They gather together for the Easter dinner from hell, where Fred makes an announcement that has all the children leaving hurriedly, angry and upset. Even Irena, the housekeeper who had been the children’s nanny, leaves. Audrey, Fred’s sister, missed the dinner, but she has a complicated history with her brother, and was my favorite character. Her loathing of the Merton children was visceral. Jenna was the last one to leave the dinner, about an hour later than her siblings. During that time, her father told her he was changing his will. father doesn’t know that, but he might have guessed. He’s so cruel, she thinks, and so adept at finding vulnerabilities. And the house—she’s furious they’re selling it. It’s not because of the upkeep. He’s selling it so that she can’t have it. Just like he sold the business so that Dan couldn’t have it.” Truth is.... everyone here lies. I couldn't figure out who killed Fred and Sheila Merton after Easter dinner. The Mertons are dead inside their home and their bodies were found the next day by the housekeeper. All three adult children are interested in the big inheritance so they sure have the motive and are being untruthful. They also don't trust one another which adds another layer of suspense. I know a lot about that family,’ she says. ‘And unlike the others, I’m willing to tell you about it.”

Audrey Stancik looks around the room at all these spoiled children, so smug, so entitled, so sure they’re going to get what they think they’re owed.” I listened to this one as an audiobook, and from the beginning, I just couldn't stop listening. It is divided into short sections, which made me compulsively keep listening as more clues were uncovered. Classic “who done it?” tale that has you questioning your thoughts just when you’re convinced that you have figured it all out. Wish the author would have gone into more details on childhood, but 4/5!She didn’t call the police because she thought her brother Dan killed her parents. Cameras at the neighbors suggest she left her house around 11:00 pm and returned at 12:40 am. She also stole a favorite pair of earrings off her mother’s body. Three traumatized children: one of them or all may have inherited the genes of their father, suffering from same psychopathic tendencies to commit such a brutal crime! All of the children were in line to inherit millions of dollars. But, would any of them kill their parents to hurry the process along?

If you enjoy books with: shite people who are fun to read about, multiple suspects, and multiple motives...READ THIS! 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. I just finished the book, and I have to say that I was disappointed in it, not just the ending. I’m a fan of Lapena’s but think her other books were somehow better. a] fast-paced whodunit…. NOT A HAPPY FAMILY works well as a crime novel, and there are some fun surprises. Overall, Lapena has produced another engaging and entertaining read.” The not-so-happy-family here are the Mertons. Fred was a total jerk to everyone, but mostly to his children. Sheila, his wife, is a cold and distant mother, and failed to protect the children from their father.

The patriarch of the Merton family, Fred, seems to take great pleasure in making his three adult children, Catherine, Dan and Jenna, miserable. It's like he is actively trying to make their lives more difficult. He was hoping to take over his father’s company, but his father had no faith in his son’s abilities and sold it. Now Dan is out of work and in financial trouble. Maybe you have too much to drink. Maybe everybody has too much to drink. Comparisons between you and your siblings come up. Maybe even the dreaded political discussion and the next thing you know, you're throwing on your favorite wool peacoat and storming out into the night in a huff of thinly-veiled rage.

The truth is, they’re all so much better off now that their parents have been murdered. No long years – perhaps decades – of waiting for their inheritance. No more jumping to their father’s tune, no endless years of depressing, dutiful visits to old-age homes. They’ve been spared all that. They can start to live. If it wouldn’t be so unseemly, they really ought to be having a celebration. He feels like popping a bottle of champagne into the fridge.” This felt like the book version of the movie Knives Out in many ways, quite honestly; but it was fast-paced and kept me very entertained throughout. I flew through it and had fun the whole time.However, I am also sad to say that the big revelation didn't come with a bang and it felt like it was just mentioned and done.