The Stranger Behind You starts with Joan, a young reporter, looking at a Manhattan apartment and quizzing the realtor about all the safety features. Is the doorman on duty 24/7? Exactly where are the security cameras located? Are there double locks on all the doors? Joan is afraid of something, or someone and looking for a place to hideout while she writes a book based on her recent expose article about a powerful newspaper publisher who had been forcing himself on young women for years. Joan rents an apartment on the top floor of the Refuge, an old building once used as a home for unwed mothers and other fallen women. Those women were kept as virtual prisoners, locked in by nuns, and forced to labor over huge steaming vats in a Magdalen laundry in the basement.
The building, a Gothic tower on a cliff above a rocky riverside, is a constant presence, looming over Joan's life as the place she clings to for safety becomes the most dangerous place she could be. Suspense grows as the reader sees the danger, but Joan does not.

A second story line develops when Joan meets an elderly neighbor and begins listening to her stories about the Refuge in the 1940s and a young girl who was forced to hide there. The two stories converge in a most unexpected and totally satisfying way. Great ending!

The Stranger Behind You is a fast-reading, suspenseful novel with plenty of twists and unexpected turns. After investigative reporter Joan Lurie exposes prominent Cass Osgood as a sexual predator, she is struck on the head and suffers from blackouts. She moves to The Refuge, once a place run by nuns for "wayward girls." Bent on revenge for creating what she considers false stories invented by a attention-seeking reporter, Melissa Osgood, the predator's wife, moves into the apartment below Joan's. What follows is an exciting cat-and-mouse hunt that is far more complicated than either Melissa or Joan can imagine. It also delves into a story of love, loss and betrayal that took place in The Refuge almost one hundred years earlier. Good to the very last page.

I really liked this book, it was fast-paced and well-written. It's a murder/ghost mystery and a perfect story in the #metoo era. The main character Joan was easy to root for, and the reader cares about the outcome. The relationship between Joan and Lillian was well done too.

Overall I liked this quick read. It kind of tossed everything into the mix and was a bit unrealistic, but it reminded me of books I read when I was young. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

I am a huge fan of Carol Goodman's books and eagerly wait to devour each one as it is released. That said, this book was not my favorite. It was suspenseful and a bit spooky, but I found myself not embracing the characters as I normally do. I kept getting the names confused and felt somewhat detached from the story as a whole. I would still suggest it to readers looking for a suspense book, but I think it is one that you will read and then quickly forget.

Carol Goodman is a master storyteller. She strays a bit off her normal path in this latest thriller and it pays off. The #metoo movement at centerstage when a young reporter exposes a magazine mogul for his evil ways. What the reporter didn't count on is the wife seeking revenge upon the reporter. This book not only keeps you guessing and rooting for the wronged women to attain justified compensation and peace for their victimization, but the reader will also have sympathy for the wife that was left in the corner while her husband took advantage of so many women. This is a must-read and I highly recommend it for all public libraries. I only wish it had a more appropriate title. Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. Goodman remains one of my favorite authors.

This book will grab your attention at the very beginning. Goodman's writing is so engaging that I found myself not wanting to stop reading. The descriptive style of the characters brought out emotions from anger to sorrow for each one. I will be adding this to our collection and reader's advisory.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. The Stranger Behind You by Carol Goodman is a solid mystery that shines light on the too-often occurrences of violence and assault against women. The Stranger Behind You weaves together a modern scandal and a mobster story of the 1940s, both of which that centers around a young journalist desperately trying to seek truth. I enjoyed the mystery (much like others of Goodman’s novels I have read in the past).

Amazing story. Well developed characters that are in a twisted engrossing thriller. Highly recommended. Super suspense that comes to a satisfying end! Highly recommended . A true roller coaster thrill ride

So good. Told from two POV--the grieving widow and the reporter who took her husband down. While the primary story was really good, the backstory of the Magdalen laundries was fascinating! I stopped reading a couple of times to look up more information about this awful time in our history. Lots of adventure and action. Surprise ending that really was a surprise. Definitely recommended.

I enjoyed this book and the parallel storylines. The contemporary storyline follows a young woman who exposes w wealthy publishers sexual harassment of female employees. The parallel storyline is from the forties and involves two friends, one of whom becomes involved with a gangster. I both storylines the women are used and manipulated by powerful men. Both storylines involve a mystery to be solved. The climax is thrilling and the ending has a satisfactory resolution with an ironic twist. This is an enjoyable and engaging book that I enjoyed.

I love Carol Goodman's books. This was a little different from her previous ones(very eerie and surprised ending), but I loved it! It kept me up all night reading it. I will definitely recommend this.

This just might be my favorite Carol Goodman book to date. What a mystery/story! Thankful to NetGalley for allowing me to read this novel.

Plot: 5/5 Characters: 4/5 Writing: 4/5

Carol Goodman writes the most intriguing, convoluted, surprising novels. She is a master of setting the mood (in this case — creepy, mysterious, righteous, and fearful). The Stranger Behind You is a woman-centric, Gothic-style, mystery-thriller whose plot lines and main characters keep twisting together in unexpected ways. It all comes together beautifully but with constant surprises and a real sense of not ever feeling like you know the characters all the way. The theme might be — you never know who you can trust. Parallel stories weave together police corruption, mobsters from the past, and #metoo style manipulation of women. I’m not generally a reader of books that induce anxiety or stress, and I did have to limit myself to daytime reading for the first third of the book — but it was not the kind of thriller that induces too much anxiety (for me). I’m not a fan of heavy-handed books where all the men are horrible and the women manage to thrive regardless, so let me hasten to say that this is not one of those books. There are some pretty nasty men, and a few nasty women — but there are also plenty good men and women and possibly even a delightfully drawn and mysterious guiding spirit. Enjoy trying to figure out which is which in advance!

Great writing, great storytelling.

An intriguing thriller that puts the reader on the edge of their seat until their electrifying conclusion. The characters are rich and three dimensional which makes the book all the more enthralling. I highly recommend.