The Perfect Stranger audiobook

Round up to 4.5 stars.

The women connected on their blogs, recounting their battles with cancer, and finding support in the community.But when one of them, Meredith Heywood, one of the few who used her real name on her blog, was murdered, fear cuts through the online community and turns them into frightened people, not sure who they can trust. Or even if they can trust each other. Could someone evil be hiding behind an innocent screen name? Like Jaycee, the only one who doesn’t even post a profile photo? How do they even know who each person is, when their identity can be so anonymous?When a small group of the women go to Meredith’s funeral and meet each other for the first time in person, they will feel a connection and start to trust. But then more things happen that make them doubt everyone again. Even each other.Landry, Kay, and Elena all meet again in Alabama, at Landry’s home, but none of them feel safe, and the suspense ratchets up until, in the final pages, we discover the truth. The Perfect Stranger reminds us that just when we believe we are safe, we can be very wrong. Alternating narrators drive the story and keep the reader hooked. We know all of the narrators…except the anonymous murderer. And in the end, could that anonymous person be someone we know, someone unexpected?I loved turning the pages and trying to guess who was killing the seemingly random victims. 4.5 stars.

Was so excited to receive an arc of "The Perfect Stranger" by one of my all-time favorite authors, Wendy Corsi Staub. She has never disappointed me and didn't in this good read, either. Maybe the thing I liked the best is the unique plot (although, I, also, loved the unexpected ending). Several women who are cancer patients blog with each other and have become online friends, never having met. After one of the popular bloggers is murdered in her home, other developments transpire, leaving the group to wonder if one of them will be next. Fortunately, I've never experienced the heartbreak of cancer, but Mrs. Staub's excellent writing enabled me to feel the emotions and fear and hopelessness that they incur during the long treatment process.

The Perfect Stranger by Staub, Wendy Corsi (Harper)Cancer survivors share a blog and have a strong bond. When the original blogger dies, the remaining members decide to hold a memorial for her in Florida. Is it possible that one of these members is a killer? Eerie, spooky, and second guessing the characters makes THE PERFECT STRANGER a perfect read for the discriminate read that enjoys twists and turns. Wendy Corsi Staub is a totally awesome teller of tales... Betty Cox, Reviewer Good Reads Reader To Reader

Kept me on my toes but darn it I figured out the killer! Made me question my decision but in the end I was right! Top notch suspense!!

Do you really know the people you call friends online? The Perfect Stranger puts this question front and center.There are five main characters in this story - Meredith. married, with children and struggling financially, Kay, a single former prison guard, Elena, the single school teacher, Landry, married with children, and Jaycee, the sophisticated New Yorker. Women from all walks of life brought together by a common thread...breast cancer. Behind the keyboard, with such screen names as "The Boobless Wonder" and "Pink Stinks" they bare their souls ....sharing personal information and feelings they wouldn't share RW (real world). But when Meredith is murdered, in what appears to be a botched home invasion, the remaining members decide to meet in Cincinnati at the funeral. However, one member, Jaycee, is suspiciously absent...or maybe she still preferred anonymity. Is it possible Meredith shared too much information online? Was the killer stalking the blog? And if so, could the killer be stalking the remaining members? An even more frightening thought - what if the killer was one of the bloggers?Staub reveals information, only after giving the reader a chance to ponder the question. There was a lot of "filler," adding pages, but not depth. This was frustrating, as it slowed the pace to a crawl. The characters, while not complex, were well developed and easy to like. The plot and subplot give the reader much food for thought. We've been told and tell our kids not to share personal information online, that people are not always what they appear to be. Yet despite the warnings, social media sites are an integral part of most of our lives. After reading The Perfect Stranger, I couldn't help be re-access my own interactions. With eighty titles to her credit, Staub has perfected the fine art of getting readers emotionally invested then rewarding you with a satisfying ending, The Perfect Stranger is no exception.Happy Reading,RJ

I'm pretty careful with not sharing information about myself on Facebook. if I'm going away I write something after I get back so none will break in while I'm gone. I don't share information with people I don't personally know. After reading this book, I will be even more careful! This is not a true story but it could have happened. Too many people share too much about them selves and don't think about what can happen. This book was a bit slow in the beginning with all the talk about cancer. I listened to the book and that made it difficult. The story kept jumping from person to person with no brakes in between. Sometimes I had to go back to find out who was talking. I would recommend reading the book. The killer was a surprise for me apart from it being someone who has been able to find out a lot about these women.

Very suspenseful - though there were sections that (in my opinion) could've been edited out as not needed and too wordy. A surprise ending. Interesting characters. I like that in the process of following the stories of the potential killers and victims, I learned more about breast cancer. I also liked that the bloggers formed a sort of family, and friendship - despite not knowing each other in real life and despite being from different regions of the country and different socio-economic backgrounds.

Wow what an interesting and thought provoking read. “The Perfect Stranger” centers itself on what defines family, trust, love and support as it follows a blogging group of cancer patients. The hope and support they feel for each other is dramatically tested as one of their members is shockingly murdered. The characters are well developed and the plot winds through each of their perspectives as trust turns to suspicion and they question both themselves, family and each other. Wendy Corsi Staub keeps you guessing till the end!

Well written Aside from the "murder mystery" plot, the secondary story about these women with breast cancer who find cancer patients like them in the computer world of blogging was of major interest to me. So many thoughts and feelings I had during my bout with breast cancer were put into words I couldn't or didn't express 20+ years ago--- especially the constant fear of the Big C returning. I honestly felt I myself made new friends reading this book.

I love this author for a reason. I did not see it coming!!!!! The end is sad and great! Women with breast cancer connect online. How much can you or should you share online? Great debate!

The one thing that drew them together would be the one common thread that threatens to tear them apart. Known by their blogging names, PINK STINKS, BamaBelle, I'm O-Kay and The Boobless Wonder and PC BC, these bloggers are united by dealing with breast cancer. Some are in remission, others are dealing with new treatment options, and others believe its simply a matter of time before hospice is called and the countdown begins to the end. Even though most of them are sharing their feelings with family and friends, no one really understands what they are dealing with like someone who is dealing with it as well. That is what has allowed them to simply step outside the limits of their blogging friendship and form a bond outside that as well even though they have never met. However when Meredith Heywood winds up the victim of a home invasion robbery, soon the clues begin to add up that it was merely a murder staged to look like a home invasion robbery. Is it possible the during all her blogging posts that Meredith shared too much personal information online that someone had simply took their time and began putting things together to uncover who Meredith really was and where she lived. All those times she shared spending time alone while her husband Hank was dealing with his aging mother and trying to locate suitable nursing care for her, provided the perfect window of opportunity for someone looking for one. At least Meredith didn't have to wait for the cancer that was raging her body for the third time, to take her life. She simply didn't see it coming and she died before she knew what hit her. Now left dealing with the implications of who had murdered Meredith, her blogging friends finally meet for the first time and her funeral. Something she had always dreamed of doing and never thought that her funeral would be the one place they all finally got to meet. Landry Wells, a successful mother of two wonderful teens and wife of her husband Rob, a busy attorney, she was the picture of what people would call a true Southern Belle. Elena Ferreira, has been trying to find a way to manage her stress as a first grade teacher, and no family to speak of. She is more than thrilled to have these blogging women to fall back on for support dealing with her own cancer. Now if she can only manage dealing with that stress without drinking or dating the one guy in her school that is beyond persistent in wanting to date her. Kay Collier, dealing with the memories of losing her own mother and never feeling truly wanted as a child, her online friends are her only outreach in dealing with her cancer, and Jaycee, the only blogger who has never revealed anything about who she is has a reason for keeping her personal life a secret. If any of them found out just who she really was, her secret would be finally revealed. I received The Perfect Stranger by Wendy Corsi Staub compliments of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own. As a blogger for the last 6 years, this one really hit home for me. In light of all the issues with identity fraud and social networking stalkers, you begin to wonder just how some people can use technology to gain insight into your life you'd never dream before. Rob, Landry's husband is concerned about her "blogging post and friends" and wonders just how much information she is sharing online but never seeks to check it out for himself. If you are truly that concerned, you would think a simply internet browse would take care of that, but it also adds to the element of suspense to the novel and when you discover who did it, you'll be looking at the information you decide to share online anymore! I easily give this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars in my opinion and look forward to more novels from Wendy in the near future.

The Perfect Stranger by Wendy Corsi Staub is a 2014 Harper Collins publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Edelweiss for review purposes.It's hard to imagine a diagnosis of cancer, a struggle to remain optimistic, especially around your family and close friends. Having someone to talk to who you can really, really open up to and speak freely with are those who are going through the same thing you are. Meredith found a group of wonderful ladies to blog with about their breast cancer battles. But, when Meredith dies suddenly the ladies are stunned to learn it wasn't the cancer, it was a home invasion robbery. Their online friend was dead because of a blow to the head. Now everyone is under the microscope as the police try to determine what really happened. After forging such a close bond with one another, the ladies feel compelled to gather face to face to pay their respects to Meredith. Landry appears to have the most stable home life of the other women and when she travels a long way from home to attend the funeral, she can't get her husband's warnings about online scams and predators out of her head. But surely none of these cancer survivors would be a killer?This story is suspenseful and has more suspects than you have thought. It was also a very emotional story as we are given insight into the private thoughts these women have as they go through the shock of discovering they are sick, to deciding what treatment is best, to coping with everyday life issues. These women bonded in such a special way it was hard to see that nearly destroyed because they became so paranoid about each other and felt they couldn't trust their special online friends. Naturally, there were those close to the victim who needed to be looked at as well. So, the guessing game never stops. In the course of a murder investigation the police must probe into the personal lives of the victim and those closest to them so there were some secrets exposed, and this causes more suspicion . I did enjoy the story, there was some things that happened which would make this a good book club read. Occasionally the story stalled here and there and sometimes I had trouble with the online names and real names. I can't go into details but I was really disappointed in some people in the story no matter what their intentions were . I don't think the good outweighed the bad on that front, but at least something good did come out of something bad. (if that makes any sense) I was happy to see the victim's family get some peace and hopefully some of their personal problems will be resolved so that they can live a happier life in the future. This one is a 3.5 rounded to 4

I favor novels revolving around current events happening today. Addressing bloggers and their privacy issues was a big attraction for me in this novel. Plus it was enlightening to read about cancer survivors and the empathy they share with one another that no one else could understand. The writer made it totally believable. Five women bloggers who are breast cancer survivors are the main characters. They have become close friends even though they've never physically met one another, but they have supported each other in ways that other people in their lives can't fully understand.When the "mother figure" of the group, Meredith, turns up dead, and not from cancer, but from foul play, most of these women decide to attend the funeral, but wonder if they have exposed themselves too much online, risking their own safety. Could one of their own "friendly bloggers" be scamming them, not even be a cancer survivor, but a predator, maybe not even female? ... how does one really know? It brought up a lot of very good points we should all consider about how much information we put out there, and how trusting we can be of people we don't really know.The suspense was good, and draws you in. The only thing I was left wondering (without causing a spoiler here) is what Meredith's family felt/and even did about all this after it was concluded. You'd have to read it to understand my questioning this. I suggest you do, if you favor mystery, friendship, empathy, and well-written fiction.

This is my 11th book by Wendy Corsi Staub and it's one of my favorites. In fact, I loved each book in the social media series with "The Black Widow" being my favorite (I read them out of order). I did read the prequel novella "Cold-Hearted" and found it filled with twists and surprises. This book, "The Perfect Stranger" has a character from that prequel plus a bunch of other well-developed characters that make the book engaging. I found this book to be well-written, suspenseful and emotional. The entries from the characters' blogs were poignant and a nice touch. I found myself caring about these women and worried for them. Even though she's not the continuing character, Landry is the star of the book. It would be great to see her in future books. Though I have many, many Wendy books left to read, I feel like I've experienced a good cross-section with books I loved, books I didn't like (well, one book I didn't like) and I even tried one of her romances written under the name Wendy Markham. Wendy Corsi Staub is a master of suspense and I find it hard to read any other books lately without thinking "I could be reading a Wendy book." This social media series is particularly good and well-plotted. Twists and turns everywhere. I hope she writes more novels with this theme. On to my 12th...