Someone we Know is a slow-burning read, with everything coming to a quick head at the end.

READ IF YOU…

• Want a suspense thriller
• Are in the mood for a whodunit murder mystery

Title: Someone we Know| Author: Shari Lapena Rating: 3/5

Someone we Know is a slow-burning read, with everything coming to a quick head at the end. I can’t say I loved the story, though in the beginning and even throughout most of the book, I was invested in finding out who the killer was. I didn’t predict the killer until the end, so that was a surprise, though I do think it was foreshadowed a bit. So overall, a good plot.

However, there was something that kept me a bit bored. It wasn’t the writing itself, as that was neat and tight and had no fault. But I think in some parts, the story lagged. Perhaps character reactions, or getting inside the character heads, but something was missing, though I don’t think it detracted from the book in any major way. The one true critique I have is the ending seemed to avalanche quickly, and a second murder seemed a bit out of place and I wasn’t quite expecting it.

I do think some of the characters were a bit shallow or a bit flat. I didn’t connect with any of them and a few seemed like cliches – the jealous, handsome, cheating husband who’s the first suspect, the lonely, bored, next-door neighbor woman who cheats on her husband, the beautiful cheating murder victim.

This all led to what I said about the plot being tight, but also missing something critical that would have set this story apart from others. I think it relied too much on a typical wealthy suburban setting, with typical suburban families. Even the first chapter starts off with a teenage boy hacking his way into neighbors’ computers. Even this fell flat, though I know it was critical to the plot.