The Stranger Behind You

by Carol Goodman

Overview

Two-time Mary Higgins Clark Award-Winning Author!

A chilling story set in a former Magdalen Laundry in Manhattan that explores today’s #MeToo complexities.

"In a twisting, mesmerizing story that is as beautifully written as it is utterly propulsive, Goodman keeps us breathlessly turning the pages right to the shocking and poignant end. I absolutely loved this layered and moving novel!” —Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author

You’re never really alone

Journalist Joan Lurie has written a seething article exposing a notorious newspaper tycoon as a sexual predator. But the night it goes live, she is brutally attacked. Traumatized and suffering the effects of a concussion, she moves into a highly secure apartment in Manhattan called the Refuge, which was at one time a Magdalen Laundry. Joan should be safe here, so how can she explain the cryptic incidents that are happening?

Lillian Day is Joan’s new 96-year-old neighbor at the Refuge. In 1941, Lillian witnessed a mysterious murder that sent her into hiding at the Magdalen Laundry, and she hasn’t come out since. As she relates to Joan her harrowing story, Joan sees striking similarities to her own past.

Melissa Osgood, newly widowed and revengeful, has burning questions about her husband’s recent death. When she discovers a suspicious paper trail that he left behind, she realizes how little she knew about her marriage. But it seems Joan Lurie might be the one who has the answers. 

As these three lives intersect, each woman must stay one step ahead of those who are desperate to make sure the truth is never uncovered.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063020665
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	07/06/2021
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	373,154
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Carol Goodman’s rich and prolific career includes novels such as The Widow’s House and The Night Visitor, winners of the 2018 and 2020 Mary Higgins Clark Award. Her books have been translated into sixteen languages. She lives in the Hudson Valley, NY.

Editorial Reviews

★ 05/17/2021

The same night that magazine journalist Joan Lurie, the narrator of this superior thriller from Mary Higgins Clark Award winner Goodman (The Sea of Lost Girls), celebrates the publication of her article exposing newspaper tycoon Caspar Osgood as a sexual predator, she’s attacked outside her Manhattan apartment. With a hefty advance for a book based on her story, Joan moves for her safety into the Refuge, an imposing, high-security building uptown, which once housed unwed mothers who were treated as near prisoners by the resident nuns. Osgood commits suicide in the wake of the exposé, leaving his wife, Melissa, in disgrace with insurmountable debt. Looking for revenge, Melissa moves into the Refuge, planning to discredit Joan’s story. Meanwhile, Joan befriends elderly Lillian Day, a longtime Refuge resident, whose tales of her youth resonate with Joan. Joan’s discovery of a link between her book and Lillian raises the stakes. The plot takes many terrifying twists and turns en route to the surprising climax. Those with a taste for the gothic will be richly rewarded. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"Carol Goodman’s The Stranger Behind You is at once a ripped-from-the-headlines thriller, a powerful meditation on the deep bonds and power of female friendship, and a colorful glimpse of New York City old and new. In a twisting, mesmerizing story that is as beautifully written as it is utterly propulsive, Goodman weaves a dream that blends the past and the present, takes us deep into the hearts and souls of her characters, and keeps us breathlessly turning the pages right to the shocking and poignant end. I absolutely loved this layered and moving novel!

Lisa Unger

Foreboding and moody...As you’re pulled deeper into its crumbling corridors and gothic history, you’ll never guess where its true threats lie.

Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

The Stranger Behind You is a captivating exploration of sexual harassment, friendship, ambition, and how women join together to overcome trauma. It is as classic as it is timely, as heartbreaking as it is suspenseful. Stunning. I couldn’t put it down.

Danielle Trussoni

You can always call upon Carol Goodman when you need an atmospheric and twisting tale. Full of half-truths and vengeful ghosts of the past, The Night Visitors will inspire readers to linger long into the night.

Lori Rader-Day

"Carol Goodman is a superb writer, and she explores family and small-town dynamics in a way that's both suspenseful and touchingly real. The Sea of Lost Girls features a fascinating cast of characters, intriguing setting — and enough shocking twists to leave you breathless. I loved it."

Alison Gaylin

An atmospheric and harrowing tale, richly literary in complexity but ripe with all the crazed undertones, confusions, and forebodings inherent in the gothic genre. Recommend this riveting, du Maurier–like novel to fans of Jennifer McMahon.

Booklist (starred review) on The Other Mother

An atmospheric and harrowing tale, richly literary in complexity but ripe with all the crazed undertones, confusions, and forebodings inherent in the gothic genre. Recommend this riveting, du Maurier–like novel to fans of Jennifer McMahon.

null Booklist (starred review) on The Other Mother

The Stranger Behind You is a captivating exploration of sexual harassment, friendship, ambition, and how women join together to overcome trauma. It is as classic as it is timely, as heartbreaking as it is suspenseful. Stunning. I couldn’t put it down.” — Danielle Trussoni, New York Times bestselling author of Angelology and The Ancestor

"Carol Goodman’s The Stranger Behind You is at once a ripped-from-the-headlines thriller, a powerful meditation on the deep bonds and power of female friendship, and a colorful glimpse of New York City old and new. In a twisting, mesmerizing story that is as beautifully written as it is utterly propulsive, Goodman weaves a dream that blends the past and the present, takes us deep into the hearts and souls of her characters, and keeps us breathlessly turning the pages right to the shocking and poignant end. I absolutely loved this layered and moving novel!” — Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of Confessions on the 7:45

“[A] superior thriller…The plot takes many terrifying twists and turns en route to the surprising climax. Those with a taste for the gothic will be richly rewarded.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A mesmerizing narrative that culminates in a poignant ending to a brilliant journey. Gothic? Note the phantom lye and bleach stench and wait for it! Make sure fans of Shari Lapena and Alison Gaylin get their hands on this one.” — Booklist

"Carol Goodman is a superb writer, and she explores family and small-town dynamics in a way that's both suspenseful and touchingly real. The Sea of Lost Girls features a fascinating cast of characters, intriguing setting — and enough shocking twists to leave you breathless. I loved it." — Alison Gaylin, Edgar Award-winning author of Never Look Back, on The Sea of Lost Girls

“You can always call upon Carol Goodman when you need an atmospheric and twisting tale. Full of half-truths and vengeful ghosts of the past, The Night Visitors will inspire readers to linger long into the night.” — Lori Rader-Day, Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author of Under a Dark Sky, on The Night Visitors  

“Blends a perfect gothic premise...with modern mysterious twists....I couldn’t put it down but I didn’t want it to end.” — Wendy Webb, bestselling author on The Night Visitors

“Foreboding and moody...As you’re pulled deeper into its crumbling corridors and gothic history, you’ll never guess where its true threats lie.” — Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, New York Times-bestselling author of Bittersweet and June, on The Widow's House

From the Publisher

A mesmerizing narrative that culminates in a poignant ending to a brilliant journey. Gothic? Note the phantom lye and bleach stench and wait for it! Make sure fans of Shari Lapena and Alison Gaylin get their hands on this one.

Booklist

Blends a perfect gothic premise...with modern mysterious twists....I couldn’t put it down but I didn’t want it to end.

Wendy Webb

A mesmerizing narrative that culminates in a poignant ending to a brilliant journey. Gothic? Note the phantom lye and bleach stench and wait for it! Make sure fans of Shari Lapena and Alison Gaylin get their hands on this one.

Booklist