Rachel Gaston and her best friend, Lila, went to play an innocent game, or so they thought, of running around an old mill, in the dark shooting air guns at the other kids that were there. As she was playing, someone jumped out at her and without thinking she fired, but it wasn't her air gun, it was a real gun and she had just shot her brother Luke. Rachel's dad is a detective and many people in their town of Edgewater, Oregon think because of that she got away with killing her half brother.
20 years later, Rachel has never gotten over what has happened, she feels so guilty, has nightmares and her anxiety is so bad, that it has caused a rift and leading to a divorce from Detective Cade Ryder. Lila is determined to make the reunion a success, no matter how outside events unfold. On that disaster of a night long ago, other kids that came in defense of Rachel, have been murdered. Someone is toying with Rachel as well. Following her, writing messages on her door, making her feel like she is going crazy.
Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush, have the somewhat same writing style. In both their new books they lead the story with an unknown patient talking to a therapist. Kinda confusing at times, but a way to mislead the reader, so you don't have an idea of who is really the tormentor. But sadly in this book, Lisa Jackson's little clues, made me get who it really was. Not much of an intrigue.

Paranoid by Lisa Jackson is a spellbinding thriller set in Edgewater Oregon. 20 years prior Rachel Gaston (Ryder) went to an old abandoned warehouse with her friends to play a shooting game. None of the guns they fired had real bullets, and nobody was supposed to get hurt. Unfortunately, when Rachel fired the gun her step-brother, Luke, had given her, Luke fell and bled to death. Rachel’s step-father, a police officer, was first on the scene and in the end, Rachel was found not guilty. Most of the people in the small town still think she is guilty, and when classmates who testified for her during her trial were subsequently found murdered after 20 years, Rachel’s ex-husband, Detective Cade Ryder, steps in and tries to tie the murders to the incident. Someone is after Rachel and others who were there at the abandoned warehouse, and Cade must work fast to find the murderer before more murders occur.

Lisa Jackson is a bestselling author for a reason; she can tell a story and keep the audience’s attention. Her novels are well-written, concise, and fascinating - Paranoid is no exception. Jackson develops her characters so that readers can relate, and they seem real. The scenarios in this novel are believable, and the twists keep readers on the edges of their seats. Of course, there is a surprise ending, and Jackson is a master at building suspense to a sometimes shocking dénouement.

Thriller aficionados will love this novel, and will appreciate Lisa Jackson’s expertise in putting together a memorable thriller. Highly recommended. Fans of Lisa Jackson will savor this novel, and those who are unfamiliar with her writing will become loyal fans.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

PARANOID By Lisa Jackson
Lisa Jackson has woven a complex tapestry of a great story with Paranoid! I was hooked from the start with this book. I read it in one sitting. There are lots of things going on, it's unpredictable, it twists and it turns, there is never a dull moment! I highly recommend this book, it is a 5 star read.

This is a beautiful, creepy, and an absolutely gripping psychological thriller that hooked me from start to finish.
There is also a touch of romance that is very relatable and engaging.

The main character Rachel is still reeling from a horrific incident from her teenage years where she may or may not have killed her half brother in a game. An incident that left her traumatized and contributed to the failure of her marriage.

Now with her high school reunion looming, unsettling events start happening, and someone is targeting Rachel.
Lots of secrets and twists add to an already suspenseful plot, what really happened on this fateful day? who is stalking Rachel and why? You have to read this fantastic thriller to know.

Thanks Netgalley, publisher Kensington, and author Lisa Jackson for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Very very creepy and unsettling. I was a nervous wreck reading this but I loved it! I will be highly recommending it to anyone.

A guilt left obvious. A dead sibling. Can a town ever truly move on from its bloody past? This is the situation that Rachel is left with after being involved in stupid teenaged game that went horribly wrong. Rachel fired the gun that inadvertently killed her half brother. His dying face haunts her existence to this day – twenty years on. Guilt plagues her even though she was acquitted of the murder. She believed she had taken his life but did she? This is a story of Fear, loss and the complexity of human emotion. As the story unfolded the reader was able to see that this wasn’t a simple story. Actions have concequences for all involved. The story follows Rachel’s life from frightened teenager to divorced woman with two children of her own and the fallout from that fateful night.

Rachel is a complex character – and I like that!
For this story it was right how in depth Rachel’s character was. She was ultimately flawed due to her experiences. She is the result of experiencing a tragic event that has changed her for good. Life would simply never be the same again for her. She has the classic signs of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). She fears everything, her marriage broke down, she doesn’t have any close friends (possibly fearing she may lose them if she’s truly close to them) and she has her children on a very tight leash. Her Daughter, Harper often states “It’s like a prison”. Her character is completely true to the event though – who wouldn’t be psychologically affected after going through what she has!

Plot – Well executed
The plot was interesting and I enjoyed the mental health take on the main character. The take on the fallout of several families involved gave the real implications of actions and concequences. It was a quick read and I wanted to keep reading to find out who was causing such carnage in the little town. The twist was unexpected and I was very shocked. This was a great, steady read.

I received an ARC copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
4 Stars

This is my first book by Lisa Jackson, and it was a solid mystery thriller with a touch of romance. Who could ask for more in a perfect summer read.

The book tells the story of Rachel who may or may not have accidentally shot her half brother as part of a game in high school. Still living in the same small town, Rachel's high school reunion is looming, and someone seems out for revenge.

I do not want to give away any spoilers and I went into reading this book with no preconceived notions, and I think that's best. The author makes great use of some red herrings and twists to leave the reader guessing. The romance between Rachel and her ex-husband is complex, especially with his coworker and possible other love interest thrown into the mix, but the story felt heartfelt and believable.

The dialogue was crisp and the situations felt fresh and new. I will be looking at this author's back titles.

Thanks to the author, www.NetGalley.com, and the publisher for my advanced reader's copy.

Read a lot like Bad Things, good story though. I happen to like her books a lot and they never fail to reel me in. A killer is on the loose, but who is his real target?

Great poolside read.

Although I did figure out who did what before the end of the story the book was too good to put down. A very good mystery and story.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC. I haven't read a Lisa Jackson novel prior to this but had heard plenty of good things about her work. This was great! The writing, plot, characters, everything I thought made it a great read.

Lisa Jackson has yet to disappoint me with one of her thrillers. This latest installment was just the book I needed right now.

Rachel's life hasn't been easy since tragedy struck her family in high school. All these years she is still blaming herself for her half-brother's death. Something like that sticks with you for awhile, especially after you have kids of your own.

So much confusion surrounds that night. Confusion that is heightened when people involved with the initial crime start having unfortunate things happen to them as well. All the while Rachel feels as if she is going nuts with thoughts of being followed and trying to monitor her teenagers through this new storm that seems to be brewing.

A twisting turning ride that will have you up late to finish. Lisa Jackson is nothing short of amazing when it comes to a good thrilling read.

Lisa Jackson starts us in Oregon twenty years ago when Rachel shoots her brother Luke dead. Years later, Rachel is a divorced mom of two still scarred by the events of the past. Meanwhile, her high school is putting on a reunion while those who were there with her years ago are ending up dead. Her life is spiraling out of control as she finds herself the target of a stalker, her children are hiding secrets from her, her ex-husband is investigating the crimes, and she is being harassed to being a part of the reunion. Rachel needs to figure out what is going on around her before she becomes the target of a killer set to mete out punishment for the injustices of the past.

Lisa Jackson brings us into Rachel's story by drawing us in to the events as she remembers them. There is intrigue to hint at that feeling that you are being watched even though you see nothing out of the ordinary. Lisa has always excelled at making you feel that things may not quite seem as they appear without being overly dramatic. I enjoyed trying to figure out what will happen with our characters.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for this privilege.

While not my favorite Lisa Jackson book, it was a decent read. I really feel there were too many players and that kind of caused me to pop out of the story on several occasions as I figured out who was who. But the twists and plot are intriguing and keep you interested .

With their 20th class reunion only months away, Rachel and her fellow students find themselves in the midst of more than one homicide. Luke, Rachel's half-brother had died the night of a raucous party gone bad, 20 years ago. Originally it was thought that Rachel had been behind the gunshot that killed Luke, however, Rachel was found innocent.

Now, with the reunion so close, someone is killing former students in Rachel's class. Who? Why? ...and why NOW?

As the twists come at you and the mystery unfolds, the reader is taken to differing viewpoints as to who is behind these murders.

As all of us Lisa Jackson readers know - you're in for a thrilling and shocking conclusion!

Many thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for a rollercoaster of a ride!

This is the first book that I've read by this author and she's definitely found a new fan! The main character, Rachel, has lived with the guilt of accidentally shooting her half brother, Luke, 20 years ago. Although cleared by the police with a help of a few witnesses, she hasn't been cleared in the public eye and almost everyone in her town blames her solely for his death. Because it was in a dark abandoned cannery with teenagers running all around shooting air guns and firecrackers, it's not clear exactly what happened, leaving room for rampant speculation. Now on the anniversary of Luke's death, another classmate has been found murdered and everyone wants to figure out if it is somehow connected and how much worse things will get.

There's also a lot of family drama, as Rachel is divorced from her husband, Cade, and as he is with the police, he also is caught up in the mystery. His father happens to be grandfather to Luke's son, Lucas, who was not born at the time of Luke's passing. His mother Lila was a classmate and best friend of Rachel's and by marrying Cade's dad, she also became Rachel's (now ex) stepmother! It is all very interconnected and at times may be tough to keep straight. There's also some repetition, as I swear I read some variant of the phrase 'but could Luke's 20 year old case possibly be related to this murder?' at least 20 times. Just a little trimming of some dialogue here and there would help. It's not enough to keep from enjoying the story and I would recommend it to anyone in need of a good thriller!

Rachel has been living with the guilt of killing her brother. What started out as a teenage game, turned deadly. Now on the 20th anniversary of her brothers death 2 of her fellow classmates are murdered and strange things are happening around Rachel.

This is an intense thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. The twist at the end caught me completely by surprise. I thought I knew part of it but there was more, that I hadn’t even suspected. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Paranoid was a really twisted suspenseful thriller, with a lot of questionable characters that really kept me guessing throughout the entire book. Honestly I had my suspicions of every character, but I absolutely did not see the surprising conclusion coming! By the time I made it to the end, I had an idea of who I thought the killer was and when it was revealed I was completely taken by surprise. I like that in a book, where it sneaks up on you and that’s exactly what Paranoid did. The very last chapter was also a shocker. Overall this book was very detailed and very well done!

Paranoid by author Lisa Jackson is yet another brilliant piece of work by Jackson! She really knows how to do this genre! I would recommend the book, characters are great and the plot is developed well.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Will you ever be free? Rachel has been living with the guilt of her stepbrother Luke's death for twenty years and the anniversary of his death is coming up and she will need to be strong for her family. But the local newspaper has done an article on his death and everyone is whispering about her part in his death, she has always believed that she caused his death and now it is all up for discussion again. Will she ever find peace with the past? She is trying her best but her children Harper & Dylan are growing so quickly and they are both keeping secrets from her and their father Cade. They both worry about their mother as she is becoming even more paranoid and they feel that they both need to escape.
Rachel just wants to get out of planning the high school reunion but Lila has guilted her into it and how can she say no to the woman that had her stepbrother baby. Lucas looks just like his dad but he is also hiding a secret that could destroy everyone's lives.
Rachel is even more freaked out as someone that had her back all those years ago has been killed and now she is even more worried. She feels like someone has been watching her but she decides to keep it to herself as she knows that Cade will worry about her. And the last thing she needs is for her ex-husband to get involved.
Cade just knows that the death is linked to what happened all those years ago and now that another schoolfriend of Rachel's has been killed he knows that there is something there but why now? Can he prove that he is right and protect his family at the same time? Will Cade find the killer before it is too late for Rachel as he knows that it will all end with her death?
A great read full of twists & turns. You can never what is right in front of you. I was lucky enough to receive a copy via Netgalley & the publishing house in exchange for my honest review.

Fast paced and an easy read, this book held my attention throughout. The plot line was engaging and the characters were well developed. Although figured out the who and the why a bit early on I continued to read because I truly enjoyed this book. Lisa Jackson is a fantastic storyteller and has proven that with this book.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.