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.