Title: SOMEONE WE KNOW
Author: Shari Lapena
ISBN: 9780525557678
Publisher: Penguin Books
Pages: 292
Source: Private Copy
Maybe you don’t know your neighbors as well as you thought you did . . .
“This is a very difficult letter to write. I hope you will not hate us too much. . . My son broke into your home recently while you were out.”
In a quiet, leafy suburb in upstate New York, a teenager has been sneaking into houses–and into the owners’ computers as well–learning their secrets, and maybe sharing some of them, too.
Who is he, and what might he have uncovered? After two anonymous letters are received, whispers start to circulate, and suspicion mounts. And when a woman down the street is found murdered, the tension reaches the breaking point. Who killed her? Who knows more than they’re telling? And how far will all these very nice people go to protect their own secrets?
In this neighborhood, it’s not just the husbands and wives who play games. Here, everyone in the family has something to hide . . .
You never really know what people are capable of.
Official Summary
22 October 2025
I’ve come to expect domestic thrillers with sharp twists and tangled secrets from Shari Lapena, and Someone We Know delivered exactly that. This is one of those stories that hooks you from the opening page with its unsettling premise — a letter from a parent confessing that their teenage son has been breaking into neighbours’ homes. From there, things spiral quickly, and you can almost feel the tension ripple through this quiet suburban community.
The setup is brilliantly simple yet incredibly effective. What starts as a boy’s reckless mistake soon unravels into a web of suspicion, gossip, and deceit. When a woman from the neighbourhood is found murdered, everyone becomes a potential suspect. Lapena captures that claustrophobic small-town atmosphere perfectly — the sense that behind every manicured lawn lies a secret waiting to explode.
What I really enjoyed was how she shifts perspectives between the different families. Each chapter adds another layer, revealing small lies, private fears, and hidden motives. You’re constantly second-guessing everyone, which keeps the story feeling alive and unpredictable.
None of the characters are purely good or bad — they’re flawed in very human ways, which makes them believable even when they make questionable choices. I especially liked how Lapena explores the consequences of secrets — not just the big ones, but the everyday lies we tell ourselves and others to keep life running smoothly.
This isn’t a thriller driven by gruesome details or police procedure; it’s a psychological puzzle that focuses on relationships, guilt, and what happens when trust in a community starts to crumble. The pacing is crisp, the chapters short and addictive — I found myself saying, “Just one more,” until I’d read half the book in one sitting.
If you enjoy domestic thrillers where ordinary lives unravel behind closed doors, Someone We Know is well worth adding to your TBR. It’s smart, suspenseful, and compulsively readable — the kind of book that reminds you how little we truly know about the people living right next door.
Also by Shari Lapena
A STRANGER IN THE HOUSE
He looks at her, concerned. “How do you feel?” She wants to say, Terrified. Instead, she says, with a faint smile, “Glad to be home.”
Karen and Tom Krupp are happy—they’ve got a lovely home in upstate New York, they’re practically newlyweds, and they have no kids to interrupt their comfortable life together. But one day, Tom returns home to find Karen has vanished—her car’s gone and it seems she left in a rush. She even left her purse—complete with phone and ID—behind.
There’s a knock on the door—the police are there to take Tom to the hospital, where his wife has been admitted. She had a car accident and lost control as she sped through the worst part of town.
The accident has left Karen with a concussion and a few scrapes. Still, she’s mostly okay—except that she can’t remember what she was doing or where she was when she crashed. The cops think her memory loss is highly convenient, and they suspect she was up to no good.
Karen returns home with Tom, determined to heal and move on with her life. Then she realizes something’s been moved. Something’s not quite right. Someone’s been in her house. And the police won’t stop asking questions.
Because in this house, everyone’s a stranger. Everyone has something they’d rather keep hidden. Something they might even kill to keep quiet.
About the Author
Author bio from the author’s site
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.
She doesn’t want you to be able to put her books down.
It feels like I am only reading backlist books at the moment. Shari Lapena’s books never disappoint. Are you a fan? As always, thank you for the support; it means a great deal. Until next time…. Happy Reading!
