| Title | : | The Perfect Stranger |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1501107992 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781501107993 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 339 |
| Publication | : | First published April 11, 2017 |
Determined to find Emmy, Leah cooperates with Kyle Donovan, a handsome young police officer on the case. As they investigate her friend’s life for clues, Leah begins to wonder: did she ever really know Emmy at all? With no friends, family, or a digital footprint, the police begin to suspect that there is no Emmy Grey. Soon Leah’s credibility is at stake, and she is forced to revisit her past: the article that ruined her career. To save herself, Leah must uncover the truth about Emmy Grey—and along the way, confront her old demons, find out who she can really trust, and clear her own name.
Everyone in this rural Pennsylvanian town has something to hide—including Leah herself. How do you uncover the truth when you are busy hiding your own?
The Perfect Stranger Reviews
-
*3.5 stars*
Like so many other readers, I was completely mesmerized by
Megan Miranda’s story told in reverse,
All the Missing Girls. So imagine my excitement at the mere thought of a follow-up, let alone actually holding it in my hands.
I know it’s unrealistic to expect an author that hits one out of the park to repeat that same performance the next time they’re up at bat, but sometimes that doesn’t stop this crazy mind of mine from wanting to experience that same level of book nirvana. This time, I tried my best to be realistic. I consciously checked my hopes at the door and went in with an open mind.
With a dreary and borderline depressing undertone, Megan Miranda weaves a tale with an enviable level of intrigue and a cast of characters on a seemingly downward spiral of madness. There were so many times I felt like I had no idea who to trust. Likable for the most part, but definitely untrustworthy . . . right?
A small town in western Pennsylvania has turned into a cesspool of people looking for a fresh start. Men and women, from different walks of life, looking to leave behind their mistakes and troubled pasts for a new existence. A former reporter, turned high-school teacher, Leah’s just looking to blend into the background. Two dead bodies and her missing roommate, Emmy, have the reverse effect though. Searching for answers forces her to unravel Emmy’s past and in turn, her own . . . or is it just her mind that’s unraveling?
As a suspense reader, I absolutely loved the way the author baited me along with little snippets of memories and sly little tricks to conceal the truth. That need-to-know desperation and constant questioning she managed to drum up, kept me turning the pages . . . for the majority of the book, at least. My attention started to wane a bit in the back half of the story, if I'm being totally honest. What at first was exciting and mysterious, took on a little bit of a stale note. It took a little longer than necessary to see who was really behind the mask.
It became pretty apparent to me, as the ending loomed, there was only one of two ways the story could go — veer into crazy territory, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, or take the easy way out.
In my opinion, the author played it a little bit safe. The conclusion felt too simple for all of the buildup. I wanted more of an explanation. More of a confrontation. Something more jarring. What happened to the bold ending the storyline promised? To a scrutinizing eye, do all of the pieces really fit together?
*Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review. -
I'm between 3.5 and 4 stars here.
Sometimes I think we put unfair pressure on authors. Let's say an author writes a book that blows you away. You eagerly anticipate their next book, sometimes you get impatient if it takes them too long to write another one, and then when you get the chance to read it, you expect this one to blow you away, too, right? (I know I'm not alone here.) But if it doesn't come close to the last book, at least in your mind, whose fault is that, yours or theirs?
I pondered this as I got ready to read Megan Miranda's The Perfect Stranger. Her last book, All the Missing Girls, was fantastic, both for the mystery itself and the unique way Miranda let the story unfold. The book even made my list of
the best books I read in 2016. So needless to say, I tried very hard to ratchet back my expectations of her new book, because I didn't want to be disappointed just because I loved her last book so much.
Did she deliver? While The Perfect Stranger isn't perfect, it's a good, suspenseful read. And I think I might have liked it even more if I didn't read Miranda's last book and expect to be dazzled. If you go in knowing that, you'll hopefully enjoy it.
"I can only explain it this way: that I knew her deeply, if not thoroughly; that a four-month relationship can supersede all the boyfriends, all the friendships, that came after and lasted longer, that our friendship was born from the one time I'd stepped off track, done something unexpected that did not follow the predicted steps of my life. And for that reason, it shone brighter, and so did she."
Leah Stevens was a journalist in Boston who got a little too emotionally invested in an exposé she wrote. When she refused to reveal her source, and things related to her story unraveled, a restraining order was taken out against her and the newspaper she worked for was threatened with a lawsuit. Without a job and feeling utterly betrayed, she needed to get out of town—fast. She ran into an old friend, Emmy Grey, with whom she lived just after college.
On the run from a bad relationship, Emmy is desperate to leave Boston as well, so she involves Leah in her plan. The two head to a small town in Western Pennsylvania, where Leah gets a teaching job, and they can both keep off the grid. Leah and Emmy live on parallel schedules, and the two rarely if ever see each other for more than a few minutes, especially when Emmy starts dating someone new. But Leah keeps getting the sense that Emmy is still on her guard, that she's waiting for something to happen.
One night, a woman with a strong resemblance to Leah is assaulted and left for dead. A teacher who has shown a little too much interest in Leah is the suspect, which puts Leah a little more in the spotlight than she'd like, since her previous life has been kept a secret. But when Emmy disappears a few days later, Leah has no choice but to put herself out there and try to find out what happened to her friend.
Leah cooperates with the handsome young police officer who is assigned to the assault case, and tries to get him to help find Emmy. As the police investigate, she realizes that despite feeling tremendously close to Emmy, she never really knew her, which leads the police to suspect that Leah may be making the whole story up, that Emmy may not really exist, especially once they learn of Leah's past. But she knows the truth, and she is determined to find out just who Emmy was, and what happened to her, even if it means returning to the scene of her past transgressions, and possibly putting her own life and her own future at risk.
How well do we really know someone? How far would you go for a friend who has done a lot for you? Does one questionable action in our past doom us forever? The Perfect Stranger strives to answer all of those questions. It definitely keeps you guessing, because you aren't sure how reliable of a narrator Leah really is. The book's setting helps add to the tension, adding an almost moody feel to the whole thing.
As I mentioned earlier, there are things I didn't like about the book. There were a lot of things happening at once, and some of the storylines seemed unfinished, even unnecessary to the core of the plot. But Miranda really is an excellent writer, and knows how to slowly let details unfold so you stay hooked. So of course, what this means is, I'll eagerly await her next book, and remind myself to dial back my expectations again. (I never learn...)
NetGalley and Simon & Schuster provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!
See all of my reviews at
http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo.... -
My reviews can also be seen at:
https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpr...
I really enjoyed Megan Miranda's previous novel "All the Missing Girls". After reading the description of "The Perfect Stranger", I was looking forward to reading it as well.
"A journalist sets out to find a missing friend, a friend who may never have existed at all."
Leah Stevens runs into an old friend, Emmy Grey at the perfect time. She needs to get out of Boston after her career as a journalist takes a nosedive and Emmy wants to get away from a toxic relationship. It's the answer to both of their problems. They move to rural Pennsylvania, a place where they can both start over. Leah starts her job as a teacher and Emmy seems to work a few odd jobs here and there. Leah tells her mother she quit her job and is moving to Pennsylvania to teach. But she doesn't tell her mother the real reason she quit her job....
"My God, Leah, What did you do?"
Leah and Emmy settle in. They don't see each other a lot during the week as Emmy often works the night shift. She doesn't have a cell phone either, so Leah has to leave her post-it notes if she has a message for her. When Leah realizes that the notes haven't been moved at all, she realizes it's been a couple of days since she has seen her. Because of their different schedules, it's not completely out of the ordinary so she tries not to worry.
The next day on her way to school, Leah comes upon a police roadblock....
A woman has been attacked.
Leah immediately worries that it's Emmy who's hurt. Thankfully it's not. But things get even stranger when she sees a picture of the woman who was attacked...The woman's name is Bethany Jarvitz, and she looks a LOT like Leah.
Now the police and Detective "easy on the eyes" Donovan, want to talk to Leah about this man. Leah tells the police about the phone calls she has been getting, nuisance calls from someone who didn't seem to get the hint. She figured the calls were harmless.
"You think you're too good for us, Leah?"
The police want more information but Leah is hesitant to get involved. She doesn't want her name attached to anything. She has her own secrets. But when Emmy still hasn't shown up after four days, Leah knows she needs the detectives help and she'll have to help him too. When he starts asking questions, Leah realizes there's a lot she doesn't know. She isn't even sure where Emmy works.
Does she REALLY know Emmy at all?
As excited as I was to read this, I had a hard time getting into the story. A few of the decisions Leah made really annoyed me and I had a hard time connecting with her. There really was a lot going on. I started feeling like things weren't coming together and I was a bit confused.
In the end I thought this was a decent read, I guess I was just hoping for more. But of course, this is just my opinion and there will probably be many other readers who will really enjoy this book. While I definitely didn't like this one as much as All the Missing Girls, I still look forward to reading more from Megan Miranda.
Thank you NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and Megan Miranda for providing an advanced copy of this book for me to read in exchange for my honest review. -
3.5 STARS
Last year I was blown away by Miranda’s adult fiction debut
All the Missing Girls. The story being told in reverse, the memorable characters, the building suspense that caused me to hold my breath until the gut wrenching conclusion were all reasons it was one of my top reads of 2016. I say all this as a reminder to myself, since I tend to judge successful authors’ latest work against their uber successful previous books (unfairly), that I need to base my review of this book on simply that, THIS book. I think the general consensus seems to be that this one was nothing like
All the Missing Girls, and while I was a part of that group, I also felt this had many strengths on it’s own if the reader can go about being unbiased.
I’ll admit, I did have a hard time connecting with the characters initially. Nothing they did seemed to make any sense and there wasn’t a realistic aspect to this wholly contemporary thriller. I don’t expect to like all the characters in any book, but here I didn’t have anyone I could root for; each character ranged from mildly obnoxious to widely unsavory. Alongside a really despicable cast, this story seemed much shorter than any of her previous novels and a little rushed. Whether you enjoy her books or not, Megan Miranda is a master at creating the type of suspense that causes you to park your rear and finish her books as quickly as possible. I’ve always felt that I can pick up one of her books when I’m in a dreaded slump because it’ll kick my brain into gear, and this book was no exception. She also really had me hooked on the relationship between Kyle and Leah; I could have read about them for much longer and felt that plot angle was really well done.
I hate writing reviews like this, because anything less than glowing has the potential to hurt the author when that isn’t the intention. I did end up bumping this to a 3.5 star because the tension and suspense completely surrounded me, I really loved Kyle/Leah, and I 100% respect the amount of work she put into writing this book. I think there are loads of people this book will be perfect for and will enjoy to it’s maximum potential; while those looking for deeper characterization and a fleshed out plot might be slightly disappointed, I think those readers who are looking for a lightning quick read full of exciting plot turns and suspense to keep you up late at night will be extremely satisfied. Megan Miranda is one of my favorite authors and I’ll continue to snag her books as soon as they come out. PS-prettiest cover of 2017? I think so!
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing a finished copy; it was my pleasure to provide my honest thoughts here. -
3.5 stars
Suspenseful psychological thriller with a lackluster ending.
Pushed out of her reporter job because she goes too far with an investigation, Leah Stevens flees Boston to Western, PA with her former roommate, Emmy, to start a new life. After a woman, who happens to look a lot like Leah, is attacked and Emmy goes missing, Leah begins to question how much she really knows her roommate. As Leah begins to investigate Emmy, more and more questions emerge about her mysterious roommate. At the same time, those around Leah begin to question her sanity.
I was loving The Perfect Stranger until I got to the ending. Things were moving along swiftly, tension was building, the unreliable narrator was making me question everything, and I was so excited to see how things were going to play out. But then I got to the ending...and it all kind of just fell apart. I was waiting for a twist or something big to happen, but I found the ending to be anticlimactic and I was left with a lot of questions. It’s not a bad read, but it didn’t live up to my extremely high, and slightly unfair, expectations. I would still recommend for an entertaining, suspenseful read.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. -
Leah is a former journalist starting her life over in Pennsylvania after a story she publishes backfires and causes her to be forced out. At first Leah was lost, not sure where to go now but then she runs into her old roommate Emmy. Leah and Emmy lived together when Leah was out of college for four months before Emmy took off to the peace crop. It felt like fate to be reunited with Emmy after all these years so when Emmy proposes they move somewhere random on the map together Leah agrees to go with her. After they have been living in their new town for a few months a women is found almost dead at the lake and Leah hasn't seen Emmy in days. Leah isn't sure what to think especially when a man who has been calling and harassing her is implicated in the women's assault. As Leah works hard to find Emmy she begins to question who Emmy really is as no traces of her materialize.
I haven't read the first book by the author so maybe that's why I enjoyed this one a lot more than others did, I didn't come into it with any expectations. I really liked the writing style and I almost peed my pants because I didn't want to put the book down to go use the bathroom. It wasn't so much that the ending was really original or surprising but more so the story telling was really good. The pacing kept me engaged and I think everything unfolded in a way that really built up to the ending. Totally going to try to read the author's first book soon. -
I received a copy of The Perfect Stranger through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Simon & Shuster and to Megan Miranda for the opportunity.
Trouble seems to find you like a stray dog on the run.
Leah Stevens needs to find the Exit sign immediately if not sooner. Her short career as a Boston journalist, newly crossing the threshold, is soon to hit the skids. Leah was following a story in which multiple female suicides had happened at the local university. Suspicion wafted in the air and Leah followed through with her story. Although she never fully divulged the name of the perpetrator in her article, the damage was done and the newspaper would likely face libel charges. Even her boyfriend convinced her to quit and leave town. Noah was not welcoming guilt by association.
So Leah hits a neighborhood bar and bumps into an old friend. Emmy goes back to Leah's apartment and they drown their sorrow in a vodka marathon. They arrive at a plan. With Western Pennsylvania in their sites, they rent a house together in a small town. Leah uses her degree to teach at the local high school and Emmy works at odd jobs at the night shift.
Ah, the idyllic life and an opportunity to start fresh. But one morning Emmy doesn't come home after her shift. Leah leaves notes for her since Emmy doesn't have a cell phone. Hours turn into days......no Emmy. It's time to call the police.
But here's where it gets good. Everything has been in Leah's name. There are no receipts or mail or anything tangible to prove that Emmy actually exists. All attempts to blaze a trail to find Emmy end up hitting the wall. And eyes turn on Leah.
Megan Miranda presents a storyline with plenty of zig and zag. Just when you think that you've figured it all out, she places you in another slip knot. Miranda implements the first person voice of Leah to tell the story. She has an easy flow to her writing style as the words fly across the page. You find yourself saying "just a few more pages".
Megan Miranda's first book received high praise. This one follows suit but in a different vein. She doesn't serve tension by the spoonful. It's more like the heavy mugs of the aforementioned vodka marathon. It's one gulp after another. One heck of a buzz! -
Lots of mixed reviews for this one, and I can see why. Parts of this book I enjoyed, but there were also sections that just didn’t work for me. I had high hopes, but it just didn’t live up to my expectations.
Leah was a dogged journalist determined to get to the truth no matter the cost. Looking for a new start, she feels it’s time to cut her losses and move on. The true reason Leah left Boston remains a mystery for most of the book.
Emmy, Leah’s former roommate and friend invites her to accompany her to Pennsylvania. Unassuming and low-key, Emmy is a friend that leaves an extremely small footprint of her existence. So when she suddenly disappears, Leah has very little personal information to aid the police in their search.
The police are growing suspicious that Leah’s’ story isn’t making sense. They begin to question whether this Emmy is real or just a figment of Leah's imagination. Did you ever have an imaginary friend when you were little? Someone you would conjure up when you were feeling lonely or scared? Maybe it’s just as simple as that. Meanwhile the bodies are piling up and all eyes are on Leah. With no one, including the police believing her, she takes it upon herself to bring Emmy to life and clear her own name.
The web of lies is so intricate and convoluted that I actually got dizzy (maybe dizzy is a bit dramatic…let’s say highly-confused!) trying to keep it all straight. Had trouble connecting to the main character, Leah. While I was fond of the premise of the book, it seemed somewhat lacking in depth. Just had too many fragmented pieces that were lightly touched on, but never fully developed.
Final thoughts: I thought it was good…just not great.
Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and Megan Miranda for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. -
4 stars! This was a suspenseful, thrilling read!
I had my doubts when starting this book firstly because I really loved the author, Megan Miranda’s, previous novel “All The Missing Girls”. I was hoping to love this as much or more but thought it might be hard to top. My doubts also stemmed from the very mixed reviews I read prior to opening this book. A lot of GR friends felt disappointed. With that being said, although I enjoyed ATMG more, I really did like this novel. My rating is somewhere between 3.5 – 4, but closer to a 4.
Miranda has such an outstanding ability to pull the reader right into the addictive story within the first few pages – the suspense builds and keeps you feeling more engaged as each page passes by. She dangles extra details within each chapter providing just enough information to pique your interest and keep you hungry for more. I found myself creeping toward to edge of my seat while reading but not quite getting into ‘scare mode’ (thankfully!).
I was captivated by the story from chapter one, but I must admit I didn’t love the main character, Leah. By the halfway point, I found her inner thoughts started to get on my nerves and became slightly annoying. I actually didn’t really ‘love’ any of the characters in the story which partly took away from my enjoyment – there were quirks about each of them that seemed to bother me.
Overall, it was an enjoyable book, but I would recommend Miranda’s other novel “All The Missing Girls” over this one. -
Add me to the list of those who loved All the Missing Girls. So, it was with excitement and trepidation that I picked up The Perfect Stranger, Miranda’s sophomore effort.
She doesn't disappoint. While not as amazing as ATMG, it's an engrossing read. Since I finished this on baseball’s opening day, I'll use a baseball analogy. If ATMG was a grand slam, this is a home run. There are three components necessary for a successful book - good writing, strong character development and a convincing plot. Miranda gets the first two spot on. My minor quibbles with this book rested with the story line.
Leah is a newspaper reporter. She has done something that has forced her resignation. You aren't told what initially. She and a friend decide to leave Boston to start over in a small town in western Pennsylvania. Leah takes a job as a high school teacher. Not long after, her friend, Emmy, disappears. And once Leah thinks to report her missing, she realizes how little she really knows about her friend.
I love Miranda’s writing, the way she gets the details just right. Talking about her students - “they were a species in transition: coming in as kids, voices breaking, angles sharpening, and leaving as something different altogether. Curves and muscle and the unfamiliar force behind both; the other parts of them desperately trying to play catch up.” I'm one of those folks that highlights passages in a book. But I typically don't do it for mysteries, just more “serious literature”. But I found myself highlighting a lot of passages. It was just that well written.
Miranda also does a wonderful job with Leah. You get a real sense of her - her mistakes, her strengths and weaknesses, and her reporter’s sense of a story. Since this is told from Leah’s point of view, the other characters aren't as fully developed. But that goes to the whole purpose of the story - what do we really know about our friends, families and lovers?
There is a sense of urgency here from the beginning; that tingling nerves on edge feeling while you're reading this. My issues with the book came towards the end, as Miranda resolves the story. I won't outline them as that would be a spoiler. But rest assured they are minor and don't take away from the enjoyment of this book.
My thanks to netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this book. -
Just barely 3 stars. There's something about Megan Miranda's approach to story telling that doesn't really click with me. I didn't love All the Missing Girls and I'm feeling the same about The Perfect Stranger. There's something breathless and overly suggestive about the way the plots unfold. Her protagonists are caught in a dark atmospheric dreamlike headspace that makes me feel a bit claustrophobic. That said, The Perfect Stranger didn't feel like a complete disaster because it was a decent story with a few clever twists, especially toward the end. Leah moves to a small town in Pennsylvania. She is lured there by her old friend Emmy, who convinces her that moving away will help both of them escape from bad situations in Boston. Then Emmy disappears. Then it's not really clear who Emmy is or if she even exists. Miranda does a good job of creating uncertainty -- always shifting the ground for her readers. But I just wish she did it in a bit more of a calm dead pan manner -- it would be more effective and feel less manipulative. That's my view. She may just not be my cup of tea. Read other reviews. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
-
Perfect Stranger was a bit difficult for me to rate. I, like many others loved Megan Miranda's debut novel All The Missing Girls. So, naturally I was very excited to read her second novel.
My first thoughts on rating this were.... if I would have read The Perfect Stranger first and not ALMG would I have given it a higher rating? I'm trying my ultimate hardest to not compare this one to her debut since the stories/books are completely different. But, I do have to say I have a bit of an expectation for author's when they're debut novel is an extreme hit.
So, overall I gave this a 3. I have to say I was definitely engaged in the storyline and was questioning each and every character in this book.
Leah Stevens moves to a small town in Pennsylvania from her former life as a crime reporter. Leah starts a new career as a high school teacher hoping to leave her nightmare of a past behind. Leah goes to a local bar one evening and runs into an old friend Emmy. Emmy and Leah end up hitting it off and rent a house together becoming close friends.
One night Emmy goes missing after work and 2 dead bodies turn up alongside the missing "Emmy".
But, of course nothing seems to lead to an Emmy every existing?
Hmm..I was intrigued trying to figure out who this mysterious Emmy was and how this all connected back to Leah? I will be honest that I was getting a little bored towards the end since I was hoping for another twist.
This story had potential to be VERY VERY good, but Megan Miranda didn't take the story in that direction at all. It was more of "comfortable" story and route if that makes sense? I was hoping for crazy and jaw dropping... I was a little disappointed at the end of not living up to the hype and explanation to the story. -
fulfilling my 2019 goal to read (at least) one book each month that has been digitally moldering, unread, on my NOOK for years and years and years.
this book was very okay.
a few years back, i read this author’s backwardsy mystery novel,
All the Missing Girls, which i thought was great fun and a rare instance of an author writing a gimmicky book that had more to offer beyond the gimmick itself. shortly after that,
The Perfect Stranger turned up as one of those NOOK-sale dealies, so i figuratively snatched it up and there it sat, as so many of my impulsive NOOK purchases tend to do.
and now that i’ve finally read it, i feel like it could have stayed forgotten on there for a couple more years and i would have been okay with it.
it’s a bit of a backslide for her—a perfectly ordinary piece of psych suspense that reads like a debut: tentative and predictable and full of unlikely human behaviors. it’s frustrating because, while
All the Missing Girls had some gaps n flaws, they could be overlooked because the momentum was so strong and the reverse-order novelty was truly well-done, making for a gripping page-turner. here, it’s so difficult to buy what she’s selling in the ‘character motivation’ department, it was hard to not keep clicking back through the digital pages looking for some kinda traumatic brain injury i’d overlooked or something to explain all of the ‘whys’ and ‘but waits.’
she does a good job intensifying the suspense, and there was one turn in particular that gave me those reader-shivers you want out of a psychological thriller, but there was too much that just didn’t wash, it was too reliant upon coincidence and silly red herrings, too many implausibilities, and a desultory romantic subplot that did ze-ro for the story.
it’s disappointing compared to
All the Missing Girls, but if you are looking for a light diversion on vacation or a quick escapist snack when life is too demanding for challenging littrature, it’ll do you just fine, provided you can suspend your disbelief and just sink into it. i could medium do that, so it’s a three for me.
come to my blog! -
I absolutely loved Megan Miranda's book All The Missing Girls. That book was fast-paced and sucked me in from page one.
I was really excited to read her follow up The Perfect Stranger. It seemed like a great premise. A woman Leah, reports her roommate Emmy missing but as the investigation continues it seems likely Emmy never even existed.
That should have been a great thriller but instead The Perfect Stranger was boring, convoluted, and slow-paced. Nothing happened in this book and I thought the main character Leah was one dimensional. I'm still not sure I understand exactly what happened in this book.
I don't recommend The Perfect Stranger. Read All The Missing Girls instead. -
Copy furnished by Net Galley for the price of a review.
Words have a power all their own, whether written or spoken. Leah Stevens, tainted journalist, is well aware of this. She is also a true believer in the end justifying the means. That really didn't work out so well for her, so she picks up stakes and plans to start all over in a fresh place. Shortly thereafter, Leah's roommate, Emma Grey, goes missing. It is almost as though she never existed.
A pocket watch, a garden gnome, a window peeper. Someone else with your face, your clothes . . . who is wearing the mask? -
Having never read any books by the popular author Megan Miranda previously or the highly successful "All The Missing Girls" I was looking forward to trying out this author by reading her latest offering "The Perfect Stranger".
Leah is a determined journalist who always strives for the truth. When something goes wrong with an article she writes - having got a little too close to the possible truth in a series of suicides - she ends up leaving Boston under a cloud. Moving to western Pennsylvania with her old friend Emmy to work as a teacher, she makes what she believes is a fresh start in an idyllic town, leaving her past behind. However, after not seeing Emmy for five days, Leah becomes concerned for her safety after an attack on another young girl occurs. Leah is helped by a handsome detective to help find out where Emmy is and after realising she really knows nothing about her and that all the documents relating to the move and the house are all in her own name she begins to suspect if Emmy actually existed at all.
I wasn't blown away by the plot in the story but that could just be me, it was a decent enough read that I wanted to see through to the end and for a lazy afternoon reading this fits the bill perfectly. I did doubt the fact slightly that Leah knew so little about Emmy, it's common practice that you learn things about someone the more you spend time with them and she had lived with her twice.
I'm happy I've read "The Perfect Stranger" and I would read more by this author, I am planning on hopefully reading "All The Missing Girls" someday and I would happily recommend this book to readers with the caution that if you have read her previous books this may not quite be up to the standards you are expecting.
3 stars -
This was my belief. That the truth rises to the surface like air bubbles in boiling water. That it rushes upward like a force of nature, exploding in a gasp of air when it reaches the surface, as it was always intended to do.
All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda was my absolute number one favorite book of 2016, so while I don't want to compare her follow up to it, it's difficult not to.
Miranda's writing is as effortless as it is cinematic - I can see her scenes played out on the big screen as if it was made for it. I believe she will be able to transfer her books seamlessly to film, and I can almost guarantee her thrillers will be picked up for movies as well.
However, for me, The Perfect Stranger had too many players, and the various subplots didn't come together as neatly as I would have liked. The ending is what really did me in. While I feel like I don't really require my thriller's conclusions to be tied neatly with a bow, this one left me wanting. Wanting more details, wanting more whys. Maybe I needed it all to be spelled out a bit more - I never saw a climax at the conclusion, it just sort of fell off.
All in all, a very strong story that didn't come together for me in the end.
3.5 stars. I'll still read everything Megan Miranda writes forever and ever.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. -
Frustrating start, but the ending saved this for me...
Coming off the heels of
All the Missing Girls that I really enjoyed, Megan Miranda was quickly added to my authors to remember list, and getting my hands on her latest novel was an easy decision. Unfortunately I had a much different experience this time around.
The premise was good and the main story line did hold my interest, but I had a love/hate relationship with the trace amount of breadcrumbs that were thrown out sporadically. While I did enjoy the build up and play on the intensity, I also found myself becoming increasingly frustrated when these crumbs didn't satisfy. At times I had to stop, reread, or just replay things in my mind to keep things straight and avoid confusion. I'm all for throwing the reader off track, but these weren't diversions.
I also had a hard time getting invested early on. I wasn't connecting with Leah, the main character, and while there was a lot being said, there wasn't a lot coming together. The pace seemed to drag until just after the half-way mark for me when there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
On the bright side: The ending made me happy that this didn't end up becoming a DNF. Once the reader was allowed to know more of what those breadcrumbs were all about, there really was a solid mystery here with a nice surprise twist that I didn't see coming. I just wish the whole book had been as satisfying.
I'd still recommend this for all mystery lovers, as the issues I had might not be yours.
ARC provided by NetGalley -
4★
“Truth and story—doesn’t matter which comes first as long as you get where you need to be at the end. As long as you end at the truth, all’s fair.”
That’s how Leah Stevens lived, and that’s why she had to leave town in a hurry. She knew the truth, directed attention to it, and it had fatal consequences that affected an old friend. She found support in the shape of Emmy Grey, her roommate after college whom she hadn’t seen for eight years. Emmy is a bit of a loose cannon, to say the least.
Leah tells us her story, sharing a bit about her family, a bit about her career, and gradually more about why she had to leave.
When she and Emmy parted company in the past, Emmy had said she was going overseas with the Peace Corps. Fancy running into her in a pub just when Leah was looking for a way to leave town. It was not unlike how she met Emmy the first time, when she was looking for a flat to move into after college. Emmy was fun, impulsive. Emmy drank a lot of vodka (with Leah). Emmy had peculiar values. Leah quotes Emmy.
“'All relationships fall into three categories. Three. That’s it.' She’d tipped her head to the side, her hair spilled out around her, to check if I was listening, whether I was awake. I liked moments like this, staying silent and letting her spin a tale. She’d looked back to the ceiling. 'Okay, here’s the hypothetical. Take anyone you know. Anyone. Let’s say you know they’ve killed someone. They call you and they confess. Do you either, A, call the police.' She held up her thumb. 'B, do nothing.' Her pointer finger. 'Or C, help them bury the body.' Her third finger went up, and she held them over her face, waiting.”
The girls move from Boston to Pennsylvania, where Leah has lined up a high school teaching job and hopes to start a new life. It’s certainly not Boston.
“Just yesterday one of the other teachers said there was a bear in his yard. Just that: a bear in his yard. Like it was a thing one might or might not notice in passing. Graffiti on the overpass, a burnt-out streetlight. Just a bear.”
The teachers are nice, the kids are pretty much normally troublesome, and life is ticking along until a young woman is found badly injured and unconscious by the lake. This young woman looks surprisingly like Leah. Could she have been mistaken for Leah? Was Leah really the target, and if so, why?
Meanwhile, Leah has had some strange phone calls and emails. She suspects the school coach, and he’s locked up for a while, which quiets things down. When he’s released, it starts up again.
Kyle Donovan is the handsome young cop who investigates and gets a bit more embroiled with Leah than he intended. But he hasn’t met Emmy. Funny thing, that. Nobody’s seen Emmy for several days. In fact, Leah has trouble finding anyone who has EVER seen Emmy, and she has no idea how to prove she really does exist.
Talk about your three kinds of people! How do you classify people who just up and disappear? Is she going to turn up as another victim at the lake?
The author does a fine job of keeping up the suspense while getting on with the story, and she never falters. Leah and Emmy are believable characters (even as we wonder whether Emmy is a creation of Leah’s imagination), and Leah’s journalistic transgression is explained, to my great satisfaction.
It’s a well-told mystery with a wee bit of romance, which, although unnecessary, does serve to explain why Leah and Kyle might share some confidences they wouldn’t otherwise.
Leah is a lot braver than I would ever be, and Emmy is as clever as all get-out, as we used to say. It’s fun watching Leah use her journalistic skills to track every tiny lead.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the preview copy from which I’ve quoted (at my peril), so quotes may have changed. . . but I like to give a sense of the author’s style. -
I love that the main character Leah Stevens is a teacher (as I am) at least in her secondary career. I really like the premise of the book (a girl tries to erase her existence). The pace was good and I was constantly guessing throughout about who was "real" and who was "invented". I went back and forth about who it was throughout the whole ride. I found myself a bit "confused" and not sure if Leah's mind was playing tricks or if it was the roommate or the boyfriend or the student, and on and on.
The author kept me "wanting to know" and I was eager to learn what was going on! I was constantly trying to "solve" this mystery. How many ways could it go? Well, I could think of more than a few and this kept me reading "just one more chapter."
At times the twists made me a little "crazy" , and the end was ..... well you'll have to read it! I enjoyed this suspense ride and I definitely want to read more from this author!
My Arc was provided through Netgalley in return for my honest review. -
Find all of my reviews at:
http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
I read this book over the summer and failed to review it. I now remember nothing about it. I even made 21 highlights to serve as reminders to myself . . . . . but nada. I’m telling you folks . . . .
Don’t underestimate the failures of the Old Lady Brain. I’m giving it three stars because I do remember I didn’t hate it and I know I read it in a day. After perusing my friends’ reviews, this appears to have been a mixed bag for them as well with most falling on the fair to middling end of the ratings spectrum. My advice? Pick up
All The Missing Girls. I still remember that one two years later and that’s obviously a marvel of modern science. It’s also told in reverse, which is sooooo hard to do and soooooo good when it’s done right. -
Omg,This story is so twisty and fiendishly plotted,it really genuinely messes with your head.When I finished reading it I was totally blown away and confused.
Failed Journalist Leah Steven's life has hit rock bottom when she runs into her old friend Emmy Grey in a bar in Boston.Emmy has just broken up with her boyfriend and because both women want to get away from Boston suggests that she and Leah move to rural Pennsilvania and start their lives anew.All is going well until a woman who bears a uncanny resemblance to Leah is assaulted and left for dead and Emmy disappears days later.Leah is determined to find Emmy but as she and Detective Kyle Donovan begin to look into Emmys background Leah begins to wonder if she really knew Emmy at all.When the police can find no trace of any family,friends or a digital footprint they begin to suspect that there is no Emmy Grey.To discover the truth Leah must revist her past,confront her own demons and find out who if anyone she can trust.The only problem is how can you uncover the truth when you are busy hiding your own.
This twisty take is voiced by Leah in the first person,she is a very complex character who I had my doubts about all the way through the book.She is obviously very clever especially when it came down to getting people to talk to her but she also could become a bit obsessive and jumped to conclusions a lot without thinking about the consequences of her actions until afterwards.Kyle the cop seems to blow hot and cold a lot both about his relashionship with Leah and wether he trusted her or not and I often wondered throughout the book if she was wrong putting so much trust in him.Throughout the story Leah explains the reasons why her life was falling apart and also how she and Emmy met and ended up living together eight years before.You only get to know Emmy through Leah and too be honest I don't think Emmy was a real person.I think that she was either all in Leah`s head and Leah was bending the facts to make it look like Emmy really a real live person or that Leah had a split personality.All the characters throughout the book seemed like they were hiding something and were all well thought out and realistic.Any one of a number of characters could have been Leah`s stalker and even when they arrested a person towards the end of the book I was still not 100% certain that they had arrested the right person.
It's a twisty,complex story and I admit I was totally confused when I got to the end.It's the sign of a good story when you are still blown away by it an hour after you have finished the book.I really enjoyed reading All The Missing girls earlier this year and I can honestly say I enjoyed reading The Perfect Stranger just a much,maybe even more and I really look forward to reading more by Megan Miranda in the future.
Many thank to Simon Schuster for a arc of this book via netgalley in exchange for a honest review -
This was just meh for me. I didn't love the execution of the plot which is a problem and didn't connect with the characters which is also not good. I felt like Megan Miranda had these plot points that she thought would make a good book and then she struggled with how to get from one to the other. Disappointing since I have liked her other books. This was probably a 2.5 but like honestly it wasn't that bad so 3⭐
Leah is a journalist who leaves the city to move in with her friend Emmy in an isolated cabin in a very rural area where she will start a new life as a teacher. A woman is attacked who looks a lot like Leah. Emmy disappears. At first Leah is not worried (Emmy is the unreliable friend) but she soon becomes very worried and asks Kyle a local police officer to help her. Turns out Emmy has no record of existence and Leah has some past credibility issues so who is telling the truth? Did Emmy exist?
There is a lot going on in this town.. The students, the police, Emmy, the woman who got attacked, Leah, the other teachers, everyone is a suspicious character.
I spent a lot of time wondering what was going on and just didn't connect fully with the story, the characters or the plot. I can see what she maybe was thinking when she came up with the concept but in executing it, I thought it fell short, too many elements and there was just too many times when I thought, "why would she do that?"
It was suspenseful and it will probably appeal to some people but it was just good, nothing to get excited about so, unless you have nothing on your TBR, I would recommend you don't meet this stranger🤷🏼♀️ -
This is my second book by Megan Miranda and I’m really enjoying them!
I don’t really see them as thrillers, it’s more mystery/suspense in my opinion. Nevertheless they’re really entertaining!
The stories are interesting, her writing style is pleasant and she really pulls you into the story!
Summary:
Leah was a Boston journalist who is forced to quit her job after a dramatic turn of events.
After bumping into her roommate Emmy, they decide to move to Pennsylvania together.
When a woman is found being brutally beaten, Leah realizes Emmy is nowhere to be found either.
The journalist in her does whatever she can to find out what happened to Emmy, but.. who is Emmy really?
❥𝑸𝒖𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒔:
“𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒓, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒂 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆.”
"𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒚: 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒍𝒚, 𝒊𝒇 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒍𝒚; 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒓-𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒅𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒚𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔, 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒏 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝑰'𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒇𝒇 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒌, 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏, 𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒐 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒆."
“𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕. 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕”
“𝑨𝒎𝒂𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒈𝒐 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒔𝒐 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒉. 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒖𝒏𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆- 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒑𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒏𝒅.” -
I loved "All The Missing Girls" and was hoping that Megan Miranda's second book would be as good as her first and I am thrilled to say it was. Leah Steven is a journalist facing a restraining order and the threat of a lawsuit and due to this needs to get away from Boston. While having a drink in a bar she is surprised to see her friend from eight years ago, Emmy. Emmy has just left a bad relationship and is also looking for a fresh start and suggests that both girls relocate to Pennsylvania. Soon a woman who looks a lot like Leah is found dead, next, three days later Emmy disappears. Who is Emmy and why can't even the police find any background information on her, who is she really? And where does Leah fit in? This book has several plots and keeps you guessing as to what is happening, a very clever story where the layers are slowly peeled away till the climatic ending. Highly recommended. Thank you to Netgalley the author and publisher for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review
-
The author has given us something even better than her last book, more thrills and mysteries, and NOT written in reverse, thank you very much. The lead characters of Leah and Emma, both hiding secrets from their pasts, are broken young women still learning how to make it in a world that can be cruel and suspicious. They run off from Boston to small-town Pennsylvania to try to start over -- Leah, a former journalist now turned school teacher, and Emma... well, we don't know much about Emma and neither does Leah, only what Emma wants her to believe. Around the time that a young woman gets attacked in this new locale, Emma and her boyfriend both disappear; and Leah and the police try to piece things together with very little to go on. So little, in fact, that one wonders if Emma is real or just a creation of Leah's troubled psyche.
With stalkers lurking in the woods, a dead body, noises beneath the house, and the intelligent musing about it all by Leah, I was easily pulled into the suspense. I did feel always one step ahead of the action towards the end, but maybe that was intentional as Leah and I together figured out just how things were. It usually bothers me when I can halfway solve the mysteries, but here, not at all.
An entertaining read for which I thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster. -
When Leah runs into Emmy, an old friend she hasn't seen in years, it seems perfect timing. Having had to quit her job as a journalist in Boston and with a restraining order and the threat of a lawsuit hanging over her, she is grateful for Emmy's invitation to move to rural Pennsylvania with her. But starting anew as a high school teacher isn't that easy in a town that seems full of people looking for a fresh start.
Megan Miranda did a great job of creating a host of characters that all seemed to be untrustworthy. When Emmy goes missing, Leah has difficulties convincing people that Emmy actually existed at all.
The Perfect Stranger was a decent enough mystery. Maybe I had set my expectations too high because I was mesmerized by Megan Miranda's suspenseful and uniquely told
All the Missing Girls last year. The Perfect Stranger dragged a bit in parts. There was a lot going on, plenty of threads to keep straight, but nothing much seemed to be happening and there was no real depth to it. Not sure that makes a lot of sense, but that's how I felt. I also never really warmed up to Leah, and as the entire story was from her perspective, it made it more difficult to become really involved. I was expecting something more from the ending as well. It was anticlimactic.
Overall, this was alright, and I would certainly read more books written by Megan Miranda, but this one just felt a bit too safe.
I received an ARC via NetGalley. -
I LOVED this.
Look I was a huge fan of All the Missing Girls, a story told backwards, so I was slightly concerned that Megan Miranda could not pull off that level of intelligent psychological thriller for a second time. But she did. The Perfect Stranger is the perfect mix of tension and intrigue, beautifully done, unpredictable and with another terrifically well drawn main protagonist.
Leah Stevens has moved away from Boston, leaving a scandal behind her and embracing a new career in teaching, living with her friend Emmy and building a new life. Then Emmy disappears. And it is like she never existed in the first place....
There is a certain beauty to a twisted personality especially when it is created by someone who uses the written word as a true art form and for me Megan Miranda is one of those writers. Simplicity with huge depth is hard to pull off, especially when you need to keep the reader intrigued and on board with where you are taking them. I was pulled along through Leah's experiences, I questioned her motivations, here is the very definition of an unreliable narrator done in a way that works on many levels. The twists and turns when they come are beautifully placed and true to the heart of the book, no gimmick here and so the pay off is perfect.
Descriptively you can live the setting, it is tense and atmospheric, this place that Leah finds herself in and the plotting is taut and realistic with a strong emotional edge. A proper page turner with a lilting darkness to the feel of it, clever and fascinating storytelling.
Overall I'm a huge fan. Of this one, of the one that came before it. Megan Miranda goes firmly onto my "must read" list. No brainer.
Highly Recommended. -
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Leah Stevens was once a reporter for a Boston newspaper. That all changed when a story she wrote ended her career. Hoping for a fresh new start, she moves with her old college room mate Emmy to a quiet town in western Pennsylvania. Leah becomes an English teacher at a high school and everything is calm in her world. Or so she thinks. It is only when someone begins to stalk and harass her along with discovering a dead woman that looks just like her at a crime scene that her world slowly begins to unravel around her. Can she trust the people in the town around her to help her solve the mystery of who is stalking her and find her room mate? Or will she have to save herself? Read on and find out for yourself.
This was a pretty good read and my first ever Megan Miranda book. I had never heard of this author before until Nicole Hines at Simon and Schuster asked me to read and review this book for goodreads along with another book for consideration as a future Reading for Pleasure Book Club Fiction group read nomination. I will definitely be nominating this for the book club in the future. It was very suspenseful. I could not put this book down. It sent me on a rollercoaster of twists and turns until I got to the very end. I enjoyed this psychological thriller. Fans of thriller novels will enjoy this book by Megan Miranda. I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future. If you like thrillers, check this book out at your local library and wherever books are sold in stores and online. -
I admit that I really liked
All the Missing Girls and was afraid this book just wouldn't live up to expectations. Well, I was wrong! For some reason this author has readers who either really like her or who really don't: I fall into the first category.
First let me say, however, that the one thing that drove me batty was the overwhelming number of times the protagonist talked about the window through which the stalker could watch her at night. Here's a clue: CURTAINS! Damn, get a sheet girlfriend!! Now......
Aside from from her inability to shop for window coverings, Leah Stevens is bright, overly committed journalist who went too far in her attempt to get a story. Needing to get out of town quick she runs into an old friend and off they go together. Of course, this is a thriller so it's not that easy. A dead body shows up that looks like Leah and her old friend disappears without a trace. If you think that is the story....it's not even a fraction of what is truly going on here!
There is terrific writing, lots of suspense, drama, good characters... It was a true page turner for me! I hope you will like it too.
