Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this book early. I have read quite a few Cole Baxter books lately and this one was definitely my least favorite and felt like it could be a debut. Our main character Mary is SO ANNOYING to read about because she has zero common sense and never really gains any. The plot is uber predictable and is supposed to be thrilling but is actually just a little sad because the villain is someone who has severe unaddressed mental health issues that are glaringly obvious to almost anyone she interacts with. There are a ton of plot holes in this book (how does Ruby have so much money? Why does she sound 80 and get described as an elderly lady when she's in her 50's? How has the whole "twist" stayed secret so long? Why did Ruby do what she did if she was an established actress? Why does Mary's husband harass her so much?) and honestly I just wanted some answers to give this book a semblance of credibility. Additionally, there is a romance in the end that added nothing to the story and was so unnecessary, it cheapened the book even further.
Enough of my thoughts-- lets get into the synopsis. THIS SECTION WILL HAVE SPOILERS. This book is about a woman named Mary. Her abusive husband just let her for a younger woman and she sees an older woman having a seizure on the subway. Nobody's paying attention so she steps up to help and starts a friendship with the woman (Ruby). Ruby tries to make it up to Mary by throwing big parties for her, spending lots of money on her, etc. but something feels weird. She starts showing a really clingy, controlling side, but their friendship also meets a need for Mary so she continues. She starts to isolate herself a little bit more from others and things get a little weirder. There's a big showdown with Ruby and Mary's husband and Ruby gets hurt but then later Nick ends up dead. In the very end, Mary is kidnapped by Ruby and we find out that all the seizures, etc. were fake and this was all a big plot to kidnap and kill Mary like she had done with many other women. it's all found out and Mary lives happily ever after.

Whew what a long winded story! I personally think the storyline was good enough that all of the extras were not necessary. The ending of what happened to Mary (to not give spoilers) should have been the end. Why the extra chapters when that all could have been wrapped up? It just made it feel unnecessarily long for me. And the length of time that Mary was “trapped” also seemed so long winded.

Other than that, the story was entertaining. Mary was so beyond naive, but she was likable enough.

Overall, it could be a very entertaining read. Just have to skip some parts.

I listened to this book on audio and I wish I would have physically read it. I was not a huge fan of the narrator and I probably would have liked it more if I didn't listen to it. This was definitely a book that I didn't want to put down as it really kept you on the edge of your seat. Overall, it was a good book and I look forward to reading more of Cole Baxter's work.

Synopsis: Mary is a lonely woman with an estranged, abusive husband. When Mary is on the subway one day, an elderly woman starts seizing so Mary helps her as no one else on the subway is willing to.

The elderly woman, Ruby, is grateful for Mary staying by her side and wants to make it up to her. Ruby takes her to expensive lunches, shopping sprees, and to extravagant parties. Ruby becomes obsessed with Mary by calling her multiple times a day and showing up to her house unannounced and gets very upset with Mary if she doesn't answer or return her calls.

When Mary's estranged husband shows up drunk at her door, she gets scared and calls Ruby to come help her. Mary jokingly tells Ruby that she wishes he was dead and a few days later, his body is washed up in the river.

Mary starts noticing a bunch of red flags when it comes to Ruby leaving her wondering who she really is.

Now that Mary has escaped her abusive husband, can she escape her clingy friendship with Ruby?

Thank you @netgalley and @dreamscape_media for this ARC in return for an honest review.

#trustastranger #netgalley #netgalleyarc #ARC #colebaxter #dreamscapemedia #thrillerswithtibbs #bookobsession #bookstagram #booksmakemehappy

I really enjoyed the narration of this book.
She hooked me into the story.
I related to how the main character acts with how she "hooks" on people and the made me really invested in the story.
I will continue to read more from this author and look for more books narrated by Angie Kane.

This audiobooks book was just ok for me. Trigger warning fb there us some domestic abuse. I felt myself losing interest and then get sucked back in frequently. The narrator was kind of annoying as in my opinion she wasn’t the best at voicing multiple characters. The ending was alright.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

🚨 Psycho stalker alert 🚨

Mary is blindsided when she finds out her husband, Nick, is cheating on her. He throws her out and she tries to start over. She chances upon a woman having a seizure and is the only one willing to save her. Now Ruby is going out of her way to thank Mary for saving her life by throwing Mary parties and buying her whatever she (Ruby, not Mary) wants. Soon it turns into a bit of an obsession.

Ruby is a lonely widow and a former actress and suffers from seizures, or does she? I mean she is an actress after all.
At times I wanted to just yell at Mary ~ can you not see this broad for what she is??

Definitely predictable, but a crazy psychological roller coaster nonetheless, exactly what I would expect from this author. There were some suspenseful times and I like how it all wrapped up at the end.

Angie Kane did an excellent job narrating, even the male parts.

😐 initially I really loved this book and the plot was both unique and interesting… the story and characters felt fairy well developed… then once the “reveal” happened it became totally unbelievable and any sort of development was gone. It didn’t make sense, it didn’t work. One glaring thing for me was how the “bad person” was able to finance everything. Nevertheless, I kept on reading to see how it shook out.

I really loved the narrator here, though the one voice was a very 1920s NY, which was confusing since this took place in modern day. I kept being surprised when another character would use the internet or iPhone… the story would have worked better pinned down in an earlier time period. I also had trouble with the womens ages.

Slow "thriller" that isn't actually thrilling. The first 60% of the book nothing creepy or thrilling happens. Everything that is mentioned that is suppose to the thrilling or suspenseful was given to the reader in a second hand way so it lessened the impact. Once the story picked up it was hard to suspend my disbelief for how everything played out. Overall, the plot of the story was very interesting and could have been amazing. The slow start and chaotic ending just wasn't the story I was expecting.

The story builds upon itself and the reader slowly learns about the extreme levels of stalkers as well as a diabolic twisted storyline. The characters are well developed and border on crazy, while the plot twists and turns keep your head spinning. Mary is in a very toxic marriage to Nick, a controlling, mean bastard. When he leaves her for a younger woman and cleans out their joint bank account, Mary is left with no choice but to move to a smaller, cheaper apt. Mary is traveling home on the subway and already having a bad day when a woman starts having a seizure and no one helps her. Mary steps in and when the older woman, Ruby, starts to recover does not want any medical attention but allow Mary to help her home. This starts a friendship and the road to something much darker as time passes. Abusing husband leaves Mary, leaving her self esteem really low. Ruby, it seems, has a past and it takes a while for it to come out.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media, Netgalley and Cole Baxter

Great read, even though you could guess what was going to happen. The suspense kept me intrigued and wanting to know what was going to happen next! The main character should have seen some of the red flags that her new friend Ruby was exhibiting, but that is what made listening to this book that more fun.

Thank you to the NetGalley and the publisher for the audio ARC for my honest review.

After Mary's husband leaves here for another woman, she meets Ruby and they become fast friends. I liked Mary, I felt so sorry for her. Ruby seemed nice but after awhile suspicion drifted in. Cole Baxter is a great thriller/suspense author and one of my new favorites. All the twists and turns made for a fun ride. I plan to listen to all of his back log books. Highly recommended for those thrill ride people.

Mary is in her 30s, her husband has left her for a younger woman and she is feeling all alone in the world. By chance, she meets an older woman on the bus named Ruby. The two become fast friends and begin spending most of their time together. Ruby is a retired actress to whom money is no object. She enjoys spoiling Mary - going out to eat, throwing parties, buying her clothes... Eventually, Mary feels comfortable enough to confide in Ruby about her marital problems, and Ruby offers to take care of Mary's estranged husband. Suddenly, there are a ton of red flags about Ruby that Mary starts to see. Is she really who she says she is?

This is my second Cole Baxter audiobook and I am definitely not disappointed! I really enjoyed listening to this, the narrator was pretty good and I loved the storyline. Some things were a little predictable, but there were plenty of events that I did not see coming and that's a huge plus for me. The only reason I gave this 4 stars was because the ending seemed a little rushed to me. But all in all, I would definitely recommend this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Honestly, after reading Finding the Other Woman, I didn't think that a more naive, stupid female character was possible . . . I was wrong. Mary in Trust a Stranger takes naive and stupidity to a new level. This, combined with the irritating voice of Ruby made this book an absolute slog of a book. Had I not been committed to finishing the book to do a review, I would have DNF'd this book.

This was an…interesting read. This was my first Cole Baxter book so I do wonder if all of his books are like this. It was supposed to be a psychological thriller but it took a turn into the romance field which was just kind of…odd. It also started out strong in the beginning but it fell flat by the end. I don’t know if I’ll read other books by CB after this one.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media, Netgalley and Cole Baxter for providing me with an advanced copy of this audiobook releasing May 3, 2022.

I liked this book - I liked the pace and the characters. I think it could have been tightened up a little but overall a very enjoyable thriller.

This one was a twisty one. Mary is traveling home on the subway and already having a bad day when a woman starts having a seizure and no one helps her. Mary steps in and when the older woman, Ruby, starts to recover does not want any medical attention but allow Mary to help her home. This starts a friendship and the road to something much darker as time passes. Ruby, it seems, has a past and it takes a while for it to come out.

Mary is a lonely, 30-something woman who is newly separated from her husband, living in NYC. The 14 year marriage has left her with some scars and emotional baggage so she regularly sees her therapist to diffuse all of her anxiety and woes. One day she is on the train and a woman behind having a seizure, she looks around and no one offers any help. She calls out for a doctor again in panic and still no one comes. So Mary stays with her until she can get her help.

The elderly woman, Ruby, is determined to pay her back in every way possible. Lavish lunches. Shopping sprees at the best boutiques. Elaborate parties. It all starts to feel like too much when Ruby wants too much of Mary’s time, or should I say all of Mary’s time. She calls every day, multiple times a day, stops by unannounced, and gets furious when Mary isn’t there exactly when she wants her to be.

One day Mary vents that she wishes her ex was dead, a few days later his body is found. It has to be a coincidence right? Red flags are popping up all around Ruby. Mary had managed to free herself of the abuse of her ex husband, but can she free herself from Ruby’s grasp?

This is my first book by Cole Baxter and I was not disappointed. He has a skill for writing the internal dialogue of a woman in such a realistic and believable way. This book had me on the edge of my seat and I did not see the twist coming at all, my heart was pounding multiple times throughout. I highly recommend this book and this author.

3.5-3.75 stars

This one is fun, dramatic, and a bit ridiculous. I found myself unable to believe how naive and just outright clueless the protagonist was as she was being neatly trapped by the primary antagonist, and even when she was in serious trouble, she hadn’t managed to figure out some of the most obvious pieces of the overall metaphorical puzzle of her life. Entertaining, yes; realistic, not so much.

I’m also curious about the writer…maybe I’m wrong, but I initially thought he was a male writer, and if he is, I’m intrigued by men who write novels that primary feature major female characters. I’ve probably read half a dozen from this writer now, and they’ve all centred women protagonists. That’s not a pro or con and doesn’t affect my review or enjoyment of the story…just an observation or thought that’s crossed my mind while reading.

I listened to the audio version of this book and while the narrator was fine, I couldn’t get into the book. The synopsis sounded interesting but this one just wasn’t for me and after 30%, I gave up.

Strangers on a Train has a bit of a reboot in this story about a woman who tells a friend she wishes her abusive husband was dead. Mary is rescued by Ruby after she suffers a seizure in a New York subway station. Ruby is quick to encourage Mary to escape the clutches of her manipulative husband, and comes to the rescue yet again when Mary’s husband comes back seeking revenge. Is it just a coincidence that the man turns up dead not long after Mary tells Ruby she wishes he were dead? Or is Ruby after more than just a simple friendship?