Select one of the keywords
Someone We Know    by Shari Lapena Amazon.com order for
Someone We Know
by Shari Lapena
Order:  USA  Can
Viking, 2019 (2019)
Hardcover, CD, e-Book
* *   Reviewed by Hilary Williamson

Someone We Know, a suburban psychological mystery by Shari Lapena, will make readers wonder - how well do they really know their neighbors? The novel opens on a woman's brutal murder, but we don't know whodunit. A few days later, Robert Pierce reports his wife Amanda as missing at the Aylesford police station.

Teen Raleigh Sharpe has been in the habit of breaking into neighborhood houses, in a combination of bravado and curiosity. He doesn't steal anything, except perhaps the secrets he discovers hacking into home computers. When his mother Olivia learns what he's done (via a text message sent by his friend to his phone) she's devastated. Olivia wants her son to apologize to the people whose privacy he's invaded but her husband Paul vetoes that, fearing criminal charges.

After Amanda Pierce's body is found, the light of suspicion shines on different men in the suburban area, in turn, and we see their wives' and neighbors' reactions. Tensions rise, friendships crack, secrets are steadily revealed ... and Raleigh keeps on sneaking into other people's homes. There's another death. Arrests are made, but then the men are released. Raleigh's actions are disclosed but his evidence makes a difference.

Though the killer is identified, the novel ends with a question - is another one waiting in the wings? If you enjoy a psychological mystery, dive in to Someone We Know.

Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons.

Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews