Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Strangers We Know, by Elle Marr {ends 6/2}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

Peering into the nightstand, I see the sharp white corner of an envelope. I pull it out. My letter. Someone retrieved the envelope from my suitcase, then placed it in this drawer.

Fear creases my forehead as I recall that Lottie always leaves the front door unlocked, citing  small-town trust and the fact that the Caine house doesn’t exclusively belong to her. 

Someone else was in my room. Did they have to hide the letter in a hurry when they heard me drive up?

I grab my Swiss Army knife and creep through the house, flinging open doors, searching in closets, and stooping down to peer under furniture—behind curtains, anywhere a person could still be hiding—all while terrified I’ll come face-to-face with them. 

Panting in the foyer before the stained glass of the entryway, I pause. Strain my ears. Only the soft ticking of the grandfather clock behind me registers in an otherwise empty home.

Someone has been killing women for decades, and the FBI wants Ivy to find out who. It’s someone she’s related to, but as an adoptee, she’s just starting to meet her blood relatives.

Official synopsis:

Adopted when she was only days old, Ivy Hon knows little about her lineage. But when she’s stricken with a mystery illness, the results of a genetic test to identify the cause attract the FBI. According to Ivy’s DNA, she’s related to the Full Moon Killer, who has terrorized the Pacific Northwest for decades. Ivy is the FBI’s hope to stop the enigmatic predator from killing again.

When an online search connects Ivy with her younger cousin, she heads to rural Rock Island, Washington, to meet the woman. Motivated by a secret desire to unmask a murderous relative, Ivy reaches out to what’s left of a family of strangers.

Discovering her mother’s tragic fate and her father’s disappearance is just the beginning. As Ivy ventures into a serial killer’s home territory, she realizes that she may be the next victim of poisonous blood ties.

Ivy Hon was close with her adoptive parents and brother, but what would it be like to be really biologically related to someone? She hopes it would at least help her figure out her awful health flare-ups, that keep her trapped in her apartment so much of the time. A DNA test seems to be the way to start trying to locate someone with answers, but instead it quickly leads to more questions. 

She’s determined to make the trip to visit her biological cousin, but the FBI gives her another reason - they want her to find out which of her biological relatives may be the Full Moon Killer. Someone is on to her task nearly as soon as she arrives. While she wants to know the truth, she’s not sure how much she may need to risk to find it.

This book was full of false leads and dangerous possibilities. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars and was genuinely surprised at some of the revelations (although they all seemed to work out, plot-wise). I’d recommend this book for those who like thrillers, and found-family stories. Ivy learning about the family she may have grown up with was bittersweet, while saying nothing negative about her adoptive family.

{click here to purchase—currently free for Kindle Unlimited!

Becki Bayley is a lot of things to a lot of people. She’s so glad the weather may be turning to spring so she can enjoy her front garden with a cold drink and a good book. Check out her reads on Instagram where she posts as PoshBecki.

GIVEAWAY:

Two of my lucky readers will win a copy of Strangers We Know!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Thursday, June 2nd, at 11:59pm EST, and winners will be contacted the next day via email and have 24 hours to respond, otherwise an alternate winner(s) will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

Strangers We Know, by Elle Marr