Author: Steve Cavanagh

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Publication Date: March 19, 2024 (available now)

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐ (4/5)

Amanda loses her young daughter in one of the worst ways possible, and then her partner Luis shortly after. She becomes obsessed with the man she believes ruined her life, and her stalking his every move leads to her being put on probation and required to attend a support group for grieving parents. She meets Wendy, whose teenage daughter was also killed by a man that got away with it, at her first group meeting and the two form a tentative friendship. 

Both women want justice, but know they will be suspects if their daughter’s killers are killed. They hatch a plan similar to “Strangers on a Train” so that they can both get what they so desperately want without being punished.

I can’t really say much more about the plot without giving some of the twists away, so this is a good point to share my thoughts. There are several interesting supporting characters; for me, Detective Farrow and Scott specifically. It was interesting to read about, and think about, what people might be willing to do when pushed past their breaking points. I figured out the first big twist about three-quarters of the way through the book, and didn’t see the other twist coming until it was happening. The second twist is what leaves me unsure of the rating for this book. Until the final reveal, I was probably going to give this one 4.5 stars, but I just found that ending unsettling. I don’t believe Amanda would be okay with how things ended, or at least with who ended them. That person was not out for revenge or justice, but was just killing for the sake of killing, which I found antithetical to the entire concept of the book. This dropped the book to a 3.5 star for me, but it was just the very end, and as much as I despised the conclusion, I really enjoyed the rest of the book. This is a long-winded way of saying I am going to go in the middle and give this one 4 stars. If you’ve read it, I would love to know what you thought of how it ended. 

Synopsis from the publisher: “One dark evening on New York City’s Upper West Side, two strangers meet by chance. Over drinks, Amanda and Wendy realize they have much in common, especially loneliness and an intense desire for revenge against the men who destroyed their families. As they talk into the night, they come up with the perfect plan: if you kill for me, I’ll kill for you.

In another part of the city, Ruth is home alone when the beautiful brownstone she shares with her husband, Scott, is invaded. She’s attacked by a man with piercing blue eyes, who disappears into the night. Will she ever be able to feel safe again while the blue-eyed stranger is out there?”