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With a new, but solid marriage, a lovely home in a safe, well-maintained neighborhood, and a stable bookkeeping job, life is comfortable for Karen Krupp.  She's not the type to involve herself in any kind of drama, so when she disappears—leaving behind her purse and cell phone—her husband is flummoxed.  He's even more confused when he's summoned to the hospital to find Karen alive but with no memory of where she's been.  According to the police, she was driving in the worst part of town, an area she had no reason to visit, when she crashed into a utility pole.  What was Karen doing there?  She can't remember and Tom Krupp has no idea.  

When a corpse is discovered near the place where Karen had her accident, the police believe it's no coincidence.  As they investigate, they find that everyone—Karen,Tom, and even Karen's purported best friend—are hiding something.  The more Detective Rasbach digs, the more disturbing the case becomes.  Can he figure out what Karen was doing on the night she crashed?  And what, if anything, she had to do with a violent murder?

I'm always up for an intriguing amnesia-based psychological thriller and A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena fits the bill.  Kinda.  While it's engrossing, the story is told in an odd, off-putting way, which distances the reader from the action.  The characters, even Detective Rasbach who is a recurring character in Lapena's novels, are not developed enough to be likable or unlikable.  In addition, the tale is melodramatic and predictable; I wanted more complexity from it.  All this aside, A Stranger in the House is still a compelling page turner.  I just didn't love it and, in the end, didn't find it to be a very satisfying read.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me a little of If I Die Tonight by Alison Gaylin)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, mild sexual content, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

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After her babysitter cancels at the last minute, Anne Conti reluctantly decides to leave her 6-month-old daughter at home and join her husband, Marco, at a dinner party next door.  Plagued by guilt and anxiety, Anne can't relax, even though she checks on the infant repeatedly.  During one of these drop-ins, the couple make a horrifying discovery—Cora is gone.  Who would kidnap a baby right out of its crib?  And why?  

With no real evidence of a break-in, police suspect the Contis of abducting their own child.  Anne suffers from post-partum depression and Marco's software design business is in trouble.  Did one of them snap under the added pressure of new parenthood?  As Detective Rasbach investigates, he uncovers a whole web of lies weaved between the Contis and their enigmatic next door neighbors, the Stillwells.  No one is telling the entire truth, so what really happened to Cora?  Can Rasbach wade through all the deceit and find out? 

I dig psychological thrillers with intriguing premises, so The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena seemed like a right-up-my-alley kind of novel.  While the story is intriguing enough that I wanted to keep reading, the characters in this story are a total turn-off.  The cast is almost wholly unlikable.  They're a desperate, selfish, cruel, and greedy lot, which made it impossible to care about them.  Add to this irritant a predictable plot and a depressing-as-all-get-out vibe, and The Couple Next Door becomes only a so-so read.  While I definitely wanted to know what happened to the baby, all in all this one didn't do a lot for me.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of Our House by Louise Candlish)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, sexual content, violence, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

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Twenty years ago, two young boys were murdered, their bodies dumped near a dog racing track in Bristol, England.  A developmentally disabled man, 24-year-old Sidney Noyce, was convicted of the crime.  Convenient though it may be, the case's resolution doesn't sit quite right with some people.  When Sidney hangs himself in prison two decades later, it propels Cody Swift, the boys' childhood BFF, to take a closer look at what really happened to his mates.  Haunted by their deaths, he vows to find his pals' real killer.  Through a podcast he dubs It's Time to Tell, Cody talks about the case, discussing his findings with anyone who will listen.  It doesn't take long for him to start receiving violent threats.  Obviously, someone doesn't want Cody looking for answers, but who?  And why?  

When more remains are discovered near the track, another murder investigation opens.  John Fletcher, the DI who worked the original case, thinks the killings are linked.  As he reopens 20-year-old files, searching for new clues, he, too, comes under dangerous scrutiny.  Can he John find the answers he's looking for before it's too late?  With a killer on the loose and his career on the line, he doesn't have a moment to lose ...

I'm a sucker for an engrossing mystery/thriller and Gilly Macmillan certainly knows how to write them.  Her newest, I Know You Know, is a complex, compelling novel that kept me guessing.  Despite a cast of unlikable characters and its dark, depressing vibe, I liked this one overall.  It's not my favorite by Macmillan, but it kept me engaged throughout.  Macmillan's a skilled writer and I'm always anxious to see what she's going to do next.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of other books by Gilly Macmillan, including What She Knew; Odd Child Out; and The Perfect Girl)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for strong language, violence, blood/gore, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of I Know You Know from the generous folks at William Morrow in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

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It's all fun and games at the Jersey shore until someone gets hurt—the kind of hurt that lands them in the morgue.  

Reginald Hart, a business tycoon who's "kind of like Donald Trump, only richer and without the gravity-defying comb-over," is found shot to death on the tilt-a-whirl at a sleazy amusement park in Sea Haven, New Jersey.  The man known as "Hartless" had no shortage of enemies, so suspects in his murder are plentiful.  It's just a matter of narrowing down the possibilities to find the person who hated Reginald enough to kill him.

After a 13-year stint in the military, John Ceepak has come to Sea Haven to work on the police force run by an old Army buddy.  The seasoned MP is paired with Danny Boyle, a 24-year-old greenie who's more of a gopher/chauffeur than a partner.  Danny's a "cop with a beachy kind of 'tude"—he doesn't carry a gun and he has more opportunities to flirt with bikini-clad tourists than solve crime.  Tagging along after Ceepak means policing on a whole new level.  

As Danny marvels at his mentor's work ethic, he learns a great deal about detective work as well as the enigmatic John Ceepak.  Together, the two men are determined to find Reginald's killer.  The closer they get, however, the more dangerous their job becomes.  Can they get to the bottom of a violent murder without running afoul of a vicious killer?  Or will theirs be the next corpses to turn up at Sunnyside Playland?

I knew Chris Grabenstein wrote zany middle grade adventures like Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library, but I had no idea that his earliest published books were actually police procedurals aimed at adults.  Tilt-a-Whirl is the first installment in his series starring John Ceepak (but narrated by Danny Boyle).  It's a clever, funny novel that remains upbeat despite dealing with disturbing subject matter.  Ceepak's a fascinating character and seeing him through Danny's eyes makes our hero even more mysterious and compelling.  I enjoyed both of the story's leading men as well as its atmospheric seaside setting.  The mystery doesn't get too many points for originality, but it is fast-paced, twisty, and entertaining.  Tilt-a-Whirl kept me turning pages and yearning for more from Ceepak and Boyle.  I've already purchased the next two books in the series.  I can't wait to see what this dynamic duo does next!

(Readalikes:  Other books in the John Ceepak series, including Mad House; Whack-a-Mole; Hell Hole; Mind Scrambler; Rolling Thunder; Fun House; and Free Fall)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for strong language, violence, blood/gore, sexual innuendo, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I bought an e-copy of Tilt-a-Whirl from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.