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. 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?
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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.
This rating may be really harsh but with the effort I had to put in to finish this book I feel like I have to give it a 1/10
I was extremely disappointed in this book. I was going to rate it higher but honestly I would not be able to read this again if I tried. The entire plot was spelled out for you the entire time throughout the book. There were no real progression and no real story telling.
The writing style in general went like this: They spoke on the phone. They decided they needed to meet. They met at Dan’s house. Then they went home.
Not to mention the ending was too predictable that Jenna being the murderer wasn’t even the interesting part. It was the family dynamics THAT WE NEVER REALLY GOT INTO- like why THE FUCK are all the siblings so fucked up and mean to each other. Like I get it they grew up rich and their dad hated them but give me the tea.
Also just to mention in the end Audrey was supposed to be the sane one and can I just say that I disliked her the entire book? She was annoying and entitled and just like the others but failed to see it. The “cliff hanger” ending wasn’t even good because idgaf what really happens.
Glad I can say I finished it though now I never have to revisit again.
As a girl who comes from a big and messed up family, this book was thrilling. More than the mystery, I loved the way the characters hesitated to trust one another - their own blood! Although the content (murder) was heavy, the author managed to keep things light, interesting, and funny. One of my favorite books of 2021
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