Not a Happy Family: A Novel
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
Another thrilling domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door
“Lapena is a master of manipulation. With her latest page-turning thriller… she is once again at the top of her game.” —USA Today
“In this fast-paced, twisted family saga, Shari Lapena keeps you guessing until the very last page...” —Paula Hawkins
In this family, everyone is keeping secrets—even the dead.
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?
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Community Reviews
If you like a true mystery, you will enjoy this read. The author does a great job of making you believe each character could’ve been the murderer.
I really wanted to like this book, as I haven't loved any of the books we've read lately. Unfortunately I just couldn't. I gave it a bump to 5 rating only because I didn't get it right until she gave it away. Her end of chapter foreshadows to cast suspicion were so badly written - I wanted to yell, "Show, don't tell." as per my writing class mantra. And I couldn't find one character I liked, except maybe the maid a little. They put you off with their terrible habits and back-stabbing ways. Even when the pregnancy was announced there was no love in the room between husband and wife. The author's descriptions weren't all bad and I did like the different perspectives as they were written. But to write a whole book with no protagonists seems odd. The ending was good (the house purchase and the reason) but you really didn't care about anyone so it was a 'so what - ok good for you' moment. And one other thing that got me, in a funny but not written-well kinda way was when the author had Jenna think, "...for f*cks sake." which is an unusual saying I had just heard from a friend, but later the cop Reyes says the same thing. Hoping the next book is a good one!
This book was such a wild ride. The characters kept me engaged and turning pages. They were so unlikable and the ways in which they were increased over and over again throughout the book. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
I’ve never read a book full of such unlikable characters. The whole family is just despicable. There is no one to root for. Every narrator is an unreliable narrator. But is was a good book. A little predictable about who did it and I loved the ending how they’ll prove who did it. But not as twisty as I like.
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