A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena

Having heard good things about Lapena’s previous novel, The Couple Next Door, I was very excited to read A Stranger in the House. The premise intrigued me and I wanted to discover the answers to the mysteries hinted at in the blurb. Where did Karen Krupp rush off to in such a hurry? Why caused her to have an accident in a “bad” part of town? Was her amnesia for real, or was she faking it to cover up some sort of criminal misdeed?

I imagined dozens of possible ways those questions might have been answered, but none of them were even close to being as satisfying as what is ultimately revealed in this engrossing novel. Lapena saved the best surprise for last, with a shocking plot twist that shed new light on everything that came before. It was outstanding!

If you enjoy a twisty psychological thriller and haven’t already read it, be sure to treat yourself to this book!

I received an advance review copy of this book courtesy of Pamela Dorman Books via Edelweiss.

Author: Shari Lapena
Title: A Stranger in the House
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Publication Date: August 15th, 2017 by Pamela Dorman Books
Rating: 4 stars

About the Book

In this neighborhood, danger lies close to home. A domestic thriller packed full of secrets, and a twisty story that never stops—from the bestselling author of The Couple Next Door

He looks at her, concerned. “How do you feel?” She wants to say, Terrified. Instead, she says, with a faint smile, “Glad to be home.”

Karen and Tom Krupp are happy—they’ve got a lovely home in upstate New York, they’re practically newlyweds, and they have no kids to interrupt their comfortable life together. But one day, Tom returns home to find Karen has vanished—her car’s gone and it seems she left in a rush. She even left her purse—complete with phone and ID—behind.

There’s a knock on the door—the police are there to take Tom to the hospital where his wife has been admitted. She had a car accident, and lost control as she sped through the worst part of town.

The accident has left Karen with a concussion and a few scrapes. Still, she’s mostly okay—except that she can’t remember what she was doing or where she was when she crashed. The cops think her memory loss is highly convenient, and they suspect she was up to no good.

Karen returns home with Tom, determined to heal and move on with her life. Then she realizes something’s been moved. Something’s not quite right. Someone’s been in her house. And the police won’t stop asking questions.

Because in this house, everyone’s a stranger. Everyone has something they’d rather keep hidden. Something they might even kill to keep quiet.

About the Author

SHARI LAPENA is the internationally bestselling author of The Couple Next Door and A Stranger in the House. She was a lawyer and an English teacher before turning her hand to fiction.

She lives in Toronto.