Stranger on the Shore

by William J. Borak

This spellbinding fictional story spins a web of linked mysteries about a beautiful young woman, Marisa, who is found almost lifeless on the bank of the East River in New York City. The Investigating Detective’s preliminary conclusion -- she “must have fallen out of the sky.”

Chris, grieving the loss of his fiancé Theresa, meets the enigmatic Arielle on the beach and agrees to meet her at a party. However, when he arrives at the party, he finds no sign of Arielle, but instead meets Marisa, a waitress who bears an uncanny resemblance to Theresa and even possesses her complete memory. Chris is stunned by the coincidence and wonders if everything is part of some greater plan orchestrated by Arielle.

As the story unfolds, Marisa's identity is revealed and her destiny to face one of the most notorious cartel leaders in a deadly battle becomes clear. Along the way, Ana and Chris develop a tumultuous love affair, which ultimately leads Chris to fight by Ana's side as she battles the cartel leader. But the story takes a twist when the mysterious Arielle appears at the most critical moment in the fight, adding another layer of mystery to the tale. Will Chris and Marisa triumph over their foes and find happiness together, or will the forces against them prove too strong? Follow along as Stranger on the Shore unravels these mysteries and more.

Genres: Book Club, Novels, Contemporary, Drama

178 pages, Paperback

Published April 11, 2023

About the author

Bill Borak is a retired business professional who
worked as a Management Consultant for half of his 42 years in business. In this capacity he worked primarily for Fortune 100 companies (AT&T, Bloomberg Financial, Pfizer, Merck, etc.) developing Technology based solutions and Organization analysis via White papers for C level Executives. During this time, he drafted a few family-oriented articles published by the local papers and a chapter in a technology based textbook (Data Management, Barbara von Halle and David Kull, Editors, published by Auerbach). Bill is a life-long New Jersey resident and graduate of Rutgers University. Bill has struggled with Parkinson's Disease for about the last 10 years. Despite his challenges and difficult days, he possessed the mental fortitude and personal discipline to write and publish his first novel, fulfilling a lifelong dream!

Reviews

[William Borak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hi William Borak,

Good day!

This is Cali Smith from Book Savvy International Inc.

Congratulations on receiving a positive review from Kirkus Book Review! This is a remarkable achievement and a testament to your talent and dedication as an author. Your work has not only captured the attention of Kirkus but has also earned recognition for its quality and excellence. May this positive review be just the beginning of many more accolades to come. Wishing you continued success on your literary journey!

Once again, congratulations on your success!

Have a great day and take care always,

Sincerely Yours,
Cali Smith

Marketing Fulfillment Officer

Book Savvy International Inc.

Los Angeles, California 90210

Contact number: 12134333127 (1007)

cali.smith@booksavvyinternationalinc.com

KIRKUS REVIEWS

TITLE INFORMATION
STRANGER ON THE SHORE
William J. Borak
Atmosphere Press (198 pp.)
$23.99 hardcover
ISBN: 979-8330458172
September 26, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
Stranger on the Shore by William Borak is a mesmerizing blend of mystery, romance, and suspense that grips you from the very first page. The story centers on Marisa, a young woman with a seemingly impossible connection to Chris, a man haunted by the loss of his fiancée. Borak weaves an intricate tale, blending deep emotional resonance with a plot that twists and turns in unexpected ways.
The characters are vividly portrayed, and each one feels incredibly real and relatable. Chris’s journey, from grief to a renewed hope for love, is beautifully executed, while Marisa’s mysterious connection to his past keeps you constantly guessing. The addition of Arielle, an enigmatic figure who seems to hold the keys to the unfolding mystery, gives the story a mystical element that adds to the suspense.
Borak’s writing is atmospheric and compelling, bringing the settings to life, especially the contrast between the quiet solitude of the shore and the dangerous, intense world of cartel showdowns. The plot builds steadily, culminating in a powerful showdown that is both thrilling and emotionally charged. Just when you think you have the story figured out, Borak surprises you with another twist, keeping the suspense alive until the very end.
If you’re a fan of novels that blend romance and intrigue with an otherworldly touch, Stranger on the Shore is a must-read.
It’s a beautifully written, spellbinding story that keeps you hooked until the last page.

[Lilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amidst the poignant backdrop of Chris's heart-wrenching grief following the loss of his beloved Theresa, fate casts its enigmatic spell through the enigmatic Arielle. Instead of Arielle, he is unexpectedly face-to-face with Marisa, a waitress who not only bears an uncanny resemblance to Theresa but possesses the profound depths of Theresa's memories. This extraordinary convergence of circumstances leaves Chris pondering the orchestration of events by Arielle, contemplating the existence of a grander scheme at play. Within the tumultuous realm of a passionate love affair, Chris embarks upon a demanding odyssey alongside Marisa, only to be astounded by the sudden emergence of Arielle. The quest for triumph over their adversaries and the forging of a shared path to happiness becomes a daunting endeavor, with opposing forces threatening to prove insurmountable.

Stranger on the Shore stands as a triumphant testament to the art of storytelling, intricately unraveling a tapestry woven with compelling mysteries and multifaceted characters. With consummate skill, author William Borak breathes life into Marisa, Chris, and Arielle, endowing each with their own intricate struggles and fervent desires. The palpable chemistry between Chris and Marisa infuses the narrative with a magnetic allure, while the undercurrent of destiny imparts a profound sense of significance to their intertwined journey. Just as the story appears to follow a predictable trajectory, the arrival of the enigmatic Arielle at a pivotal juncture injects a fresh layer of intrigue, further entangling the already intricate plot. The narrative is suffused with an aura of uncertainty and fervent anticipation, leaving readers perched on the edge of their seats, eagerly yearning for the resolution that lies ahead.

William Borak's masterful storytelling, vibrant characters, and intricate plot dynamics make Stranger on the Shore an undeniable gem in the literary landscape. A must-read for those seeking a transcendent and spellbinding journey into the depths of fate, love, and the unwavering spirit of the human heart.

[caleigh · Rating 1 out of 5]

no rating bc i don’t want to ruin the average of a book w so few ratings (especially an indie author’s), but i didn’t enjoy this.

the writing was very awkward, it felt like someone trying to write a formal email rather than telling a story. especially with the dialogue, nobody talks like this. i don’t know what the editing process was, obviously, but it needed to be longer and more thorough either way. it felt like i was reading a first draft.

i didn’t particularly like the storyline either. the plot felt predictable yet still completely out of left field. the whole “guardian angel” thing was a stupid addition in my eyes, especially considering i’m not religious and this book isn’t marketed as that either.

to anyone wanting to read this, be aware that it reads as more of a cheesy christian fiction with philosophical themes, and not as the thriller that it’s marketed as. it’s like the author couldn’t find just one niche that fit his story, so he threw it all in there because why not.

with all of that being said, it was a fast read and i love supporting new/indie authors so i don’t regret the purchase! this would definitely be a one star if i were to give it a rating, but if you can look past bad writing + the plot/themes interest you, then give it a shot.

[Mcgregory William · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this audiobook knowing very little about it, and I am genuinely glad I did. William J. Borak opens with an image that stops you cold: a beautiful young woman named Marisa is found barely alive on the bank of the East River in New York City, and the investigating detective, at a loss for any rational explanation, mutters that she must have "fallen out of the sky." That one line sets the entire temperature of the story. It is eerie, it is curious, and by the time you reach the final chapters, it does not feel nearly as far-fetched as it first sounds.

At the centre of everything is Chris, a man still carrying the raw weight of losing his fiancée Theresa when he crosses paths with the enigmatic Arielle on a quiet stretch of beach. Arielle is not easily described. She appears at the edges of the story like something borrowed from a dream, nudging events into motion without ever fully explaining herself. She invites Chris to a party, and when he arrives and finds no trace of her, he meets Marisa instead. Marisa is a waitress. She bears an uncanny physical resemblance to Theresa. And she holds, impossibly, the complete memory of a woman who is no longer alive.

That revelation is where the book truly begins to open up. Borak handles it with a steady, careful hand. He does not rush to explain it, and he does not let it drift into the territory of the absurd. He simply places it in front of you and trusts you to sit with the strangeness of it. Chris is stunned, understandably so, and the question he cannot shake is the same one the reader cannot shake: is any of this coincidence, or is there some larger design at work, and is Arielle somehow at the centre of it?

What follows is the unfolding of Marisa's true identity, which the story reveals slowly and deliberately. Her real name, we come to understand, is Ana, and her path is set on a collision course with one of the most dangerous cartel leaders in the story's world. The thriller elements here are genuinely tense. Borak does not treat the cartel subplot as a backdrop; it has real stakes, real menace, and when the confrontation finally comes, it earns every bit of the dread that has been building toward it.

But it is the love story between Chris and Ana that gives the book its emotional spine. These are not perfect people. Chris is grieving. Ana is discovering who she is under circumstances that would unsettle anyone. The relationship that grows between them is turbulent, at times fragile, and entirely believable because of it. When Chris ultimately chooses to fight by Ana's side rather than step away to safety, you do not question it for a moment. It feels like the only thing a person in his position could do.

And then, at the most critical point in that fight, Arielle reappears. Without giving away what happens, her return casts a new light on everything that came before it. Borak is not a writer who believes in tidy resolutions. He is more interested in the feeling that certain forces move through our lives with a kind of quiet intention we cannot fully see or name. Whether you find that comforting or unsettling likely depends on what you bring to the book.

James May's narration deserves its own mention. His voice finds the right register for every shift in the story: the tenderness in the quieter scenes between Chris and Ana, the controlled unease whenever Arielle is near, the urgency of the cartel confrontation. He is never theatrical about it. He understands that a story this layered does not need performance. It needs presence. And he delivers that fully.

I finished this on a long evening and sat quietly for a while after it ended. Not because I was confused, but because I was not ready to leave it yet. That, more than anything else, is how I know a story has done something real. Stranger on the Shore is one of the more quietly extraordinary things I have listened to in a long time.

[Savannah Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to talk about Chris first, because that is where this book truly lives. Not in the mystery, not in the danger, not even in the love story, as beautiful as all of that is. It lives in the quiet, suffocating reality of a man who has lost the person he was supposed to spend his life with, and who does not quite know how to exist in the world that followed. William J. Borak writes grief the way people actually carry it, not as something dramatic that announces itself, but as something you just keep moving with, day after day, because there is nothing else to do.

Chris lost Theresa before the story even begins. By the time we meet him, the loss is already settled into him like weather. And it is in that state, raw and unguarded, that he meets Arielle on the shore. She is a strange presence, warm and deliberate, and she invites him back into the world so gently that he almost does not notice it happening. When he arrives at the party she invited him to and finds she has disappeared, and instead comes face to face with Marisa, a waitress who wears Theresa's face and carries her complete memory, the moment does not feel like a plot twist. It feels like the kind of thing that could break a person all over again.

Borak does not let Chris react the way fiction usually lets grieving characters react. He keeps him still, uncertain, and achingly human throughout.
What unfolds between Chris and Marisa, who we come to know as Ana, is not a simple love story. It is something more complicated and more honest than that. Chris is not sure whether what he feels is for Ana or for the ghost of Theresa she carries inside her. Ana is discovering who she is outside of a memory that was never originally hers. Watching the two of them find each other anyway, in the middle of all that confusion and tenderness, is the most moving part of this entire book.

The cartel threat that tightens around Ana gives the story its urgency, and Borak handles it well. But even in its most tense moments, the emotional current underneath never goes cold. When Chris chooses to fight by Ana's side, it is not because he is brave. It is because losing someone again, standing by and watching it happen, is simply not something he has left in him. That is the kind of character writing that stays with you.

And then there is Arielle, who returns at the most critical moment of all. I will not say what happens. I will only say that her reappearance felt, to me, like the story exhaling. Like everything that had been held in tension finally releasing into something that made a strange, profound kind of sense.

James May narrates with exactly the right restraint. His voice never pushes the emotion further than the writing asks for, which is exactly what this story needs. There were moments listening where I had to remind myself to breathe.

Stranger on the Shore is one of those rare books that understands what grief actually does to people, and then builds something generous and hopeful around that understanding. I finished it feeling like I had been seen somehow, which is not something I say about books very often. Read it. You will feel it long after it ends.

[Literary Reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

William J. Borak’s Stranger on the Shore is an engrossing novel that boasts a plethora of twists and turns, leaving readers yearning for more. The main protagonist, Chris, is a character with complex relationship issues and a troubled past. Still reeling from the loss of his fiancé, Theresa, Chris encounters the captivating Arielle on the beach, and the two make plans to rendezvous at a party hosted by Garvey on the Jersey shore. Unfortunately, Arielle fails to show up, and Chris is equally let down by the women he meets at the party. Despite this setback, Chris has a stroke of luck when he meets Marisa Flores, a charming waitress at the party who captures his attention. Although he reconnects with Arielle in the coming days, Chris finds himself irresistibly drawn to Marissa due to her striking resemblance to Theresa. However, Marissa has a secret: she is actually Ana Moreno from Colombia, who was hiding from the Baka cartel that killed her family and left her unconscious on the beach. With a plan for revenge against the cartel, Ana reveals herself to be a strong and resilient survivor, possessing an amazing personality that captivates Chris and readers alike.

The book’s suspenseful flashbacks featuring Chris keep readers engaged in a back-and-forth of unfolding events, making this riveting thriller an absolute page-turner. The well-written prose artfully blends mystery, thriller, and fiction, making it a must-read for fans of those genres. Chris’s emotional journey, from losing his beloved wife to meeting two women who are eerily similar, is compellingly portrayed through the author’s skilled narration. When Marissa reveals her true identity to Chris, it’s a shocking twist that readers won’t see coming but will find entirely plausible. The author seamlessly parallels two storylines with Chris and Ana and in Columbia, where a man named Baka is on the hunt for Ana, adding to the book’s intrigue.

Stranger on the Shore is an excellent thriller that offers more than just romance. Its intriguing characters and numerous twists and turns will leave you enthralled and eager for more. If you’re a fan of mystery, thriller, and romance, this novel is a must-read, offering a compelling and well-crafted storyline that captivates readers from start to finish.

[Katherine M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up on a quiet weekend with no real expectations, and I finished it two days later feeling like I had read something I would not forget easily. William J. Borak has written a story that defies easy categorization, and the longer I sit with it, the more I appreciate that quality about it.

It begins with a woman named Marisa being pulled from the bank of the East River, barely alive, with no explanation anyone can make sense of. The detective on the scene quietly notes that she must have fallen out of the sky. That line alone tells you the kind of story you are in. Then we meet Chris, a man still deep in grief after losing his fiancée Theresa, who has a chance encounter on a beach with the mysterious Arielle. She is one of those characters you cannot quite pin down. She appears just long enough to set everything in motion before vanishing, and her absence somehow looms larger than her presence.

James May's narration is perfectly calibrated throughout. He does not perform the story so much as inhabit it, which is exactly right for material this layered. I would have enjoyed the book in print, but listening to it added something I did not expect.

If you enjoy stories that ask real questions about grief, identity, and whether the people who find us are ever truly coincidental, this one is worth every hour. Quietly extraordinary.

When Chris arrives at the party Arielle invited him to and finds no sign of her, he meets Marisa instead. A waitress. She looks exactly like Theresa. More unsettling still, she carries Theresa's complete memory. Borak does not rush past this moment or over-explain it. He lets it sit, and that restraint is one of the best decisions in the book.

What unfolds is part thriller, part love story, part something harder to name. Ana, as Marisa comes to be known, is on a collision course with a dangerous cartel leader, and Chris makes the choice to stand by her side when it matters most. The relationship between the two of them is the emotional centre of the story, and it earns every feeling it asks you to have. Nothing about it feels manufactured.

Arielle's reappearance at the story's most critical moment is the kind of narrative move that reframes everything you thought you understood. Borak earns it.

[Sammy Sutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me tell you about Arielle, because she is the reason I could not stop thinking about this book for days after I finished it. She appears on a beach, warm and unhurried, and within a few pages she has completely rearranged the life of a grieving man named Chris without him even realising it. She invites him to a party, vanishes without explanation, and sets in motion a chain of events so layered and so surprising that I genuinely had to pause the audiobook more than once just to process what I had heard. William J. Borak has created one of the most quietly magnetic characters I have come across in a long time, and the fact that she is never fully explained is exactly what makes her so extraordinary.

But here is what I love most about this book: Arielle is just the beginning. When Chris shows up at that party and finds no trace of her, he meets Marisa instead, a waitress who looks exactly like his late fiancée Theresa and carries every single one of her memories. I am telling you, that moment hit me like a wave. It is the kind of story development that sounds impossible to pull off without it feeling gimmicky, and yet Borak pulls it off completely. He writes it with such care and such restraint that you just go with it. You believe it because the characters believe it, and because the emotional logic of it is airtight.

And then Arielle comes back. Right at the peak of everything, when the stakes could not be higher, there she is again. I will not say another word about it except this: the way Borak brings her back reframes the entire story in a single move, and it is the kind of ending that makes you want to immediately start the whole thing over knowing what you now know.

James May's narration is a genuine pleasure from start to finish. He brings energy and intelligence to every scene, and his feel for the pacing of this story is spot on. Listening to this rather than reading it felt like the exact right way to experience it.

I went in knowing nothing. I came out recommending it to everyone I know. Stranger on the Shore is the kind of story that reminds you why you fell in love with reading in the first place. Do not sleep on this one.

[Jacob Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to be honest about something. I almost did not finish the first chapter. Not because it was bad, but because it opened with a kind of quiet strangeness that I was not sure I was ready for. A woman named Marisa pulled from the East River, barely alive, with no explanation that makes any sense. A detective muttering that she must have fallen out of the sky. I remember thinking, where exactly is this going?

It went somewhere I never expected.
By the time I understood who Marisa really was, who Ana is underneath all the mystery, and what she is walking toward with that cartel threat tightening around her, I was completely invested in a way I cannot fully explain. Borak writes danger the way it actually feels in real life. Not loud. Just present. Slowly unavoidable.

But the part that truly got me was Chris. This is a man still carrying the loss of Theresa, the woman he was going to marry, when life hands him something that should be impossible. He meets Ana and she has Theresa's face. Her memories. Everything. Watching him try to make sense of that, watching him choose to love her anyway and then choose to fight beside her when everything is on the line, that is the emotional core of this book and it is handled with so much care.
And then there is Arielle. She appears at the beginning like a gentle nudge from the universe and vanishes. She comes back at the end at exactly the moment you are holding your breath. I will not say more than that. Just know that when she returns, the whole story clicks into place in a way that made me sit very still for a few minutes.

James May narrates beautifully. He never overdoes it. He just lets the story breathe, which is exactly right.
This book is mysterious, emotional, tense and quietly profound. One of the most satisfying listens I have had in a long time. If you have been sitting on this one, stop waiting.

[Charlotte Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stranger on the Shore is a beautifully layered novel that pulls readers into a world where reality and the unseen collide in unexpected ways. William Borak crafts a story that feels both intimate and expansive, following Chris, a Wall Street banker whose life takes a profound turn after encountering the enigmatic Arielle. What begins as a chance meeting quickly unfolds into something far deeper, intertwining with the lingering presence of lost love through Theresa.

One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its seamless blending of suspense, emotion, and subtle elements of the supernatural. Borak doesn’t just tell a story, he builds an atmosphere where every moment feels charged with meaning. The inclusion of characters like Marisa, the observant waitress, adds richness and depth, making the narrative feel alive from multiple perspectives.

At its core, the book explores grief, faith, and the human struggle to make sense of life’s most difficult moments. Even as the characters face overwhelming challenges, there’s an underlying thread of hope that keeps the story grounded and relatable. The pacing keeps you turning pages, while the emotional weight lingers long after.

Overall, Stranger on the Shore is a compelling, thought-provoking read that masterfully combines mystery, faith, and human connection. It’s the kind of story that not only entertains but also invites reflection, making it a truly memorable experience.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease four years ago. For over two years, I relied on Levodopa and several other medications, but unfortunately, the symptoms kept getting worse. The tremors became more noticeable, and my balance and mobility started to decline quickly. Last year, out of desperation and hope, I decided to try a herbal treatment program from NaturePath Herbal Clinic.Honestly, I was skeptical at first, but within a few months of starting the treatment, I began to notice real changes. My movements became smoother, the tremors subsided, and I felt steadier on my feet. Incredibly, I also regained much of my energy and confidence. It’s been a life-changing experience I feel more like myself again, better than I’ve felt in years.If you or a loved one is struggling with Parkinson’s disease, I truly recommend looking into their natural approach. You can visit their website at www.naturepathherbalclinic.com info@naturepathherbalclinic.com

[Maxiumus · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the book, Stranger on the Shore, William Borak crafts an intricate tale where disparate events intertwine. Chris, a Wall Street banker, encounters a mysterious woman, Arielle, and experiences a collision of realities involving lost love, Theresa. The author skillfully weaves into the narrative a sense of magic, infusing deeper layers into the narrative. The convergence of characters, including a waitress named Marisa, adds complexity. Amidst grief, faith becomes a guiding light, leading characters through trials. Borak's storytelling prowess creates a suspenseful, action-packed page-turner with relatable characters facing insurmountable odds, making this story a great read.

[Angela Randolph · Rating 5 out of 5]

After my PD diagnosis, I started out taking only Azilect, then Mirapex and sinemet as the disease progressed but didn’t help much. In July last year, I started on PD-5 herbal protocol from Uine health centre. Few months into the treatment, I made a significant recovery. After I completed the recommended treatment plan, almost all my symptoms were gone, had wonderful improvement with my movement and tremors. Its been 6 months since I completed the treatment, I live a better life. Visit or google www. limitlesshealthcenter. com

[Swati Tanu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a really interesting story about Marisa, a beautiful lady who is found almost lifeless by the East River in New York City. The tale begins with Chris, who is sad because his fiancée Theresa passed away. He meets a mysterious person named Arielle on the beach. Things get more complicated when Chris agrees to meet Arielle at a party but instead meets Marisa, a waitress who looks a lot like Theresa and remembers everything about her.

The author skillfully explores Chris's feelings and the strange things happening around Marisa, making readers think about destiny. The story combines mysteries, fate, and love, with interesting characters.

You might like to wander through a few artistic journals — they’re full of sparks and surprises.