Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
I rarely DNF books, and I almost never do it when I get a review copy, but I completely understand why one would chose not to finish this novel, as it was too repetitive with all the he said she said parts that it became boring. It’s been said there are four motives for murder: Lust, Love, Loathing, or Loot. There’s no shortage of the latter two here. There are no tears shed for Fred and Sheila, but plenty of anticipation and elation at the thought of the inheritance. I loved how the author dropped little secrets/bombshells throughout the book about the characters, that made me see each of them with new eyes. She didn’t call the police because she thought her brother Dan killed her parents. Cameras at the neighbors suggest she left her house around 11:00 pm and returned at 12:40 am. She also stole a favorite pair of earrings off her mother’s body.
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! He was hoping to take over his father’s company, but his father had no faith in his son’s abilities and sold it. Now Dan is out of work and in financial trouble. There are a few others who had a stake in the early demise of the Mertons, giving us plenty of suspects to choose from, and what was really unique was that almost ALL of them were women! Filled with Porsches, Persian rugs and deadly passion, this is the kind of suspenseful mystery you read in one sitting.” Somewhere around 50% mark we all thought we figured out who the killer was, but I am glad to say we were wrong.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! She has no alibi for the night of the murder. Her aunt Audrey suspects Jenna was the murderer as she remembers her as being violent when angry as a child. The family in this story, the Mertons, although wealthy, are not a happy family. Their holiday dinners get very messy indeed. 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. 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?
With this being said, there were other players involved, so don't narrow your focus too much. You never know who could be out to get jerks like this. Now available from Pamela Dorman Books. I thank my local library for providing me with a copy through the drive-up window. 🤣 The Merton kids and Rose all claim they didn’t know they are half-siblings. But Rose’s friend did the Merton’s legal work, and told Rose she was a beneficiary of Fred’s will. Rose is also the reason for Dan’s financial troubles, as she persuaded him to invest some money, which she lost.Short, snappy chapters kept this moving along at a brisk pace! You never knew when another revelation might be dropped in a casual conversation so it was important to pay attention to ALL of the secrets and lies being exposed!
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. 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.” They have three children. All of them were at Easter dinner. Two of them were with their spouses. One was with a random “boyfriend”. The former nanny and current cleaning lady was there too. One guest couldn’t make it. A well developed cast of characters were delightfully malcontent and rotten to the core which meant that I was on board with any one of them being held culpable for the misdeeds happening here.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. Eldest daughter Catherine and her husband, leave in a huff, followed closely behind by beleaguered middle child, Dan and his wife, Lisa. Even the former nanny/now part time housekeeper Irena is angry! Shortly after, their youngest daughter, Jenna and her current boy toy Jake say their goodbyes. The Mertons, a wealthy couple from upstate New York, are brutally murdered in their palatial home after hosting a contentious family Easter dinner. This was a fun book to listen to on audio. The narrator was great, and I enjoyed the stories off all involved - not just the siblings. I put on my super sleuth hat- not easy to do while driving and tried to do some detective work of my own. Who could be the heartless killer? What could Fred and Sheila have done to evoke the ire of a killer? Quite a bit as it turns out - well Fred mainly as he was not ever going to win a "Dad of the year" award.
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. I was guessing up until the end. The characters were not all that well-developed and not very likable, but I honestly had no idea who did it. I listened to this one as an audiobook, and from the beginning, I just couldn't stop listening. It is divided into short sections, which made me compulsively keep listening as more clues were uncovered.The chapters are short and sweet, making it easy to pause if you need to...but propelling you to continue. 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 killer will not be the only cold-blooded character that you will encounter. Many of the suspects are unlikable, but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story. The family has gathered for the annual Easter dinner, hosted by Fred and Sheila, and patriarch Fred has an announcement to make.
Great Deal 
New Comment