Review: The Red Hunter by Lisa Unger

Title:The Red Hunter

Author:Lisa Unger

Published:April 2017, Touchstone

Format:ARC E-book, 368 pages

Source:Netgalley via Publisher

What is the difference between justice and revenge? In this buzzworthy new standalone thriller by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger, two wronged women on very different paths find themselves in the same dark place…

Claudia
Bishop’s perfect life fell apart when the aftermath of a brutal assault
left her with a crumbling marriage, a newborn daughter, and a constant
sense of anxiety about the world around her. Now, looking for a fresh
start with a home restoration project and growing blog, Claudia takes on
a crumbling old house—one that unbeknownst to her has an ugly history
and may hide long buried secrets.

For Zoey Drake the defining
moment of her childhood was the horrific home invasion murder of her
parents. Years later, she has embraced the rage that fuels her. Training
in the martial arts has made her strong and ready to face the demons
from the past—and within.

Strangers to each other, and walking
very different paths in the wake of trauma, these two women are on a
collision course—because Zoey’s past nightmare and Claudia’s dreams for
her future take place in the very same house. As Zoey seeks justice, and
Claudia seeks peace, both will confront the monsters at the door that
are the most frightening of all.

My thoughts:I am a big fan of Lisa Unger’s books – I have read just about all of her published books already, and those I haven’t I have on my to-be-read list! Her thrillers keep you on the edge of your seat and she creates the most complex, compelling characters that just get under your skin.

I loved the way this story was told – it’s so intricately plotted, connecting two seemingly unconnected women together by one object – a house.  But these two women are also connected by something else – they have both survived the unthinkable, an attack on their lives. The difference is how they decide to move on from this attack. 

I
loved how the different threads of this story were woven together. This book moves
fast, but not so fast as to gloss over anything. Everything is given
it’s due course. And everything is flushed out. We learn about the attacks on both women in due time, though, that all happened prior to the start of the book. We also learn about the importance of the house – again, not all in one fell swoop, but slowly, bit by bit, we find out why the house is so important.

I loved all the moving pieces to this book – and believe me, there are a lot! While there are primarily the two narrators, we do meet quite a lot of characters and I felt that they were all pretty well developed. At times, there is a jump from the present to the past, sometimes without much notice, but once you realize that particular plotline only occurs in the past, you are ready the next time it happens. 

This book definitely kept me on my toes – between the secrets and the engaging characters, I was desperately trying to keep up and try to put everything together before the final reveal. While I did guess some of it, I wasn’t able to put all the pieces together…this layered book really surprised me! 

Lisa Unger is definitely a go-to author for me and I always look forward to when she has a new book out. This latest book certainly did not disappoint – and whether it is her series or her stand-alones, this author can do no wrong!!!