About the Book:
From master of suspense Lisa Unger comes a riveting thriller about a chance encounter that unravels a stunning web of lies.
Selena Murphy is commuting home on the train when she strikes up a conversation with a beautiful stranger in the next seat. The woman introduces herself as Martha and soon confesses that she’s been stuck in an affair with her boss. Selena, in turn, confesses that she suspects her husband is sleeping with the nanny. When the train arrives at Selena’s station, the two women part ways, presumably never to meet again.
Then the nanny disappears.
As Selena is pulled into the mystery of what happened, and as the fractures in her marriage grow deeper, she begins to wonder, who was Martha really? But she is hardly prepared for what she’ll discover…
My Review:
“Don’t you ever just wish your problems would take care of themselves?”
My first Lisa Unger book!! I’m obsessed!! I very rarely have time (or patience) to read an author’s backlist but I am so glad I picked up this audiobook. The narrator Vivienne Leheny is superb, and also narrates the author’s newest book, ‘Last Girl Ghosted’, which I already downloaded.
I love the troubled marriage trope which is why this book appealed to me. The book begins when Selena, the main protagonist, meets a beautiful woman on her commute home from her job in the city. Martha is friendly and very engaging which is why Selena opens up to her troubled marriage to Graham. Martha also confesses to Selena that she had an affair with her boss.
After some vodka, the two women trade secrets and then part ways, never to see each other again. Selena, who works long hours in the city, has two beautiful sons and a gorgeous home in the suburbs. Her carefully curated world soon turns upside down when her nanny suddenly disappears. Selena’s life had not been so perfect after all. Who is the man she is married to? She realizes that her husband is not the man she though he was. But is Graham actually capable of harming someone?
“Lies are a virus. They spread, replicate. One lie breeds more.”
The book is told from multiple points of view. Each one is vital to the story! While some readers felt no connection with Selena’s predicament, I loved her and sympathized with her every betrayal and devastation. Each of the characters, no matter how unlikeable, had a history and secrets that made them all vulnerable and believable. The pace of this book was incredible, and I felt like I was on a non-stop thrill ride from the opening sentence.
I will say that most of the men in this story committed adultery or worse so it was understandable why all the women had severe trust issues. Selena tries to rationalize much of her husband’s behavior throughout the book and I could not wait to see what would become of their marriage. I loved the themes of betrayal, marriage, parenting and lies. If you love Sarah Pekkanen and Greer Hendricks, then you will love this book, too.
The ending was shocking and incredibly satisfying. Although this book explores dark themes, it was engaging and fast-paced and overall a terrific thriller.
“Sometimes a stranger was the safest place in your life.”
