Not a Happy Family: A Novel

Shari Lapena

Jul 2021 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

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?

Ratings and reviews

This was an outstanding book & I could hardly put it down!! I never had the real killer figured out even at the end. I didn't really like how it ended though. Kinda left a lot of loose ends.

Whew...let me try to get my thoughts together once my head stops spinning 🤣🤣 . I love this author. Every book I've read by them so far has been fun, mysteriously twisty and quick (love the short chapters! 👏👏) This was the same. . Not a Happy Family is a great one to buddy read. My friend and I tore through this one. We would read a set of chapters, throwing out theories, left and right. Then we would read some more and had to back up and throw out some more. It was FUN 😂 . I mean of course reading this one you KNOW who it has to be one of, BUT which one is the question. Did they do it alone? Did they work together? 🤔🤔🤔 I mean .. just go read this one and have a blast LOL . Find me on Instagram: @bookn.all.night

This book is a psychological thriller about a dysfunctional family, with emphasis on the word “dysfunctional.” Fred and Shelia Merton are parents of three adult children who are selfish and deceitful. When the parents are murdered, naturally the suspicion falls on the three children, all of whom had motive and means. It is up to the detectives to discover who committed the crimes. I was totally engrossed in the way the book was written, with short chapters and quick revelations before it moved on to more action elsewhere. There were numerous red herrings and some unexpected twists that made this book a delightfully sinister thriller. The characters were not at all likable but they were all realistic, including the hard-working police detectives. I really enjoyed the surprise at the end and think that made the book completely worth reading. With a fast pace and a methodical approach to revelations, this book is one of the best psych thrillers that I have ever read! Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I purchased a copy of this book from BOTM club. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own.

About the author

Shari Lapena is the internationally bestselling author of the thrillers The Couple Next Door, A Stranger in the House, An Unwanted Guest, Someone We Know, The End of Her, Not a Happy Family, and Everyone Here Is Lying, which have all been New York Times and The Sunday Times (London) bestsellers. Her books have been sold in forty territories around the world. She lives on a farm outside of Toronto.