Strangers We Know Review

Author: Elle Marr

Genre: Suspense Thriller

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Release Date: May 1, 2023

Order Link: Amazon

Special thanks to the publisher for an arc this book.

The search for a serial killer leads a woman into the twisted tangle of her own family tree in a chilling novel by the #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Missing Sister and Lies We Bury.

Review:

Strangers We Know is an intense suspense thriller that tackles the highly debatable subject of nature vs. nurture.  Protagonist Ivy Hon, who was adopted when she was a few days old, opens Pandora's Box when an undiagnosed illness convinces her to venture into the vast world of DNA analysis seeking answers to her heritage.  What she eventually discovers leaves her reeling and overwhelmed with questions about everything she's ever known or been told.  Ivy's quest for answers carries her on a journey that includes uncovering dark family secrets and unsavory characters, maneuvering through a religious cult and snooping out a serial killer know as the Full Moon Killer who apparently shares her blood.  Left to wonder if her deceased adoptive parents influence on her life overshadows the blood cursing through her veins, Ivy's search for answers as an armchair detective just may get her killed.

Ivy Hon's DNA testing results connects her to a cousin in Rock Island, Washington, and it's there she travels hoping for information about her family health history that might assist doctors in diagnosing her debilitating headaches and aches and pains.  As she reconnects with biological family members, an array of strange, suspicious characters are introduced that are a bit unnerving, but it's the information she receives from the FBI that chills her blood.  The story unfolds through alternating chapters narrated by Ivy in the present and her birth mother Tatum in the late '80's during the time she gave Ivy up for adoption.  Readers also get snippets in the creepy voice of Samson who remains anonymous until the shocking reveal.

Elle Marr does an outstanding job providing readers with several red herrings in the search for a serial killer.  Characters are well developed - some likable, some despicable but all believable.  Ivy earns readers' empathy as her search for answers rattles some skeletons some would prefer stay buried.  And ominous undertone drives the increasing pace through several plot twists that may seem confusing at first, but the author manipulates the characters through family drama and shocking reveals weaving it all together in the end. 

Strangers We Know is a well written, intense suspense thriller that raises questions about nature vs. nurture.  Do the values learned from one's daily environment during a person's formative years overshadow any that may be lurking in the blood?  While I don't believe there's a definitive answer, Marr does an excellent job exploring the subject in this story about one's woman's journey.  Fans of mystery, suspense and thrillers will enjoy this one.

Synopsis:

Adopted when she was only days old, Ivy Hon knows little about her lineage. But when she’s stricken with a mystery illness, the results of a genetic test to identify the cause attract the FBI. According to Ivy’s DNA, she’s related to the Full Moon Killer, who has terrorized the Pacific Northwest for decades. Ivy is the FBI’s hope to stop the enigmatic predator from killing again.

When an online search connects Ivy with her younger cousin, she heads to rural Rock Island, Washington, to meet the woman. Motivated by a secret desire to unmask a murderous relative, Ivy reaches out to what’s left of a family of strangers.

Discovering her mother’s tragic fate and her father’s disappearance is just the beginning. As Ivy ventures into a serial killer’s home territory, she realizes that she may be the next victim of poisonous blood ties.

Identity Review

Author: Nora Roberts

Genre: Romance Suspense

Publisher: St. Martins Press

Release Date: May 23, 2023

Order Link: Amazon

Special thanks to St. Martins Press for an arc.

A new thriller about one man's ice-cold malice, and one woman's fight to reclaim her life.

Review:

Nora Roberts never fails to deliver romance suspense novels that are highly engaging with just the right blend of romance and suspense.  Identity is another fantastic example of this author's highly entertaining story telling ability as she pens a standalone story incorporating the high tech crime of identity theft into an intriguing plot line that includes murder.

Former army brat Morgan Albright is living in a neighborhood near Baltimore, Maryland.  She works a day job as an office manager and a night shift as a bartender with dreams of one day owning her own bar.  Her roommate, Nina Ramos, is a great friend who encourages Morgan to put herself out there and meet someone.  The two decide to host a dinner party, and Morgan invites the new mysterious guy she's been chatting up at the bar.  Things are looking up until the day she comes home from work to find her cash, jewelry and car missing . . . and Nina, who had stayed home from work sick, dead.  Soon, Morgan's assets are depleted, and it's clear the thief has stolen her identity.  It's also clear that Nina wasn't the intended target - Morgan was.  And the killer doesn't intend to let her get away.  Morgan moves to Vermont and starts her life over, but just when she thinks the nightmare is behind her, the killer surfaces again with taunts and threats to come for Morgan.  The FBI are always one step behind him . . . can they catch him before he gets to Morgan?

Readers will learn very early on in the story who the con artist/murderer is, but it in no way diminishes the suspense in Identity.  The story centers around Morgan rebuilding her life in her old home with her mother and grandmother as she settles into a new romantic relationship with Miles Jameson.  Tension builds steadily, driven by the repeated threats from the murderer toward Morgan.  She, as well as readers, knows he'll come for her.  The anticipation of when, not if, he'll strike sets a dire tone of impending doom and an increasing pace as he draws closer.  Characters are brilliantly developed, believable with great debt and complexity.  

Roberts is a master at delivering well-written, highly entertaining stories that are hard to put down with strong, capable heroines and handsome, respectful heroes.  The inclusion of family in this story showcases Morgan connection to her roots even as she rebuilds her life and learns to trust herself and another man again.  Strong threads of family, friendship, love, loss, grief and resilience are strong and flawlessly woven throughout.  Fans of romance suspense will enjoy Identity as will readers of suspense thrillers.  Highly recommended.

 

Synopsis:

Former Army brat Morgan Albright has finally planted roots in a friendly neighborhood near Baltimore. Her friend and roommate Nina helps her make the mortgage payments, as does Morgan's job as a bartender. But after she and Nina host their first dinner party—attended by Luke, the flirtatious IT guy who'd been chatting her up at the bar—her carefully built world is shattered. The back door glass is broken, cash and jewelry are missing, her car is gone, and Nina lies dead on the floor.

Soon, a horrific truth emerges: It was Morgan who let the monster in. "Luke” is actually a cold-hearted con artist named Gavin who targets a particular type of woman, steals her assets and identity, and then commits his ultimate goal: murder.

What the FBI tells Morgan is beyond chilling. Nina wasn't his type. Morgan is. Nina was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. And Morgan's nightmare is just beginning. Soon she has no choice but to flee to her mother's home in Vermont. While she struggles to build something new, she meets another man, Miles Jameson. He isn't flashy or flirtatious, and his family business has deep roots in town. But Gavin is still out there hunting new victims, and he hasn't forgotten the one who got away.

The House on Prytania Tour & Review

Welcome to my stop on The House on Prytania book tour!  Special thanks to Berkley for an arc & tour invite.  Scroll below for my review, the book synopsis and a meet the author feature. 

A woman is haunted--both literally and figuratively--by ghosts of the past in this second novel of the Royal Street series by New York Times bestselling author Karen White.

Author:  Karen White

Series: Royal Street #2

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: May 9, 2023

Order Link: Amazon

Review:

Fans of the Tradd Street series will love the Royal Street series as fan favorite characters and their offspring often appear.  The House on Prytania is the second book in the Royal Street series.  Jack and and Melanie's oldest daughter Nola is featured as she returns to the city where she grew up.  While Nola isn't a psychic, she gets a certain vibe when ghosts are present and it's not long before she senses the spirits inhabiting her new home, Creole Cottage.  While most are friendly, Nola senses a malevolent spirit and needs to figure out what's preventing them from crossing over.  When a shocking revelation throws her and Beau (the brother of Sunny who's returned home) together, sparks fly but both are resolved to the fact that nothing can happen between them.  Nola throws herself into solving the mystery of the ghosts in her house, the childhood kidnapping of Sunny and what involvement, if any, her former beau Michael and his powerful family have in it all.  

Karen White has a delightful way of pulling readers right into the middle of her highly atmospheric settings.  You breathe in the ambiance - the sights, sounds and smells of an old city like New Orleans.  I felt like I was touring NOLA in The House on Prytania - the restaurants, streets, old cemeteries, and famous landmarks.  She has a gift for incorporating it all into a steady paced mystery that unfolds through well developed characters that you can't help but love.  A hint of romance, a touch of paranormal and a side dose of humor are added enticement to keep turning pages.  And while I can't say the big reveal was shocking to me, the story was highly readable and entertaining.  While this is a spin-off series of Tradd Street, you can start here without a bump in your reading due to the great job White does of weaving in needed backstory.  Having said that, I do advise reading book one, The Shop On Royal Street, only because it's a great story and introduction to the Royal Street series.

The House On Prytania is an intense, character driven story with all the elements of a great mystery.  The characters, both alive and dead, are intriguing, easy to find empathy for and make up the perfect support cast for Nola as she tackles home renovations, the mystery of the ghosts surrounding her and answers to the mystery of who kidnapped Sunny.  Fans of paranormal suspense will love this book and series.  I highly recommend it to them plus fans of mysteries and suspense thrillers.

Synopsis:

Nola Trenholm may not be psychic herself, but she's spent enough time around people who are to know when ghosts are present, and there are definitely a few lingering spirits in her recently purchased Creole cottage in New Orleans. Something, or someone, is keeping them tethered to this world. And not all of them are benign.

But with the sudden return of Sunny Ryan, Beau Ryan's long-lost sister, Nola has plenty to distract her from her ghostly housemates. Especially when the tempting--yet firmly unavailable--Beau, wanting to mete out justice to those he blames for Sunny's kidnapping, asks Nola for a favor that threatens to derail her hard-won recovery and send her hurtling backward. He asks her to welcome Michael Hebert back into her life, even though Michael is the reason for Nola's bruised heart. Beau is convinced that Michael's powerful family was behind Sunny's disappearance and that Michael is the key to getting information the police won't be able to ignore--if Nola is willing to risk everything for which she's worked so hard.

Torn between helping Beau and protecting herself, Nola doesn't realize until it's almost too late why the ghosts are haunting her house--a startling revelation that will throw her and Beau together to fight a common enemy. Assuming Nola can get Beau to listen to what the spirits are trying to tell him, because ignoring them could prove to be a fatal mistake...

Meet the Author:

With more than 1.8 million books in print in eight different languages, Karen White is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 23 novels, including the popular Charleston-set Tradd Street mystery series.

Raised in a house full of brothers, Karen’s love of books and strong female characters first began in the third grade when the local librarian issued her a library card and placed The Secret of the Old Clock, a Nancy Drew Mystery, in her hands.

Karen’s roots run deep in the South where many of her novels are set. Her intricate plot lines and compelling characters charm and captivate readers with just the right mix of family drama, mystery, intrigue and romance.

Not entirely convinced she wanted to be a writer, Karen first pursued a career in business and graduated cum laude with a BS in Management from Tulane University. Ten years later, in a weak moment, she wrote her first book. In the Shadow of the Moon was published in August, 2000. Her books—referred to as “grit lit” (Southern Women’s Fiction)—have since been nominated for numerous national contests including the SIBA (Southeastern Booksellers Alliance) Fiction Book of the Year.

Karen’s latest novel, Dreams of Falling, was published in June, 2018 by Berkley Publishing, a division of Penguin Random House Publishing Group.

When not writing, Karen spends her time reading, scrapbooking, playing piano, and avoiding cooking. Karen and her husband have two grown children and currently live near Atlanta, Georgia with two spoiled Havanese dogs.
- See more at: http://www.karen-white.com/bio.cfm#st... 

Website

http://www.karen-white.com

Twitter

KarenWhiteWrite