“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 the night after an 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?
REviews
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
#1 Canadian Bestseller • #1 Irish Bestseller • #3 New York Times Bestseller • UK Sunday Times Bestseller • A Richard & Judy Book Club Pick • A Book of the Month (BOTM) Main Selection • An Apple Best Books Pick • A Loanstars Pick • Finalist, 2022 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence for Best Crime Novel
“It’s all highly entertaining as well as ingenious. The characters are deeply unlikeable but well drawn, and the various motives for murder and alibis are very cleverly sketched … dark but intriguing, and a heck of a lot of fun.”
—Richard Madeley, Richard & Judy’s Book Club
“Who wouldn’t be drawn to a book called Not a Happy Family? . . . Like [her] earlier best sellers. . . Not a Happy Family splashes into a stew of nightmares.”
—The New York Times
“Author Shari Lapena is a master of manipulation. With her latest page-turning thriller, “Not a Happy Family” (Pamela Dorman Books 368 pp., ★★★½ out of four), she is once again at the top of her game… As usual, Lapena does what she does best, so much so that trying to put the book down is futile. Once you start reading, you won’t want to stop… With every clue, every lie exposed and every truth revealed, Lapena keeps the reader guessing right up to the very end. And once there, Lapena manages to leave us wanting even more.”
—USA Today
“Shari Lapena’s sixth stand-alone thriller — 2016’s “The Couple Next Door” may be her best known — is such a quintessential “beach read,” I half expected sand to fall out of it. This one brings lurid family mayhem to the Hudson Valley. When wealthy, psychologically sadistic Fred Merton and his fretful wife, Sheila, are massacred in their mansion, their three grown children — rage-filled Dan, materialistic dermatologist Catherine and purple-haired “outlier” Jenna — are all plausible suspects. With her cascading short chapters and teasers by the dozen, you stick with Lapena eagerly…Bring sunscreen.”
—The Washington Post
“Not a Happy Family moves effortlessly between murder investigation and family melodrama, with Lapena letting the wild secrets and shocking revelations rip. Peppered with lots of razor-sharp dialogue and one fantastically chaotic funeral scene, the novel kept us guessing through every page. This deliciously tart read about rich-people problems is one of the most purely enjoyable mysteries we’ve read in a minute.”
—Apple Books
“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!”
—TAG24
“In this fast-paced, twisted family saga, Shari Lapena keeps you guessing until the very last page…”
—Paula Hawkins, internationally bestselling author of The Girl on the Train
“Nobody does a vicious family circle like Shari Lapena. Highly recommended.”
—Cara Hunter, bestselling author of The Whole Truth
“Domestic thriller fans rejoice! Shari Lapena is back with another book that will make you question everything you think you know…”
—Book Riot
“Bestselling author Shari Lapena knows a thing or two about secrets, and in Not a Happy Family, everyone’s got them – even the dead. When a wealthy couple is murdered the day after a contentious Easter dinner with their estranged offspring, their kids become instant millionaires—that is, unless it turns out that they’re the ones responsible for the murder. Strong Menendez Brother vibes with this one.”
—CrimeReads
“Another edge of the seat ride that left me breathless.”
—Fiona Barton, New York Times bestselling author of The Suspect
“Filled with Porsches, Persian rugs and deadly passion, this is the kind of suspenseful mystery you read in one sitting.”
—Hello! Canada
“A compulsive, suspenseful and twisty page-turner.”
—Culturefly
“Lapena’s latest another chilling thrill ride…All those clichés about being unable to put down a book, for once they’re true.”
—Winnipeg Free Press
“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.”
—The South African
“…you’ll love this brilliant thriller as much as we did.”
—Take a Break
“Queen of the modern crime novel…Shari will keep you guessing until the very end.”
—OK!
“A cross between Big Little Lies and Miss Marple, we reckon this one could be destined for the screen some time soon.”
—Woman’s Weekly
“A brilliant read.”
—Bella
“A dark drama from an expert at suspense.”
—Real People
“You’ll love to hate the flawed, spoilt characters in this addictive, fast-paced drama… This is a well-plotted whodunnit with twists and turns in every chapter to keep readers on their toes.”
—Sunday Express
“Dramatic, tense and satisfying murder mystery.”
—My Weekly Special
“With wholly unlikeable characters and a fast paced plot, this book will keep you guessing until the last page!”
—Candis
“…[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.”
—Bookreporter.com