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The Stranger Behind You

A Novel

Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
2 of 2 copies available

Two-time Mary Higgins Clark Award-Winning Author!

A chilling story set in a former Magdalen Laundry in Manhattan that explores today's #MeToo complexities.

""In a twisting, mesmerizing story that is as beautifully written as it is utterly propulsive, Goodman keeps us breathlessly turning the pages right to the shocking and poignant end. I absolutely loved this layered and moving novel!" —Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author

You're never really alone

Journalist Joan Lurie has written a seething article exposing a notorious newspaper tycoon as a sexual predator. But the night it goes live, she is brutally attacked. Traumatized and suffering the effects of a concussion, she moves into a highly secure apartment in Manhattan called the Refuge, which was at one time a Magdalen Laundry. Joan should be safe here, so how can she explain the cryptic incidents that are happening?

Lillian Day is Joan's new 96-year-old neighbor at the Refuge. In 1941, Lillian witnessed a mysterious murder that sent her into hiding at the Magdalen Laundry, and she hasn't come out since. As she relates to Joan her harrowing story, Joan sees striking similarities to her own past.

Melissa Osgood, newly widowed and revengeful, has burning questions about her husband's recent death. When she discovers a suspicious paper trail that he left behind, she realizes how little she knew about her marriage. But it seems Joan Lurie might be the one who has the answers.

As these three lives intersect, each woman must stay one step ahead of those who are desperate to make sure the truth is never uncovered.

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from May 17, 2021
      The same night that magazine journalist Joan Lurie, the narrator of this superior thriller from Mary Higgins Clark Award winner Goodman (The Sea of Lost Girls), celebrates the publication of her article exposing newspaper tycoon Caspar Osgood as a sexual predator, she’s attacked outside her Manhattan apartment. With a hefty advance for a book based on her story, Joan moves for her safety into the Refuge, an imposing, high-security building uptown, which once housed unwed mothers who were treated as near prisoners by the resident nuns. Osgood commits suicide in the wake of the exposé, leaving his wife, Melissa, in disgrace with insurmountable debt. Looking for revenge, Melissa moves into the Refuge, planning to discredit Joan’s story. Meanwhile, Joan befriends elderly Lillian Day, a longtime Refuge resident, whose tales of her youth resonate with Joan. Joan’s discovery of a link between her book and Lillian raises the stakes. The plot takes many terrifying twists and turns en route to the surprising climax. Those with a taste for the gothic will be richly rewarded. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Samantha Desz builds suspense with her nuanced performance of this intense thriller. The night Joan's article exposing a newspaper tycoon's predatory behavior goes live, she's attacked. The journalist isolates herself from nearly everyone while she attempts to identify who's behind the assault. Meanwhile, Melissa works to uncover the truth about her husband, the tycoon. Both women are missing information, but who will get to it first? Melissa's thoughts of revenge are performed by Desz with gritted teeth and a low voice, highlighting her intense anger. Great with accents, Desz easily slips from rough Bronx speech to a Spanish accent and a soft Irish brogue. Most impressive are her seamless switches from the nondescript even tone of a personal assistant to the imperious inflections of Manhattan's elite. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

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Languages

  • English

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