One Perfect Stranger: An utterly gripping psychological thriller with a heart-stopping twist

by R.B. Egan

'Has it all - pace, action, intrigue, mystery, dark secrets, relatable characters and an intricately woven plot. I devoured it in one weekend... Fantastic' Andrea Mara

'A tense, taut, pacy read' Jane Corry

'An intense and twisting mystery that surprised me at every turn. Thrilling stuff!' C.M. Ewan

Would you commit a crime to save your family?

Nicole had the perfect life, with her handsome surgeon husband Mark, their two young daughters and a beautiful big house.

But everything changed when Mark suddenly left his job at the hospital six months ago. He's distant. Keeping secrets. And they are out of money.

Then Nicole gets a strange

There is a million euros in your bank account. All you need to do is drive a car. Yes, or no?

This would be the answer to her prayers. It would save her family. But who sent it? What do they really want from Nicole?

And why hasn't Mark come home?

An absolutely addictive and gripping thriller with twists and turns you just won't see coming. Fans of Lisa Jewell, TM Logan and CL Taylor will be hooked from the very first page.

Genres: Thriller

403 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 27, 2024

Reviews

[K.L. Slater · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was quickly pulled in by the relatable characters and rising tension of ONE PERFECT STRANGER. I raced through all the unexpected twists and turns, right through to the riveting ending. This is a great read that hits the spot… highly recommended!

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a well paced page turner of a thriller I would recommend to everyone.

I enjoyed the fast pace of this book, I like some characters and despised others! was unable to guess who was behind everything until the reveal & found the story was summed up and ended well.

[James Durkan · Rating 3 out of 5]

One Perfect Stranger / R. B. Egan

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

~ God yeah, definitely a close second. Just as ruthless but since a good kidnapper requires lots of brains, there tends to be fewer of them. Most of them are murderers anyway and half the kidnaps end with death… ~

An absolute romper. Got this when it came out when I was going through a thriller mindset and I’m glad I did.

Nicole’s computer gets hacked and made make terrible choices, her husband has gone AWOL, her neighbour is ever watching over, and well the less said about Eve the better. Who is Chris, the man in the hi-vis jacket?

This doesn’t let up, and the red herrings are plenty throughout to keep you going through until the end. The chapters are short also which plays well into the cliffhangers. Nicole’s character progression is good, and I enjoyed Chris’ arc.

What I will say is that you need to suspend your disbelief throughout. You will find yourself saying ‘Really?!’ a lot while going through the motions. I enjoyed the reveal and didn’t see it coming. And the Mark explainer was good too.

A good page turner if you’re in a reading slump, a bit unbelievable but don’t let it take away from the story.

Picked up from the TBR Pile - Graiguenamanagh, Co. Kilkenny.
Bought from @bookstationireland, Waterford - 03/08/24

Read: 29/10/24 - 03/11/24
Release Date: 27/06/24
ISBN: 9781399732192

[Eva Edge · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
One Perfect Stranger by R.B. Egan is a gripping and heart-pounding action thriller with a jaw-dropping twist!

This thriller will not slowly prepare you for the action, this thriller is like jumping into a moving car and going full speed! Mad!
This thriller is full of mystery, dark secrets, and evil people, and will show you what humans are capable of when left with no options!

It's impossible to guess who was behind everything until the reveal, and then my jaw dropped! Whatever I expected, I didn't expect that! The twist took me totally unprepared!

Nicole, Mark, and their two daughters lived a cosy life until their finances ran out and life turned unexpectedly.
Out of nowhere, she gets a million euros in her bank account and a message that all she needs to do is drive. Unfortunately, nothing is that easy, and step by step, Nicole gets drawn into the dark and twisty world. Mark disappears, and her sister, who is a police officer, can't help because Nicole must keep everything secret.

How far will Nicole go to protect the people she cares about?

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this copy!"

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicole and Mark have the perfect life alongside their two daughters but it all changes when they run into financial problems. That is until Nicole gets an anonymous offer of a million euros and all she has to do is drive a car. Will she accept and is it too good to be true?

I was drawn in to the concept of this novel and thought it sounded original and mysterious. There is definitely a lot of mystery involved, with twists and turns dotted through. The book makes you question what you’d do in this situation, creating moral dilemmas you want to discuss. Although the characters were well written I struggled to connect with them and subsequently the overall story. It also took a while for it to get started. However, I’d say overall this is an entertaining, suspenseful thriller. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicole's perfect life unravels when her husband Mark becomes distant and their finances plummet, until she receives a mysterious offer of a million euros to drive a car, leading her into a web of secrets and suspense.

One Perfect Stranger is a gripping thriller with an intriguing premise that had me hooked from the get go. The mystery surrounding Nicole's sudden windfall and her husband's strange behaviour sets up a tense and compelling story. The twists and turns kept me guessing, and there were moments of genuine suspense.

I will say some plot developments seemed just a bit far-fetched. If you can get passed that, it's a solid read for thriller fans, especially those who enjoy domestic suspense.

[Manju Bhatia · Rating 5 out of 5]

#OnePerfectStranger #NetGalley
A good read.
Would you commit a crime to save your family?
Nicole had the perfect life, with her handsome surgeon husband Mark, their two young daughters and a beautiful big house. But everything changed when Mark suddenly left his job at the hospital six months ago. He's distant. Keeping secrets. And they are out of money. Then Nicole gets a strange message: There is a million euros in your bank account. All you need to do is drive a car. Yes, or no? This would be the answer to her prayers. It would save her family. But who sent it? What do they really want from Nicole? And why hasn't Mark come home?
I loved it. The characters are so good. It was a quick read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder Straughten for giving me an advance copy.

[Linda Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one humdinger of a story! Set in Dublin, Nicole and Mark live with their 2 young daughters. However, 6 months ago Mark left his job as a heart surgeon and is now working as a volunteer. Money is tight so when Nicole receives a mysterious message offering her a million euros in exchange for driving a car she sees it as a possible solution to their financial problems. What happens next sets off a train of horrific events and Nicole finds herself trapped in a situation that she can't escape if she wants to save her husband's life. This is real page turner that will keep you guessing to the end.
Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.

[Hannah Paley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty decent read with a few good twists and turns. A reasonably quick read with quite good pacing. The plot was interesting and I didn’t guess the reveal of who was behind it all.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

if you had the opportunity to instantly have 1 million euro’s would you take it at the risk of your family?

this thriller is full of twists and turns that keeps you constantly guessing.

once the reader feels like they’ve worked a piece of information out another thing is revealed. making this a gripping read.

thankyou to Hodder & Stoughton + net galley for the arc. all opinions are my own.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mark left his hospital job as a Dr and money was running out when his wife got a message saying for a million pounds would you drive a car yes or no, she says yes and follows his instructions then the twists start to come which keeps you reading.
I just couldn't get with Nicole so wasn't interested in whether she got out of the hole she made.

[Collette Mcgaahan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of the story is intriguing so I was open to some over the top situations. However when about half way through I started explaining to my husband what the plot was I soon realised how ridiculous it had become.
I’m not saying don’t read it but just don’t have your sensible critical head on if you do.
My conclusion is unfortunately that a plot idea is a lot easier than its delivery.

[Siobhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was gripping from the very start. Full of mystery, kept me turning the pages.
Once I got into it I found it a fast read. A great debut, I can't wait to read more from this author!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this ebook

[Alayne Emmett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting and addictive. I enjoyed this twisty thriller. It packed a lot of punch. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

[Kelsey Rhodes · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 stars! I wasn't sure what to think of this book based on its premise. But once I got into it, I really enjoyed it. It is fast-paced and kept me guessing. I thought I had it all figured out and then the final twist sent me reading. A strong thriller.

[Bernadette Doyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good pace-had good potential but felt could have been better. 2 and 1/2 stars rounded up

[Gail Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a real gripping read. The short chapters meant I was totally hooked into the story and just kept reading.

[jamesmorris · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was most disappointing. The story was so farfetched and not reflective of any normal happenings in our everyday world. I reluctantly gave it one star

[Leah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really bad - poorly written and the characters seemed flat. I skimmed to the end to see what happened.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit all over the place, short chapters. Good storyline but confusing.

[Yvonne Dempsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyed the drama and intrigue. A bit drawn out.