The Red Hunter

One of the two deftly interwoven plot lines of this heart-stopping thriller from bestseller Unger (In the Blood) centers on Manhattan martial arts expert Zoe Drake. A decade after the horrific never-solved home invasion that left her parents dead and that she barely survived, Zoe craves answers—and revenge. The other concerns divorced domestic blogger Claudia Bishop and her defiant teenage daughter, Raven, who has been pressing for a paternity test to see whether she’s the product of the violent rape that shattered her parents’ marriage. Unknown to Claudia and Raven, they have a dangerous link to Zoe: the ramshackle New Jersey farmhouse whose renovation is the focus of Claudia’s blog was the site of Zoe’s nightmare. And, according to urban legend, it may still contain $1 million stolen from a local drug dealer shortly before the slaughter. Unger raises the suspense by letting the reader in on some secrets before her characters (while keeping a few shockers up her sleeve). Her theme of empowerment concerning identity and self-determination will resonate with many. [em]Agent: Elaine Markson, Markson Thoma Literary Agency. (Apr.) [/em]