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A review by danapr
The Stranger Behind You by Carol Goodman
4.0
Joan, a journalist who was assaulted after exposing a well known editor for years of sexual abuse towards women moves into The Refuge for her safety and peace of mind. Lillian is her elderly neighbor who has lived there for many years, also needing protection in the past from mob criminals. And finally, Melissa moves into The Refuge with very ulterior motives and becomes more of a danger due to her blinded need for revenge. This story is definitely an “edge of your seat” thriller with many close encounters and near misses between Joan and Melissa. Woven into the thriller aspects, Lillian slowly reveals her life story to Joan which becomes a whole other intriguing tale. Everything merges at the end with some satisfying twists and surprises.
I enjoyed the book for the most part - I like fast paced thrillers but there are some problems for me. The idea that Joan would not seek medical attention after her attack seemed unrealistic. I think the author used Joan’s concussion to explain how she continued to display poor judgment and miss details that put her in more danger thus upping the intrigue and near misses. And Melissa’s character was also just too unrealistic for me - MAYBE she could be so blinded by wanting revenge but all her sneaky behavior that no one catches just seems too far-fetched. I did initially get bogged down with Lillian’s story and wondered about it’s significance but eventually got drawn in and really liked the way it merged with Joan and Melissa in a surprising way in the end so I increased my rating from 3 to 4 for this reason. I will definitely try this author again and have added her latest book to my TBR pile.
I enjoyed the book for the most part - I like fast paced thrillers but there are some problems for me. The idea that Joan would not seek medical attention after her attack seemed unrealistic. I think the author used Joan’s concussion to explain how she continued to display poor judgment and miss details that put her in more danger thus upping the intrigue and near misses. And Melissa’s character was also just too unrealistic for me - MAYBE she could be so blinded by wanting revenge but all her sneaky behavior that no one catches just seems too far-fetched. I did initially get bogged down with Lillian’s story and wondered about it’s significance but eventually got drawn in and really liked the way it merged with Joan and Melissa in a surprising way in the end so I increased my rating from 3 to 4 for this reason. I will definitely try this author again and have added her latest book to my TBR pile.