A] well-sculpted domestic thriller . . . highly suspenseful . . . Twists are subtly revealed with aplomb, taking the story to increasingly unpredictable levels.” The same day of the accident a man was murdered close to the scene of the car accident which has the police pondering whether the two events are connected. That said, my interest started waning fairly early on as the novel volleyed between the three key players and became wholly predictable, which in my opinion, was its downfall. I did however enjoy the characters and am glad that I finally read this book - which had been on my tbr for years. I truly enjoy Ms. Lapena’s writing and look forward to her upcoming release which I have coming up soon. Karen finds support from her best friend and neighbor, who keeps a very close eye on Tom and Karen….

a first-class thriller with perfect pacing.... Not much is as it appears here, which is just the way lovers of suspense want it." I regarded Lapena’s sense of characterisation as sound. It was a surprise to see the return of the detective from Lapena’s first novel, who added an extra layer, especially in the police groundwork involved in getting to the bottom of a complicated case. I do hope Lapena chooses to reinsert this detective figure in her future novels. As a whole, I would recommend this book to those who enjoy the mystery-thriller genre. I wouldn't say it's anything revolutionary but it was an entertaining and anticipatory read.Shari Lapena continues [her] skillful storytelling until the stunning twist at the end…quite memorable.” Yet, the police suspect the Karen was up to no good. But her husband refuses to believe it. Her best friend is unsure and even Karen herself doesn’t know what to believe. Karen and Tom have been married for a few years and by all appearances seem to have a quite nice and comfortable life together. But the you know what hits the fan when Karen gets into a serious car accident and doesn't recall much of anything that happened that night. The police don't understand why she was found in a part of town that she normally would steer clear from and begin questioning those close to Karen as they search for answers. Hmm... looks like some people have a secret or two. Like most evenings, Tom Krupp is looking forward to getting home to his wife, despite feeling guilty about what he’s been up to. Dinner should be almost ready. Driving along their street, Tom thinks about how much he loves Karen. Married only two years, the couple has been blissfully happy. As he parks the car in the driveway, he is greeted by the warm glow of their beautiful home. But once he reaches the front door, things go terribly wrong. I did not enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the author's previous novel (The Couple Next Door) because the plot was somewhat predictable and the characterizations seemed to me unrealistic at some points. Also, I could not relate to the characters and found myself annoyed at the decisions they made throughout the novel.

You wake up in hospital, with no idea how you got there. They tell you that you were in an accident; you lost control of your car whilst driving in a dangerous part of town. I am sure that A Stranger in the House will appeal to an audience who is less particular about their fare of “psychological thriller”. The bottom line is – I do want to be thrilled. I want my mind messed with. I want tension, I want suspense. After enjoying The Couple Next Door, it saddens me having to admit that I did not get any of this from A Stranger in the House, even though there were moments when there was real potential for it to become interesting.Hoda Kotb: When you have a crime that seems this personal you're looking for those closest to her. And what were you finding when you were talking to her friends? Within hours New Jersey state detectives were suited up and sifting through trash in a Massachusetts dumpster. They finally found what they were looking for: pieces of clothing belonging to Lane. After all, everyone seemed to love Monica. Many in town started wondering if she had been killed by a stranger. Then, one of Monica's friends heard about another case that suggested Monica's murder might not have been an isolated incident. It had happened just 2 weeks earlier in Pennyslvania. The victim: Darlene Ewalt.

Readers looking for someone, anyone, to root for won’t find it among these well-to-do suburbanites behaving badly.Two poor boys are also part of the gang: an American criminal on the run called Barney and a Cypriot immigrant called Jo. Angela falls for Jo. After a vicious fight with Jo, Barney is immobilised and Angela hides him in the attic of her house, where he is shot dead by an intruder. The murder weapon is planted on Jo, who is arrested and put on trial. Nobody in town wants to defend him, so Angela begs her father to do so. Without much evidence to indict her, Karen returned home. But things started to change drastically as Tom began questioning Karen’s innocence. Karen also started to sense that someone had been turning things around in their house. Tom was also questioned where he was the night his wife had the accident. He revealed that he was supposed to meet their neighbor, Brigid, who asked to see Tom by the river only she didn’t show up. Brigid had wanted to talk to Tom about a strange man who had been snooping around their house the morning of the accident. She further recounted that when she asked who he was, the man replied that he was an old friend of Karen from another life.