A great psychological thriller where I truly didn’t know who to believe! Couldn’t put this one down! ( )

This book is a perfect example of why I don’t make a habit of reading heavily hyped books, because most of the time they are bad.
1. Terribly stereotyped characters
2. Not one character you would like or care about what happens to them. While at the same time they weren’t the kind that you love to hate.
3. Characters who behaved like narcissistic teenagers going from one stupid decision to another, fixing nothing and never learning from the past.
4. Throw in some steamy sex for the wife who hasn’t been laid in awhile.
5. Be trendy and tell the book from two different points of view, so you don’t know who’s version is correct. Guess what, it doesn’t matter, by about the half way point you won’t care.
If this had been one of those .99 books for kindle you would wouldn’t care, but apparently this is like the 3rd book from this author. This is shocking as the writing is at about the 6th grade level.
All I can think is the author moves in the right circles to get a publishing deal, and the quality of the books just doesn’t matter. ( )

The Stranger on the Beach by Michelle Campbell is a 2019 St. Martin’s Press publication.

Caroline has finally moved into her dream home - a beautiful beach house. She plans a lavish housewarming party to celebrate, but her husband of twenty years spoils her mood by first announcing he can’t make it to the party, then suddenly showing up with another woman. Humiliated, Caroline ends up in a bar, where she flirts with the bartender, a younger guy named Aiden. After too many drinks, they have a torrid one-night stand. But while Aiden falls for Caroline, she tries to work things out with her husband. However, she can’t seem to get rid of Aiden - he follows her everywhere she goes, complicating her situation. Caroline thinks she’s being stalked while Aiden claims he’s only trying to protect her from her husband, who he suspects is involved in criminal activities…

Who is telling the truth?

This was a clever and well-plotted psychological thriller. The first part of the story was fast-paced and edgy at times. The middle section dragged a bit as the back and forth between Aiden and Caroline got repetitive. Just as I was getting impatient for something to happen, the author dropped a bombshell that changed the direction of the story completely. From there, an investigation unfolded with one surprising twist after another. Overall, this was a book that I should have read sooner. I’m glad I finally got around to this absorbing mind-twister.

4 stars ( )

A fantastic thriller about lust, money, corruption and truth. Loved the touch of unreliable narrator and how well it played. I figured out pretty early on who was lying and who was orchestrating the whole thing, and I'm proud of myself for seeing the twist coming. All in all really enjoyed this! ( )

Cleverly constructed thriller with two conflicting versions of what is happening from the lead characters and never quite sure which is accurate. Whilst I did work out what had probably happened towards the end, it didn't detract from my enjoyment. ( )