From the author of THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR - A Stranger in the House

I kept reading for the suspense involved, but I was disappointed just a little that the solid footing in Gone Girl contrasted a little with the weaker foundation in this story. I like twists that are harder to figure out but that make sense once they are revealed. This story had some of that, which kept.me reading, but some were predictable.

No character development, lots of hopping around in everyone's heads, very little concentration on the accused character, and an ending that totally didn't make sense. Absolutely NOTHING believable about "what really happened" at all - WAY too many coincidences. This could have been a story made up by a fifth grader. (BTW, I liked The Couple Next Door, so this disappointment was a surprise)

As many mysteries are with few characters, it was a bit predictable, but I still could not put the book down. I would highly recommend this book.It was a break from other authors and she writes well. I have pre-ordered her next book.

I would not recommend this book. It is very poorly written. The characters and plot are never fully developed, so you never buy in to them. You never become involved or invested in the story. You just want it to end!

Dragged too much. Too many repetitions. Didn't enjoy this one as much as i did The Couple Next Door, now THAT was enjoyable. Straight to the point, suspenseful and filled with drama. A stranger in the house, not so much.

Tom is happily married to Karen, and are still in the blissful newlywed stage. When Tom arrives home from work one day, he finds his house unlocked, but Karen is nowhere to be found. Her purse, ID, and cell phone are all still at home, and his gut tells him something is wrong. Shortly after he calls the police, he gets a knock on his door. Unaware that he's just called to report his wife missing, the police show up at his house to inform him that his wife has been in a car accident and that she's been taken to a local hospital.

Luckily, Karen is okay, however she has no memory of the night. She knows she was speeding recklessly and that she crashed her car into a pole in the middle of a bad neighborhood, but she has no idea why she would have been there, or why she was in such a hurry to leave. When a murder is reported and found to have taken place around the same time and place the police begin to question whether or not Karen was involved, Karen quickly realizes that she needs to recover her memory and prove that she's innocent - especially when she realizes someone has been in her house and has been moving her things around.

When I found out that Shari Lapena, the author of The Couple Next Door, had come out with a new book, I jumped at the chance to read it! A Stranger in the House was a quick read, and I flew through it in a few hours. I was dying to figure out how everything ended, and the ending did not disappoint!

Pretty early on in the book I had developed two theories as to what really happened, and I kept flip flopping back and forth between the two until the last fourth of the book, and I'm happy to say I guessed correctly! I always feel like a super-sluth when I can figure out the mystery! HA!

The book had a number of different perspectives, including Karen's, Tom's, their neighbor Brigid's, and...Detective Rasbach! For those of you who haven't read The Couple Next Door, Detective Rasbach was the lead detective in that book too, which was a pleasant surprise for me! I wasn't expecting it, but loved seeing him in this book too.

Overall, I really enjoyed the plot and pacing in this book, and I loved the ending. I look forward to reading Lapena's next book!

Although the basic plot of A STRANGER IN THE HOUSE is familiar, especially to those who watch soap operas and Lifetime movies, Shari Lapena adds some great twists and turns that make the story unique. I read from cover to cover in one overnight sitting, an admonition to those who start a new book before going to bed.

Karen and Tom Krupp live an idyllic life in suburbia until one fateful night when she disappears. Her car is gone when Tom arrives home from work, but her purse and phone are in the house, along with a partially cooked dinner. Hours pass until Tom hears the dreaded knock on the door.

Karen is in the hospital with a concussion and memory loss, having crashed her car into a pole in the seedy part of a nearby city. Evidence indicates that she was speeding and lost control of her vehicle. The woman who has never had a parking ticket now may be arrested for reckless driving. The police are suspicious of Karen's memory loss, especially when they later learn that a crime has been committed in the area of her accident.

Karen Krupp Is sure that someone has been in her house after she returns to recuperate. She is certain that she would never leave a glass by the sink or neglect to close a bottle of perfume. Tom dismisses her suspicions, attributing them to amnesia.

As her fears intensify, so does the police investigation into Karen's accident. Even Tom is beginning to question her memory loss. What would make her rush from her suburban home into a dangerous part of the city? Only her neighbor and best friend, Brigid, buys Karen's story.

Brigid is a peculiar woman. Married to the owner of funeral homes, she spends her days knitting while staring at the Krupp house. If I hadn't known differently, I would have pegged Brigid as a little old lady - the neighborhood busybody. Instead, she is Karen's contemporary and cannot seem to do enough to help her friend.

Just when I think I have solved the mystery, Shari Lapena throws in a new twist, sending me down another road. She does not complete the puzzle until the end, which makes this book a fun read. This is a terrific book for fans of the genre.