There's something reassuring about sliding into the hands of a seasoned professional like Unger. You know what you're getting: in this case another well-crafted psychological thriller in which the torments of the past return to wreak havoc in the present…There is something unexpectedly brilliant in The Stranger Inside, and it's not Rain's struggles with her past; it's her struggle with her present as a new mother…There are numerous books that tackle this subject head-on, but Unger's weaving of Rain's maternal, professional and even marital conflicts into the fabric of her thriller feels so natural and effortless that it's easy to imagine mothers cheering upon reading their experiences so perfectly depicted.
The New York Times Book Review - Ivy Pochoda
07/08/2019
A vigilante is killing people who may have gotten away with murder, most recently a man who was tried but acquitted of killing his pregnant wife, in this cleverly plotted if credulity-challenging psychological thriller from Edgar finalist Unger (Under My Skin ) set in a small New York State town. Another victim of the vigilante may have been Eugene Kreskey, who 22 years earlier had a fateful encounter with three 12-year-old friends in the woods: Tess Barker, Hank Reams, and Rain Winter. Tess was killed; Hank was kidnapped but eventually escaped; only Rain eluded Kreskey that day; Kreskey had been stalking her and later spent 10 years in a psychiatric facility. As adults, Hank and Rain have thrived: Happily married Rain is taking a break from her career as a crime reporter to stay home with baby Lily, while Hank has made a name for himself as a psychiatrist specializing in victims of trauma. Despite Rain ostensibly being a stay-at-home mom, the latest case gets her investigating again. Unger’s well-honed craft shows in her unmasking the avenger early on and using the reveal to ratchet up suspense. She also squirrels away several startling trump cards for later. Fans of serial killer novels won’t be disappointed. Agent: Amy Berkower, Writers House. (Sept.)
"Crime fiction like you've never seen before...There's something reassuring about sliding into the hands of a seasoned professional like Unger. You know what you're getting: in this case another well-crafted psychological thriller in which the torments of the past return to wreak havoc in the present...and characters with enough feints and flourishes to keep the pages turning themselves...brilliant." —New York Times Book Review "Unger writes smart, chilling thrillers, and The Stranger Inside bodes to be one of her best." —Boston Globe "Completely unexpected and riveting." —Associated Press "Riveting...first-rate crime fiction." —Tampa Bay Times "Superb...echoes of Dennis Lehane's Mystic River ." —Providence Journal "A supremely gripping and deeply considered thriller." —The Times & The Sunday Times "She draws us in by ratcheting up the suspense." —Florida Times-Union "Surviving a crime is the beginning of the story, not the end, in this astute, engrossing thriller." —Kirkus , starred review "A complex game of cat and mouse...Readers captivated by the works of B.A. Paris and Gillian Flynn will relish this psychological thriller." —Library Journal "Unger's latest thriller relentlessly uncovers a multitude of secrets, leading readers down a delicious path of fear, lies, and long-awaited justice, with an ending that will leave jaws dropping." —Booklist "Cleverly plotted...Unger's well-honed craft shows in her unmasking the avenger early on and using the reveal to ratchet up suspense. She also squirrels away several startling trump cards for later." —Publishers Weekly "A brilliant, chilling tale of justice, revenge and one woman's dark past." —BookPage "Loved it!! Frightening, utterly compelling but also sharply insightful, compassionate and with a dark, atmospheric heart. Highly recommended." —Gilly Macmillan, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Nanny "A darkly thrilling tale of survival and obsession. Lisa Unger never disappoints." —Riley Sager, bestselling author of Lock Every Door "It's not often that I'm stunned by the ending to a novel. But The Stranger Inside is rich with surprise from the very first page. It's a smart, taut thriller." —Chris Bohjalian, #1 bestselling author of The Flight Attendant and Midwives "Tense, atmospheric and addictive, The Stranger Inside is an utterly unforgettable tale of justice, revenge and good vs. evil. And with one of the most compelling antagonists I've read in a very long time, this book hits my top five books this summer. The Stranger Inside was, quite simply, phenomenal." —Christina McDonald, USA Today bestselling author of The Night Olivia Fell "An intense, often-hypnotic split narrative, Stranger Inside offers a compelling and compassionate view into minds both broken and re-formed by trauma." —Chatelaine Magazine "Unger is masterful at creating villains—I'll say no more—and for her heroines who are vulnerable but always strong." —CrimeReads "Unger blurs the lines of right and wrong in this riveting thriller." —BookBub "Like most of Lisa Unger's work, The Stranger Inside is can't-put-down-able." —PopSugar "Gripping edge-of-the-seat...riveting psychological suspense." —The Sunday Post "Thrilling read!" —Criminal Element "Unger is a sure bet for those seeking a nail-biting thriller with enough twists and turns to have you gasping for air by the time you finally reach the ending." —The Real Book Spy "I could rant and rave about so many facets of this story, but at the end of the day, what you most need to know is this: The Stranger Inside packs huge entertainment value and psychological heft into a suspense novel you'll fly through in just a couple sittings." —Crime By The Book "Unger delves deeper into the human psyche than she possibly ever has gone before — and that is saying something as she already is one of the best out there at depicting psychological terror and moral ambiguity in her characters." —BookReporter
04/01/2019
Having barely avoided abduction in her youth (friends Tessa and Hank weren't so fortunate), Rain Winter lives quietly as a stay-at-home mom. Her would-be abductor was murdered upon his release from prison, and now a man acquitted of killing his own wife has been dispatched as well, which draws Rain to investigate. With a 250,000-copy first printing; from the New York Times best-selling author of Under My Skin .
★ 2019-07-01 This complex psychological thriller digs deep into the layers of trauma that linger long after a terrible crime.
This is the 17th novel by Unger (Under My Skin , 2018, etc.), and it revisits one of her frequent themes: the indelible impact of violence on the survivors of crimes. The survivor at its center is Rain Winter, who at age 12 was one of three friends who became the victims of a monster. At first glance, Rain seems to have overcome that nightmare. She's happily married and reveling in motherhood, although she vacillates between the joy she finds in 1-year-old Lily and the tug of the job she left as a hard-charging radio news producer. That tug increases when she hears that a man whose murder trial she covered, a man who was acquitted of killing his pregnant wife, has been found dead—killed in just the same way his wife was. Rain was sure he was guilty, so she feels some dark satisfaction, and her investigative instincts (and maybe something else) are aroused when a dark web mole, tipster, and blogger tells her off the record that there have been other, very similar revenge murders, and they might be the work of the same person. That wakes her own worst memories: "There weren't many people who remembered Rain's ugly history. It was big news once, but it had faded in the bubbling morass of horrific crimes since then." Its aftermath included the children's attacker being released from prison—and murdered. Chapters describing Rain's pursuit of the story of a possible vengeful serial killer are intercut with chapters narrated by a mysterious person from her past, one who is closer to her in the present than she knows. Unger skillfully peels back the layers of Rain's emotional scar tissue to expose the truth of what happened in her childhood and the fear, rage, and guilt it left behind, with a series of shocking consequences.
Surviving a crime is the beginning of the story, not the end, in this astute, engrossing thriller.