Beth has a secret from her past that still haunts her. When strange things start to happen, Beth questions everything. There is no padding, no faffy repetition and no added words to make it longer and the adrenaline and almost fainting with palps whilst there is kept to a minimum and it whizzes on getting more and more exciting as it goes

Happy Family: The gripping Richard and Judy Book Club Not a Happy Family: The gripping Richard and Judy Book Club

Almost instantly, strange things begin to happen. Beth loses her keys, not once, but several times. The central heating develops bipolar heating the place up like a sauna despite the thermostat set at the usual temperature. Things go missing or are moved about and Beth begins to wonder if she is losing her grip on reality. Then it seems she is alienating her friends, losing her appetite and drinking far too much. Everyone around her seems to notice the change in her behaviour and become worried, but it's when her children start to suffer that Jacob steps in and tells her to get her act together. Going into Not a Happy Family, I will admit to being apprehensive. I've had a hit or miss relationship with Lapena, so had no clue how this one would be for me. But Beth has a secret. A deep dark secret which haunts her still. In her thoughts and in her nightmares. And Beth believes it is only a matter of time before her past catches up to her and her secret shame is revealed for all to see.

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We start off knowing that Fred and Sylvia Merton are dead. Who killed them and why is the central mystery. Well, pretty much everyone who was related to them had a reason to, as Fred was a first class jerk to his three children and Sylvia stood by and let it happen. The Mertons are uber-wealthy and each of the three children (as well as Fred's sister and another surprise person) are due to inherit a great deal of money from the estate. The police aren't buying that the brutal murders were a robbery gone wrong, yet they can't seem to come up with evidence as to who committed the crimes. Each of the children have motive and possible opportunity. Secrets upon secrets are revealed as they try to piece together the solution. I loved how the lead detective thought everyone he interviewed was the killer. There is a lot of scrambling, a lot of lies, a lot of secrets, a lot of trying to protect others while protecting oneself. There are a lot of liars with their pants on fire in this book. Not all that glitters is gold. Sometimes those who look like they have it all don't have much in terms of common decency. I've read quite a few Shari Lapena books now, and I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with them. I think I've finally figured out that I adore her mysteries (someone is killed and there are multiple suspects), while I don't like her domestic thrillers (husband or wife could be lying, so are they or aren't they). This mystery definitely goes onto my list of favorites from her.

Happy Families by Dr Beth Mosley MBE - Pan Macmillan Happy Families by Dr Beth Mosley MBE - Pan Macmillan

In all honesty to start with Beth's relationships all seem a bit to perfect even with her ex husband and his girlfriend. So the fall out during the book is great to read. Trenton, New Jersey, 1962: A pregnant girl staggers into a health clinic, gives birth, and flees. A foster family takes the baby in, and an unlikely couple, their lives unspooling from a recent tragedy, hastily adopts her. Bina and Deepak Joshi came to America to start over and welcome new opportunities into their lives. Bina ia a little resentful of leaving a flourishing acting career but settles into her role as the matriarch of the household-settle being being the operative word-as she supports Deepak's journey to becoming a psychiatrist in America. From the very first chapter I was hooked into this story. Lapena wastes no time jumping into the nitty-gritty and it kept me guessing until the very end. Das Verhältnis zu Cheri und ihren Eltern ist aus verschiedenen Gründen angespannt, neben zu lange verschwiegenen oder verdrängten Familiengeheimnissen und (un)bewusster Ablehnung bzw. empfundener Ausgrenzung gehören dazu Fragen wie: Wie viel Liebe muss ich geben, wie viel ist zuviel? Welche Erwartungen habe ich an mein Kind - vielleicht aus egoistischen Gründen, die im "Ich will doch nur dein Bestes"-Kontext verschleiert sind? Und: Welche Rolle spielt Blutsverwandschaft vs. Adoption?

I rarely DNF books, and I almost never do it when I get a review copy, but I completely understand why one would chose not to finish this novel, as it was too repetitive with all the he said she said parts that it became boring. this book is the epitome of "Telling, not showing." We are told a lot of things about the characters directly rather than organically learning those ideas through the characters' actions

The Happy Family by Jackie Kabler | Waterstones

This is a book that starts of relatively gently all things considered, but before long it all ramps up, and events become a lot darker, a bit sinister and although you may like me have some theories, as to what is going on, I would suggest you won't be able to predict the exact nature of how everything occurs and all the consequences.

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The family theme was ‘More is More’ with the knowledge that a conviction would create a greater monetary share for the others with the portion being forfeited. Casting doubt became an occupation as they folded in on each other. Shortly after Alice arrives Beth begins drinking quite a bit and starts shutting out her friends and neighbors. Alice tries extra hard to be the supportive mother that Beth has always wanted but Beth begins a downward spiral which is affecting all her relationships especially with her own children and also imagines a man following her everywhere and feeling that someone is out to get, her although soon after an unforseen and unbelievable event occurs that shatters Beth world where she may lose her job and also the custody of her children unless she can discover what is causing her life to rapidly fall apart. They have three children. All of them were at Easter dinner. Two of them were with their spouses. One was with a random “boyfriend”. The former nanny and current cleaning lady was there too. One guest couldn’t make it. This was an extremely unique narrative tone for me. The story is told from a distant third person perspective, yet I felt fully connected and engrossed within this twisty and suspenseful tale. I loved the short chapters of this family drama that always left me on edge wanting to read “just one more”. My suspicions flew all over the place, suspecting every single character at one point or another.

Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena | Goodreads Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena | Goodreads

When Beth’s long-lost mother abruptly turns up on her doorstep, Beth asks no questions, instead seeking the relationship that she has craved for so many years. Keen to see her a part of the family, Beth encourages her mum to stay in the family home for the long-term so that she and Beth can catch up after such a long absence. Beth is delighted that her children respond so positively to their grandmother and when Alice announces that Beth also has a step-sister, it is like the dream of a properly family is suddenly coming true.And then there are other twists that through me completely and well I just love a book that keeps me on my toes. But the journey to get there was utterly addicting, kept me on my toes and had me feeling rather creepy at times, with some of what Beth was experiencing. This is a novel that over-promises but under-delivers on the menace front. We get hints early on that all is not right in Beth’s life even before mum comes calling. The theme of gaslighting is handled well and we see how seemingly insignificant remarks and incidents snowball so that the victim ends up questioning their own judgment and grasp on reality. Even though I didn’t care that much for Beth as a character it was still sad to see how much her life spins out of control, particularly when intimate film footage of her is posted on social media.