Review (New Release): The Stranger Inside by Laura Benedict

I just finished reading Laura Benedict's new psychological thriller, The Stranger Inside. The entire premise is frightening and creepy. What would you do if you came home from a four day getaway, only to find that your locks have been changed, and someone else is living in your home? Someone you didn't invite. Then this someone who won't leave, supplies rental documents with your signature on the bottom line. Only, you didn't sign those papers, and you have no clue who this person is... But they claim to know ALL about you. This is the awful scenario that the lead character- Kimber- is faced with. The story visits both the past and present time and with each passing chapter we get to know a bit more about Kimber. We learn her backstory, how each secondary character fits into her life, and we also get a feel for her overall personality. Full disclosure, this woman was entirely unlikable; She's self serving, cruel and unapologetic. I didn't like her even a little bit. That aside, what was happening to her was terrible and I wanted to know why! The story that unfolded was an interesting one. There were a few twists as the story unraveled, but I had almost everything figured out before the reveal. Surprisingly enough for me, although much of the outcome was predictable, I had no desire to put the book down. I wanted to see it through to the end, just in case there was one little surprise twist waiting for me. There was one shock, something I wasn't expecting. It's wasn't huge, but it was something. In the end, The Stranger Inside didn't pack an intense punch or supply many edge of your seat thrills, but it DID keep me turning the pages.

**Complimentary copy for review provided by Hachette Book Group Canada. All opinions expressed here are honest and entirely my own.**

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Read the synopsis below, or click here to visit the author's web page directly- where you can read an excerpt or find purchase links for multiple retail platforms.

Synopsis:

Kimber Hannon's belief that she has complete control over her life is shattered the night that she comes home from a trip to find her key no longer opens her front door. There is a stranger living in her house. A stranger who claims he has every right to be there, with the paperwork to prove it. When she confronts the man, he lets her get close enough to whisper, "I was there. I saw what you did." She doesn't know how he knows her, but with those words Kimber knows this stranger isn't after anything as simple as her money or artwork or charming Craftsman bungalow. She has to find out exactly what he wants and get him out of her carefully orchestrated life before he ruins it. There are plenty of people in her life who might help, but should Kimber trust any of them? Her lawyer, Gabriel, is also her ex-lover; Diana, her best friend, doesn't know Kimber slept with her husband; her ex-husband has a new, happier life since leaving her; and her co-workers know she'll do anything to get her next sale. And no one can know the real reason this man is in her house. Without trust, everyone's a stranger....