Who is he, and what might he have uncovered? After two anonymous letters are received, whispers start to circulate, and suspicion mounts. And when a woman down the street is found murdered, the tension reaches the breaking point. Who killed her? Who knows more than they're telling? And how far will all these very nice people go to protect their own secrets? This is a very difficult letter to write. I hope you will not hate us too much. . . My son broke into your home recently while you were out.” Shari Lapena…is brilliant at pinpointing those tiny but dangerous chinks in the smooth suburban façade through which terror and turmoil gradually seep. She’s a writer at the top of her game and this [Someone We Know] was another fabulous read. The action is set in the fictional town of Aylesford, located in New York State’s Hudson Valley. It is a picturesque and haunting part of the Empire State, nestled within the Catskill Mountains a little more than an hour outside of NYC. Jumping ahead to present day, a man named Robert Pierce is phoning the police because his wife, Amanda, has not returned from a weekend away with one of her girlfriends. The problem is that the girlfriend, Caroline Lu, said she never went anywhere with Amanda and knew nothing about her weekend getaway.

Someone We Know — Shari Lapena Someone We Know — Shari Lapena

The house feels different without anyone else in it-full of possibilities. A little shiver of excitement ran up and down his spine." A flirtatious, unfaithful wife is brutally murdered in the first chapter. Suspicion immediately falls on the men in her life, especially those suspected of having extramarital relations with her or her jealous husband. Meanwhile, two mothers are worried about their teenage sons. One boy has been sneaking into neighbourhood homes and reading the content of their computers. What secrets may he have learned and how will his snooping connect with the plot? Another boy is a drunk. Their two mothers are best friends and support each other in their concerns. Olivia is worried about having written the anonymous letters, but she doesn't fess up. The letters - and Raleigh's crimes - prey on Olivia's mind, however, and she confides in her best friend Glenda. Glenda has problems also, since her teenage son drinks. The women share many cups of coffee and glasses of wine as they commiserate with one another. The book has a claustrophobic feel since Aylesford is small and there are a limited number of people who might be the murderer. Thus the armchair detective has a pretty good chance of closing in on 'who done it.' The mystery itself plays out like a whodunit, with plenty of suspects among a small pool of characters, and red herrings galore. Each character has secrets they want to keep hidden, and as those are revealed one by one, the twists and turns make for a truly entertaining read.Do you think the relationship between Olivia and Glenda is one of true friendship, or something more layered? Can you be a true friend to someone who is hiding a big secret?

Someone We Know: From the number one bestselling author of

Suspicion and betrayal are a constant thread in SOMEONE WE KNOW. Is anyone in the book true to anyone else? This is a clever whodunit with enough layers and suspects to keep me guessing right up to the end. A teenage boy has a secret habit that unknowingly exposes his neighbor’s darkest secrets. When his mother sends anonymous notes to her neighbors warning them, she stirs up a hornet’s nest of secrets and lies.An intriguing cast, an isolated location, a raging storm and the threat of death in every dark corner: An Unwanted Guestreads like Agatha Christie with a shot of adrenalin. Clear your desk before you start it because you won’t want to put it down.” Getting an education she would follow this particular pursuit later in life as well, building upon it in the years to come. This would allow her to further establish her voice as an author and as a writer, as she carved herself a niche within the industry. With a clear eye for character and story, she was able to combine the two with her insightful take upon the genre.