You committed the perfect crime. But someone knows the truth.
You followed the trial obsessively.
You know he’s guilty and can’t believe he got away with it.
But someone is determined to see justice done.
Rain Winter left journalism behind to focus on her baby daughter. But when a man acquitted for murder is killed, in the same way as his suspected victims, Rain sees a pattern emerging between a series of cold cases.
Meticulous and untraceable, this killer strikes in the dead of night, making sure that the guilty are suitably punished for their crimes.
As Rain’s investigation deepens, she must face up to dark secrets in her own past and the realisation that the killer may be closer than she thinks…
From bestselling author Lisa Unger comes a dark and addictive psychological suspense which will keep you breathless until the last page.
What did I think?
Although this is my first Lisa Unger book, I do have a few of her books in my vast collection but it is the curse of bookworms to have more books than time for reading them. I loved the sound of The Stranger Inside: a vigilante killer dealing out their own justice and a main character filled with secrets of her own. I also have to say that 'The Stranger Inside' is the perfect title for this book but you'll only see how very clever it is when you read it.
Rain Winter (what a brilliant name) is currently a full time mom to baby Lily and a former journalist. With such a naturally inquisitive nature, can you ever be a former journalist? Once a journalist, always a journalist as Rain is drawn back into a case that she followed before she left to have Lily. Seeing similarities to other cold cases she is compelled to investigate, which not only puts herself and her family in dangerous situations but also digs into her painful past.
The Stranger Inside is a lot more character driven than I expected, focusing on the multi-layered facets of Rain's personality. Now this may seem odd, but I didn't really warm to Rain's character at all but there is a very good reason for this and it had me thinking about how we interact with other people in our day to day lives. We are all multi-faceted by nature; I'm not talking split personality but rather the aspects of our personality that we choose to show various people at different times. Before you call the men in white coats to come pick me up, just think about it in simpler terms: aren't we are all different at work than we are at home? We choose to show our colleagues only a small part of ourselves, while our family get to see us warts and all.
Rain is carrying such a lot of guilt around with her over something that happened to her as a child. It's so very thought-provoking to see how events, both good and bad, in our childhood can shape us for the rest of our lives. It also made me think how hard we are on ourselves with Rain blaming herself for something that she had no control over. You can never truly move on until you forgive yourself. I also felt that this made Rain a little detached from her family, almost as if she couldn't give herself to them completely while she didn't feel whole. I did smirk at the modern age of Rain watching her husband and child through a camera app on her phone rather than being physically present with them. Although it may be evidence of what I saw as detachment, she really couldn't help it as she was compelled to investigate this story.
It's amazes me how much I got out of this book, which just shows the talent of Lisa Unger. Although I found myself more gripped by the psyche than the story, that's not a criticism by any means as I absolutely love that. Fiction is excellent for escapism but every once in a while a book makes me stop and think and that's exactly what The Stranger Inside did for me.
Very very dark and very very thought-provoking, The Stranger Inside is definitely a book that stays with you long after you've turned the final page. A very enjoyable read and one that had me considering how well we really know ourselves and whether or not we all have a stranger inside.
It's amazes me how much I got out of this book, which just shows the talent of Lisa Unger. Although I found myself more gripped by the psyche than the story, that's not a criticism by any means as I absolutely love that. Fiction is excellent for escapism but every once in a while a book makes me stop and think and that's exactly what The Stranger Inside did for me.
Very very dark and very very thought-provoking, The Stranger Inside is definitely a book that stays with you long after you've turned the final page. A very enjoyable read and one that had me considering how well we really know ourselves and whether or not we all have a stranger inside.
I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
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