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Lapena’s latest another chilling thrill ride…All those clichés about being unable to put down a book, for once they’re true.” Catherine, again, she was weird too (taking earrings off her mom's body), but again, a weirdo doesn't make a killer. The not-so-happy-family here are the Mertons. Fred was a total jerk to everyone, but mostly to his children. Sheila, his wife, is a cold and distant mother, and failed to protect the children from their father. I’ve read all of Shari Lapena’s suspense novels (except her last one, which I plan to make right soon), and I have loved all of them.
I have now read all six of Shari Lapena’s novels, and have found them all to be entertaining! If you enjoy domestic suspense and haven’t yet read this author-it’s time to change that! Congratulations for being nominated as one of the best thrillers for Goodreads Choice Awards! This book was definitely one of the best reads of the year! Going into Not a Happy Family, I will admit to being apprehensive. I've had a hit or miss relationship with Lapena, so had no clue how this one would be for me. a] fast-paced whodunit…. NOT A HAPPY FAMILY works well as a crime novel, and there are some fun surprises. Overall, Lapena has produced another engaging and entertaining read.”The title of Shari Lapena’s latest domestic thriller is an understatement. NOT A HAPPY FAMLY takes place in the days following the brutal murders of Fred and Sheila Merton in their mansion on Easter Sunday. Their three adult children, who stand to inherit a great fortune, are immediately deemed suspects by investigators. And Catherine, Dan and Jenna begin to suspect each other as well. Lapena throws in a few other likely suspects for readers to consider in this fast-paced whodunit.
Ellen I thought would make sense as the killer, since she knew Rose was going to get money from the will and she hated Fred for essentially abandoning her daughter all these years. Plus she was Audrey's best friend, she could easily have poisoned her ice tea. 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? What did you think of Audrey as an amateur detective? She suspected Jenna all along, and she was right. Filled with fast dialogue, tense pacing and twists upon twists, Not A Happy Family is an immersive read you won’t want to put down.” A mystery perfect for fans who can’t get enough of the complex Roy family dynamics, Not a Happy Family is the Succession/Knives Out crossover of your dreams!”Each family member(including the deceased couple) was repugnant, loathsome, and distasteful in different ways. One or more members of the Merton family is possibly a psychopath. 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! She’s hiding some family secrets, including the fact that Fred killed his own father and staged it to look like suicide. As she’s snooping around about the murders, someone breaks into her house and tries to poison her.
The book was written in third person and it followed too many perspectives. I think all of the characters got their POV at some point. The truth is, they're all so much better off now that their parents have been murdered.The Mertons gather for Easter dinner, and it's a dreadful experience for almost everyone involved. The only one having fun is patriarch Fred Merton, who particularly enjoys bullying every member of his family, including his wife and his three grown children. So when Fred and his wife are gruesomely murdered later that night, no one is really surprised. Any of his children would gladly have done it, or was it someone else altogether who hates their father even more?No-one does suburban paranoia like Shari Lapena—this slowly unfurling nightmare will have you biting your nails until the end.” I've read quite a few Shari Lapena books now, and I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with them. I think I've finally figured out that I adore her mysteries (someone is killed and there are multiple suspects), while I don't like her domestic thrillers (husband or wife could be lying, so are they or aren't they). This mystery definitely goes onto my list of favorites from her. Good thing about this book is that it is easy to read, so we all finished the book faster then we planned, excluding one girl who DNFed it. Maybe you have too much to drink. Maybe everybody has too much to drink. Comparisons between you and your siblings come up. Maybe even the dreaded political discussion and the next thing you know, you're throwing on your favorite wool peacoat and storming out into the night in a huff of thinly-veiled rage. Slyly plotted . . . Lapena skillfully maximizes suspense with her dual story lines that eventually collide, as well as some deft misdirection . . . many fans of domestic suspense will be satisfied.”
A new thriller that willgive you serious Agatha Christie vibes . . . if you’re one of the many people who counts [ And Then There Were None] among their favorite books, you will love An Unwanted Guest. . . . Adeftly crafted and expertly paced thriller that will keep readers guessing (and terrified) until the very end.”
Success!
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? The Merton family puts the word FUN in the word "dysfunctional"; making this "whodunnit" mystery challenging to solve. The night ends early, with everyone leaving a bit disgruntled. Ahhh, dinners with family, am I right?
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