Review: Girl Unknown by Karen Perry

Title: Girl Unknown

Author: Karen Perry

Published: February 2018, Henry Holt & Co.

Format: Hardcover, 304 pages

Source: Publisher

Summary:

‘I think you might be my father . . .’

 When
first-year student Zoë Barry walks into Professor David Connolly’s
office and tentatively says these words, he is left reeling. But it is
the lives of his family – particularly his wife Caroline – which are
turned upside down by the arrival of this stranger.

A daughter, a sister, a friend . . . an enemy?

 Though
no one knows quite who Zoë is, she is soon entangled in their lives.
Yet her stories don’t ring true and Caroline is determined to learn if
the girl is the unlucky innocent she claims to be or someone with a far
darker agenda.

A deadly cuckoo in the nest . . .Because by
letting Zoë in, David and Caroline aren’t just leaving themselves
vulnerable. They’re risking the most precious thing in the world – the
lives of their children . . .

My thoughts: This is the first time I’ve read anything by the two authors who write under the pen name Karen Perry, but it definitely will not be the last. I was mesmerized from start to finish and had a really hard time putting this book down until I reached the conclusion – a conclusion I might add that I definitely did not see coming!

This book is told in alternating chapters from both the husband and wife’s point of views and that alone kept me hooked. You find out rather quickly that all is not as it seems in their marriage. There have already been some rather unsettling events that have occurred and it is not quite as resolved as they might like and when this bombshell of Zoe walks into their lives, it certainly doesn’t make things any easier. 

I loved the fact that there is the niggling hint in the back of your mind the whole time that something doesn’t quite add up with Zoe’s story. But is it that she is not telling the truth or that she is just an untrustworthy type of character? I love these types of characters, where you just don’t know whether to believe them or not, and you are constantly questioning them and every little thing they do. 

I loved getting into the dynamic’s of David and Caroline’s marriage and this is where having the two authors pen this book really worked. I don’t know if they each wrote separate chapters or they wrote the book together, but however they did it, it really worked. Delving into each of these character’s minds and seeing their separate thoughts on what was going on with Zoe, how they were thinking and responding to what was going on with her – this was powerful and quite realistic. I could feel Caroline’s anger at David – it was that palpable at times and equally I could feel David’s guilt at how he had missed so much of Zoe’s life. These emotions and feelings dripped off the pages at times. 

This is a very smartly written, suspenseful book. It kept me engaged and guessing as to how it would all play out until the very end. The characters were dynamically written and whether you like them or not, they will get under your skin. It’s a gripping and addictive read and I cannot wait to read more from this writing duo.