A Stranger in the House

Karen Krupp has an accident. She crashes into a pole speeding away from the shady part of town. She can’t remember why she was there. Things become even more intriguing when a dead body is found near where she had her accident. Is Karen a murderer, or did she witness a crime being committed? Slowly, the truth about Karen and her past becomes clear, and her husband, Tom, discovers he’s been living with A Stranger in the House.

My summary of this book is short because the book itself is short, and it felt like there wasn’t a lot of substance to it. If you have read Shari Lapena’s first book, The Couple Next Door, you’ve basically read this book. The characters in both stories are very similar, and the plot twists have the same feel. When you get to the end, it feels like you’ve read this before and you could see it coming from the first few pages. Not one of the characters is likable. None of them have depth or any redeeming qualities. Like I said earlier, they are almost a mirror image of the characters in her first book.

It’s a bit disappointing when you read a fairly good book and then find out the author wrote another one, but it turns out to be pretty much the same with just some name changes. From what I can gather from Ms. Lapena’s character choices, she does not hold a very high opinion of husbands.

If you want a quick read, then by all means check this book out. There isn’t a lot of mystery or thrill involved, but if you don’t like working too hard to find out who did it, then this might be perfect for you. Something stress-free for a relaxing day.