The book was interesting and well written. The characters and the locations were well described. BUT, it was NOT a very powerful story, nor was it a “thriller”. It did NOT grab me and draw me in to the story. Quite the opposite. I put the book down for 2 days, read 2 chapters, put it back down 2 more days. I then told myself, “I've got to finish this book so I can move on to hopefully a better book.

If it were a movie, it would be one of those “made for tv” movies VS a movie made for the theaters.

Diane Christie is a mystery writer. She moved to Fog Harbor, Massachusetts 1 year previously with her college aged daughter and her 16 year old son. Throughout the book she has these “feelings” that something is very wrong. The book tries to relate these “feelings” in a way that the reader interprets them as “intuition” or perhaps, we begin to wonder, is Diane unknowingly a medium? Is she perhaps having some type of psychic intuition?
That's just where my own mind wanted to take the book and it definitely would have made the book much more interesting – but that's not where the book went. (If that's what the author attempted... it failed to deliver in any believable way).

The ending was extremely disappointing in it's profound ILLEGALITY! I was thoroughly disgusted at where the author consciously chose to take it.

The author, in this case, should have just taken the ending to a believable (if predictable) conclusion given that the story was mediocre anyway.

Maybe the book should be recommended for the elderly people with pace-makers who need to avoid all excitement.

Hmmmm ….. I liked the book cover.

I thank netgalley, the publishers and the author for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Diane Christie lost her husband to suicide, and she along with her daughter and son are trying to start new lives in Fog Harbor, Massachusetts. A serial killer is striking young women, and Diane is concerned about her college-age daughter living alone. While working as a volunteer at a crisis hotline, the murderer contacts Diane. She is even more worried that her new love interest might just be the killer.

I thought this was going to be a 5-star book, but the ending was just so implausible that the book lost its impact. It was great up to the big reveal, which was a surprising twist. But the book should have ended there. Diane's actions after that point are just completely unrealistic and frankly unbelievable. Those final pages just ruined the book. It was still suspenseful and hard to put down so it is worthy, I think, of 4 stars. I just wish the author had stopped after the revelation of the killer's identity and ended it there.

Great book, I really enjoyed this book and found it hard to put down. Thank you for allowing me to read this

I got this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was one amazing book! I read it in nearly one sitting, taking bathroom breaks and to eat, only. It's about a famous widowed author who moves closer to her daughter with her adopted son. Murders begin to happen to college girls and Diane, the author, receives calls from the killer (using a voice changer) to her cubicle at the crisis center where she volunteers.

So much mystery, emotion, and excitement, I couldn't​ stop reading.

Quick, escapist read. Unexpected ending. Psychological thriller. Okay but not great.

Great book, easy read… Held my attention and was sad to see it end. Thanks for the opportunity to read it!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of The Stranger Inside in return for an honest review. This is the first Jennifer Jaynes book I've read but it won't be the last. It was very well written and kept me reading. The story revolves around a thriller writer called Diane who is a widow with 2 children after her husband commits suicide. There is a serial killer at large who is killing girls at the college where her daughter attends. Diane volunteers to man the phones for the local helpline but the killer starts calling her during her shift. An enjoyable read though I did figure out who the killer was.

Diane and her son Josh move to a small coastal town in Massachusetts to be closer to her daughter, Alexa, a student at the local college. Recently, her husband committed suicide and she is hoping that the move will be a fresh start for them all, a chance for them to come together as a family. Not an easy thing given the recent suicide, Josh’s lifelong health problems, and Alexa’s depression, which she expresses through anger, aimed at her mother.

As if things aren’t challenging enough, a young college girl is murdered in the little town, and Diane – a mystery writer by trade – can’t stop thinking about it. Then, while volunteering at the local crisis center, someone who seems to be the killer, calls Diane specifically to confess. How do they know who she is or that she volunteers there? Why did they seek her out? Suddenly, all the men in Diane’s world are suspect. Can she figure out who the murderer is and put a stop to it before anyone else dies?

Oh, books like this are so hard to review without giving anything away! Especially when the few bones I have to pick are directly related to plot, so I can’t really pick at them. But, I’ll do my best…

The story was really interesting and it started out well. I didn’t like Alexa. And I’m frustrated that I didn’t like her because her main issue according to the book is that she suffers from depression and that’s supposed to be why she is so terrible. And I suffer from depression, so I ought to be able to give her a break and empathize, even if I don’t experience it in the same way. But. One of the things I’ve read about depression (and so far my experience has confirmed this), is if a person is an ass when they are depressed, it is likely they are still going to be an ass when they’re not. In a nutshell, I thought the depression angle was poorly thought out (or not well researched), and I found the way it was depicted to be rather off-putting.

While there were plenty of people to suspect, I kept leaning towards one particular person, but then I’d remind myself why that wasn’t possible. But then it was that person, and my reasons for thinking it impossible were never addressed.

And the ending bothered me. I’ve been wrestling with the ethical dilemma of it, trying to decide if I could do what she does, and I just don’t know. It’s a compelling conundrum, but it doesn’t sit well with me.

All that said, it was decent. I liked Diane. Really enjoyed her blooming romance, and the setting was very comfortable for me, living in a small town in coastal New England myself. It wasn’t thrilling or scary, but it was an interesting mystery. Unfortunately, there were a few nagging at me that kept me from loving it.

A STRANGER INSIDE is a psychological thriller full of suspense and intrigue. Jennifer Jaynes immediately grabs her readers’ attention setting the tone of the storyline that will deliver murders, manipulation and trust issues. Jaynes creates a fast moving suspense storyline focusing on the Christie family and the murders change their lives. Jaynes introduces Diane Christie, who is a widow and successful author, Alexa nineteen-year-old college student with anger issues towards her mother, and Josh who is adopted son with health issues. Jaynes provides her readers, with each family member’s backstory. As the momentum of the story increase, Jaynes supplies additional information as needed

In order to keep readers interest and help understand each of the Christie family’s actions, Jaynes adds details as to how they interact with each other. Each family member has common goals but seem to have trouble telling each other. The storyline deals with those events that might bring them all together. The psychological tension increases to a high level, when the serial killer calls at the Diane on her shift a crisis center giving naming the identities of the murder victims. The killer asks Diane to stop him.

Jaynes creates several support character to keep the pace of the story moving forward. She gives each character’s backstory and explains their roles when she introduces them to the storyline. The author creates subplots changing the storyline’s direction. She adds twists and turns and misdirection to the storyline that keep readers in the dark as to what is going to happening next. The community is up in arms regarding the unsolved murders.

A STRANGER INSIDE’s plot increases momentum, tension and intrigue. Jayne keeps her readers guessing as to resolve of issues relating to the murders and Diane and Alexa’s discoveries. Readers will be holding their breath as events unfold. Jayne creates a thought provoking ending to the complex family and friends’ situations.

Thank you netgalley. I flew through this book, simply because I couldnt put it down! It is definitely a psychological thriller!!

Great read! Looking forward to reading more by this author! Highly recommend!

This is the perfect page turner for those who like suspense-the mystery is twisty, the characters well done, and the ending is a surprise. ALthough it's very plot driven, you will come to go up and down with Diane, Alexa, and Josh. Jaynes has done a good job of making them, and their reactions to grief, very real. I had not read her before so thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Sometimes in this genre, I lose interest as bodies pile up because it strains credulity but this time I didn't, in large part because everything just seemed to fit. Good for travel.

Had mixed feelings on this book. i did enjoy it but i wasnt loving it. Good book but just kept my interest and no more

First I want to thank Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for allowing me to read this story.

Diane is a widowed mystery author with 2 children. Alexa her biological child is going depressed and is self medicating with anything she can get her hands on. Josh her adopted son has been sickly his entire life and Diane has kept a constant vigil on his health.

This was an excellent mystery that kept me reading, even to the point that I pushed back a dinner date by an hour so I could finish it! Unfortunately while I loved the story and who dun it had me going "of course, why didn't I see that", the last 2 chapters let me down. Although I understand why it was written this way and it was in character for Diane, I couldn't see Alexa doing it. This was a 4, 4.5 review for me until the very end, then I felt let down.

Having said that because the mystery was so good and it was written so well I will definitely buy more books from this author.

I have read two other books by this talented author which were brilliant and this one didn't disappoint. If you enjoy suspense and thrillers you will this fast paced novel. Highly recommended.

A uni student on her way home feels and hears someone following her. She makes a dash for her front door and fumbles the keys losing precious seconds.
Diane Christie is a writer who moves from New Jersey after her husband commits suicide and their children have the traumatic experience of seeing his body. Seeking a fresh start and live closer to her daughter Alexa she moves to Fog Harbour with her adopted son Josh. She also volunteers at the local crisis centre and starts a relationship with a local man.
Alexa is a student at the local college where several females have been murdered. She struggles with depression, herself and rebuilding a relationship with her mother. Josh has various health problems.
Diane worries about her daughter’s safety after several young women are found murdered. She also has to cope with Josh’s attempted suicide.
What terrible events will bind a family together closer than they were before? How far will a mother go to protect her children and who will help her?
Although the opening pages were not unexpected or unfamiliar to me they did provide some context for what followed. It still had the power to make me mentally hold my breath hoping hoping.......
The book had an absolutely amazing and unexpected ending. I still have trouble believing its true and ask myself how that could be so. I can’t share it so you will have to find out for yourselves. This book was so much more than the average thriller/mystery/crime story and I hope other readers enjoy it as much as I did. I don’t think my review will do enough justice to it.
A digital copy of the book was obtained from the publisher via Netgalley and the review is solely mine.

The Stranger Inside started out as a good psychological thriller about a serial killer of young, college-age women. It was slow paced for me but the story kept me entertained... until the ending. Like other reviewers mentioned, it was ridiculous and unbelievable.

Even though the ending was terrible, the book was well written. I enjoyed reading Jennifer Jaynes', Don't Say a Word, so I will probably read more from this author.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for supplying a copy of Jennifer Jaynes' "The Stranger Inside" in exchange for an honest review.

I felt this book had enough suspense and twists to keep me reading straight through to the rather surprising ending. I enjoyed the overall story, and in general I don't read a book to find things to be critical of - I read for the enjoyment of escape. And this book made for a day of delightful diversion.

Diane Christie is the author of mysteries, and in the midst of trying to overcome the family tragedy of her husband's suicide. She moves with her adopted teenage son, Josh, to a small town in coastal Massachusetts. Her older teenager, daughter Alexa, attends college not far away. The cracks in their family relationships have been widened since the suicide and Diane is hoping to repair them. Alexa seems to be sinking further into a nasty and depressive mood. And even amiable Josh is starting to act out, on top of his chronic health issues.

Diane tries to focus on her writing and her volunteer work at a crisis hotline center, waiting for time to aid in the healing of her family. A murder at her daughter's college sends Diane into hyper drive, and when more girls start meeting the same fate, Diane feels everything spinning out of control. She starts to feel some solace from an attractive counterpart at the center, but that gets put on hold when the killings escalate. A mysterious caller the crisis hotline claims to be the killer, but can Diane figure out who they are and stop the murders?

There are plenty of people in Diane's life who are hiding secrets, nursing grudges and grievances, and just harboring plain evil. The Stranger Inside can sometimes be who you least expect, or maybe who you most expect.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback.

RATING: 2 STARS

(I received an ARC from the NETGALLEY)

(Review Not on Blog)

Very beautiful mystery writer, Diane Christie is a widow raising two teenagers. She volunteers at a suicide hotline when she is not writing or fretting over her children. Her son was sick as a child and her daughter is angry and hostile. A young women is murdered and Diane starts obsessively looking at the case on social media, especially when the killer calls the hotline to talk to her. (And, FYI, every man that Diane interacts with seems to fall for her as she looks like a younger Diane Lane).

(view spoiler) I love the cover of this book, and I requested it based on cover. I also didn't realize that this book was actually fourth in a series. I am not sure how they tie together, but it seems like you can read these as standalone novels. I am not going to read the rest of the series so I am not panicking over reading out of order. I found that Jaynes tells more than she shows in her writing. The prologue was too long for how much information was given. While I didn't agree with how Alexa treated Diane, she seemed to be the only character that was interesting and evolving. The end was disappointing and almost an easy pass to just finish the book. (This novel is under 200 pages).

I could not put this book down! I am looking forward to reading more novels by this author! Thank you NetGalley!