What do you think?
Rate this book
Married to a Stranger
Inspired by today's headlines, this riveting new novel by the Edgar Award-nominated author of The Girl Next Door tells the story of a young newlywed who survives a brutal attack and must confront the possibility that her husband tried to kill her.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published July 11, 2006
1820 people are currently reading
1705 people want to read
About the author
Patricia MacDonald
68 books551 followersLibrarians note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Patricia MacDonald is the author of several psychological suspense novels set in small towns. MacDonald grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut and has a master's degree from Boston College. Before writing her own novels she was a book editor and was once an editor for a soap opera magazine in New York. She is married to writer Art Bourgeau. They live in Cape May, New Jersey and have one daughter.
Her first novel, The Unforgiven, published in 1981, received an Edgar Award nomination from the Mystery Writers of America. Secret Admirer (1995) won the literary prize at the 1997 Deauville Film Festival in France, where MacDonald is consistently a number one bestseller. She’s also been awarded the prize for literature at the International Forum of Cinema and Literature in Monaco.
Patricia MacDonald is the author of several psychological suspense novels set in small towns. MacDonald grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut and has a master's degree from Boston College. Before writing her own novels she was a book editor and was once an editor for a soap opera magazine in New York. She is married to writer Art Bourgeau. They live in Cape May, New Jersey and have one daughter.
Her first novel, The Unforgiven, published in 1981, received an Edgar Award nomination from the Mystery Writers of America. Secret Admirer (1995) won the literary prize at the 1997 Deauville Film Festival in France, where MacDonald is consistently a number one bestseller. She’s also been awarded the prize for literature at the International Forum of Cinema and Literature in Monaco.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 215 reviews
August 1, 2021
Awful awful awful. Just finished because it was book on tape and i had no others to listen to. Writing was terrible, story didn't hold together. Everyone dies but the main characters and i wanted them to die very badly. Psycologist marries guy she doesnt know at all. They are having sex constantly, get married and first day of honeymoon he won't have sex with her, just wants to chop wood. They never tie ends up in it. Save your eyes and don't read this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2023
A brand new marriage slips into a honeymoon of nightmares. And from that moment on Emma has no clue who she can trust. Every man in her life is a suspect.
This was intense and addicting. A puzzling game full of mystery and suspense with red herrings at every turn. And whoa! The ending! Blew me away!
This was intense and addicting. A puzzling game full of mystery and suspense with red herrings at every turn. And whoa! The ending! Blew me away!
March 10, 2008
Mystery about a quick marriage and murder attempt. Pretty surprising book.
June 9, 2019
A pleasant day’s read, very decent for its genre, with a satisfactorily unpredictable twist in the end.
December 6, 2022
Great book not too fond of ending
November 18, 2022
Wow
Some people wrote they had a hard time getting into this and that it was a slow start. Thankfully, for me, that wasn't the case. This is definitely a page turner so start it on a Friday night because you will be reading late into the night. I have to say if you are looking for a book where things are a bit normal, this may not be the book for you. While it is a great read, the ending is a bit fantastical. That's what fiction is about though. I absolutely recommend this book. I found myself a new author and she has a lot of books to read. Enjoy.
Some people wrote they had a hard time getting into this and that it was a slow start. Thankfully, for me, that wasn't the case. This is definitely a page turner so start it on a Friday night because you will be reading late into the night. I have to say if you are looking for a book where things are a bit normal, this may not be the book for you. While it is a great read, the ending is a bit fantastical. That's what fiction is about though. I absolutely recommend this book. I found myself a new author and she has a lot of books to read. Enjoy.
September 25, 2008
Okay, so the disclaimer is that I would never have chosen this book to read. That may, in fact, be said of several of my reading selections over the past several months. But I'm faithfully working my way through my father's and grandmother's books, and trying to read those which I can unload first in order to make room on the bookshelves for those that really matter to me. That being said, this was a quick, relatively entertaining read. It's not particularly well-written, nor is it a tight plot, nor are the characters 3-D or believable, but I don't think they're supposed to be. A good thing to read in the airport, when you want something for your minimal attention span that you don't care if you remember later.
November 10, 2024
4 ⭐️? 4.5 ⭐️? idk!!! but this was sooooo good and the plot twist was crazy at the end. this was one of those books that i didnt want to put down like literally reading whenever i can
December 23, 2022
This was a decent thriller though it could have been a lot better executed and thought out.
⭐The Storyline⭐
Doctor Emma Hollis is a young psychologist who is getting married to gorgeous and perfect seeming David, who swept her off her feet only a few months prior. Emma can’t wait for their future together and her excitement is compounded by the news that’s they’re also expecting a baby.
However Emma’s world comes crashing down when during the honeymoon, she is brutally attacked and almost killed. David immediately becomes the prime suspect. Did he really try to kill his new wife? Does Emma really know her new husband…?
⭐The good⭐
-I really like the premise of the story. It’s similar to my novel. I enjoy domestic and psychological thrillers (hence why I wrote one).
-Parts of the story were very gripping and filled with suspense.
-The twist was pretty good! I didn’t see it coming!
⭐The not so good⭐
-Whilst the writer had a lot of great ideas, I found the writing quite disjointed and at times amateurish. There were too many loose ends thrown in that weren’t really clarified or had a weak link to the story such as the threatening wedding gift and where David really was when he lied about his whereabouts.
-I felt like certain aspects of the story were rather vague such as Natalie and David’s relationship, and could have been further explored. It was also unclear how David knew where Natalie was. There wasn’t much depth or psychology to Emma and David’s relationship either.
-Parts of the story were a bit slow and there was too much unnecessary dialogue which made the writing seem rather amateurish.
⭐ Conclusion ⭐
Overall this wasn’t a bad book though with a lot of work, it could have been much better. Having said that I would still be interested in reading other books by this author. I think this was originally published 15 years ago, so maybe the author has improved her style in her latest books.
⭐ Grading ⭐
Characterization: C
Ending: B
Setting: C
Suspense: B
Writing style: B-
Overall grade: B-/C+
⭐The Storyline⭐
Doctor Emma Hollis is a young psychologist who is getting married to gorgeous and perfect seeming David, who swept her off her feet only a few months prior. Emma can’t wait for their future together and her excitement is compounded by the news that’s they’re also expecting a baby.
However Emma’s world comes crashing down when during the honeymoon, she is brutally attacked and almost killed. David immediately becomes the prime suspect. Did he really try to kill his new wife? Does Emma really know her new husband…?
⭐The good⭐
-I really like the premise of the story. It’s similar to my novel. I enjoy domestic and psychological thrillers (hence why I wrote one).
-Parts of the story were very gripping and filled with suspense.
-The twist was pretty good! I didn’t see it coming!
⭐The not so good⭐
-Whilst the writer had a lot of great ideas, I found the writing quite disjointed and at times amateurish. There were too many loose ends thrown in that weren’t really clarified or had a weak link to the story such as the threatening wedding gift and where David really was when he lied about his whereabouts.
-I felt like certain aspects of the story were rather vague such as Natalie and David’s relationship, and could have been further explored. It was also unclear how David knew where Natalie was. There wasn’t much depth or psychology to Emma and David’s relationship either.
-Parts of the story were a bit slow and there was too much unnecessary dialogue which made the writing seem rather amateurish.
⭐ Conclusion ⭐
Overall this wasn’t a bad book though with a lot of work, it could have been much better. Having said that I would still be interested in reading other books by this author. I think this was originally published 15 years ago, so maybe the author has improved her style in her latest books.
⭐ Grading ⭐
Characterization: C
Ending: B
Setting: C
Suspense: B
Writing style: B-
Overall grade: B-/C+
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2022
I liked this. I liked Emma although I feel she made some questionable decisions. And, she was a very smart doctor, a physiatrist, but she didn't see or even suspect what was going on. There was a pretty big twist - I did not see it coming - I don't think Emma could have either, but there are alot of red flags with her husband David. Alot of things she overlooks. I didn't like David at all.
And, the ending was horrible. Didn't like it at all. I was not happy with Emma's decision.
And, the ending was horrible. Didn't like it at all. I was not happy with Emma's decision.
April 21, 2015
This is an easy read. Although the murderer of this story remained a mystery until the last part of the book, the build up of the resolution is not as engaging as other thriller and murder books (e.g., Patterson, Brown).
July 22, 2020
Keeps you working on the culprits the entire book and left me surprised! Fast read, couldn't put it down.
October 17, 2023
I thought I figured out the plot but I was wrong time and time again. Emma and David go out for a quiet weekend in the woods right after their wedding, and she’s attacked by a masked murderer. David’s alibis are weak and as the book progresses everyone starts to look like a murderer. Big ups to Patricia because I usually figure out the plot/who the killer is in these types of stories. Definitely a psychological thriller, my dreams were wrecked each night that I read this before bed.
January 10, 2024
Great psych thriller!
I really enjoyed this story. First book I’ve read from the author and it didn’t disappoint. The twist was good and I def wasn’t expecting it!
I really enjoyed this story. First book I’ve read from the author and it didn’t disappoint. The twist was good and I def wasn’t expecting it!
February 3, 2023
A couple gets married. The wife is attacked. She starts to question how well she knows her new husband. Fast read. Entertaining.
March 25, 2023
Totally crappy and unrealistic ending.
Emma just finds out her friend has killed 2 people and she tells her she’s selfish because the families of the victims won’t know what happened to her loved ones 🙀.
We never know who called David passing for the police chief nor why he/she did it.
We also never know what in the coroner’s autopsy report aroused Burke’s suspicions.
Emma seems to have no caracter at all, always changing her mind. She’s a very poor main character.
Emma just finds out her friend has killed 2 people and she tells her she’s selfish because the families of the victims won’t know what happened to her loved ones 🙀.
We never know who called David passing for the police chief nor why he/she did it.
We also never know what in the coroner’s autopsy report aroused Burke’s suspicions.
Emma seems to have no caracter at all, always changing her mind. She’s a very poor main character.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2018
I finally figured out why some writers' protagonists keep nodding and shaking their heads in discussions instead of just saying yes or no. This author even let her heroine nod when she had a splitting headache after waking up in a hospital, oh and don't forget the time she nodded when she was on the phone.
I realized it's because the Cheap Writing Course suggests this method to avoid having to use he said/she said all the time. You just write:
"Did you go the movies?", she asked.
He nodded. "We saw Jaws".
So we readers will know it's he who went to the movies. Which also could have been said by just writing "Yes, we saw Jaws", but apparently we need to be reminded constantly which sentence is whose. Readers can deduce that from the context in most cases, but well, you paid for the Cheap Writing Course, so please do as you were taught.
This author followed the instructions religiously. People nod, shake their heads, frown, grimace, stare, shrug etc. right before their contribution to the discussion is given. It's actually very distracting. Not that the story was very engrossing, so at some time I found myself merely listening for the same construction being used over and over again.
Next time I'll want to try a book by a new writer I'll use an e-book to count how often the verb nod is used, so I don't have to bother if it's an author who followed the same Cheap Writing Course.
Authors, please look at yourself and people close to you: how often do you see them nod or shake their heads instead of saying yes or no? Not nearly as often as your fictional characters do, I'm certain.
Oh, a comment about the story before I forget (it). Once you've read the book and think about the whos, whys, wherefores and hows, you'll realize nothing makes sense. Totally ridiculous, though I never once laughed..... :(
I realized it's because the Cheap Writing Course suggests this method to avoid having to use he said/she said all the time. You just write:
"Did you go the movies?", she asked.
He nodded. "We saw Jaws".
So we readers will know it's he who went to the movies. Which also could have been said by just writing "Yes, we saw Jaws", but apparently we need to be reminded constantly which sentence is whose. Readers can deduce that from the context in most cases, but well, you paid for the Cheap Writing Course, so please do as you were taught.
This author followed the instructions religiously. People nod, shake their heads, frown, grimace, stare, shrug etc. right before their contribution to the discussion is given. It's actually very distracting. Not that the story was very engrossing, so at some time I found myself merely listening for the same construction being used over and over again.
Next time I'll want to try a book by a new writer I'll use an e-book to count how often the verb nod is used, so I don't have to bother if it's an author who followed the same Cheap Writing Course.
Authors, please look at yourself and people close to you: how often do you see them nod or shake their heads instead of saying yes or no? Not nearly as often as your fictional characters do, I'm certain.
Oh, a comment about the story before I forget (it). Once you've read the book and think about the whos, whys, wherefores and hows, you'll realize nothing makes sense. Totally ridiculous, though I never once laughed..... :(
February 2, 2014
For a more in depth review, please visit my blog, Chorley Chroniclas, HERE!!
I have to start out by saying that I am absolutely appalled at the current rating of 3.53 (on Goodreads) of this book, because I thought that it was such a good book!!! This was my first read by Patricia MacDonald, but since finishing, I've already sought out other titles that I can pick up by her!
Bernadette Dunne is a fantastic narrator, and does this title all the justice in the world! She has such an easy listening voice and keeps it an entertaining read. She has the perfect reading tones and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to her! It was quite an easy, quick read/listen!
Patricia MacDonald did an awesome job writing this suspense novel and keeping the reader guessing the outcome throughout the whole book. Throughout the whole book, I kept changing my mind as to what the outcome was going to be, only to find out after 6 or 7 guesses, I was still wrong! This is exactly the kind of book that I love!! The plot was well thought out and concise with a nice ending. The characters, although cliche, were good characters to read about!
Overall, I am so happy that someone steered me toward Married to a Stranger and the writing of Patricia MacDonald, because I found a new author to watch out for, and found a book that satisfied all of my mystery and suspense needs!!
I have to start out by saying that I am absolutely appalled at the current rating of 3.53 (on Goodreads) of this book, because I thought that it was such a good book!!! This was my first read by Patricia MacDonald, but since finishing, I've already sought out other titles that I can pick up by her!
Bernadette Dunne is a fantastic narrator, and does this title all the justice in the world! She has such an easy listening voice and keeps it an entertaining read. She has the perfect reading tones and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to her! It was quite an easy, quick read/listen!
Patricia MacDonald did an awesome job writing this suspense novel and keeping the reader guessing the outcome throughout the whole book. Throughout the whole book, I kept changing my mind as to what the outcome was going to be, only to find out after 6 or 7 guesses, I was still wrong! This is exactly the kind of book that I love!! The plot was well thought out and concise with a nice ending. The characters, although cliche, were good characters to read about!
Overall, I am so happy that someone steered me toward Married to a Stranger and the writing of Patricia MacDonald, because I found a new author to watch out for, and found a book that satisfied all of my mystery and suspense needs!!
March 10, 2015
Synopsis:
"Twenty-six-year-old Emma Hollis has it all - a fortune she inherited from her father, a job she loves as a counselor at an adolescent crisis center, good friends, and a boyfriend who is crazy about her. Emma met sexy freelance journalist David Webster at a dinner party. Romantic, free-spirited, and a perfect lover, David sweeps Emma off her feet. Now a baby is on the way. Emma expects David to say goodbye, but David enjoys surprises." At their beautiful, impromptu wedding at a historic inn, Emma and David promise to love and cherish each other for the rest of their lives. The only shadow over Emma's happiness is cast by her stepfather, who is furious that David failed to sign a prenuptial agreement. As the newlyweds set off for their honeymoon at an idyllic cabin in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, Emma has no idea that her life is about to turn into a wife's worst nightmare.
My review:
This was an interesting book. It hinted... accused... but never quite revealed the true identity until the very end. I suspected everyone from the nurse right through the husband, step father and the boss. But I was so very wrong.... This is the book to read if you enjoy suspense with a bit of psychological thriller.
"Twenty-six-year-old Emma Hollis has it all - a fortune she inherited from her father, a job she loves as a counselor at an adolescent crisis center, good friends, and a boyfriend who is crazy about her. Emma met sexy freelance journalist David Webster at a dinner party. Romantic, free-spirited, and a perfect lover, David sweeps Emma off her feet. Now a baby is on the way. Emma expects David to say goodbye, but David enjoys surprises." At their beautiful, impromptu wedding at a historic inn, Emma and David promise to love and cherish each other for the rest of their lives. The only shadow over Emma's happiness is cast by her stepfather, who is furious that David failed to sign a prenuptial agreement. As the newlyweds set off for their honeymoon at an idyllic cabin in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, Emma has no idea that her life is about to turn into a wife's worst nightmare.
My review:
This was an interesting book. It hinted... accused... but never quite revealed the true identity until the very end. I suspected everyone from the nurse right through the husband, step father and the boss. But I was so very wrong.... This is the book to read if you enjoy suspense with a bit of psychological thriller.
November 16, 2020
Highly recommend!
The author kept me guessing the entire way through the narrative. She did a great job casting doubt on each character, playing with the idea of the "Red Herring" quite well.
This book was great, intriguing, got my heart pumping and kept the pages turning because I just needed to know what was going on.
The author kept me guessing the entire way through the narrative. She did a great job casting doubt on each character, playing with the idea of the "Red Herring" quite well.
This book was great, intriguing, got my heart pumping and kept the pages turning because I just needed to know what was going on.
February 23, 2018
I was hooked from the beginning. I love when I can figure out who the killer is, but love it more when I can't. That is a sign of excellent writing, and Patricia MacDonald does not disappoint. She has you guessing until the very end.
January 10, 2023
This was just really bad. There’s 837273 things going on and all so unrealistic that I couldn’t even keep my focus and skipped 50% of the book to just read the end to see who the bad guy was.
As someone else mentioned there was a looooot of run on and overly-descriptive sentences. So much fluff.
As someone else mentioned there was a looooot of run on and overly-descriptive sentences. So much fluff.
March 20, 2023
The writing was bad and the author called the main character Emily by accident even though her name is Emma. Several spelling mistakes as well. The plot was mediocre at best and I felt like the book was dragging for no reason.
August 19, 2017
Fast read, suspense filled, twists and turns.
December 22, 2022
Horrible ending
Literally the ending ruined the whole book! So stupid. Why did he lie about meeting the chief???? Never addressed and she just forgives and stays???
Literally the ending ruined the whole book! So stupid. Why did he lie about meeting the chief???? Never addressed and she just forgives and stays???
April 9, 2023
Emma, a pregnant social worker, is brutally beaten and almost killed at a cabin owned by her husband’s family. More incidents occur and it seems someone deliberately wants to murder her. But why and who? The police lieutenant investigating the case believes Emma’s husband, David, is the most likely suspect, and sometimes so does Emma.
This novel is a quick read with some parts gripping and others somewhat slow. But basically I liked the story until the end, which ruined the book for me.
This novel is a quick read with some parts gripping and others somewhat slow. But basically I liked the story until the end, which ruined the book for me.
January 1, 2021
Patricia mac Donald est une romancière que j'apprécie et j'ai beaucoup aimé "J'ai épousé un inconnu".
Il est captivant, bien écrit avec une écriture fluide et énormément de suspens.
J'aime beaucoup le personnage d'Emma. Il est facile de comprendre son inquiétude, ses doutes. Elle a peur pour son bébé, et peu à peu elle commence à avoir peur de son mari. Car le connaît t'elle vraiment si bien que ça… Peu à peu elle n'en est pas si sur que ça !
Au fil des pages, David devient jaloux, son comportement change et jusqu'au tout dernier moment on se pose beaucoup de questions sur lui.
Impossible de savoir si oui ou non il veut tuer sa femme !
Difficile de démêler le faux du vrai et ce jusqu'au dernier moment.
Le suspens augmente de pages en pages et la fin est étonnante, je ne m'attendais pas à ça du tout. Jamais je n'aurai imaginé que ce roman finirait ainsi.
Je mets cinq étoiles, et je vous invite à le lire si vous aimez les thrillers de cette romancière, car celui-ci est réussi.
Il est captivant, bien écrit avec une écriture fluide et énormément de suspens.
J'aime beaucoup le personnage d'Emma. Il est facile de comprendre son inquiétude, ses doutes. Elle a peur pour son bébé, et peu à peu elle commence à avoir peur de son mari. Car le connaît t'elle vraiment si bien que ça… Peu à peu elle n'en est pas si sur que ça !
Au fil des pages, David devient jaloux, son comportement change et jusqu'au tout dernier moment on se pose beaucoup de questions sur lui.
Impossible de savoir si oui ou non il veut tuer sa femme !
Difficile de démêler le faux du vrai et ce jusqu'au dernier moment.
Le suspens augmente de pages en pages et la fin est étonnante, je ne m'attendais pas à ça du tout. Jamais je n'aurai imaginé que ce roman finirait ainsi.
Je mets cinq étoiles, et je vous invite à le lire si vous aimez les thrillers de cette romancière, car celui-ci est réussi.
December 18, 2023
Pregnant Emma and David get married. On their wedding night, a masked man gets into the cabin they are staying in and tries to kill Emma with the ax David had just been chopping wood with. Thus begins Emma thwarting attempts on her life. The story revolves around who is trying to kill her. The entire book makes it look like it’s David who wants to kill her in order to inherit her wealth.
I had a couple unanswered questions of events throughout the book that were not tied up at the end. But specifically, at the end, David receives a call from the local policeman who is working on the case. He claims they have the ski masked man who tried to kill Emma, who uncovers that the policeman never really called. So, who did? Who called and who was David speaking with? This was a huge piece of the story because it puts Emma and David back in town. Which culminated in the end of the story. Too many unanswered questions.
I had a couple unanswered questions of events throughout the book that were not tied up at the end. But specifically, at the end, David receives a call from the local policeman who is working on the case. He claims they have the ski masked man who tried to kill Emma, who uncovers that the policeman never really called. So, who did? Who called and who was David speaking with? This was a huge piece of the story because it puts Emma and David back in town. Which culminated in the end of the story. Too many unanswered questions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2024
Good up until the reveal…..
This book was so good, until the ending. It had me guessing the whole way through it! Literally couldn’t put it down. Then the ending completely ruined it. Trying to not give it away. The person responsible for the attacks is beyond believable. The missing person back from the dead mere months later and recognizes their identity? The main suspect shared in the guilt but was just forgiven? There were so many better options for the real killer. I will say it was well written and the details were able to give great visuals to follow along. The characters are all fairly relatable. The main character is likable. The dialog was good as well. But the big twist at the end was hardly believable and a complete disappointment.
This book was so good, until the ending. It had me guessing the whole way through it! Literally couldn’t put it down. Then the ending completely ruined it. Trying to not give it away. The person responsible for the attacks is beyond believable. The missing person back from the dead mere months later and recognizes their identity? The main suspect shared in the guilt but was just forgiven? There were so many better options for the real killer. I will say it was well written and the details were able to give great visuals to follow along. The characters are all fairly relatable. The main character is likable. The dialog was good as well. But the big twist at the end was hardly believable and a complete disappointment.
June 21, 2018
3,5/5
C'est lui, c'est lui, c'est forcément lui... ah, bah non ! En ce sens, ce thriller a fonctionné ! Je ne me suis pas ennuyé et me suis vraiment pris au jeu. Le dénouement est franchement tordu mais après tout, pourquoi pas ! Je pense qu'il plaira sûrement plus à un public qui lit de temps en temps des thrillers plutôt qu'à de grands afficionados.
💕 histoire captivante, de nombreux suspects potentiels (sans s'y perdre), une tension et un rythme bien maîtrisés
--
💔 la révélation sur qui est le tueur est aussi intéressante que tirée par les cheveux -risque de ressentir une sorte de supercherie-
C'est lui, c'est lui, c'est forcément lui... ah, bah non ! En ce sens, ce thriller a fonctionné ! Je ne me suis pas ennuyé et me suis vraiment pris au jeu. Le dénouement est franchement tordu mais après tout, pourquoi pas ! Je pense qu'il plaira sûrement plus à un public qui lit de temps en temps des thrillers plutôt qu'à de grands afficionados.
💕 histoire captivante, de nombreux suspects potentiels (sans s'y perdre), une tension et un rythme bien maîtrisés
--
💔 la révélation sur qui est le tueur est aussi intéressante que tirée par les cheveux -risque de ressentir une sorte de supercherie-
Displaying 1 - 30 of 215 reviews