In upstate New York, Stephanie and Patrick are adjusting to life with their colicky twin babies. The girls are a handful, but Stephanie doesn’t mind being a stay-at-home mom, taking care of them while Patrick does the nine to five to pay the bills.
When a woman from Patrick’s past drops in on them unexpectedly, raising questions about his late first wife, Stephanie supports her husband wholeheartedly. She knows the car accident all those many years ago was just that–an accident. But Erica is persistent, and now she’s threatening to go to the police.
Patrick is afraid his job–and his reputation–will be at risk if he doesn’t put an end to Erica’s questioning immediately. And when the police start digging, Stephanie’s trust in her husband begins to falter and Patrick is primed to lose everything he loves. As their marriage crumbles, Stephanie feels herself coming unglued, and soon she isn’t sure what–or who–to believe. Now the most important thing is to protect her girls, but at what cost?
Book Info: 342 pages. Publisher: Transworld Digital. Publication Date: 23 July 2020
SHARI LAPENA is the #1 internationally bestselling author of seven suspense novels including The Couple Next Door, A Stranger in the House, An Unwanted Guest, Someone We Know, The End of Her, Not a Happy Family, and Everyone Here is Lying.
A former lawyer and English teacher, Shari now writes full time from a farm in Ontario, where she lives with her husband.
Her first thriller, The Couple Next Door, was a runaway global bestseller, selling 4 million copies worldwide. It was WHSmith’s “Book of the Year” in 2016 and the #1 Adult Fiction Title in the UK for 2017. All of Shari’s novels have been New York Times, UK Sunday Times, and Globe and Mail bestsellers. Three of her books have been Richard & Judy Book Club Picks. Her books have sold into forty territories around the world and have been optioned for film and TV.
My Thoughts:
I’ve read lots of books by Shari Lapena and am eager to read her entire back catalogue this year, so have bumped them up my ever growing TBR list. The first for the year is The End of Her which was published in 2020.
The End of Her is a gripping psychological thriller that explores the dark side of marriage, secrets, and lies and follows Stephanie and Patrick, a seemingly happy* couple with twin daughters, whose lives are turned upside down when a woman called Erica from Patrick’s past shows up and accuses him of murder.
I say *seemingly happy, but what I actually meant is 2 sleep deprived adults struggling with newborn twins who won’t sleep at night and suffer from the worst colic EVER and cry all day long. Resulting in extreme stress and anxiety putting more pressure on their marriage, so when Erica pops up, poor old Stephanie is torn between believing her husband and suspecting him of murder and starts to question everything she knows about him and their relationship. As the tension mounts, secrets are revealed, lies are exposed, and lives are endangered.
With complex and realistic portrayal of the characters, who are flawed and unreliable, the reader is kept guessing until the very end. As usual with Lapena’s books this is packed with twists and turns that surprise and shock the reader. The novel is a gripping and satisfying read for fans of the genre.
