A Stranger on the Beach

May 20, 2019
Well-to-do New Yorker Caroline Stark, the narrator of this engrossing, if flawed, thriller from Campbell (She Was the Quiet One), loses everything starting the night her husband, Jason, arrives late for the housewarming party at their new beach house followed by a Russian woman he claims is a business associate. Caroline knows the woman is his mistress, and their marriage falls apart. Soon the bank accounts are empty, the credit cards are canceled, and Caroline’s college-age daughter is siding with Jason. Drunk and despondent, Caroline has an impetuous fling with a bartender, Aiden Callahan, who has a history of violence. Aiden becomes obsessed with Caroline and her house, which is built on land that was once owned by his family. Meanwhile, Jason disappears and suspicion falls on Caroline that she murdered him. The fast pace and strong characters, especially secondary ones such as Aiden, will help the reader overlook the plot holes (some Russian mobsters show unconvincing restraint). Those looking for breezy intrigue on a hot summer day will be satisfied. Agent: Meg Ruley, Jane Rotrosen Agency.

May 1, 2019
This twisting psychological thriller features two main characters whose relationship becomes a roller coaster of fear and intrigue. In the first part of the novel, we meet Caroline Stark, a once-rich Long Islander on the brink of losing it all. Her husband appears to be having an affair, and lonely, scared?and newly broke?Caroline finds solace in a fling with a handsome local bartender, Aidan Callahan. She's immediately remorseful and tries to put the indiscretion behind her, but Aidan won't take no for an answer and starts stalking Caroline and her family. The chapters alternate between Aidan's and Caroline's points of view, which become frighteningly disparate (unfortunately, the differences sometimes become confusing for the reader). The second portion of the book is a murder mystery that includes some out-of-the-blue surprises that will have readers wondering whether Caroline or Aidan was the unreliable narrator earlier in the tale. While the plot here is very different from that of Campbell's last novel?She Was the Quiet One (2018), set in a boarding school?this believable and engrossing he-said, she-said thriller will be a hit with fans of the earlier book as well as those who enjoy Alice LaPlante.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)