Title: Not A Happy Family
Author: Shari Lapena
Year: 2021
Genre: Crime/Thriller
Narrator: Ellen Archer
Not A Happy Family is a new crime thriller from Shari Lapena. I chose it as an audiobook read to listen to as I found the title and the description to be intriguing so decided to give it a try.
In the quiet, wealthy enclave of Brecken Hill, an older couple is brutally murdered hours after a tense Easter dinner with their three adult children. Who, of course, are devastated.
Or are they? It quickly becomes apparent that the three children will inherit millions from their parents death. Also they were not a happy family, with a vindictive father and neglectful mother, but perhaps one of them is more disturbed than anyone realises? Could something have happened on that fateful Easter dinner that caused one of them to snap? Or were all three innocent and another party were guilty of murder?
I found this audiobook to be very gripping from the get go, the audiobook built suspense as events on the night are described up until the point where the murder took place, with all three children being alone for different reasons. From there Lapena never lets the tension ease as there are plenty of red herrings as this family’s seemingly idyllic setup from the outside comes crashing down – from a mysterious van being seen in the area, to information that the children’s father was about to rewrite his will, leaving more of his money to his sister Audrey than his three children.
Throughout the book you will find your allegencies switching between different characters as it seems more likely one of them did it over the others, before the book presents something else that throws a curveball to any theories that you had previously and whilst driving home I found the traffic much more bearable as I was trying to figure out who had done it.
Also one of the best aspects of a murder mystery is when the killer isn’t easy to discover and I will admit that I was surprised over who ended up doing the deed at the end which is ultimately one of the best parts of the genre.
Overall I would recommend giving this book a read or a listen. If you have read this book then feel free to let me know down below what your thoughts were on it.
