The Perfect Stranger

 By Megan Miranda

Adult Fiction

Reviewed by Linda from the Winkler Branch

    It’s not safe for a journalist to get too close to her story. Leah Stevens crossed that line, and now she has to rebuild her life from the ground up. The saving grace in Leah’s world of loss was meeting up again with Emmy, a roommate from college days. Emmy was starting again too, and they decided to become roommates again. Their new lives in a remote town in Western Pennsylvania had a bit of a rough start, but things seemed to be going well. Then a woman is found, brutally assaulted and left for dead, near their house, and Leah realizes she hasn’t actually seen Emmy in several days. Leah needs to find out what happened to Emmy; this is a story she can’t help getting very close to, even if it drags her back into the story that ended her career, or forward into a situation that could end her life. 

    The Perfect Stranger is clever, twisty, dark thriller that I barely put down, and that lingered in my mind for days after. The entire novel is full of well-written and believable characters, from protagonist Leah Stevens on down. The plot moves fast, pulling you along whether you want to or not, and the bits of information that keep coming up change the perspective on actions and incidents entirely. Megan Miranda is masterful at creating a dark, gritty, uncertain atmosphere that lets you experience Leah’s state of mind. If you want to immerse yourself in someone else’s life for a few hours, and take a psychological-suspense thrill ride, The Perfect Stranger is an excellent choice.

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