Hidden Strangers

Dangerous Strangers Thrillers #3

by Minka Kent

A desperate mother on the run becomes entangled in family secrets, lies, and murder in a chilling novel of suspense from Minka Kent, the Thriller Award–nominated author of Unmissing.

After a series of unsettling events, Camille Prescott is on the run from her dangerous husband. With their two small children in tow, she flees to the Chicago estate of her estranged and manipulative mother, Lucinda—the last place anyone would think to find her.

Inside the sprawling manse, Camille meets Lucinda’s new husband, Rob McClindon—wealthy, aging, and in rapidly declining health—and Zoey, their unnervingly observant teenage daughter. Then there’s Evan, the mysterious tenant living above the garage.

The longer Camille stays, the faster the household’s facade cracks. Rob worsens. Lucinda’s hospitality borders on disturbing. Zoey’s late-night behavior raises unsettling questions. Evan’s stories don’t quite add up. Then a note appears under her You’re not safe here.

Someone in the McClindon house wants her gone. Someone else wants her trapped. One of them has already chosen her fate.

Camille survived her childhood. She survived her marriage. But surviving the strangers she calls family is another story entirely.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Suspense, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Mystery

249 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 14, 2026

Reviews

[Julie (JuJu) · Rating 4 out of 5]

AVAILABLE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED

“Hidden Strangers” puts the final, delicious twist on Minka Kent’s Dangerous Strangers trilogy. You’ll want to start at the beginning, or you’ll miss out on every morsel of Camille’s chaotic past and those gloriously tangled relationships.

A huge thank you to Minka Kent and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC via NetGalley. As always, all opinions are entirely my own.

Camille snatches her kids and bolts from her husband, seeking refuge in the last place you’d expect. She ends up at Lucinda’s Chicago Estate. You heard that right! Her estranged (and master manipulator) mother.

I tore through the first two books, and waiting for this finale nearly did me in. Kent rips back the curtain, plunging us straight into Camille’s toxic family drama. And just when I thought I’d solved the puzzle, she tossed in another jaw-dropping secret. She never lets things get stale!

I loved seeing how Camille’s saga ended, though I’ll confess I was a bit less obsessed with “Hidden Strangers” than with the first two. Those were unputdownable; this one took its time, with fewer fireworks, but still managed to land a satisfying ending.

Short chapters and a steady pace make this a binge-read dream, if you’ve got an afternoon to spare. Sure, a few twists stretch the imagination, but honestly, that’s half the fun with Minka Kent.

“Hidden Strangers” ties a big, messy bow on the trilogy, stuffed with juicy secrets, toxic bonds, and enough family drama to make you hug your own a little tighter when you’re done.

Bring on Minka’s next crazy ride—I’m ready!

[Stacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Minka Kent is one of my favorite authors. Eleven of her books have been 5-star reads for me, including the first two in this series. So, I was pretty excited to read this one. Sadly, this is by far the worst Minka Kent book I have ever read. It is so incredibly slow and boring. The first half is mostly just eating, swimming, thinking and lying awake in bed listening to footsteps and other noises. It is dull as dishwater. It wasn't until 56% of the way in that something interesting finally happened and the rest of it was better, though still not great. I'm relatively happy with the way the series wraps up at the end, but it was mind-numbingly boring getting there. I can't believe I'm giving a Minka Kent book such a low rating and I'm so sad that the final book of this otherwise excellent trilogy was so disappointing. It didn't even seem like one of her books. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend Hidden Strangers. I will still read her next one though.

[CaityKaboooom · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started this book, I genuinely did not think I was going to like it. In fact, just a few hours ago I told my best friend that was afraid the conclusion to this trilogy was going to be a disappointment.

I was incorrect. The high tension and the well designed pacing made this a one day read, a constant page turner. One of those books where I found myself thinking “shit I have to make my kids dinner but what I really really want is to keep reading!” (Don’t worry, motherhood won and my book waited patiently while I speed cooked 😂 I may or may not have burnt one side of the chicken cutlets while I finished a chapter but hey, some sacrifices must be made in the name of a good read. I don’t make the rules.)

Back to the plot: Camille finally battles her ultimate demon: her mother. And I have to tell you, I was completely surprised to find out about Zoey’s true dark nature. I guess I should have expected it, maybe. But I actually really enjoyed it as a twist. I also enjoyed the push and pull of Lucinda. While I assumed her endgame was nefarious, I wasn’t sure what direction it was going to take.

Spoilers: I most certainly didn’t expect Lucinda to have summoned Will and then promptly kill him. I LOVED that Zoey threw Lucinda right into the fire. And I really loved that Camille finally understood that she does love her children in the most conventional way, contrary to what she has convinced herself. I also like the Zoey and Camille ended up together as a family at the end. It felt like the right way to end Camille’s story.

That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if a fourth book showed up and gave us Zoey going off the rails. I wouldn’t be mad about that either.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’ve made it to Hidden Strangers, you’re already hooked on this wildly entertaining trilogy—and if you haven’t started it yet, do yourself a favor and begin with book one. This is absolutely a series that needs to be read in order, but the good news is that each book is short, fast paced, and ridiculously bingeable.

Minka Kent has a knack for writing the kind of thrillers that don’t ask you to overthink them—they just throw one outrageous twist after another at you and dare you to keep up. The story is completely unpredictable because it’s so delightfully unhinged. Every time I thought I had a handle on what was happening, another surprise sent everything in a new direction.

These are pure popcorn thrillers: quick, twisty, dramatic, and impossible to put down. If you’re looking for a thriller that’s all about entertainment value and keeping you glued to the pages, this trilogy absolutely delivers.

Perfect for Readers Who Love

* Fast paced psychological thrillers
* Messy family secrets and dysfunctional relationships
* Unpredictable, over the top twists
* Binge worthy thriller series
* Domestic suspense with multiple shocking reveals
* Popcorn thrillers that keep the pages flying

[Missy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This was my least favorite from this series but still entertaining. I will always read whatever Minka Kent writes.

[Melissa Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been desperately waiting for this 3rd book in the series!! Camille is now a desperate mother on the run from her dangerous husband. She lands at her abusive mother’s home knowing it’s the last place he would think to find her.

This was a very quick read that you will not want to put down. Has her mother Lucinda changed or is her happy and helpful demeanor just another way to get to Camille? Lots of twists and turns and we’re always rooting for Camille!

[Trina Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I want to say Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for the complimentary copy of the story! This is my 4th book by Minka Kent and I absolutely loved it! Grabbed me right from the beginning and it was hard for me to put it down.
After a few unsettling events, the FMC Camille Prescott and her kids are on the run from her husband who is dangerous. She goes to her estranged and manipulative mother, Lucinda. This is the last place she would ever want to go but she needed help and had no one else to turn to.
When she arrives, Camille meets Lucinda's new husband Rob. He is wealthy, aging and his health is declining fast. She also finds out she has a sister named Zoey, who is a teenager. Camille later meets Evan who is a very mysterious tenant who lives above her mother's garage.

The longer Camille is living at her mother's home; more unsettling activities happen. Rob's health is declining fast and Lucinda’s niceness turns into very unsettling.. Camille's sister Zoey’s behavior in the middle of the night, raises unsettling questions. Evan’s stories that he is telling, does not add up as well. Then a note appears under her pillow: You’re not safe here!!

Someone apparently wants her gone but she has no idea who it could be! Then, someone else wants her trapped and one of them has already chosen what needs to happen to her!
This book will have you eager to turn each page! I rated it 4 stars and I can't wait to read more of her books!

[Stacey (Bookalorian) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review - Fiction - Psychological Thriller

Title: Hidden Strangers by Minka Kent

⭐ Star Rating: 5 ⭐

🏆 Best Thriller of the Year Contender

🎯 Vibe Check: PASS (trust absolutely no one.)

This book felt like... finally escaping one nightmare only to discover you've walked straight into another one.

Minka Kent has become an auto-read author for me, and this one reminded me exactly why. Every single person in this house had me questioning their motives. Just when I thought I'd figured it out... nope. Wrong again.

Camille was such an easy character to root for. After everything she'd already survived, all I wanted was for someone—anyone—to actually be on her side.

Tropes included: domestic suspense, family secrets, creepy mansion, abusive marriage, unreliable characters, hidden identities, psychological thriller.

Did they deliver? OH YES. Every chapter made me more suspicious than the last.

This book made me feel: anxious... in the absolute best thriller-loving way.

Perfect for readers who love... Freida McFadden, Lisa Jewell, domestic suspense, and stories where nobody can be trusted.

😈 Petty Complaint... At this point, if someone offers me a free mansion to stay in... I'm saying no. 😂

Overall, Hidden Strangers is addictive, unsettling, and impossible to put down. Minka Kent absolutely nailed this one.

Five stars. One of my favorite thrillers of the year.

Thank you to @netgalley for my gifted copy.

[Carvanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! Minka Kent kept me guessing from beginning to end. Every time I thought I had it figured out, I inevitably had to change my mind. The only people I never thought were involved were the children.

I had no idea this was one of a series until I read the author's note. It worked perfectly as a standalone, and I never felt like I was missing anything. If you enjoy suspense that keeps you guessing without needing to read a series first, this is definitely worth picking up.

Single POV
Triggers Domestic abuse, intimate partner violence, parental abuse, childhood trauma, medical trauma, severe physical illness, gaslighting, emotional manipulation, stalking, harassment, murder, physical violence

[Alicia Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I really enjoyed this book. This is book 3 in a trilogy. I did not read the first 2 books. I don’t think you need to, to be able to follow along. I wasn’t lost, or confused, because this book focused on just what was happening now. Any mention of the past was explained and only mentioned, because it was apart of the hat was happening. I was a little dissatisfied with the ending. For me it was a underwhelming twist. I don’t think not reading the first 2 books is the reason why. It’s hard to explain without giving away the ending. I enjoyed the story and I do plan to read the first 2 books, and see if it would have changed my rating. 3.25-3.5⭐️ I do recommend this book.

[Courtney Pityer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say if you are looking for a thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat I highly recommend checking out Hidden Strangers! This book was part of a trilogy and while I haven't read the othet two books it did not cloud my judgement and I managed to come out just fine. I have to say I really admire the courage that the main fmc Camille had. She was bound to get her children to safety like any dedicated mother would be. While her support system wasn't that large she managed to make the best of her situation and take what was given to her. Overall if you are looking for something with excitement I would highly recommend checking out this book!

[Nicole Hancock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, while leaving the door open for the story to continue. Helpful to refresh your memory about what happened in books 1 and 2.

Audio narration wasn’t terrible, but I didn’t love it either.

[Lindsey Basler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect way to end the series!

[Holli Courson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this trilogy.

[Mark Perrin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did read the whole series. It was okay but a little too soap opera like for me. I've read several of her books that I enjoyed more than these three.

[Ag · Rating 1 out of 5]

First, let me tell you that I absolutely, madly loved the first two books in the series. I was obsessed. In fact, I have loved each and every Minka Kent book I have read so far. And I was anxiously awaiting this one. I have been waiting to read it ever since I read the 2nd Strangers book last spring.
And now that I have read it... I have issues.
Not with the story, though. The story, the plot - those were still good. The ending was good.
But the writing... I have been thinking about it a lot. The forensic linguist in me has been thinking about it a lot. I will be doing a detailed blog post about it. But I have major issues with - I’m not sure if it's writing or editing. I sincerely hope it’s the editing. The TOOL that's used for editing. Or the trend of using a certain tool for keeping track of the plot. I still hope it's editing and the tool used for editing. A part of the book consists of a weird amount of repetition of the word "CURATED”. Some TOOLS are notorious for overuse of this word. Then there are the dramatic, fake-deep, fake-profound similes, which are also very much loved by a certain editing tool. And then, the magic sentence structure, which is on every page. It’s not x, it’s y. And the magic count of three of everything.
I have taken notes. I have examples. In my blog post.
I’m not comfortable pointing fingers in any direction, but I’m even more uncomfortable with the modern trend of every book sounding like a carbon copy of a work of a certain editing tool. I also understand that people - real people - use those tools so much and read texts created by those tools so, so, so much that they absorb the style, adapt it as their own, and contaminate their own language with those language patterns. I don’t know what exactly is going on there, but at this point I’d prefer a book with a zillion typos and a distinct human voice rather than a super polished voice-less perfection where everything sounds and feels the same.

And now... let me copy-paste my medium.com blog post here and hide it as a spoiler.

Curated Strangers: How I Read a Book That Forgot Who Wrote It


I loved the first two books in Minka Kent's Dangerous Strangers series. Imaginary Strangers had a voice. Circle of Strangers had a voice. They were domestic thrillers with sharp characterization, fast-paced. I was genuinely looking forward to Hidden Strangers.

I got my ARC, I started reading.
I was not reading to find issues or to find something to hate, yet as I was reading, the text(ure) started bothering me before I could clearly tell why. By the time I was photographing pages (that happened when I was at about 7% in), I'd already done the pattern matching, because something was wrong with this book. This weird wrongness was on every page.
I felt like the book should have been renamed. To Curated Strangers.
CURATED is everywhere.
The house is draped in "curated silence." Lucinda has "curated perfection." The dinner table is "too curated." The silence is a "curated hush Lucinda cultivates." The kids play by the pool in "this curated silence." Even a cage is "curated."
CURATED is this book's everything: the setting, everyone's personality, the aesthetic, the threat. All curated, all the time.
There is one the thing that makes me feel like this is not just a weird quirk, and it's the fact that those CURATED instances are not evenly distributed throughout the book. They cluster heavily in the opening chapters and then start coming back towards the final chapters, and in the middle of the book, the word disappears entirely.
Also, a fun fact, those middle chapters kind of read like a different book. They read old like Minka Kent, the middle part reads like the previous two Strangers books.
The opening of Hidden Strangers is super dense with a very specific kind of linguistic markers. Short dramatic fragments stacked for tension: "Soft. Subtle." Single italicized words as standalone paragraphs: Will. and Amateur. The same rhetorical construction appears on nearly every page: "not X but Y" – "not peace but a silent alarm," "not because I'm afraid – but because," "consideration, not compliance," "not for eating but for presentation."
The similes reach for literary effect, and then they fall apart as soon as you think deeper and actually look for a meaning. A jaw clench becomes "a metronome of counterfeit grace." Grief is worn like "a shimmering veil." The silence after a gunshot is "a vacuum, the kind that pulls truth into its center." A garage apartment looms "like a thought you can't stop thinking once you've had it". Aren’t those all similes that collapse into tautology if you spend even a second thinking about what it really implies, what it means?
The body language is catalogued systematically. Face, voice, throat, eyes - as if a camera was panning across features, going kind of off rails with the "show not tell" formula. The prose shows and then tells: it describes an obviously performed grief display through four physical details, then labels it "Oscar-worthy performance" in case you missed the point. IN YOUR FACE, you know. In case you are lacking. Let me spell it out for those in the cheap seats vibe, you know.
Then, somewhere around the middle of the book, the text changes. A passage about security cameras appearing in the house uses a simile that is genuinely unexpected: "like new moles on a body you've lived in long enough to know by heart." It's specific in a way that is sooo unlike all the similes that were in the first quarter. There's a description of sleeping children - "one curled against my ribs, the other sprawled like a starfish across the plush duvet, their skin sticky from summer sweat and sunscreen" - that could only come from someone who has actually looked at sleeping children. Lucinda's dialogue starts doing real characterization work. The prose gets simpler, yes, but it also starts feeling like actual readable text. It finally reads like something worth reading. Like someone actually bothered to write it, so it's worth reading.
Fun fact, CURATED in this part of the book vanishes completely.
The final chapter arrives, and so does CURATED returns with full vengeance. The empty similes return too. The book ends the way it began. It ends in a voice that doesn't sound like the person who wrote the middle, nor like the person who wrote the first two amazing books.

I spent a long time thinking about what could explain this pattern, because I don't want to be the kind of person who screams "AI!" at every book that disappoints me. I've seen what AI image detectors do to my own photography - I've had raw, unedited photos flagged at 92% confidence as AI-generated, with the camera's EXIF data right there on the screen proving they're real. I know how unreliable these judgments can be, and I know what confirmation bias looks like.
And, most of all, again, I hate, absolutely hate the idea of being a part of the current AI witch hunt everyone does everywhere. It’s like Facebook is filled with transvestigators who claim every woman is a man, and bookstagram is filled with AI hunters who claim everything is AI. So, I did some more thinking, and I have three and a half separate hypotheses.

Hypothesis one: direct AI generation. The prose was drafted by an LLM and lightly edited by a human. This would explain the repeated vocabulary, it would explain the structural “quirks”, it would explain the empty similes, and it would also explain the overall feel and quality. AI for the opening and closing, human chapters in the middle?

Hypothesis two: cognitive decline. Repeated illness (THERE IS ONE THAT MUST NOT BE NAMED, GOING AROUND FOR THE 7TH YEAR ALREADY) can cause executive function decline, word-finding difficulty, and reduced working memory. A writer who can no longer hold a paragraph in their head will default to repetitive structures, the most available word. CURATED three times could be a narrowed lexical retrieval, no? Not necessarily a token preference, no?

Hypothesis three: stylistic absorption. If a writer brainstorms with an LLM, outlines with it, and uses it for revision passes, their own internal model of prose gets gradually overwritten. The structures migrate. The rhythms settle in. You start writing "not X but Y" for the third time in a chapter, and it just sounds like how prose goes.

And then, a bonus hypothesis half-point: it's the person who did the editing. Using an AI tool for editing. Allowing all those faux quirks to creep in. Maybe?

The cognitive decline hypothesis explains the word repetition but fails on the similes. Wouldn’t a writer with reduced capacity write simpler? I believe they would. There would be fewer metaphors, shorter reaches. A person with limited cognitive abilities most likely would not produce "a metronome of counterfeit grace" or "a vacuum that pulls truth into its center." Do these sound like depleted vocabulary? Nope.
The stylistic absorption hypothesis is harder to rule out, and honestly, it may be a massive part of the picture. Yet, the more I think about it, the more I realize that absorption alone doesn't explain it. If Minka Kent had simply internalized LLM patterns, the contamination would be distributed evenly, but something else happens instead, it creates specific sections, the suspected linguistic contamination happens heavily at the beginning and end, and it's virtually absent in the middle of this book.
I don't know much about the editing process over at Thomas&Mercer, so I’m not going there this time.
Which leaves some combination of the first and third hypotheses as the most likely explanation: sections of the book were either drafted or substantially rewritten with SOME TOOL assistance, possibly with some pre-existing old-school-written chapters surviving in between, or placed there at some point, or something.

There is another thing that I keep coming back to. the AI-text(ured) sections are at the *beginning* and *end* of the book. Those are the parts that are supposed to hook you and land the emotional payload. WHY ARE THOSE THE MOST *THIS - YOU PICK YOUR OWN WORD FOR IT*?
What if Minka Kent used THAT TOOL precisely where she cared most? What if she no longer trusts her own writing to open strongly, so she reaches for the TOOL that produces prose with more visible literary effort? There are so much more more metaphors, more fragments, more faux-atmospheric gestures. The TOOL's version always *looks* more "writerly." Fake-writerly, if you allow yourself to think more about it, but it does look impressive at first. Also, everyone, literally EVERYONE is desensitized and so much used to the "new normal" patterns in text everywhere nowadays. Everyone is desensitized through exhaustion, through overexposure to generated text, through whatever else, and then slowly everyone starts believing the "new normal" version is the strong version.
Yet there are her own chapters, the ones that actually work, they look simpler by comparison. A moles image instead of a metronome of counterfeit grace (WHAT DOES THE METRONOME EVEN HAVE TO DO WITH IT, MAKE IT MAKE SENSE, SEND HELP); to a writer who's lost confidence in her own instrument that simplicity might read as not enough - that's my guess.
It is possible that she that she may have used THE TOOL (or THE TOOL's direct influence) where she cared most. I feel like that ruined the book instead of making it better. I bet she expected it would do the opposite.

Conclusion:
The thriller genre is developing a brand new style. A style that belongs to no human. The faux-literary comparison. The tricolon. The show-then-tell. The escalating fragment. The simile that sounds profound for exactly as long as you don't think about it. These patterns are appearing across authors, across publishers, across series. As a thriller reader of decades, I see now that this is a genre-wide flattening of sorts.
The editors don't flag it because it reads as competent, I guess. The readers who've been consuming post-2023 thrillers have been slowly desensitized, so much so that this text(ure) feels normal, I guess.
Will authors who still write like themselves will increasingly sound weird by comparison?


What I'm not saying vs what I'm saying:
I'm not saying Minka Kent committed fraud.
I'm not saying I know what tools were used or how.
I'm not running a detector.
I'm not issuing a verdict.
I'm not being a transvestigator, but with AI.
I'm not doing a witch hunt.
I'm not pointing fingers.
I'm saying I read two books by this author and loved her voice.
I’m saying this third book doesn't sound like her.
I’m saying a single word appears a zillion times in the sections that feel wrong and zero times in the sections that feel right.
I’m saying the sentence structure feels like it's stuck in a machine generating particularly structured sentences.


P.S.
Some facts that aren't accusations but aren't irrelevant either:
Minka Kent is a pen name. She also writes as Winter Renshaw, a Wall Street Journal bestselling romance author. She also writes under a third name, Sunday Tomassetti. Across the three pen names, she has published over sixty books. Some of the Tomassetti backlist is currently being republished under the Minka Kent.
The first two Strangers books received generous ARC distribution. Hidden Strangers went to waaaay less ARC readers (my guess based on what I see). Do you restrict pre-release access when you want fewer critical eyes on a product before launch?
None of this proves anything about the writing process, those are just some details I wanted to add.

[Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Camille really looked at her life, said “my husband is trying to ruin me,” and decided the solution was… her mother. Her mother. That’s not a plan, that’s a cry for help wrapped in a bad decision and dropped into a mansion.

And not just any mother, but Lucinda, who feels like the kind of woman who smiles while ruining your life and then sends you a fruit basket about it. So now Camille is hiding out in this massive Chicago estate with her kids, trying to stay alive, and instead she’s accidentally signed up for the most psychologically aggressive group project of all time.

Because everyone in this house is weird. Not quirky weird. Not “oh she collects dolls” weird. I mean deeply unsettling, I-need-to-check-the-vents weird. You’ve got Lucinda being suspiciously pleasant, which is honestly more threatening than if she just started yelling. Rob, the rich husband, is deteriorating in a way that makes you constantly wonder what’s actually happening there. Zoey is watching everything like she’s filming a documentary called My Family Is Lying and I’m Thriving. And Evan? The attic man?? Sir, why are you here, and why do you have secrets like it’s your full-time job?

The tension in this book is that quiet, creeping kind where nothing is technically happening, but everything feels wrong. Like you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop, except there are no shoes, just a pile of suspicious socks and everyone is pretending that’s normal. Every conversation has layers. Every interaction feels like a test you didn’t study for. No one is trustworthy, and the book really commits to that energy.

Camille, though, is doing her absolute best in the worst possible circumstances. She’s paranoid, but like… valid. She’s reactive, but also trying to protect her kids with everything she has. She’s shaped by trauma in a way that actually feels real, not just thrown in for drama. You get why she makes the choices she does, even when you’re internally screaming, “girl, no.”

Now, the twists. We need to talk about the twists. Because this book definitely has them. It’s constantly nudging you like, “but what if THIS is the truth?” and you’re playing along, flipping pages, fully invested. But a few of those reveals? I hate to say it, but I was already there waiting with snacks. Some surprises hit, but others felt like I had already emotionally prepared for them three chapters earlier.

And I think part of that comes down to character depth. Everyone is suspicious, which is fun, but sometimes I wanted a little more meat on the “why.” Like, yes, you are unhinged, I see that, but can you unpack that for me a bit? Give me the therapy session, not just the side-eye.

That said, I devoured this. The pacing is fast, the chapters are short, and it has that addictive “one more chapter” quality that turns into five and suddenly it’s 2 AM and you don’t trust anyone in your own house anymore. It’s not reinventing the thriller wheel, but it spins it well enough that you stay strapped in.

Also, accidentally jumping into book three of a series? Incredible. Love that for me. It does work as a standalone, but you can absolutely feel there are layers and dynamics that longtime readers are picking up on that I just waved at from across the room.

By the end, I was entertained, tense, and mildly emotionally exhausted, but not completely destroyed, which is what I secretly wanted. It wraps up in a way that makes sense, but doesn’t quite hit that feral, jaw-on-the-floor level some thrillers reach. So yeah, this is a solid 3.5 stars. Messy family drama, constant suspicion, just enough twists to keep you hooked, even if a few show up fashionably early.

Whodunity Award: For Making “Going Back Home” Feel Like the Most Dangerous Plot Twist of All Time

And thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the ARC, because nothing says a good time like trusting absolutely no one for 300 pages straight.

[Mo Reads · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mannn… I struggled with this one.

Hidden Strangers had such a promising beginning with an irrefutable pull. My intrigue and curiosity started flipping pages all by themselves, with mystery and foreboding that was thick, slick and seductive.

But sadly, it wouldn’t last.

I began to notice a pattern. And once I clocked it, I kept clocking it. This is a 250 pg book with the word “like” used around 440 times. There was an absolute torrent of metaphors and simile’s and I could not get past it or wrap my head around it.
A tiny sampler:
(But I highlighted 111 total. And that’s just the ones I caught.)

~ His breath tastes like stale coffee and hatred..
~ I find my way to a closet that smells like cedar and success..
~ I can see through this like cellophane..
~ I nod as if reassured, though taste the truth like metal..
~ Lucinda lowers her lashes, wearing grief and exhaustion like a shimmering veil.
~ The place smells like burnt coffee, disinfectant, and the sweat of too many lies.

🥴

Additionally, I am left completely bereft. I have fortyleven unanswered questions.

But the one sitting on my chest, with its claws locked in me, like the old night hag about to have her way — well, let me try to articulate..

A woman flees her “monster” husband, her 2 young kids in tow, heading for her estranged mother’s home where they can hide out until she finds her feet. Her mother, who she hasn’t seen since she was a teenager, who has never met her grandkids, & who is also dubbed a “monster” — but a monster with money, which is exactly what she needs while on the lam.

The FMC swaps her children’s genders when meeting this grandmonster for the first time. Chops off her daughters locks down to a crew cut & puts a pony in her sons hair, swaps their clothing, coaches them to answer to a version of the other siblings name….. I mean, whattt? Why was that even remotely necessary? But also, who can’t tell the difference between a sister and brother, ages 7 & 5, regardless of the clothing and hair styles, especially while all living under one roof. These kids went swimming in grandmonsters pool every day, yet there was never any mention of their swimsuits, which was incredibly convenient. And I simply can’t imagine this super protective mom sending her young daughter outside, topless in board shorts all in the name of confusing her mother. What difference did it make if the grandmonster knew which grandchild was the boy and which was the girl? She’s meeting them both regardless, they’re living with her even if it is temporary. Why can’t they just be themselves, ffs? And of course we eventually learn grandmonster was never fooled anyway. I mean, of course she wasn’t. She wasn’t blind & she certainly wasn’t stupid.

Just off-the-wall bizarre. And this isn’t the only instance. It’s merely the tip. I have a whole Carnival cruise ship locked & loaded with questions. But this review would go on till 2027 if I listed every ‘wtf?’, ‘why?’, ‘how?’, ‘huh?’ and ‘who the hell?’ I have sunnin’ on the foredeck, waiting for answers & and sense.

But even after this whole rant, I wouldn’t deny having enjoyed many of MK’s previous works. So regardless of the problems I had with this one, I won’t be deterred from reading her future works.
 
Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for the arc in exchange for review. I am always grateful.
 
Pub:7.14.2026.
 

[Carrie Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐬--𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐤, 𝐛𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐦.

In this final book in the Dangerous Strangers series, Camille Prescott is once again running for her life, this time with her two small children in tow and nowhere safe left to hide. Desperate, she retreats to the last place she ever wanted to return: the sprawling Chicago estate of her manipulative mother, Lucinda. Waiting inside the house are Lucinda’s frail, wealthy husband, their unsettlingly observant teenage daughter Zoey, and a mysterious tenant named Evan living above the garage. The longer Camille stays, the more the carefully curated façade of the McClindon household begins to crack, and it becomes clear that someone under that roof doesn’t want her there while someone else may never let her leave.

While Kent has delivered some truly feral chaos in the earlier books of this trilogy, this final installment takes a slightly different approach. The tension here is quiet rather than explosive, letting suspicion creep quietly through every room of that enormous house. Every character feels like they’re holding something back. Lucinda’s 'Stepford Wife' hospitality borders on unsettling, Zoey watches everything a little too closely, and Evan’s stories never quite line up the way they should. Watching Camille try to figure out who she can trust (spoiler: probably no one) is half the fun.

Even though this finale isn’t quite as wild as the first two books, it still feels like the right ending for Camille’s story. The author clearly had a vision for where these characters needed to land, and the notes at the end explaining some of those decisions made the conclusion feel even more intentional. By the final pages, I found myself appreciating the way everything circled back to the messy, complicated idea of family; the people we survive, the people we escape, and the ones who might still be hiding something behind a perfectly pleasant smile. And if there’s one thing this trilogy has made abundantly clear, it’s the fact that sometimes the most dangerous strangers are the ones who already know your name. Many thanks to Thomas and Mercer for this early copy. This installment will publish July 14, 2026.

[N · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe don't be the first review. you read as I was unaware that this was book #3 in a series....so I jumped into the middle of this chaotic series. If this book is any indication of the previous installments, I may have dodged a bullet. Hidden Strangers was nothing but utter foolery.
You are probably reading this review because like me you also rated this book 1-2 stars and are "Rage reading reviews"-one of my favorite past times.

I should have known something was heading south when a woman tells her 5 and 7 year old children they are to swap sexes and not to tell their grandmother (which proved to be 100% not relevant) only to have them swimming throughout the book. I am pretty sure grandma would have noticed.....something.......??
Maybe Grandma is oblivious to the whole world (yet somehow a mastermind at getting away with abuse and fraud?) because there is also a squatter living in the guest house....Come on Minka you are really asking me to suspend belief beyond my limit.

But I let it go thus we have Camille who has fled her "monster" husband to seek protection from her "monster" mother-who apparently was so bad she fed her raw hamburger meat and basically played psychological warfare with her (This must have been flushed out in books #1 and 2, but either way, I could not understand why she was seek shelter at her mothers home WITH HER TWO CHILDREN!! The woman is a known psychopath--but then again Camille was no sane individual herself. She constantly informs the reader she is unable to "love" or feel emotion.

As the book begins the progress, I began laughing at how stupid it was (I really cannot think of a better word…..anyword that I would look up in the Thesaurus would imply that this book is above a 3rd grade reading level.

Let’s Play 2 Truths and A Lie
A thirteen year old shoots and kills a man
A 60 year old woman kills a 30 year old man
The police do not ask for a woman’s name even after she is involved in s fatal attack.


Any guesses?

Oh wait! They are all truths……
Now do you see why I gave this such a low rating…?

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this advanced copy of Hidden Strangers. I was not paid for this honest review.

[Bethany Mock (bethanyburiedinbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you @amazonpublishing @minkakentauthor #partner for the gifted copy of this e-book!

Hidden Strangers is the explosive and wild conclusion to Minka Kent’s Dangerous Strangers trilogy. This story is following a mother desperately trying to protect her children while staying hidden, figuring out who she can trust inside the house, and unraveling what her own mother is plotting next. Shew, this was stressful...in a good way!

Minka has delivered an absolutely bingeable and bonkers thriller that I completely inhaled (again!!). This series has been such a wild ride. This book and the series as a whole has characters that are the literary equivalent of watching a train wreck in slow motion! I personally am way too invested to even try to look away. Everyone seems to be unhinged, sneaky and possibly a sociopath!

This particular installment had me feeling deliciously uneasy from beginning to end. There is tension the whole way through. Minka does a great job portraying the weight of her desperation as she fought to protect her kids. I loved watching her try and navigate a house in which trusting the wrong person could be catastrophic. Her mom alone is enough to send me over the edge!

I also loved the locked room thriller atmosphere. That sort of setting is one of my favorites and I think it added to Camille’s frayed nerves! This book was very unpredictable, wild and Minka nailed it in the category of making me second guess...everyone. I thought this was a really satisfying way to wrap up the series. All the puzzle pieces felt like they landed where they needed to.

One thing I will say is...this is not a series to jump into midway. These books absolutely need to be read in order to fully appreciate the twists, character dynamics and emotional payoff. If you’ve made it this far in the trilogy then my opinion is that Hidden Strangers is a wildly entertaining and a finale that’s well worth the ride.

[Andria Lambert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a solid thriller read. This is my second book read by the author, I enjoyed The Stillwater Girls and I have recently added a few more books to my tbr list.

quote from the book: "The only thing more dangerous than where I've been is where I'm going."
That is the premise of this book.

Camille is on the run with her two kids from her dangerous husband and she decides to take them to her mother's house. Camille's husband has convinced others that she is a dangerous and unstable and so she's on the run basically from everyone. The problem is her mother has proved in the past to be an abusive, manipulative, controlling person and could be the worst choice, but her mother has money and a place she can hide out for awhile. Lucinda has been a source of fear for Camille in the past. Camille and children move in with Lucinda, her husband, and half sister Zoey, and there is also a strange man that lives on the estate. There of course are some twists and turns in the story. Yes, there were a few things that kept me from rating this a 5 star read, but the story was still interesting and kept me reading.

Thoughts: In the story, everyone proves to be a liar and you don't know who to trust, and all the members seem to be hiding something. This is basically a story about a dysfunctional family with dark secrets and unreliable characters. I did like how it wrapped up in the end of which I am not going to give spoilers but I was satisfied how it ended. I was a little disappointed to realize that this was the 3rd book in a series and I have not read the other two so I feel like I may have missed out on the series experience. I did find the book to be more slower paced but I still was kept interested. I now want to go back and read the other two books.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for the complimentary copy of the story.

[Suesyn Zellmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The latest in the Dangerous Strangers Thrillers sees Camille and her two young kids moving back with her mother, Lucinda, after running away from her monster husband, Will. Lucinda lives in an affluent suburb of Chicago, and Camille believes it’s the last place Will would look for her, due to her having told him all about her abusive childhood. Although really, if he’s such a mastermind, of course, he would think about that. So would everyone in the media who’s looking for her. Family members are the first place you’d check. Even if Camille has wiped her background, anyone can dig far enough to uncover that.

But anyway, she goes there and tries to lay low. Lucinda’s new husband is exactly how Camille pictured him - old, rich, and completely oblivious. Her half-sister is a young teenager who most likely inherited Lucinda’s personality disorder. There’s also a man living in a room upstairs that’s locked from the outside, and Camille doesn’t trust anything about him. She doesn’t trust anything anyone in that house says or does, basically. So she’s not surprised when it appears someone is trying to tip the media off with her location. Is it finally time for her to stop running?

I wish there had been more suspense throughout the book because everything unfolds exactly how you’d expect. I feel like after three books, there would have been more of an explosive end to the saga or even a cliched final showdown. It feels like the author just kept it safe and brought it gently to a close. And after all the previous drama, maybe that’s just what the characters needed.

My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the free advanced reading copy of this book.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hidden Strangers follows Camille Prescott, a mother on the run with her two young children, desperate to escape a husband who has become dangerously unpredictable. With nowhere else to go, she retreats to the Chicago estate of her estranged mother—a place she swore she’d never return to. The mansion’s grandeur only sharpens the unease, and the people inside it are even harder to read.

Lucinda, Camille’s mother, is as manipulative as ever, her hospitality edged with something unsettling. Rob, Lucinda’s wealthy and ailing husband, drifts in and out of lucidity. Zoey, their teenage daughter, watches everything with unnerving intensity. And Evan, the mysterious tenant above the garage, seems helpful… until his stories start to fray at the edges.

As the days pass, the house’s polished façade begins to crack. Strange noises. Odd behaviour. Secrets whispered through walls. And then a note appears beneath Camille’s pillow: You’re not safe here. The tension builds beautifully, turning the estate into a claustrophobic maze of shifting loyalties and hidden motives.

What makes the novel so gripping is Camille herself—wary, exhausted, and fiercely protective, yet forced to question every instinct she has. She’s survived her childhood and her marriage, but the danger inside this house feels more intimate, more insidious, and far harder to escape.
A chilling, compulsive read full of twists, family secrets, and the creeping dread of realising the people meant to protect you may be the ones you should fear most.

With thanks to Minka Kent, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the digital ARC of this book.

Hidden Strangers was an absolute wild ride from beginning to end. The story follows Camille, who escapes her abusive husband with her two children and seeks refuge with her mother, only to find herself trapped in a situation that is every bit as dangerous as the one she fled.

This book had me questioning everyone. I genuinely had no idea who to trust, if anyone at all. Every time I thought I had things figured out, another twist or revelation would make me reconsider everything. The combination of family secrets, hidden motives, danger, and murder kept the suspense high throughout the entire novel.

What I loved most was the pacing. As the mom of a toddler, fast books work best for me. The short chapters and fast-moving plot made it nearly impossible to put down. In fact, I was frustrated when exhaustion finally forced me to stop reading for the night because I needed to know what happened next. I ended up finishing it during my lunch break the following day because I couldn’t wait any longer to find out how it ended.

Minka Kent does an excellent job of creating tension and uncertainty, making readers feel just as trapped and suspicious as the characters themselves. I felt caught up in everybody’s game! Camille and her children escape one danger only to find themselves facing another, and the constant question of who can be trusted drives the story forward in the best possible way.

If you enjoy fast-paced psychological thrillers filled with twists, family secrets, unreliable characters, and plenty of suspense, I highly recommend Hidden Strangers. This was easily 5 stars for me.

[Cc Readsss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Release: July 14, 2026
Author: Minka Kent
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Rating: 4★ 

Thoughts:
Minka Kent once again delivers a pulse-pounding suspense thriller filled with twists and morally gray characters. Camille’s flight to her estranged mother’s house seemed like a desperate attempt for safety, but it quickly becomes clear that the house hides far more danger than she could have imagined. The tension steadily built up as Camille’s trust in everyone around her was challenged, and the secrets of the McClindon family began to surface. The final revelation was both chilling and satisfying.

This book suits someone in the mood for something: tense, emotional, dark
Pace: medium
Plot or Character Driven?: a mix
Strong Character Development?: yes
Loveable Characters?: it’s complicated
Diverse Cast?: no
Are Character Flaws a Main Focus?: yes
Main Themes / Tropes:
family secrets, betrayal, survival, manipulation, suspense, danger

Synopsis:
Camille Prescott flees her abusive husband and takes refuge at her estranged mother’s estate, hoping for sanctuary. But the sprawling McClindon house holds dark secrets, and soon Camille finds herself surrounded by an unsettling cast of characters: her manipulative mother, an aging stepfather, a strange teenage girl, and a mysterious tenant. As tension escalates, Camille realizes someone in the house wants her gone—and someone else wants her trapped. Her escape may be more impossible than she thought.

Favorite Quote:
"it was then that I learned real monsters do all of their hiding in plain sight."

[Kelly Veit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hidden Strangers is book 3 in the Dangerous Strangers series. I read the first book, Imaginary Strangers, a couple years ago but I never read book 2. When I requested this one from NetGalley, I didn’t realize that it was part of a series. I’m disappointed that I didn’t read book 2 before I read this one. I think it would’ve made it a more cohesive read. Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy it, but I think my experience would have been better had I read Circle of Strangers first. It is marketed as a standalone, but there definitely is a building up of knowledge of the characters.

In this book, Camille is on the run with her two children trying to escape the prison of her abusive husband, only to enter another prison by going home to her controlling, abusive mother. She finds her mother living in a sprawling estate, married to an older man and a half sister, Zoey, that she didn’t even know she had. She also encounters Evan, a strange man, living in a locked room above the garage. Everyone here is a liar and we never know who to trust. Camille and her children are entangled in a dangerous web with seemingly no way out.

There are a few twists that had me truly surprised. Some I did figure out, but the story still had me quickly turning pages to find out who would remain standing. I would recommend reading the first two books in the series before this one.

Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

[Cassie’s Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Minka Kent delivers another addictive, twist-filled thriller that kept me glued to the pages from beginning to end.
What starts as a desperate escape quickly spirals into a tense and unsettling mystery as Camille flees her abusive husband and seeks refuge with the one person she never wanted to rely on—her manipulative mother. From the moment she arrives at the sprawling estate, something feels off, and the atmosphere is thick with secrets, suspicion, and unease.
The cast of characters is wonderfully complex. No one can be trusted, and every family member seems to be hiding something. I loved how the author slowly peeled back the layers of deception, revealing shocking truths while keeping me guessing about who was truly dangerous. The creepy family dynamics, mysterious warnings, and mounting paranoia created a constant sense of tension that made it impossible to put down.
Kent masterfully balances psychological suspense with emotional depth, exploring themes of family trauma, survival, and trust. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, another twist would emerge and completely change the game.
If you're a fan of domestic suspense packed with dysfunctional families, dark secrets, unreliable characters, and jaw-dropping twists, this one deserves a spot at the top of your TBR.
📚 Rating: 5/5 Stars
A gripping, atmospheric thriller full of tension, deception, and shocking revelations that will keep you turning pages late into the night. 🔥🏠🔪📖

[Sacha · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Full disclosure: it's likely that I am a huge part of my own problem with this book.

To explain, I requested this book without realizing it was the third in a series. That's not usually an issue for me because I'll explore various avenues to catch up in advance of reading whatever the later installment is. However, in this case, that was not possible. I explored all of my typical free reading resources and could not find the first two books anywhere. Thus, I read this book in isolation, and my strong suspicion is that reading the first two books would have given me a much greater appreciation for these characters and their motivations.

On its own, this book did not do much for me. I had enough info to figure out the very basic character traits and premise, but there are no surprises, engaging twists, or particularly memorable moments here. I fear this is the kind of book I'll see in my "Read" list in a few weeks and think, "I read that? What was that one again...?" It's these qualities more than my incomplete reading of the series that have led me to rate at this level.

I'd give this author another shot, but I'd also caution folks who haven't read and enjoyed the first two books in this series to start there and not try to read this as a one-off.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[Renee Sutton · Rating 3 out of 5]

In book three of the Dangerous Strangers trilogy, Camille is on the run with her children from her abusive husband, Will. The only problem is Will has painted her as dangerous and unstable so she is labeled a fugitive. With no money and no where to hide, she chooses the devil she knows and returns to her mother's home.

But the Lucinda she discovers now is nothing like the mean spirited, manipulative, and evil woman she grew up with and fought so hard to escape. This Lucinda is kind, refined, and living a life of privilege with her new husband and daughter. But most importantly, Will would never think to look for her here.

In the safety of her mother's home, Camille soon discovers that she may not be as safe as she thought. Her step father's health is rapidly declining, her half-sister is strangely quiet and secretive, there's a strange man secretly living in the house and no one's stories add up.

As her husband gets closer to finding her and the children, Camille realizes the greatest danger isn't him finding them but the danger of the place she's chosen to hide.

Kent delivers the last book in the trilogy with a fast pace that's impossible to put down. While I didn't come across any twists that shook me or really surprised me, the book is a great way to wrap up what's been a twisty and explosive trilogy.