I've really come to enjoy Shari Lapena's writing style, and for me, this is her best story yet.
Someone We Know takes place in a tranquil suburb of New York. Robert Pierce reports that his beautiful young wife Amanda is missing. Did she leave on her own or has something sinister happened to her? The police arrive in the neighborhood, and proceed to unearth the residents' every secret. And there are so many, because everyone has something to hide.
Lapena has the most interesting style. It's sparse and action-driven, so it feels like something is happening with every sentence. There are no unnecessary descriptions, no overwrought emotion, no dilly-dallying or indulgence. Every page is stripped to only the most essential, so the pacing feels taut and brisk. It makes for a riveting read, leaving me to turn the pages as fast as I could.
The mystery itself plays out like a whodunit, with plenty of suspects among a small pool of characters, and red herrings galore. Each character has secrets they want to keep hidden, and as those are revealed one by one, the twists and turns make for a truly entertaining read.
I actually sniffed out where this was going earlier on, but there were still plenty of twists I didn't see coming that kept me guessing till the very end. My only small gripe is that not everything was explained; there was a small point left purposefully unclear and I had been looking forward to its explanation.
This is one of the most fun contemporary mysteries I've come across. Usually I find this genre to be a complete disappointment, with all the drama coming from characters boozing and acting crazy and confused. Thank goodness this book doesn't employ such cheap tricks. It reads like a breath of fresh air. Shari Lapena has been getting better with each of her books, and I can't wait to read more from her.
Readaroo Rating: 4 stars
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