Pubblicato in Italia con il titolo Un estraneo in casa mia. La tranquilla vita di Karen and Tom Krupp è interrotta dalla scoperta di un cadavere vicino al luogo dell’incidente in macchina di cui Karen non ha memoria. La polizia pensa che Karen abbia qualcosa a che fare con l’assassinio e anche Tom non sembra molto convinto dell’ innocenza di sua moglie. Anche Brigid, amica di Karen e sua vicina, pensa che Karen sia coinvolta. Ma Brigid sembra avere i suoi buoni motivi per accusare Karen.
Tom and Karen Krupp lead a quiet and normal life until one evening Tom comes home from work to discover the front door open, the dinner half ready, and Karen gone. Then he gets a call from the police informing him that Karen was in a car accident and she is at the hospital. In the meantime, in an abandoned restaurant near the scene of the accident, the body of a man killed by bullets has been found.
The police think that Karen has something to do with it, but Karen doesn’t remember anything from that evening. She doesn’t remember why she left the house, why she was driving, and she affirms not to know who the dead man is. The police doesn’t seem to believe her and even Tom is not so sure about his wife’s story.
Next door to the Krupps, Brigid, a friend of Karen, is desperate to have a baby with her husband but he doesn’t seem too much interested in her and while he spends his days at work, Brigid watches the neighbors from her window. And, the night of the accident, Brigid saw something and knows that what she saw may help her to get what she desires most.
I have to say I didn’t like any of the three main characters: not the psychopathic neighbor, not the weak husband, not the calculating wife. Each of them are flawed and unlikable and until the end you don’t know who is telling the truth. What I liked about this characters is that while the husband is portrayed as unsubstantial and easily manipulated, the women come out strong and determined, ready to do anything to go after what they want.
I found the writing a bit too formal and “forced” but the plot is suspenseful, intriguing, and characters driven and I read page after page completely captivate to find out the truth in the end.
