Publication Date July 30, 2024
Shari Lapena has been called “the queen of the one-sit read,” and that was EXACTLY the kind of book I was needing to take my mind off the news! Thanks to Penguin Group Viking and NetGalley, I received a copy of her latest, “What Have You Done?” in exchange for my honest review. The setting for this one is a small town in Vermont. Very bucolic and rural, and in the opening of the book a farmer finds a body in his field, and all hell breaks loose as the story races along through 50+ (short) chapters, told from multiple points of view – including the victim herself, Diana Brewer.
The CIP data (retired librarian here) includes Library of Congress subject headings including “Family Secrets–Fiction,” “Psychological Fiction,” and “Thrillers (Fiction),” and while I have to admit I was unaware that last one was an actual specific heading, when I think about it, I have definitely read some nonfiction thrillers in my day. In any case, I always look at the CIP information and these subject headings gave me optimism about this being a grabber and one I wouldn’t want to put down…and I was RIGHT!
There are tons of lies as the townspeople struggle to make sense of what happened to Diana. People find out that others they have trusted since forever are lying, and people are blaming each other, suspecting each other, and all kinds of secrets come to light. It is impossible to say much about the actual story, and the ending is sort of – wow. And while I am often not a big fan of characters speaking from the grave, it didn’t bother me in this one.
If she wasn’t already crowned the queen of the one-sit read, Ms. Lapena will definitely be after this one. I loved it. Highly recommended. Five stars.