The Red Hunter by Lisa Unger

The Red Hunter 
by Lisa Unger (Goodreads Author)

Reviewed by

Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* Jones‘s review

Jan 16, 2018  

really liked it

bookshelves: 2018, audio, 4-star, contemporary-fiction, crime,family-drama, murder-mystery, suspense, thriller

EXCERPT: Claudia stood beside Raven’s locker while the girl stuffed her belongings – i-pad, binder, dirty gym clothes – into her knapsack. Claudia had hated school – the ugly lights, the cafeteria smells, the gym class, the pathetic social hierarchy where looks and athleticism trumped brains and character (not that that ever changed). The scent of the hallway – what was that smell? – brought it back vividly.

‘It’s not my fault,’ said Raven, slamming shut the locker door.

‘It never is, is it?’ said Claudia.

That glare, those dark eyes in that ivory skin. That full, pink mouth and those ridiculously long eyelashes. Raven’s beauty was shocking, frightening in its intensity, in her utter obliviousness to it. ‘We need to get a burka on that kid,’ Martha had joked. ‘A body like that? On a fifteen year old? It should be illegal.’

Luckily, Raven’s gorgeousness was tempered by the boyish way she carried herself. She loped. If Claudia didn’t insist on showers and hair brushing, the girl would look most of the time like she had been dragged through a bush. And still, the way they stared. Men, boys, the same stunned goofy expression, eyes wide, the same wolfish expression on faces young and old. Raven didn’t even see. Claudia took to taking pepper spray in her bag. ‘She’s a baby’, Claudia had to keep herself from screaming. ‘Don’t you look at her like that!’

THE BLURB: What is the difference between justice and revenge?

Claudia Bishop’s perfect life fell apart when the aftermath of a brutal assault left her with a crumbling marriage, a newborn daughter, and a constant sense of anxiety about the world around her. Now, looking for a fresh start with a home restoration project and growing blog, Claudia takes on a crumbling old house–one that unbeknownst to her has an ugly history and may hide long buried secrets.

For Zoey Drake the defining moment of her childhood was the horrific murder of her parents. Years later, she has embraced the rage that fuels her. Training in the martial arts has made her strong and ready to face the demons from the past–and within.

Strangers to each other, and walking very different paths in the wake of trauma, these two women are on a collision course–because Zoey’s past nightmare and Claudia’s dreams for her future take place in the same house. As Zoey seeks justice, and Claudia seeks peace, both will confront the terrifying monsters at the door.

MY THOUGHTS: I am a sucker for stories about old houses, and for old houses themselves. Throw in a bit of menace, and I am one happy puppy. Lisa Unger didn’t disappoint. The plot is intricately woven, her characters beautifully drawn and all too human, characters that come alive for the reader, characters we can relate to.

The Red Hunter is written from multiple points of view, and over different time lines. Sound confusing? Don’t worry, in this case it isn’t. Unger’s writing flows seamlessly and the suspense she creates will have you turning the pages well into the night. I would never have guessed the ending!

I listened to the audiobook of The Red Hunter by Lisa Unger, narrated by Julia Whelan and published by Simon and Schuster. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the ‘about’ page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my Goodreads.com page https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2143976963