Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Rich people are the predators, until they become the prey, in this novel of psychological suspense. It’s hard to be rich in Lapena’s knockout contribution to the trending fiction genre that skewers the elite. In the vividly rendered opening pages, readers feel the boat pitch and the wind howl as Ted and Jill Westcott sail out into the Atlantic Ocean with one thing on their minds: pushing Ted’s brother, Greg, overboard so they can inherit his $45 million fortune. The Westcotts, heavily in debt, borrowed from a loan shark, and the repayment is due. Greg’s sailboat, aptly namedFortune Seeker, seems the best place to commit a murder. No body to retrieve, no evidence to prove it was anything but an accident. What seems like the perfect crime turns into anything but when Paul Ramirez, an investigator with the U.S. Coast Guard, sets his sights on proving the Westcotts murdered Greg. Ramirez isn’t the only person who wants the Westcotts to go down. Jill’s wealthy best friend, Lara Donleavy, isn’t thrilled that the inheritance will make Jill richer than her. An acquaintance turned con artist wants to separate the Westcotts from their money, as does the resentful son of the Westcotts’ housecleaner. Then comes the anonymous text message: “I know what you did.” Blackmail threats ensue and Ted and Jill, wallowing in their perceived victimization, begin to suspect everyone in their orbit. Will the Westcotts get away with it or will they be exposed? Their sense of entitlement means they’ll kill again if they have to. This most satisfying novel dissects jealousy, vengefulness, and, for many of the characters, an unstoppable lust for money. The greedy get greedier as the Westcotts are pushed to their limits with enemies and the law at their heels. A scrumptiously sinister novel about a couple willing to kill for an inheritance. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Her latest psychological thriller is classic Lapena—tense, twisted, dark, and packed with suburban paranoia. Ted and Jill Westcott lead the glamorous life of the uber-wealthy, with a beautiful home, luxury holidays, extravagant nights out, designer clothes, and plenty of cash to splash. But their over-the-top spending and some dicey investment decisions by Ted result in financial disaster. Finally confessing their dire straits to Jill, he swears he has a plan to solve their problems. Ted knows his mega-wealthy brother Greg plans to leave all his money to Ted when he dies. So why not hasten Greg’s death and cash in now? The pair plan what they’re sure is the perfect murder, inviting Greg on a sailing trip when the wind and waves are at dangerous levels and pushing him into the roiling seas. With no witnesses and Greg’s body on the ocean floor, they figure they’re free and clear and will soon be multimillionaires again. But someone seems to know their terrible secret, and that someone is out to expose them as murderers. With revealing insights into the lives of the haves and the have-nots and thought-provoking questions about morality, greed, envy, and punishment, Lapena serves up another surefire hit.