A Stranger in the House
By Shari Lapena
Pamela Dorman Books, 9780735221123, August 2017, 320pp.
The Short of It:
A happy couple, an unexplained accident and a case of amnesia leave this couple wondering if anyone is really who they say they are.
The Rest of It:
Karen and Tom Krupp find themselves questioning everything after an accident that leaves Karen with amnesia. Why was she driving so fast? What was she doing in that neighborhood? These are questions that neither of them can answer but when a body is found in the same location as the accident, the police begin to investigate.
I had a really hard time reading this review copy because my eBook was corrupted! Every other sentence was gibberish. However, I do believe I was able to piece together enough of the story to give it a fair review.
I have to admit, the story felt a little familiar and in the end, it was too predictable but I think it held up better than the other book I read by this author, The Couple Next Door. This story had some tense moments and I felt as if we got to know this couple a little better than the couple in her previous book. Overall, it was okay but nothing really stayed with me after I put it down.
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher via Edelweiss.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.
Book Chatter 
Doesn’t it feel as if all of the thrillers’ plots are running together these days? I find it difficult to distinguish between them after a while.
This one was especially hard because I had just finished The Breakdown. That also had a married couple, the woman was unreliable as a narrator (same here), secrets in both stories. Close friends or neighbors playing a large role. A murder. There are a lot of psychological thrillers out right now. They seem to be very popular.
They are very popular right now. I also think they are releasing very similar stories at the same time, like what you experienced between The Breakdown and this one. I think publishers are doing it on purpose to compete with one another. Or not. Who knows?
I can’t believe you stuck it through. I would have given up!
I know. I almost did but then got a few pages without gibberish and felt hopeful. It was like that for nearly the entire book.
I would have given up! And after reading your review I think I won’t be reading it for the R.I.P. challenge.
Thanks for reminding me. I was going to include it for RIP but now that I am done with it, it wasn’t much of a thriller and not scary or suspenseful in the way that I expect a RIP read to be so I will not count it for that.
I listened to this and seem to have liked it more than most people.
It just didn’t stand out for me.
I might get this on audio but not for awhile. Kathy seemed to like it. Sounds like your eBook hit the skids. But maybe I should get The Party since you liked that one better.
The Party was really good. Everyone I recommended it too has agreed so far.
A corrupt ebook is no bueno! I’m surprised the publisher couldn’t get you a proper copy, especially if they wanted a review.