Strangers

At the start of this propulsive thriller set near Munich from Archer (Five) and Strobel (The Flood), Australian heiress Joanna Berrigan finds a stranger in her living room. She orders him to leave, but he insists that he’s her fiancé, Erik Thieben, and that they live together. Erik follows Jo upstairs to make his case and discovers that all trace of him is gone from their house. Jo believes that Erik is either a crazy stalker or a gaslighting con artist. Erik suspects that Jo is either insane or trying to ghost him. A mutual friend confirms the couple’s engagement and cohabitation, but then why can’t Joanna remember Erik—and where are his belongings? Distrust and paranoia abound, but when deadly accidents start plaguing the pair, they must join forces to uncover the truth while fighting to survive. Nuanced characters, a complex plot, and a skillfully woven alternating narrative drive the story toward a denouement that shocks, but is too convoluted to fully satisfy. (Jan.)