Perfect Stranger: A gripping psychological thriller with nail-biting suspense

Jake Cross

Aug 2019 · Bookouture

4.2

24 reviews

Ebook

350

Pages

Eligible

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About this ebook

You let her in. You’ll wish you hadn’t.

Following a whirlwind romance, Rose and Chris’s marriage has been unshakeable for twenty years. But when teenager Katie turns up on their doorstep, blonde, wide-eyed and beautiful, their perfect life threatens to crumble to pieces. Because Katie says she’s Chris’s long-lost daughter, the product of a forgotten summer fling.

The couple is still reeling from shock when Katie tells them she has nowhere to go. The couple is her only hope. Kind-hearted Rose invites Katie to stay, despite Chris’s protests. The poor girl has only just lost her mother – they can’t leave her out on the street.

But soon after Katie moves in, strange things start happening. Someone crashes into a neighbour’s fence. An unexplained fire starts in the couple’s kitchen. And a family friend coming to visit disappears on the way to the house. Chris insists Katie has to go. But it’s Chris who won’t explain where he was at the time their friend went missing…

The couple’s dream life seems to be turning into a nightmare. With dark secrets about Chris’s history with Katie’s mother coming to light, Rose no longer knows who to trust. Soon, she isn’t sure whether she’s invited a dangerous stranger into her home, or whether she’s been living with one all along…

A chilling thriller that will make you question everything you think you know about your loved ones. Fans of The Woman in the Window, Then She Was Gone and The Perfect Child won’t be able to put this book down.

What readers are saying about Perfect Stranger:

‘My goodness what a book! I absolutely raced through this… This book is incredible. Every chapter ended on a crazy twist that made it really hard to put down. A truly menacing and memorable psychological thriller.’ Psychothrilla Books ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Wow, what an amazing psychological thriller! I absolutely loved reading this book, I was gripped within the first few pages … Compelling, very well-written & hard to put down.’ Tea, Books and Reviews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘From page one I was hooked, in fact I devoured this read, finally turning the last page at 1am. I spent most of this read sat on the edge of my seat…. It takes off like a rocket. The plot was original, clever and so gripping. A psychological thriller par excellence. WHAT A READ, I LOVED IT!!!! An easy five stars and so Highly Recommended.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Wow – loved this!!! Absolutely gripping – couldn't put this down – very twisty turny – I read this in one go… A great way to spend a day!!!’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘A must-read book… He captured everything from mystery, suspense, intense drama, secrets, lies… I was totally shocked and blown away. Rarely does that happen… I am an instant fan.’ Heidi Lynn’s Book Reviews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Had me immediately hooked and intrigued from the first page... An addictive and gripping thriller full of secrets and a roller coaster ride that will stay with you long after the very last page! I don’t want to give too much information away, but I highly recommend.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Amazing… I devoured it in one day… So cleverly written and really messes with your head. Fantastic five stars.’ NetGalley Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Not your typical, run-of-the-mill thriller.’ A Ravenclaw Reviews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘This fast-paced thriller will grab your interest and bring you on one major roller coaster of a ride as it goes along… It’s not anything like I've ever read before… All of the twists and turns had me up all night reading it… Great read.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘A 5-star rainy day read for sure!... Fast-paced, unique twist and turns, perfect afternoon book. Grab your coffee first!’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘It gripped me... I quickly realized this is not your average mystery thriller… Love when authors keep you guessing!... I would 100% recommend this to my friends and family and anyone who loves a good mystery/thriller.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Absolutely fantastic had me gripped!!! Loved it! Can't wait for more from this author. Storyline was great, characters were easy to connect with.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘A perfectly mastered suspense story with characters that sync together well!... A superb read!’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘My favourite sort of book! Fast paced, well written with lots of twists.’ NetGalley Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ratings and reviews

4.2

24 reviews

Marnie Harrison

August 21, 2019

Having loved Jake’s book The Family Lie, I was excited when I saw that we were getting another book from him this year. Perfect Stranger is another solid read from Jake. The blurb drew me in straight away as did the cover of the book. It is so striking and compliments the story well. Jake has created a story that would have any man that has strayed shaking in their boots. This is the case for Chris, when Katie turns up on his doorstep claiming to be his daughter. Having just recently lost her mother, Katie reaches out to Chris and when she reveals that she has no where to go Chris’ wife Rose, although not happy with how this has come about, invites her to stay much to Chris’ annoyance. As they all await the results of the paternity test, strange things start to happen and and you are left wondering if Katie is really who she says she is. With the exception of Rose, for me none of the characters were very likeable but in saying that, they have been written extremely well. Chris made me feel uncomfortable and there was just something that wasn’t quite right with him. As the story progresses you start to see him unravel as the stress starts to become too much and you see a side to him that makes you question if this man is really who he portrays himself to be. Katie is an intriguing character and I liked how I kept questioning myself as to is she or isn’t she being genuine. I really like Jakes writing style and how he manages to keep the reader in suspense throughout. The use of short chapters make this a quick and easy read. It is a slow burn to start with, but once it gets going it is a chilling read full of twists and turns in the lead up to the thrilling conclusion. I think the message here is never open your door when a stranger comes knocking! You never know who you are letting in…. Thank-you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Jake Cross for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Perfect Stranger which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

10 people found this review helpful

Catawba Cats

August 21, 2019

Suspenseful, twisted thriller all the way through. A lovely family of three with a wonderful life are mugged one night while out and a beautiful stranger saves them from further harm. Turns out she says she's your long lost daughter from a summer fling 20 years ago. The story unfolds in a mostly predictable way except for how terrifying the journey!

7 people found this review helpful

A Google user

August 21, 2019

Wow, wow, wow!!! This is the second book I read by Jake Cross and he really hit this one out of the ballpark. If you want suspense you really got it from this book. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. I was at the edge of my seat the entire book. This book was about a young woman trying to find her real father who she never knew existed. Chris is the supposed father to Katie but wants proof since he has a whole new family he has to think of first. As they wait for the paternity test results father and daughter try to bond in the meantime. So many strange things starts happening around Chris since he let Katie in his life and he is really starting to doubt that she has pure intentions. As the book goes on you finally find out the truth. I want to first say that Jake Cross has done it again. I just loved this whole book and devoured every sentence. I couldn’t wait to read the next chapter to find out what was going to happen next. He had me guessing the whole entire book and by the end I was dead wrong about everything. It was such a shock and I couldn’t believe what I was reading. My whole world turned upside down from this book. This is definitely the kind of book I love to read and would recommend it to anyone who will listen. Between the plot, characters and all the twists in this book it made it an easy and fast read. I would definitely recommend it and happily give it 5 Hearts❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

14 people found this review helpful

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