Strangers She Knows

Starred review from September 15, 2019
Resort manager Kellen Adams just had a bullet removed from her brain. Now all she has to do is survive yet another encounter with her very own serial killer, Mara Philippi. When Kellen learns that Mara has escaped from prison, Kellen and her husband, Max Di Luca, decide a change in venue for themselves and their young daughter, Rae, is in order. Escaping to Isla Paraiso, the Di Luca family's private island off the coast of Northern California, seems like the perfect opportunity for some family bonding time as well as providing an isolated location safe from Mara. However, the one thing Kellen failed to factor in is just how determined Mara is to pay Kellen back for her betrayal. Dodd continues her addictively readable Cape Charade series featuring Kellen Adams with another white-knuckle tale that simply begs to be inhaled in one sitting. With a fascinating island setting that includes a spooky old mansion, a secondary storyline involving World War II, and an antagonist who could give Villanelle from Killing Eve a pointer or two, this is Dodd at her brilliant best.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)