Marianne Perry's Blog - Posts Tagged "a-stranger-in-the-house"
A Stranger in the House
Book Comment: A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena
Karen and Tom Krupp are a thirty-something two-year married couple living in trendy New York State. She leaves her home hastily one evening and has a vehicular accident in a “questionable” neighborhood resulting in her suffering amnesia. She is eventually linked to a murder in this area.
Across the street from where they reside are Brigid and Bob Cruickshank. Brigid had an affair with Tom prior his marriage. With this unknown to Karen, she and Brigid become best friends. Brigid's inability to bear a child and her stalking the Krupp's adds another twisted element to this compelling murder mystery.
As the novel unfolds, we learn Tom knew scant about Karen's past when they wed. It is revealed she changed her name and identity plus faked her death to escape an abusive marriage. The murder victim is confirmed to be her first husband, Robert Traynor.
Brigid appears to have followed Karen the night of her accident and witnessed what happened. As the book progresses, Karen's version clashes with Brigid's and nothing at all is at it seems! Every character is shown to be someone else and every incident or detail is turned on its head.
Shari Lapena's prose is spare. With minimal description, imagery or backstory, this is a clean, clinical and sharp plot-driven novel. The action clips and as soon as the reader believes “she's got it,” Lapena pulls the proverbial rug from under our feet. The detectives Rasbach and Jennings are effective agents through which readers can state their assumptions and Lapena then refutes.
The resolutions to the various conflicts are unexpected but the concluding chapters, satisfying and logical. The title is brilliant for the person I believed “The stranger in the House” at the beginning was different than the one revealed at the end. Shari Lapena has penned a great goodread.
Marianne Perry
Writing inspired by genealogical research to solve family mysteries.
www.marianneperry.ca
Karen and Tom Krupp are a thirty-something two-year married couple living in trendy New York State. She leaves her home hastily one evening and has a vehicular accident in a “questionable” neighborhood resulting in her suffering amnesia. She is eventually linked to a murder in this area.
Across the street from where they reside are Brigid and Bob Cruickshank. Brigid had an affair with Tom prior his marriage. With this unknown to Karen, she and Brigid become best friends. Brigid's inability to bear a child and her stalking the Krupp's adds another twisted element to this compelling murder mystery.
As the novel unfolds, we learn Tom knew scant about Karen's past when they wed. It is revealed she changed her name and identity plus faked her death to escape an abusive marriage. The murder victim is confirmed to be her first husband, Robert Traynor.
Brigid appears to have followed Karen the night of her accident and witnessed what happened. As the book progresses, Karen's version clashes with Brigid's and nothing at all is at it seems! Every character is shown to be someone else and every incident or detail is turned on its head.
Shari Lapena's prose is spare. With minimal description, imagery or backstory, this is a clean, clinical and sharp plot-driven novel. The action clips and as soon as the reader believes “she's got it,” Lapena pulls the proverbial rug from under our feet. The detectives Rasbach and Jennings are effective agents through which readers can state their assumptions and Lapena then refutes.
The resolutions to the various conflicts are unexpected but the concluding chapters, satisfying and logical. The title is brilliant for the person I believed “The stranger in the House” at the beginning was different than the one revealed at the end. Shari Lapena has penned a great goodread.
Marianne Perry
Writing inspired by genealogical research to solve family mysteries.
www.marianneperry.ca
