Invader

Kaptanoglu (Last Girl Standing) sympathetically examines the choices of two troubled heroines in this rousing sci-fi thriller. Rose and Kailey are two very different women trapped in equally terrifying situations. Rose is an environmental scientist with amnesia shipwrecked on an island in the Pacific. Her rescuer, a scientist named Thomas who is on the island conducting research of his own, is initially kind, but as he and Rose grow closer she questions why he has clothes that fit her and how he’s obtaining so much fresh food. Then an aircraft crashes on the island, unleashing a vicious alien creature that attacks Thomas and Rose. Meanwhile in San Francisco, homeless troublemaker Kailey narrates the story of her life with a domineering mother and violent boyfriend, Noah, who involves her in a burglary that ends in murder. After Noah frames Kailey for the murder, she’s sentenced to life in prison without parole. These two deliciously twisty plots show their first signs of being connected when Rose starts having nightmares about a burglary gone wrong. Kaptanoglu keeps readers guessing as her tough-as-nails heroines navigate high-stakes situations that draw out their resiliency and fortitude. Fans of sci-fi mysteries and strong female characters should snap up this psychological page-turner. (Self-published)