In this slyly plotted if anemically peopled page-turner from bestseller Lapena (An Unwanted Guest), there's nary a ripple in the bucolic Hudson Valley city of Aylesford, N.Y., after lawyer Robert Pierce reports his wife, Amanda, missing; most neighbors assume Amanda simply left him. But when rumors spread that an at first unnamed teen has been breaking into homes and hacking into the occupants' computers, it's quite a different story, setting in motion a snowballing of suspicion, subterfuge, and bungled amateur sleuthing. The discovery of a car with a badly bludgeoned body inside the trunk in a nearby lake potentially creates a huge problem for 16-year-old hacker Raleigh Sharpe, whose fingerprints are all over the victim's house. He also risks being identified because of the ill-advised anonymous apology notes his mother slips under the doors of those he admits to her to have hacked. Lapena skillfully maximizes suspense with her dual story lines that eventually collide, as well as some deft misdirection. Unfortunately, most of her characters don't rise above serviceable, and the final plot twists prove as implausible as they are surprising. Still, many fans of domestic suspense will be satisfied. Agent: Helen Heller, Helen Heller Agency (Canada). (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Residents of a tranquil suburb in the Hudson River Valley believe they have it all. They know their neighbors, attend each other's book clubs, talk casually over their fences, and enjoy backyard barbecues. Yet, when a teenager is discovered to have hacked various residents' computers, and, later, when one of those residents is found brutally murdered, everything changes. The police begin an intensive investigation, and secrets are revealed. Everyone in the neighborhood, it turns out, has something to hide. A community built on trust is instantly in tatters. Lapena creates unrelenting psychological tension by describing how the shared illusions of a tightly knit group of people are destroyed, transforming tranquility into desperation. This highly suspenseful domestic crime novel will make readers think twice about what transpires behind neighborhood doors and to admit that appearances are often too good to be true. Sure to delight fans of Liane Moriarty and Louise Candlish.--Shoshana Frank Copyright 2019 Booklist

Lies, adultery, and murder roil a Hudson Valley neighborhood in Lapena's (An Unwanted Guest, 2018, etc.) latest domestic thriller.Sixteen-year-old Raleigh Sharpe has been breaking into homes and hacking into computers to send prank emails. His father, Paul, is keen to minimize, or avoid altogether, any legal fallout, but mom Olivia feels terrible and is convinced that, at the very least, an apology is in order. Without consulting Paul or Raleigh, Olivia writes anonymous apology letters and delivers them to homes that Raleigh targeted. When the bludgeoned body of Amanda Pierce is discovered in the trunk of a submerged vehicle, the neighborhood comes under scrutiny. After all, two weeks ago, Amanda's husband, Robert, reported her missing after she didn't return from a girls' weekend, and now he's a prime suspect in her death. His is also one of the homes that Raleigh broke into, and of course Raleigh left his fingerprints all over the place. It's quickly revealed that Robert, an attorney, is hiding something, or a lot of somethings. He's been sleeping with his next-door neighbor Becky, whose husband, Larry, was having an affair with Amanda. Amanda was young, beautiful, inspired seething jealousy from the other wives, and had a reputation for promiscuity, as pretty murdered women so often do. It's an adultery merry-go-round in Aylesford, New York, and Detectives Webb and Moen (no first names and minimal personalities) have their hands full with this lively bunch. Lots of wagging mouths spreading salacious rumors set up a few nicely placed red herrings, and Olivia's efforts, with the help of her friend Glenda, to keep poor coddled Raleigh out of the long arms of the law add angst. Unfortunately, Lapena doesn't give readers any meaty characters to sink their teeth into or even really root for, and readers will likely see the big twist coming a mile away.Give this toothless suburban thriller a pass. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.