A true “Girl on the Train” experience, where voyeurism spirals into madness. Or does it?
In her debut psychological suspense novel, “I Know She Was There,” Jennifer Sadera ratchets up the suspense with an unreliable narrator—on steroids.
New mom Caroline Case loves to walk through the upscale suburban New York neighborhood of Deer Crossing with her baby Emmy snuggled into her gold-standard Babyzen buggy. Her former best friend, Muzzy Owens, lives there, and Caroline just wants to renew the connection they used to share.
Between her post-partum depression, and the gaping hole her mother left when she died, Caroline struggles to get through each day. Her husband Tim had left her months ago; her loneliness fuels her late-night walks. If anyone asks why she walks with a buggy in the dark of night, she’ll just tell them it’s the only way to soothe her colicky child.
But Caroline’s dangerous hobby becomes an addiction: she loves to spy on the wealthy, privileged people who live in Deer Crossing. While her own neighborhood is drab and boring, the residents of the exclusive suburb seem to live magical lives—the kind Caroline wants for herself. She loves to hover in the dark, between the bushes, and just watch. She’s even made-up names for the people she doesn’t know. Their lives—and their secret indiscretions—are what Caroline lives for. And after all, if they’re too stupid to close their blinds at night, they’re fair game.
Those poor husbands who don’t see their wives sneaking away for a late-night tryst, or dancing in the window with another woman’s man. Caroline has seen it all—she thinks. Until she spies a woman who appears to be in trouble. When her snooping turns up nothing, Caroline tries to convince herself that she must be mistaken. But the woman’s distressed face keeps creeping into her mind. What did she see? And would anyone even believe her?
Sadera has expertly crafted an unreliable protagonist, with a story that jettisons readers into the bizarre workings of Caroline’s mind. How much is real and how much isn’t? The ending will cause your mouth to drop open in surprise, saying, “Wow, I didn’t see that one coming.” A great read for fans of Paula Hawkins’ “Girl on the Train” and A.J. Finn’s “The Woman in the Window.” You’ll love it!
Voyeurism at its finest! Buy it here.
