bulk of his estate to his children – all his children， including the one not born of Sheila。 But his sister Audrey insists he was going to leave half of his fortune to her。On Easter evening， someone slays both Fred and Sheila in their home after their three children have gone home after a Not a Happy Easter meal where Fred had told them that he and Sheila are selling the family mansion。 Not only are they murdered， but many of their expensive items are missing。Not terribly upset about the death of their parents because of their father’s hateful ways and their mother’s lack of a maternal gene – she left their upbringing to their beloved nanny Irene – the three legitimate children， Catherine， Dan， and Jenna， are quickly under suspicion since it seems obvious that they will inherit the family millions。 Did the illegitimate child also expect an inheritance that would further expose Fred for the disgusting man that he was？Shari Lapena has filled this page turner with any number of possible murderers including children， spouses， a boyfriend， an aunt， and the mother of the illegitimate child。 The possibility of suspects just keeps changing until the very end。 This author never fails to keep me up at night finishing her latest。 My review will be posted on Goodreads starting May 31， 2021。I would like to thank the PENGUIN GROUP Viking for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review。 。。。more
Hillary
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Though not entirely without flaw （primarily some editing mistakes involving misnamed characters that will hopefully be worked out pre-publication）， I'm willing to suggest this is Lapena's best yet。 Though not entirely without flaw （primarily some editing mistakes involving misnamed characters that will hopefully be worked out pre-publication）， I'm willing to suggest this is Lapena's best yet。 。。。more
Jd
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1/2
Brenda
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This author has a gift for writing a twisty， turny story！ I think I suspected every single character of having committed the crime。 I went back and forth until the end。 This book goes between several different narrators， but it isn't confusing or hard to keep track。 The siblings are all pretty horrible and I felt myself cringing at parts， because of their thoughts。 I am eagerly awaiting to see what this author comes up with next！ This author has a gift for writing a twisty， turny story！ I think I suspected every single character of having committed the crime。 I went back and forth until the end。 This book goes between several different narrators， but it isn't confusing or hard to keep track。 The siblings are all pretty horrible and I felt myself cringing at parts， because of their thoughts。 I am eagerly awaiting to see what this author comes up with next！ 。。。more
Erin Hoyt
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If you like thrillers and mysteries， this is a great one！ It had interesting characters， while flawed， they were still worth rooting for。 There were twists and turns， and it really kept moving。 I could not put this book down！
Cyndi
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This was more of a murder mystery than psychological thriller。 It was an interesting look at a highly dysfunctional family and all the characters surrounding the murder of the parents。 I would've liked there to have been a little more to the plot， specifically one or two twists。 I felt that the ending was a bit predictable and nothing really surprising happened。Many thanks to Edelweiss， Netgalley， Pamela Dorman Books and Shari Lapena for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest revi This was more of a murder mystery than psychological thriller。 It was an interesting look at a highly dysfunctional family and all the characters surrounding the murder of the parents。 I would've liked there to have been a little more to the plot， specifically one or two twists。 I felt that the ending was a bit predictable and nothing really surprising happened。Many thanks to Edelweiss， Netgalley， Pamela Dorman Books and Shari Lapena for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Jamie
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Five Freaking Fantastic stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Shari Lapena had become an auto buy author for me after this one。I don’t want to say my because I think if you are a thriller lover you should just buy this in July when it comes out。This book is twisted！ I had no idea who did what and there were so many ways the storylines could’ve gone all with a shocking ending！！！ All the characters were a little twisted but I’m pretty certain I liked them all。My new favorite Lapena book！ Thanks to Edelweiss and Penguin Five Freaking Fantastic stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Shari Lapena had become an auto buy author for me after this one。I don’t want to say my because I think if you are a thriller lover you should just buy this in July when it comes out。This book is twisted！ I had no idea who did what and there were so many ways the storylines could’ve gone all with a shocking ending！！！ All the characters were a little twisted but I’m pretty certain I liked them all。My new favorite Lapena book！ Thanks to Edelweiss and Penguin for my advanced ebook copy！ 。。。more
Dallas Strawn
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I honestly think that Shari Lapena is the true queen of domestic suspense。。。。。she does it SO DAMN WELL。 It’s addictive。 You get into her books and at one point you totally think that everyone is guilty。 In her new novel NOT A HAPPY FAMILY out 7/27 from Viking， there’s two elderly dead bodies， a 26 million dollar fortune， an embattled family， and everyone looks guilty。 Who did it？？？ I literally sped read through this book。 It’s phenomenal。 It moves at a break neck speed it’s such a page turner。 E I honestly think that Shari Lapena is the true queen of domestic suspense。。。。。she does it SO DAMN WELL。 It’s addictive。 You get into her books and at one point you totally think that everyone is guilty。 In her new novel NOT A HAPPY FAMILY out 7/27 from Viking， there’s two elderly dead bodies， a 26 million dollar fortune， an embattled family， and everyone looks guilty。 Who did it？？？ I literally sped read through this book。 It’s phenomenal。 It moves at a break neck speed it’s such a page turner。 Every single one of the characters practically is awful and unlikable。。。。but it SO works in this novel for me。 The Mertons are the epitome of a truly dysfunctional family， and Shari Lapena crafts it so beautifully。 She’s absolutely an auto-buy author for me now， I look forward to her thrillers every summer。 Even if you can predict a couple of her twists， [I had a hunch who did it all along]， it’s worth reading just for the wild ride。 4。5 ⭐️ 。。。more
Kendra Ivery
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I'm really disappointed with this。 I found it to be boring and predictable。 I'm really disappointed with this。 I found it to be boring and predictable。 。。。more
Martha Avans
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I'm a big fan of Shari Lapena。 I'm thankful to #Netgalley for letting me read this one。 If you love a good psychological thriller， then this book is for you。 As the title says "Not a Happy Family"， is what this book is about。 We have a family of secrets。 Lots of twists and turns on what is going on。 Loved it。 My only issue was how it ended。 It was good， but I wanted more。 I read this book in a day it was that good。 I'm a big fan of Shari Lapena。 I'm thankful to #Netgalley for letting me read this one。 If you love a good psychological thriller， then this book is for you。 As the title says "Not a Happy Family"， is what this book is about。 We have a family of secrets。 Lots of twists and turns on what is going on。 Loved it。 My only issue was how it ended。 It was good， but I wanted more。 I read this book in a day it was that good。 。。。more
Debbie
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The author has created a totally dysfunctional family with all despicable members。 The parents are murdered with all the characters having motives to see them dead including their former nanny as well as the father’s sister。 Everyone has a story and the possibilities keep changing as the narrative continues。 The storyline may not be enjoyable but the author writes in such a way that you keeps you engaged as you try to decipher which one is responsible for these heinous acts。 Well done！
Stacy
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Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review。3 stars Wealthy parents Fred and Sheila Merton are discovered murdered in their home after a family Easter dinner。 Which one of their despicable children or sister did it？Did not enjoy the book。 Almost every character is awful。
Jg
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Three children， their significant others and their old nanny/ maid have dinner with their very wealthy parents Easter Sunday。 As usual their father is an absolute nasty bully and they all leave before dinner is finished。 That night someone brutally murders both their parents and the children become the main suspects as they’re going to inherit the bulk of the fortune， along with a few others。 This is truly a dysfunctional family without a redeeming quality among them and you realize anyone of th Three children， their significant others and their old nanny/ maid have dinner with their very wealthy parents Easter Sunday。 As usual their father is an absolute nasty bully and they all leave before dinner is finished。 That night someone brutally murders both their parents and the children become the main suspects as they’re going to inherit the bulk of the fortune， along with a few others。 This is truly a dysfunctional family without a redeeming quality among them and you realize anyone of them could be the killer。 The author did a great job of keeping the suspicion nicely going from character to character。 It was funny to me however because if I were given the book without knowing who the author was， I would swear I was reading a Mary Higgins Clark story。 The style of writing along with hopping from character to character with short paragraphs reminded me of her books。 That’s neither good or bad， just an observation。 A short wonderful beach read， this is perfect for July reading。 。。。more
Marie
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Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book！ I have only heard great things about Shari Lapena from my co-workers。 I read The Couple Next Door and thoroughly enjoyed the suspense， so I knew I would probably enjoy this one too。 The back and forth in this book made it all the more exciting。 This family loves lying！ I think the title should have been The Family Built on Lies！ I found myself trying to say up at night to read more。 I have recommended this book to others just the day after finishin Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book！ I have only heard great things about Shari Lapena from my co-workers。 I read The Couple Next Door and thoroughly enjoyed the suspense， so I knew I would probably enjoy this one too。 The back and forth in this book made it all the more exciting。 This family loves lying！ I think the title should have been The Family Built on Lies！ I found myself trying to say up at night to read more。 I have recommended this book to others just the day after finishing it！ I am going back to read more books by Shari and I cannot wait for her next one！ Thank you again to NetGalley。 。。。more
Shay
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I really enjoy how Shari Lapena writes her books where we get the pov’s of everyone involved。 This was the most dysfunctional family I believe I have ever read。 I was shocked and surprised by the actions of everyone in the Merton’s family。 Everything about this family was motivated by greed and deceit。 The level of betrayal enacted on the parents and the siblings will absolutely stun your mind。 Dan was weird， creepy and unhinged throughout the entire book。 His parts were hard to read because he I really enjoy how Shari Lapena writes her books where we get the pov’s of everyone involved。 This was the most dysfunctional family I believe I have ever read。 I was shocked and surprised by the actions of everyone in the Merton’s family。 Everything about this family was motivated by greed and deceit。 The level of betrayal enacted on the parents and the siblings will absolutely stun your mind。 Dan was weird， creepy and unhinged throughout the entire book。 His parts were hard to read because he is just that crazy。 If I was Lisa， I would have left him a long time ago。 When you know， you know！ Catherine was not too bad。 She had her demons as well， but she at least had some good sense。 You must watch her though。 Behind that put together persona was a someone who had some questionable actions。 Jenna was the one that I couldn’t quite put a finger on。 Seemingly always in the background， agreeable to cast the blame toward others so as to not have the focus on her。 You know， she isn’t quite right either。 I was very agreeable with Catherine’s husband on how this family is completely messed up！ It was easy enough to have an idea of who done it。 The ride to the truth was enjoyable。 You will think to yourself how in the world could someone be this cruel。 It was inevitable considering the circumstances。 These kids did not have a good relationship with their parents。 Based upon the epilogue， we know who will get the last laugh！ Arc provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchanged for an honest review。 。。。more
Annette
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There are some authors that as soon as you see they have a new book out， you pounce on it。 Shari Lapena is one of those authors for me。 As soon as I was approved to preview this book I set the book I was reading down and read this book straight through。 If you’ve read any of the authors other books then you know that just when you think you have it figured out well you don’t。 There is always a twist or turn at the end that you never saw coming。 If you’ve read this author before than you know to There are some authors that as soon as you see they have a new book out， you pounce on it。 Shari Lapena is one of those authors for me。 As soon as I was approved to preview this book I set the book I was reading down and read this book straight through。 If you’ve read any of the authors other books then you know that just when you think you have it figured out well you don’t。 There is always a twist or turn at the end that you never saw coming。 If you’ve read this author before than you know to get this book quickly， if you haven’t read her books before then what are you waiting for？ Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and give an opinion on this book 。。。more
Nilufer Ozmekik
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Hmmm I smell delicious， mind bending concept here: Knives out meets Succession！ Welcome to the Merton Family mention located at Brecken Hill in upstate New York。 Dear Fred and Sheila Merton have no idea this will be their last family dinner party with their lovely kids who hate the guts of them。 That was an ordinary Easter dinner till their lovely father started talking about how much he got disappointed of his children and they suddenly left the dinner in anger including their more than 2 decad Hmmm I smell delicious， mind bending concept here: Knives out meets Succession！ Welcome to the Merton Family mention located at Brecken Hill in upstate New York。 Dear Fred and Sheila Merton have no idea this will be their last family dinner party with their lovely kids who hate the guts of them。 That was an ordinary Easter dinner till their lovely father started talking about how much he got disappointed of his children and they suddenly left the dinner in anger including their more than 2 decades caretaker Irena who stood up for kids。 Very Dysfunctional family: an oligarch， powerful father figure takes pleasure in tormenting his own kids to boost his own ego！ Three kids who turned against each other， feeding with rivalry， anger， frustration。 And finally one of them decided to take matters into his or her own hands: brutally killing parents before their father pull his last trick up his sleeve by changing his will and leaving half of his wealth to his sister a。k。a。 their vindictive cutthroat bitch auntie dearest！ Yes！ Unfortunately knives are not out！ Because the poor caretaker Irena already washed away the murder weapon， cleaning the traces of blood and fingertips of the murderer。 She has good intentions。 She literally raised those kids and she truly knows how they suffered from controlling monster a。k。a real psychopath father of the year with a big ugly secret。 Yeah， their father was big bad wolf and their mother were mostly silent to his terrible actions against his children。 She didn’t do anything to protect them and now that’s how she got paid for herself: being strangled to death！ Three traumatized children: one of them or all may have inherited the genes of their father， suffering from same psychopathic tendencies to commit such a brutal crime！ Poor Dan， is the mentally and emotionally weakest link of the trio。 He reminds me of Successions’ Kendall a lot。 His father targeted him from the beginning， abusing mentally and psychically， selling the company he’d worked hard for and left him penniless and unemployed。 And his last unfortunate business investment left him high and dry。 The father of the year rejects to borrow him money， humiliating him in front of everyone， pleasing to watch him squirming in pain。 Being middle child and only boy must be toughest。 He’s none of his parents’ favorite， left excluded and has every right to reflect years long boiled anger in different ways。 Could he be the killer？ Why not？ Catherine is the oldest， hard working， conservative， conventional， a doctor。 She’s in good terms with everyone， her mother’s favorite child。 But as soon as her father plans to sell their childhood house， her peaceful demeanor is changed。 Could she lie without blushing or showing any reaction to put her on radar？ Absolutely not！ She’s so cool as cucumber。 So calculated。 So focused。 Could she be sociopath？ Why not？ And artsy， unconventional， rebellious， confident， attention seeker， youngest child Jenna is already blacklisted with her special sculptures about women genitalia。 Her father plans to cut his financial support and he already expressed his intention in front of entire family。 Could she do something violent？ Well， she has an uncontrollable temper issue， doesn’t she？ Both of the children are lying about their alibis。 Both of them can return back to house at the time of murders and both of them have motives！ And their vindictive， extremely irritating auntie Audrey knows their secret， already pissed off to be excluded from half share of the wealth， smelling blood， coming after them。 She thinks one of them killed her brother。 Is she right？ But are those kids only the ones to inherit the will， or are there other people who could be suspect of this killings？ Whodunnit？ Can you guess？ Which one of them is psychopath？ What if the answer is all of them！I’m rounding up 3。5 stars to 4！ It was fast paced， riveting， intriguing page turner with great whodunnit premise introducing us so many irritating characters！ Even the police officers were annoying。 Only likable character was Irena！ Audrey was quiet punchable one was more disturbing than the kids！ I highly recommend for the author’s great fans like me and action packed， exciting thriller readers！ Special thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Viking/ Pamela Dorman Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions。 。。。more
Natalie
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A great mystery！ This is a very readable mystery about the murder of a wealthy couple， with greedy， troubled children。 The author injects red herrings， pulling the reader into solving the mystery。 Lapena does a great job of building suspense and taking the reader through endless lies and suspects。 I really enjoyed this as well as the totally unexpected ending。 I had an usual sense of closure and wished for a second epilogue。。。。that’s how fascinating this book is！Thank you Netgalley for an excell A great mystery！ This is a very readable mystery about the murder of a wealthy couple， with greedy， troubled children。 The author injects red herrings， pulling the reader into solving the mystery。 Lapena does a great job of building suspense and taking the reader through endless lies and suspects。 I really enjoyed this as well as the totally unexpected ending。 I had an usual sense of closure and wished for a second epilogue。。。。that’s how fascinating this book is！Thank you Netgalley for an excellent opportunity to read and enjoy this riveting family drama。 。。。more
Sarah
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