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In the Red
Love can be murder.
When Kirk Stryker, a respected certified public accountant, is brutally murdered in his office in the Long Island village of Gardenia, all eyes are on rival Marty Benning, the handsome newcomer whose high-tech firm has been stealing Stryker’s business and attention.
Muriel Adams, a middle-aged mom who has given up on love, falls head over heels for the charming yet enigmatic Benning, despite the warnings of friends and family, and when Benning is arrested for Stryker’s murder, she is the only one to believe in his innocence.
Is Muriel blinded by love? Or is Benning playing her for a fool? In the Red is an emotionally charged contemporary thriller that follows the police investigation, media coverage, and political and economic fallout surrounding this high-profile crime, and, ultimately, uncovers a dark underbelly that reveals the dangerous places the heart can lead.
When Kirk Stryker, a respected certified public accountant, is brutally murdered in his office in the Long Island village of Gardenia, all eyes are on rival Marty Benning, the handsome newcomer whose high-tech firm has been stealing Stryker’s business and attention.
Muriel Adams, a middle-aged mom who has given up on love, falls head over heels for the charming yet enigmatic Benning, despite the warnings of friends and family, and when Benning is arrested for Stryker’s murder, she is the only one to believe in his innocence.
Is Muriel blinded by love? Or is Benning playing her for a fool? In the Red is an emotionally charged contemporary thriller that follows the police investigation, media coverage, and political and economic fallout surrounding this high-profile crime, and, ultimately, uncovers a dark underbelly that reveals the dangerous places the heart can lead.
- GenresAudiobook
Audible Audio
Published June 14, 2022
26 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
About the author
Dina Santorelli
16 books109 followersDina Santorelli is an award-winning author of heart-pounding thrillers and dark, twist-filled suspense. Twice voted one of Long Island’s best authors, she’s known for crafting gripping stories that keep readers turning pages late into the night.
Born in Brooklyn and raised in Middle Village, New York—a place bordered by cemeteries—Dina grew up surrounded by whispers of mystery, fueling a lifelong fascination with the darker side of storytelling. Now based on Long Island, she writes full-time, weaving tales of secrets, betrayal, and survival.
When she manages to step away from her desk, Dina enjoys traveling, cooking, baking, and spending time with her family and friends. She also wrestles daily with her fiercest rival: the New York Times Strands word game. For more information about Dina, visit her website at http://dinasantorelli.com.
Follow Dina on social media:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dinasantorell...
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dinasantorelli
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/dinasantorelli
Born in Brooklyn and raised in Middle Village, New York—a place bordered by cemeteries—Dina grew up surrounded by whispers of mystery, fueling a lifelong fascination with the darker side of storytelling. Now based on Long Island, she writes full-time, weaving tales of secrets, betrayal, and survival.
When she manages to step away from her desk, Dina enjoys traveling, cooking, baking, and spending time with her family and friends. She also wrestles daily with her fiercest rival: the New York Times Strands word game. For more information about Dina, visit her website at http://dinasantorelli.com.
Follow Dina on social media:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dinasantorell...
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dinasantorelli
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/dinasantorelli
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 14, 2021
Murder Mysteries are not my typical genre but after reading “In The Red” by Dina Santorelli I think I will be reading all her other books and checking out more murder mysteries. Yes this is a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ with plot twists and turns that keep you hanging on till the very end. Deceit and love intermingle throughout this novel as well. Ms Santorelli is the author of the Baby Grand Trilogy and has won several writing awards.
We travel to the fictitious town of Gardenia, NY which is located on Long Island where we meet our main characters with much anticipation. Kyle Stryker, Marty Benning , Muriel Adams, Anthony Satriano, Detective Betty Munson, Patricia Krause, Eva Sansfield et al. Each plays their part in this whodunnit.
We are led down paths of intrigue and moments of fear. Who will live to tell the truth? You will be surprised and shocked by the discoveries and immense challenges certain characters must face. Dina Santorelli has written a book that you will be immersed in and intrigued with till the very end. I highly recommend this book and have given this a 5/5 and will be reading more of her books in the future.
@dinasantorelli
We travel to the fictitious town of Gardenia, NY which is located on Long Island where we meet our main characters with much anticipation. Kyle Stryker, Marty Benning , Muriel Adams, Anthony Satriano, Detective Betty Munson, Patricia Krause, Eva Sansfield et al. Each plays their part in this whodunnit.
We are led down paths of intrigue and moments of fear. Who will live to tell the truth? You will be surprised and shocked by the discoveries and immense challenges certain characters must face. Dina Santorelli has written a book that you will be immersed in and intrigued with till the very end. I highly recommend this book and have given this a 5/5 and will be reading more of her books in the future.
@dinasantorelli
December 28, 2019
Mystery and thriller at its best. Dina Santorelli takes the reader into a world of deceit, murder and pure thrill your head will be spinning. This was my first book by Dina and will not be my last. I loved each character the story taking place in a fictional town on Long Island was very fresh for me being from the same area! A perfect read for the thriller seeker!!
November 14, 2025
3 1/2 stars. I couldn’t go higher because of the language. The narrator was ok, but the language got old really fast. I will probably delete after I write my review I got this from Chirp audiobook
April 25, 2020
5 + Stars. If you are looking for a fast-paced standard cop procedural who-done it, take a pass. This was a story that was mostly character driven, with lots of characters. Extremely talented author with fantastic storytelling technique. Rather than feeling the story was filled with superfluous padding, the large cast of characters, even the bit players, added to my enjoyment of the story. All these people were fully fleshed out with authentic interactions and dialogue. I visualized the story and immersed myself in the storyworld. Reading this felt like tuning into your favourite TV show weekly to see what everyone is up to. Some of it is your everyday mundane stuff, but never did I find it boring to read. Never. The who done it was irrelevant to me, I just enjoyed the journey, spending time with the characters; but when the who and why is revealed, it was well done and icing on the cake. I usually prefer dark endings, but this one was the exception. The story had a lot of heart. I'd love to spend more time with (most) of these characters....like a soap opera, and I mean that in the best way. Oh yeah, Loved The Title!
November 6, 2019
Five Stars! Dina Santorelli has done it again! The author of the acclaimed Baby Grand Trilogy keeps churning out hits.
In the Red is her new novel. Though the story begins in a fictitious town on Long Island, the setting nonetheless feels oddly familiar, as do the characters. The reader is left with the sense that this is our town. These are our people.
This is Santorelli’s gift; her stories feel like they are about us. She deftly mixes her very relatable characters with her tremendous feel for the genuine. The result is a pot-boiler of a mystery that feels personal. She allows us all to take ownership of her words. Couple this with the small-town internecine struggle of the storyline and her mastery of dark intrigue and the reader is left with a book they just can’t put down.
If you like mysteries and thrillers, you need to buy In the Red.
In the Red is her new novel. Though the story begins in a fictitious town on Long Island, the setting nonetheless feels oddly familiar, as do the characters. The reader is left with the sense that this is our town. These are our people.
This is Santorelli’s gift; her stories feel like they are about us. She deftly mixes her very relatable characters with her tremendous feel for the genuine. The result is a pot-boiler of a mystery that feels personal. She allows us all to take ownership of her words. Couple this with the small-town internecine struggle of the storyline and her mastery of dark intrigue and the reader is left with a book they just can’t put down.
If you like mysteries and thrillers, you need to buy In the Red.
November 15, 2019
Dina Santorelli creates compelling stories with characters I want to root for - even the bad ones. I loved her Baby Grand series (I'm a fan of stories with organized crime!), and while this novel is different, it is a fun and entertaining thriller that will keep you reading longer than you meant to. Looking forward to her next book!
February 16, 2020
A Real Winner!
A great read by talented storyteller Dina Santorelli! This thriller is engaging and fast-paced, with enough twists and turns to make it hard to put down. Just the right dose of kids, hokey friends, and unlikely but sweet romance add richness to “In the Red”s well written plot.
A great read by talented storyteller Dina Santorelli! This thriller is engaging and fast-paced, with enough twists and turns to make it hard to put down. Just the right dose of kids, hokey friends, and unlikely but sweet romance add richness to “In the Red”s well written plot.
October 9, 2020
Amazing. Intrigue. Romance and murder! Wonderfully written. Relatable characters and a well crafted background.
October 22, 2025
Wow this was so good!!! It really has great pacing, and being from Long Island myself, I loved the callbacks to typical Long Island things. The characters were spot on! I really truly was guessing until the very end.
Warning for those who read clean: there is a lot of cursing (it wasn’t distracting to me but was definitely noticeable), and there are a few “fade to black” scenes where things are about to get sexual. There are also a few innuendos.
Warning for those who read clean: there is a lot of cursing (it wasn’t distracting to me but was definitely noticeable), and there are a few “fade to black” scenes where things are about to get sexual. There are also a few innuendos.
September 25, 2025
Second book by this author. Both books were ok/good but not great. Too many side stories that didn’t amount to anything significant to the overall plot. I say this on a lot of my reviews but the book would have been better if it were 50 pages shorter…55-70 percent in, it started to drag a bit.
December 3, 2025
Another ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! This is ny second in a row for Dina Santorelli and not the last. I’m officially addicted to her books and plan to read them one by one. She is my new obsession ♥️
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews