Title: The Perfect Stranger
Author: Megan Miranda
Publication: January 2, 2018
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pages: 352
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads | Author Website
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
Confronted by a restraining order and the threat of a lawsuit, failed journalist Leah Stevens needs to get out of Boston when she runs into an old friend, Emmy Grey, who has just left a troubled relationship. Emmy proposes they move to rural Pennsylvania, where Leah can get a teaching position and both women can start again. But their new start is threatened when a woman with an eerie resemblance to Leah is assaulted by the lake, and Emmy disappears days later.
Determined to find Emmy, Leah cooperates with Kyle Donovan, a handsome young police officer on the case. As they investigate her friend’s life for clues, Leah begins to wonder: did she ever really know Emmy at all? With no friends, family, or a digital footprint, the police begin to suspect that there is no Emmy Grey. Soon Leah’s credibility is at stake, and she is forced to revisit her past: the article that ruined her career. To save herself, Leah must uncover the truth about Emmy Grey—and along the way, confront her old demons, find out who she can really trust, and clear her own name.
Everyone in this rural Pennsylvanian town has something to hide—including Leah herself. How do you uncover the truth when you are busy hiding your own?
REVIEW:
My in-person book club selected this book for our January read and I had heard a lot of good things about Megan Miranda. I had this sitting on my TBR pile that I had gotten for my birthday. As a big fan of mystery/thrillers and detective novels, I knew Miranda was going to drag me in.
From the beginning, I was hooked. No matter what was to come, I knew I would speed through this book. Leah seemed interested with a questionable background and secrets at every corner. I was intrigued and wanted to know all the things about her. I was also extremely interested to learn more about this Emmy character. Miranda wrote characters that hooked me as a reader and made putting the book down almost impossible. I also found the storyline to be very original. As an avid reader, I have read almost every kind of mystery novel, with them being my favorite and sometimes the plot lines are so close to other books I have read. Miranda pulled this one out though. The setting was dark and creepy, a small, rural town in the woods with dead bodies piling up.
There were a few small things about this book I wished were different. There were times when Leah’s inner monologue seemed repetitive on things we had already read. I understand she was at war with her past, but it felt like a filler monologue at times. I also wish some things had more explanation, like the second body and how it transpired. There was a description, but it was a bit vague to me and I just wished there was more of a conclusion to that. Or some side stories regarding Paige (no spoilers) and some motives. I don’t like loose ends or unexplained conclusions. I just wanted more details on how it all played out.
Otherwise, this novel has everything a mystery lover wants. A town full of questionable characters, enough evidence to make everyone look guilty, but also no one, and an ending that keeps you guessing. Add Megan Miranda to your must-read list.
