I really had a problem with this book. The plot was all over the place and at times implausible. I couldn't figure out what direction the book was going: a #MeToo story, a historical mystery, the impact of infidelity, a stalker thriller or something else entirely. I put it down more than once to let my brain catch up to the story line.

Told from the POV of Joan, a style writer and sometimes investigative reporter, and Melissa the wife of a powerful publishing magnet, the story opens with Joan's article exposing Melissa's husband for sexually exploiting several women. Then there's Melissa's reaction to the incontrovertible facts: she decides to take revenge on Joan for exposing her husband's insupportable actions! After her husband takes his own life, Melissa discovers he has been borrowing against their investments to the point that she is reduced to selling her mansion and possessions. Instead of trying to find out why her husband ruined their finances, she decides to take revenge on Joan for ruining her lifestyle. While apartment hunting, she just happens to find out there is an apartment open in Joan's building and, having gained access to Joan's apartment (don't ask how, it's too much of a long shot to be plausible), just also happens to have a device capable of copying Joan's computer hard drive. That's just the beginning of some of the many actions I found hard to digest.

I think this could have been a good, suspenseful book had the author not taken so many different directions and had too many instances where the reader had to suspend belief. Early on, Joan suffers a concussion and despite the frightening symptoms, chooses not to go to a hospital. I just couldn't get over that. There was one story line involving a 40-year-old mystery that was interesting. Unfortunately, I figured out early on that the source of the story was somewhat suspect. All in all, a promising book that could have been so much better.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The publication date is July 6, 2021.

This book wanted to be so many things. A statement on #metoo, the impact of social media, a mystery, a survivor story, a statement on infidelity, etc. It was kind of ll over the place. I usually enjoy Ms. Goodman's stories but this one was a little difficult to stick with.

I saw the movie "The Magdalene Sisters" and "Philomena" but had no idea that there were similar places in the US, much less in New York City! Learning about that history, and the story of the New York mob in the early part of the last century was really interesting. To some extent it makes sense to intertwine that with the current #metoo movement, since in both cases women lost power. The stalking parts were less powerful, to be honest, and at times were simply unbelievable. Joan's decision to not seek medical help for what's clearly a concussion is also unbelievable, as is her ability to continue working for as long as she does at the level she does.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

Solid 3.5 out of 5.

I have read a few of Carol Goodman's novels. She is always a fast, entertaining read. This book is no different.

This book veered somewhat from her Gothic thriller, although not altogether. It was a bit more "current" than her norm and took place mostly in Manhattan rather than upstate NY. From the surface it seemed as if it would be a MeToo novel but there was so much more.

The story was told in 2 opposing POVs - the journalist who broke the story of well-known newspaper owner as a sexual predator and the wife of the well-known newspaper owner. It was interesting to get both of their versions of the same story. There was also a parallel plot that takes place in the past, the 1940's.

The Stranger Behind You had strong themes of self worth and how it relates to truth, trust and love. The thing that held me back from giving it a true 4 was that there was just too much going on and the ending was convoluted. As is many times the case, the reader needs to suspend reality sometimes to enjoy a novel for the pure entertainment. This book stretched that a bit.

In any case, this book would be great for book clubs and an easy recommend.

I want to thank William Morrow and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read the advance digital edition in exchange for an honest opinion.

I’ve read several of this author’s previous works and appreciate her ability to weave mystery/psychological suspense with an element of supernatural. We follow Joan Lurie, an aspiring journalist, who turns her own experience combined with the stories of other victims, into a expose of a famous newspaper founder. It’s going to rock the publishing community as this man is well received in the community and appears happily married with kids; an upstanding citizen. After the publication party, Joan is attacked and is having trouble with her vision and thought process. She’s not really sure what to think, who to trust and she’s very afraid. She uses a book advance to move to a secure condo for her own protection, but the building has it’s own story and other tragedies happened there as well. She becomes quite reclusive, but is trying to overcome her fear. She begins interacting with her 96 year old neighbor who tells the story of her life and the building’s history. This is an equally compelling story that she could turn into a book. As she works both story lines, she’s trying to uncover what really happened and could there be a connection? Loved the story, couldn’t put it down.

I'm not sure how to rate this. The story starts off with a good premise, journalist taking down rich businessman who is a sexual predator. Then it changes to a story much like Rear Window or The Woman in the Window, when Joan starts having agoraphobia. Then it has a little historical fiction ghost story, Then it changes to a political mystery. There is just too much going on in this book. It's almost like Carol Goodman wasn't sure what genre she wanted to write about. I enjoyed Lillian's story more than the Joan and Melissa story. It seems like Goodman should have just written about a journalist writing novel. I really wanted to like this but it just wasn't for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper's Collins for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

This was my first Carol Goodman book but definitely not my last. If you're in the mood for modern suspense fiction with a little historical fiction thrown in, this is the perfect read for you.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

The Stranger Behind You is a duel story. The first and main one is between Reporter Joan Lurie and Melissa Osgood, the wife of the powerful newsman that Joan has taken down with a Me, too article. This ARC sees Melissa furious and set out to avenge her husbands good name and thus her family's standing. What perhaps is unusual is not Melissa's willingly looking the other way regarding her husband behaviors, it is her determination to see the truth even when it's not the truth she expected.
In the process of enjoying her success, Joan is walking home mostly drunk and alone and is attacked and left for dead in her apartment. This sets up the second story ARC of Joan moving to a new apartment building where she meats a very senior citizen, Lillian, who has history in the building aptly called The Refuge.
Me, too is prominent in both story ARCs, as is the drive to shut the women up by any means necessary to cover up bad behaviors by the men in their lives.

Thank you to Scene of the Crime FB group and NetGalley for an early ARC

I appreciate the opportunity to have read the ARC of this delightful mystery. Carol Goodman's phraseology is often sarcastic in a way that many of us can relate to and she had me chuckling and nodding my head in agreement. There are two stories going on and the way she weaves these two stories is effortless. There are two main female characters, Joan and Melissa. Joan has discovered her big shot publisher boss for The Globe is a sexual predator and Melissa is married to him, unaware of his extracurricular activities. Joan exposes him and Melissa is hit with the brunt of repercussions, or so she thinks, and has revenge on her mind.

The book is narrated with Joan and Melissa alternating chapters, each from their point of view, and the condo building, The Refuge, where both women now live, plays a big part in the atmosphere since the building once housed the Magdalene Laundry and the second story takes place in the 1940's and is told by an elderly neighbor who lives down the hall from Joan and was placed in the Magdalene Laundry as a teen for her own protection. The mob, crooked cops, dangerous escapades and escapes abound. It's a very clever story and written so well it reads smoothly. I really enjoyed this book and it's the first by this author for me.

This is an exciting, page turning, heart warming thriller of a book. It centers on two women, Joan, a reporter who exposes a male sexual predator in a high position, and the other, Melissa, the predator's blind-sided wife. The author blends their stories together with alternating narrations that made the book hard to put down! Both women discover that all is not as it seems, however, even after the exposure. The setting for the book takes place in a former Magdalen laundry for wayward women (and yes, the laundries were real), now converted to apartments. Joan encounters a third character there, Lillian, with a story of her own. As Joan continues to investigate, with increasing danger to all of them, the author twists the plot into an ending I absolutely did not anticipate. There are some thrillers that are more than just an exciting plot, and this is one of those, with characters and a story that are memorable. I really enjoyed this book! I did receive a complimentary copy from the publisher and Netgalley, and I am so glad I did.

I really enjoyed this book, while at first it was the story of Joan who exposed a rich sexual predator and suffered the consequences on many levels. It also told the story of his rich wife, who gradually became a sympathetic character and a victim in her own right. In this book, the house they lived in ha own stories and it's own ghosts which became part of the story and the search for justice and truth

The Stranger Behind You is a fast-paced Gothic thriller with ample twists and turns that kept me reading late into the night. The plot is centered on the #MeToo movement and is narrated in two points of view with entirely different perspectives on life and the situation at hand. In particular, I was fascinated by the author’s emphasis on the stark difference in perceptions between the rich and the middle class. As they say, one person’s swanky is another person’s dump. In addition, I was engrossed by the Gothic feel and pervasively unsettling vibe of this book.

My thanks to @NetGalley and @WilliamMorrowBooks for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This will be in stores on July 6, and you’re going to want to grab your own copy.

A story that leaves you guessing at every page. I didn't know what to expect. The ending was original and surprising.

Joan was on a mission to find the truth. Melissa needed to know the truth but was she ready. They both had to go to great lengths to uncover what really happened. Was it worth the danger that they found themselves in?

I really enjoyed the story. Joan and Melissa both had inner demons and turmoils that needed to be addressed. The outside world had no idea what they were going through. They carried on in life the best they could. Sounds like a lot of us?

I received a free ebook copy from William Morrow to give a honest review.

I’ve been trying to get away from reading thrillers, at least for a while. It feels like I’ve been reading way too many and not reading what I already own. Well, when I entered the giveaway for this book I really hesitated but having previously read The Other Mother by Carol Goodman, let’s just say I have no will power when it comes to authors I’ve enjoyed reading.

Now, this book did not let me down. In fact, it really was hard to put down. The storyline was different and, although I figured out bits of it before the end, I still really enjoyed the read. It was very interesting to learn about the Magadalene Laundries which really existed and of course got me curious enough to do a little research. I love a book that whets my appetite for knowledge.

I didn’t really like the characters but that’s okay. They were well-written and were not “looking” for sympathy, well, one of them was but they weren’t getting it from me! I don’t really have to like the characters in a book to enjoy reading it and I did enjoy reading this book.

Thank you to Scene of Crime, HarperCollins Publishers, William Morrow, NetGalley and the author Carol Goodman.

This book was really good. A journalist, Joan writes an article exposing a newspaper tycoon of being a sexual predator. The night the article is published, Joan is brutally attacked. Paranoid and scared she moves into The Refuge, which is high security complex. Here she meets her next door neighbor, Lillian, an old lady with a past. The newspaper tycoon commits suicide and his wife, Melissa doesn't believe that the article can be true but finds documents and bank statements on his computer leaving her with questions. The story is told by Joan's POV alternating with Melissa's POV. It is well written.

This book had me guessing at the outcome. It had a lot of twists and turns with a bit of the supernatural thrown in. The men in the book are not portrayed in a good light. They generally end up being the evil ones. The women turn out to be stronger emotionally and mentally than they believe themselves to be.

The Stranger Behind You is a great suspense story with lots of twists and unexpected moments. The main character, Joan, is a New York reporter who has exposed a famous newspaper tycoon as a sexual predator. As she heads home from the celebration of the article, she is brutally attacked. No one is arrested, so she decides to move into a high security building that used to be a Magdalene Laundry, now called The Refuge. (On a side note - these were real. They began in Ireland and were homes for wayward girls run by Roman Catholic orders. The girls were locked in, not allowed to leave and turned into slaves. There was abuse and death and many cover-ups.) In The Refuge, Joan meets her elderly neighbor, Lillian, who has been living there since the 1940’s when it was still a Magdalene Laundry. Joan is trying to write a follow-up book and Lillian’s stories seem to connect with what she is trying to say. Strange incidents start happening, and we soon realize there is something wrong. Joan is slowly becoming reclusive and starts questioning everything she sees. The wife of the exposed newspaper tycoon wants revenge and adds lots of tension to the story. This was a quick, satisfying read.

Thank you Netgalley and Carol Goodman for an early copy of The Stranger Behind You. This was a great mystery full of twists and turns, and the writing style is so easy to read. I really enjoyed how the two mysteries connected in the end. It was a great read, highly recommend!

I loved this new book by Carol Goodman and have already begun recommending it to other fans of psychological thrillers.

A fast-paced and twisty gothic thriller rooted in the #MeToo movement. The writing was super engaging and I loved how the storylines of all three women would tangle together and then drift apart. This book is narrated in two separate points-of-view: that of Melissa, the widow of a powerful man who was brought down by a #MeToo exposé and Joan, the reporter who penned said exposé. Their perspectives are completely different in ways that are occasionally horrifying yet completely fascinating...which more or less sums up the book as a whole, too.