Michele Campbell | A STRANGER ON THE BEACH

Plot (via Goodreads):

Caroline Stark’s beach house was supposed to be her crowning achievement: a lavish, expensive space to showcase what she thought was her perfect family. But after a very public fight with her husband, she realizes things may not be as perfect as they seem: her husband is lying to her, the money is disappearing, and there’s a stranger on the beach outside her house.

As Caroline’s marriage and her carefully constructed lifestyle begin to collapse around her, she turns to Aidan, the stranger, for comfort…and revenge. After a brief and desperate fling that means nothing to Caroline and everything to him, Aidan’s infatuation with Caroline, her family, and her house becomes more and more destructive. But who is manipulating whom in this deadly game of obsession and control? Who will take the blame when someone ends up dead…and what is Caroline hiding?

Review:

I have read and loved Campbell's previous two novels. While each had a different feel for them, I will say A Stranger on the Beach is more or less similar to her debut novel, It's Always the Husband. With that being said, I definitely read this one like it was a cinematic thriller comparable to Gone Girl or the movie Basic Instinct.

With the plot to this one, I definitely think Campbell took things in a more serious and darker direction compared to her other two novels and all the while kept me intrigued and a little confused as I was traveling down this road of lust and betrayal. My absolute favorite thing about this one was that while it's kind of told in different perspectives, I loved the contrast between how the characters each viewed the situation at hand and how the other character viewed things. This is perfect for fans of Gone Girl and the television show The Affair on Showtime. Now, with that being said, another thing that kept me captivated with this one was the setting - I just died each time the wind blew and you could feel it tickle your skin or the waves crashed and you could feel the vibration in your eardrum. Campbell has a knack for description that paints a vivid picture in your mind.

I thought the story and how it began was reminiscent of Campbell's debut kind of combined with a dash of Alfred Hitchcock and definitely kept me intrigued the entire time. While I questioned the major twist in the end due to my severe mistrust of the two main characters, I was pleased with how Campbell executed this and was more than happy to strap myself into this roller-coaster of deceit and terror. This read is so cinematic and definitely a read that will stick with me for a while, I am eager to see what Campbell crafts next.

Special thanks to St. Martins Press for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 4/5