Rain Winter escaped being kidnapped when she was 12, but her two friends did not. One died and the other never recovered. Rain is happy now, she has a loving husband, a beautiful baby, living the suburban life. She used to be a reporter, however, and when a brutal murder takes place, her reporter's instincts begin to take her into dark and dangerous memories. Endangering her child and herself, Rain decides to remember exactly what happened all those years ago. Unger writes some of the best psychological thrillers; this one will get you reading long into the night.

Lara and her two best friends, Tess and Hank, were taken by an evil stranger when they were 12. Lara got away and hid in a tree stump, Tess and Hank were not as lucky. Hank was held prisoner before he escaped and Tess never made it home. Now Lara goes by Rain and she is married with a daughter. She is an investigative reporter. Murders have been happening to killers that escape justice. Rain is drawn back in to tell her story. Hank is now a psychiatrist helping children of trauma. As the detectives try and figure out who is murdering the criminals, they revisit Rain and Hank's case. This is a great story of revenge and evil vs. good. It had so many twists and turns it kept me reading way past my bedtime! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Twelve year old Rain and Tess are inseparable. As they take a forbidden shortcut through the woods one fateful afternoon, their young lives are shattered. Years later with a child of her own and a husband she adores, Rain is unable to come to grips with her past, risking everything for justice.

Very highly recommended!

The Stranger Inside is a mesmerizing read. Three kids were assaulted in the woods. One didn't make it. The other two survived, but both were profoundly damaged by the events. Rain is a new mom who yearns to jump back into her career as a reporter. Hank is an esteemed professional, who battles his demons daily. As the story unfolds, readers receive bits and pieces of that horrific day. The author reveals the mind of a killer, but is the character really a villain or a vindicator? There are a few surprises within the story that deliver tingling twists.

“The Stranger Inside” by Lisa Unger
This was the first book by Lisa Unger that I have had the pleasure of reading and I know I will now go looking for more. The story intrigued me from the first page and I couldn’t put it down. The characters were damaged and flawed and I was drawn into their lives hoping they would find their way after a horrific experience as children. I was not disappointed. A great read!

"Justice is not for this plane. Punishment, yes. Consequences, yes."

Three 12-year-olds go into the woods. Only one comes out. And she will never be the same. 

Rain, Tess, and Hank were best friends. Cutting through the woods was what they did. Until the day they weren't alone and lives would be forever changed.

The points of view were alternated. And I thought they all had valid viewpoints. Remember Dexter? We watched as Rain lived her seemingly normal life. Having put her past trauma in a box with no key. But when another man is killed after being acquitted of his wife's' murder, alarm bells go off. Is there someone out there delivering a bit of karmic justice?

Finding the truth will put her in more danger, which she knows, but she can' t stop. She has to know. And when the memories come back will she be able to handle it?

This was the best kind of thriller. You know just enough to think you have it and then Wham, you know nothing! And it made me think for a long time. What is justice? What is Karma? Do some people simply not deserve to live?

Well Done Ms. Unger, as usual!

NetGalley/ September 17th, 2019 by Park Row

This book is the haunting story of a girl who escaped being abducted, but her friends, Tess and Hank, were not so fortunate. Rain Winter ran from her abductor and hid, terrified that he will find her. Flash forward to the present and Rain is a stay-at-home mom of an infant daughter, having given up her journalism career. The abductor was captured and put in prison, but once released, he is brutally murdered. Then another criminal is murdered and Rain is drawn to what she knows, investigating. This book is thought-provoking, making the reader think about what real justice looks like. It is a tense read with a lot of suspense. I did think that it should have been shorter because there was a lot of repetition; for example, the abduction was described over and over again, as was Rain’s torment about being left behind while her best friend Tess was killed. The time goes back and forth from the past when the abduction occurred to the present day with Rain and her family. There are a lot of characters, so at times it was difficult to keep track of them. All in all, the book was a good mystery-thriller and I would recommend it to those who enjoy that genre. The ending was an absolute surprise and was the best part of the book!

The Stranger Inside by Lisa Unger
Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read The Stranger Inside by Lisa Unger. I have read every one of Ms. Unger's books and every time I am blown away by her writing, her characters & her story...this book was no exception. We meet some damaged people, due to a horrible incident in their childhood & the questions this book raises are ... many. What would you do if you ad the chance to avenge your friends murder? how do you right the wrongs in society & the justice system when a killer is set free? How do you cope on a day to day, how do you quiet the monster in your head? This story doesn't give you any answers but it does make you think...I loved it!
#TheStrangerInside #NetGalley

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.

Beautifully written, absorbingly atmospheric, with vividly drawn characters that drew me right in. There are so many deeply thought out themes, particularly centering around justice: what is justice, and how far would some people go to get it? Where is the line between right and wrong? And do the ‘bad’ guys really deserve what comes to them?

The story centers around Rain’s tragic past. She narrowly avoided being kidnapped when she was 12. Her two friends weren’t so lucky, though. Tess was killed and Hank came back a different person altogether. Fast forward to now. Rain is living a peaceful, domestic life as a stay at home mom. But when another brutal murderer who escaped justice is found dead, Rain is unexpectedly drawn into the case.

I was pretty stunned by the ending, and that’s a tough feat this days. Lisa Unger’s writing is consistently outstanding, her characters vividly alive, and the plot tense and suspenseful. This is why Lisa is still the Queen of Suspense. I highly recommend this book for any thriller or domestic suspense fans out there.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Three young friends, two abducted, one died. Years later there's a series of disconnected murders of people who have "escaped" punishment and no real suspects. The two survivors have created lives that are reasonably normal: Rain is now a stay-at-home mom, former journalist and researcher, while Hank is a psychologist who works with people who have experienced trauma. And yet readers of this genre will know that their "normal" lives are anything but, and the real question is in what way. There is one twist I didn't see coming, others that weren't a surprise. This would make a great beach read/rainy day scare.

eARC provided by publisher.

This book is written haphazardly for me. It starts with a very interesting autopsy, then jumps to a meeting with A LOT of jargon that I am sure forensics (if reading this book) will love but that got me lost (hey! I’m just a normal human).

By chapter three I was wondering when the abduction would come in... I’m sure that more invested readers would eventually get to it; I didn’t. I just don’t like plots that take me in circles to get to the point. I am sure that everything is connected and nicely tied in, but I lost interest with the initial technicalities.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me a copy of this title.

I received a Digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have always been an avid thriller enthusiast, and The Stranger Inside sucked me in immediately. The premise was so interesting and I loved reading from the point of view of a vigilante killer. It had Dexter-vibes while still being original enough to not look like a rip-off.

This story follows Rain Winter and is told from multiple perspectives and multiple time periods. As a kid, Rain is almost abducted by a man she meets in the woods. Her best friend, Tess, gets killed in the encounter and their other friend, Hank, makes it out alive but forever changed by what happened to him. In the present day, Rain is a former journalist, now stay at home mom. When a vigilante killer strikes, she is pulled back into the world of journalism and decides to face what happened to her as a child.

This book was a page-turning thriller and also dealt with some really interesting themes involving grief, trauma, guilt, and revenge. I am ultimately giving this book a 3-star rating because while the writing was good and the plot intriguing, some of the minor characters were fairly two-dimensional.

I love Lisa Unger and always can't wait for her next book!! This one did not disappoint! I love discovering new authors (new to me) A+++

“The Stranger Inside” is a intriguing mystery/psychological thriller that I highly recommend. Talk about suspenseful! Lisa Unger never disappoints me. The story kept me engaged, I had a hard time putting the book down, so captivating.
Many thanks to NetGallery, the publisher and author, Lisa Unger, for the opportunity to read and give my honest review of the arc of “The Stranger Inside” which will be available on September 17, 2019. A must read!

This was a bit of a slow burn, but I still enjoyed the story as I felt I could relate to it quite a bit (motherhood, lover of true crime podcasts) and the twists, while not totally shocking, made sense, and the ending left me feeling satisfied.

Another suspenseful book by Lisa Unger. I love her writing style and how she keeps you guessing up until the very end of her novels. Our library will definitely be purchasing! Thanks for the advanced copy.

I have started and deleted this review at least four times now so I have decided that I'm going to skip plot points because I feel like anything I do say is going to be a spoiler and nobody wants that!

Revenge.

Justice.

Good vs. Evil.

An eye for an eye.

Did you like Dexter? I sure as heck did and that's the situation we have going on here but there is so much more to this story. In fact, there is a lot going on which is why this is such a difficult review to write. We've got quite a few characters, back and forth in time following a tragedy from the past and the present murders and investigations, alternating chapters of two different points of view.

This is, surprisingly, my first Lisa Unger book though I've been hearing about her for years and I have many of her other books on my wish list. I thought this was such a compelling story and I became completely immersed within its pages. She is truly a fantastic writer!

My only one complaint is that this book is too long. Where are the editors? Rinse and repeat over and over again especially in regards to inner thoughts and feelings - WE GET IT ALREADY!

Complaint aside this is going to be another huge hit for Unger. This will be flying off the shelves when it publishes in September! 4 Stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing (U.S. & Canada) for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a challenge to read since the main character, Rain, seemed to be really unreliable. Her thought process was odd at times and I just didn't trust her. That being said, the plot is a good one as there is a vigilante who is out killing murderers. As Rain finds out more about the recent cases, she realizes that the police are connecting it to her attempted abduction many years ago in which two of her friends were captured and one of them died. Although Rain is a stay-at-home-mom, she quickly gets drawn into the case and uses her journalism skills to try to uncover and remember things that happened that awful day. The story was interesting enough but seemed to drag on at times, going nowhere. A good read for fans of Lisa Unger and thrillers but definitely not my favorite of her books.

Thank you to Netgalley, Lisa Unger, and Harlequin/Park Row for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa Unger is one of my favorite authors. I eagerly anticipate her next novel as soon as I am done the one I am reading. THE STRANGER INSIDE is no exception. Great novel with lots of twist and turns. If you like psychological thrillers you will love this.

I love a good thriller/mystery and this did not disappoint. Well written, brilliantly crafted and very satisfying. Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the chance to read and review!!

This will be flying off shelves!!!

4 stars