Not a Happy Family: A Novel

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars | 28,693 ratings

Price: 18

Last update: 01-29-2025


About this item

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?


Top reviews from the United States

  • Jennifer Finken
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book!!!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2024
    I absolutely love this author and now I think I have read all her books. This one was a wild ride! I felt like every time I figured out who did it, it changed. What a crazy book.
  • Allison Koch
    4.0 out of 5 stars fun read
    Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2024
    It was a great book. Fun to read. A little slow. But I love this authors writing style and story telling.
  • Ck
    5.0 out of 5 stars Clever, delicious guilty pleasure
    Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2024
    Shari Lapena never fails in all of her books. Great stories, scandal, twists and turns. Writing flows descriptive, captivating , suspenseful ,intriguing and quickly...she is my GO TO author. Always clever! Master of Whodunnit!
  • Mae Clair
    3.0 out of 5 stars A Quick Read
    Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2021
    This is a good murder mystery with plenty of subjects. Fred and Shelia Merton invite their three children, along with their spouses (or in the case of the youngest, a boyfriend) to Easter dinner. The next morning both Fred and Shelia are found dead, Fred’s murder particularly gruesome. Because the Mertons were extremely wealthy the case is thrust into the spotlight, along with the surviving children, each of whom (along with others) has motive to want their parents dead.

    The premise is great, and the pace is swift but be prepared the characters are highly unlikable, especially the parents. Unlikable characters aren’t always a problem for me when I read a book, but the more this one progressed, the more frustrated I grew with the behaviors of each.

    If you enjoy a soap-opera type book with greedy, money-hungry siblings (and others), this is for you. The title speaks volumes about the family and the resulting relationships. There was really no “oomph” when the murderer is unmasked, but that revelation is followed by a quasi-clever twist which makes the ending a bit more satisfying. I will continue to read anything Shari Lapena writes, but this particular book didn’t resonate with me.
  • Barbara
    4.0 out of 5 stars Quick fun read
    Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2024
    I like psychological thriller mysteries. This one had it all and kept me guessing right up to the ending. It took me awhile to really get into the characters in the beginning, but, once I got into the family, I kept turning pages and couldn't put the book down. Fun.
  • MC
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Who Done It That Will Keep You Guessing!
    Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2024
    Just finished this book and I would have bet the house I knew who the killer was. But not so fast! Be prepared for a rollercoaster ride! So far I've read 4 of her books and have quickly become a fan of this writer. I will now start reading "Someone We Know". Also just ordered "A Stranger In The House" and "What Have You Done". Leaving on a trip to Europe next week and they will all come with me.
  • Adinah Preme
    5.0 out of 5 stars Page turner!!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2024
    This book will have you on your knees begging for more. This author has did it again with this book. The mystery of who done it until the last pages with keep your heart pounding. Three siblings…. A double murder and everyone has a motive. Excellent storyline with many thrilling twist.
  • Anissa Annalise
    4.0 out of 5 stars Really Enjoyed This! Glad I Gave Lapena Another Read
    Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2022
    This one kept me up late reading last night. I had a busy week but this book had me thinking about it whenever I had to put it down. Just who killed Fred and Sheila Merton? One of their three children? All their children? Someone else? And was it about inheritance, a lifetime of crappy parenting, sheer retribution or possibly that murderous propensity that seems to run through the generations on Fred's side? Something else? And everyone, EVERYONE, is lying. Big lies. Little lies. Weird lies. Stupid lies. Always, no matter the instance, they can come up with more lies. It's quite stunning. It's the Merton family's most broadly consistent characteristic. Followed closely by the money-grubbing and persecution complex.

    I had my suspicions and my sleuth instincts had me thinking most about the one suspect saying the least and from the time in the first third that the detectives (view spoiler), the longer it took to circle back the more I knew my supposition was correct. And the journey to that point with all the red herrings and revelations of just how much of a whole mess the Mertons are (along with their extended relatives) made this a heck of a read and I immensely enjoyed it.

    I borrowed this one from the library because I'd read another by Lapena in the past and I didn't like it. But in this outing, I was hooked and this was a fun one brimming with people I didn't want to prosper Except Ted. As a singleton, I appreciated his trying to understand his wife and the relationship she & her siblings shared. I wanted him to have a good resolution. Surprisingly, there was even one character whom, while I didn't root for, I was pleased with their final move on the board in the Epilogue. All the points for being observant and biding one's time.

    I'd definitely read another by Lapena based on this one and I'm glad I decided to pick up another book by her. Recommended.

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