Getting Away with Murder

By: Shari Lapena

Narrator: January LaVoy

Penguin Audio

ISBN: 9780593832479

Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books

Publication Date: 07/28/2026

Format: Other

My Rating: 5 Stars

JUL 2026 MUST-READ BOOKS

The tenth thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door

“Shari Lapena is far and away one of the best psychological thriller writers in the world. . . She is intensely bingeable.” —Lisa Jewell

Jill and Ted adore their New York brownstone the way others adore their children. They have carefully, expensively, made every inch of it their own. It reflects who they are, their status and tastes. With the grand mahogany staircase and state-of-the-art kitchen, it is the stuff of glossy magazines and real-estate dreams. It is their sanctuary.

So when Ted’s inheritance runs out and he makes a bad investment, they panic. How can they protect their beloved home and enviable lifestyle?

The answer is obvious. Or at least, it is obvious to Jill and Ted. The death of one wealthy family member—from whom they stand to inherit millions—could solve all their problems. Together, they will get away with murder.

As long as they trust each other.

As long as neither makes a mistake.

As long as there are no surprises…

Buy the Book

Praise

“Lapena’s books are addictive!”

—Freida McFadden, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Housemaid

“Shari Lapena is far and away one of the best psychological thriller writers in the world. . . She is intensely bingeable.”

—Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of None of this is True

“An utterly original and gripping morality play about greed and corruption in the modern age. Lapena contemporizes Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, and the results are as page-turning as they are revealing. Reader: you've just found your 'must-read' thriller of 2026.”

—Nita Prose, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid series

“Getting Away with Murder is a bold, twisty read that flies by at breakneck speed. Buckle up for a wild ride because you won't get these characters—or their actions—out of your mind anytime soon. My favorite Lapena book yet!”

—Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of It's Not Her

“Wickedly fun, glamorous and chilling. Shari Lapena flips the script masterfully yet retains her trademark twists and killer ending.”

—Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the Dark

“A chilling and deadly whydunit. Nobody gets beneath the skin of their characters like Shari Lapena, and she does it unflinchingly and with impeccable flair in this sharp, gripping thriller. Getting Away with Murder deftly reveals our deepest, darkest impulses as it asks: when money is the motive, is anyone really who you think they are?”

—Gilly Macmillan, New York Times bestselling author of The Manor House

“Shari Lapena has pulled out all the stops for her tenth thriller. Getting Away With Murder is perfectly pitched entertainment with a timely message that sends chills down the spine. A cracking mystery told at breakneck pace and with such expert timing I was swept away on the wave of every twist. The perfect murder mystery, told by a grandmaster of the genre. Ten out of ten!”

—Janice Hallett, international bestselling author of The Appeal

“Utterly brilliant. Full of Lapena’s trademark twists and wonderful characterization, [Getting Away with Murder] is a masterclass of a thriller. Shari Lapena’s best yet.”

—Claire Douglas, international bestselling author of The Wrong Sister

“You'll struggle to put this one down. A thriller to really go overboard for!”

—Cara Hunter, New York Times bestselling author of Murder in the Family

“How does Shari Lapena get better and better with each book? I could not have loved [Getting Away with Murder] more. . . Splendidly entertaining.”

—Liz Nugent, international bestselling author of Strange Sally Diamond

“It’s no mean feat to get the reader rooting for a pair of heartless killers, but root you will—with every tense, uncomfortable, thrilling step of Jill and Ted’s criminal journey. Another cracking read from Shari Lapena.”

—Louise Candlish, international bestselling author of Our House

“I don’t know how she does it—every book is her best and here we go again: her best book yet! I devoured it in just a few hours, paging desperately through to see what would happen. Breakneck pace, masterful plotting, brilliantly observed, devilishly smart, and a truly satisfying ending. I adored it.”

—Andrea Mara, international bestselling author of It Should Have Been You

“Tense, claustrophobic and relentlessly paced, this is a wickedly fun read. I couldn’t put it down.”

—Mary Watson, international bestselling author of The Cleaner

“Getting Away with Murder is one of those brilliantly gripping thrillers you just cannot stop reading. Unfolding in layers it builds to form a compelling and claustrophobic moral dilemma. I was hooked.”

—Jennie Godfrey, international bestselling author of The List of Suspicious Things

“Classic Lapena—tense, twisted, [and] dark . . . 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.”

—Booklist (starred review)

#GettingAwayWithMurder

My Review

GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER by Shari Lapena, a phenomenal release that turns the classic whodunnit completely on its head. Flipping the script into a chilling "how-and-will-they-get-caught" ride, this fast-paced psychological suspense novel completely blew me away.

📌 The Hook

~ A wealthy Manhattan couple who adore their New York luxury brownstone more than anything else on earth.

~ A massive financial crisis that pushes two desperate, elitist people to commit a chilling, calculated crime.

~ An anonymous blackmail message that arrives right after the deed is done, threatening to destroy everything.

🛗 Elevator Pitch

Jill and Ted Westcott adore their high-end New York brownstone and enviable, wealthy lifestyle. But when Ted's inheritance runs out, and a series of reckless investments implode, they face the terrifying reality of losing their sanctuary. Believing that the death of one wealthy family member could instantly solve all their problems, they plot the "perfect" crime to eliminate Ted's arrogant brother, Greg, and inherit his $45 million fortune. What follows is a devious cat-and-mouse game between a determined investigator and a mysterious blackmailer, in which trust between the couple begins to fracture violently.

Setting

The opulent rooms of a luxury New York brownstone, the stormy waters of the Atlantic Ocean off Greg's sailboat, and the high-society circles of Manhattan, where elite greed hides behind closed doors.

🕯️Vibe

Sinister, claustrophobic, darkly comedic, fast-paced, and utterly addictive.

📚 Genre

Psychological Thriller / Suspense / Dark Crime Fiction

🧠 Themes

~The corrupting nature of extreme wealth, greed, and elite status.

~Marriage under immense pressure and the quick decay of spousal trust.

~The psychological weight of paranoia and the fear of getting caught.

~The contrast between appearance-obsessed lifestyles and inner moral bankruptcy.

👥 Standout Characters

~Jill Westcott: A stunning art gallery worker who escaped a rough, working-class background. She is fiercely protective of her luxurious lifestyle and brownstone.

~Ted Westcott: A spoiled, wealthy heir whose terrible business sense and bad investments drive the couple to absolute financial ruin.

~Paul Ramirez: The meticulous U.S. Coast Guard investigator who sets his sights on exposing the couple's lies.

✍️ Author Writing Standout

Lapena excels at crafting incredibly fast-paced, bingeable domestic thrillers featuring deeply unlikable but utterly compelling characters. Her writing keeps you hooked on a moral tightrope, making you compulsively turn pages to see exactly how and when this toxic couple's grand plan will spiral completely out of control.

💡 Takeaway

Greed will make people justify the absolute worst actions, but the hardest part of committing the perfect crime isn't executing the deed—it's trusting your accomplice afterward.

🏷️ Title Significance

"Getting Away With Murder" highlights the central conflict of the story. Unlike a traditional mystery where the reader tries to solve a whodunnit, the narrative places you directly inside the minds of the killers as they desperately try to stay one step ahead of the law and blackmailers.

🕊️ Metaphor

The Westcotts' prized New York brownstone serves as a metaphor for their gilded cage. It represents an obsession with outer status that they are willing to physically kill to maintain, trapping them in an inescapable cycle of paranoia.

📖 Why You Should Read

Read this for a beautifully twisted, fresh take on the psychological suspense genre. Shari Lapena is at her devious best here, masterfully forcing you to watch two terrible people completely unravel in a high-stakes game of survival and deception.

💬 My Thoughts

Shari Lapena has delivered an absolute masterclass in unputdownable, fast-paced psychological suspense. Getting Away With Murder is a brilliant, darkly funny, and incredibly tense ride that hooks you right from its stormy opening pages. Jill and Ted are wonderfully despicable characters—you know they are morally bankrupt, yet you cannot look away from their frantic panic. The pacing is relentless, the plot shifts are sharp, and the sense of impending doom is masterfully maintained throughout the entire narrative.

⚖️ Verdict ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5 Stars)

"An addictive, darkly delicious, and flawlessly executed domestic thriller. A fantastic mix of high-society greed and gripping crime suspense that you will easily inhale in a single sitting."

📚 Recs or Read Alikes

~The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

~None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

~The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

~The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

Audio 🎧 Standout

The audiobook version narrated by January LaVoy is an absolute masterclass in voice acting. LaVoy brings an incredible layer of chilling sophistication, sharp pacing, and mounting hysteria to Jill and Ted’s internal monologues, making the high-stakes paranoia feel completely electric.

@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks

My Rating: 5 Stars

Pub Date: July 28, 2026

July Newsletter

July 2026 Must-Read Books

About the Author

SHARI LAPENA is the #1 internationally bestselling author of nine 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, Everyone Here is Lying, What Have You Done?, and She Didn’t See It Coming.

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. Four 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. WEBSITE