Aristotle once said, “The greatest crimes are caused by surfeit, not by want.” It is clear that Aristotle never met the Westcotts of New York City.

Jill and Ted Westcott adore their Brooklyn Heights brownstone. I mean, they really adore it --- even more than most family members and loved ones. As someone who lived in Brooklyn for 27 years, I get it. With great care and expense, they carefully renovated and updated it down to the smallest detail. Although both work and are considered wealthy, Ted spent his entire inheritance from his father on the costly renovation. Throw in an ill-advised investment opportunity that went belly-up, and the Westcotts find themselves in danger of losing the very thing that means the most to them. Ted adds insult to injury by borrowing from loan sharks in an effort to pay off some of their debts. But now they’re facing down dangerous creditors. What are they going to do?

"Summertime means long, lazy days at the beach, near the pool or by the lake, hopefully with a good book. Lucky for readers, it also means a new breakneck domestic thriller from Shari Lapena, and her latest offering does not disappoint."

Ted reluctantly decides to turn to his older, successful brother, Greg, for the money. Greg has always rubbed his wealth and business acumen in Ted’s face. Ted will have to ask, hat in hand, because he’s running out of options --- and time. But when Greg turns them down flat, the idea of “getting rid of him, once and for all” starts to percolate in Ted’s brain. Greg is divorced and has no children. When he dies, Ted would inherit everything. That would be the answer to all of his problems. But can he get Jill on board with the plan?

Faced with the prospect of losing their home and angered by the pleasure that Greg was taking in rejecting them, Ted doesn’t have to plead too hard to get Jill in line with his murderous scheme. But they’re not hardened criminals. How will they do it? And can they get away with it? Is there such a thing as the “perfect crime”? If they can plan it down to the most minute detail and are patient, they can pay off their debts, keep their beloved brownstone, and maybe even quit their jobs and live a life of luxury. Greg is worth $45 million after all. Maybe they’ll go out on Greg’s boat and he could “accidentally” fall overboard? 

But much like the course of true love, true crime doesn’t run any more smoothly. Can Jill and Ted work together and not turn on each other before they get their big payday? Can they withstand the pressure of the routine investigation by Special Agent Paul Ramirez, a Coast Guard official who already seems to have a bias against the Westcotts and will become their own personal Javert? For Ramirez, it’s not only criminal, it’s personal: “It’s because of who they are. Because they’re rich and greedy and entitled. It’s because they already had more than 99.9 percent of the population, but they wanted even more.” 

The Westcotts’ deed will fiercely test their mettle as they incur no shortage of scrutiny from authorities, as well as friends and family. But just as everything seems to be going in their favor, it’s revealed that someone else knows definitively what they did --- and they want their share.

Summertime means long, lazy days at the beach, near the pool or by the lake, hopefully with a good book. Lucky for readers, it also means a new breakneck domestic thriller from Shari Lapena, and her latest offering does not disappoint. GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER features the breathless plot and pacing for which she is known. At first you wonder if you can relate to the greedy Westcotts and their outrageous plan. But due to Lapena’s acumen, as the story moves along, we’re left waiting with bated breath to see if they’re actually going to get away with it.

Instead of her usual bucolic Hudson Valley setting, Lapena’s latest masterpiece takes readers into the privileged world of the wealthy brownstone owners of Brooklyn Heights to see how the 1% live and to witness that, no matter how much you have, there are always those who are desirous of more and will do anything to get it. But Lapena deftly shows that there can be different definitions of the “perfect crime,” and maybe murder is best left to the professionals.