Hello, fellow book lovers, and happy Friday eve!
I’ve been so busy with planning for my upcoming wedding reception that I wasn’t able to post Tuesday or yesterday, but I’m back with a review of an audiobook I finished today.
Book Review
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.
- The point of view shifts among a handful of characters. The shifts were handled quite well.
- The voice actor who narrates–Tavia Gilbert–does a phenomenal job.
- The twist at the end, which I will not spoil.
- The obliviousness of the main male character. It’s believable, sure, but at one point I actually felt annoyed by this character’s naivete.
- The middle was a little slow in its pace. I can see why some readers complain about the lack of suspense. The tension plateaus at a point in the middle rather than continuing to mount. I might have DNF’d the book at that point if I were reading an ebook or paper copy.
- I recommend the audiobook over any other format.
- I don’t read a lot of psychological suspense or domestic suspense/thrillers so this was outside my comfort zone. As such, I don’t know how A Stranger in the House compares to other books of the genre.
- I would read–and am currently reading–another novel by Shari Lapena, this time an ebook from the library. I have fairly high hopes for it.
- Overall entertaining, with a twisty, satisfying pay off.
Have you read this novel or anything else by this author? Let me know in the comments. 🙂