This was an amazing and extremely creepy thriller from new-to-me author Jake Cross. Perfect Stranger was so good I devoured it in one day. With adept pacing and very cleverly written, it really played with my mind. Superb characterisation by the author as well. A terribly worthwhile and indulgent read, earning a well-deserved five stars. I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Rose and Chris have been happily married for 20 years. They have a beautiful daughter; Julia and both like the path they are on and whom they are on it with. Suddenly their lives are shaken up when a beautiful young girl shows up on their doorstep and tells Chris that she is his daughter. Before Chris married Rose he had a short affair with another woman. They went their separate ways and Chris forgot about that episode in his life until Katie appeared shaking everything up. She knows all about the affair; requests that to remove all doubts about Chris being her father he take a DNA test coupled with a similar test of Katie's. And her mother has passed away prompting her action and need to find a way to live. Katie indicates that she is staying in a temporary residence pending the outcome of the tests, but Rose extends an invitation to her stating that the family should get used to her in the meanwhile. Katie does so and suddenly strange things start to happen; someone crashes into a neighbor's fence,an unexplained fire starts in the kitchen, and a family friend disappears on the way to visit them. Mysteriously Chris refuses to explain where he was when the friend went missing. The plot evolves from one to many instances. The police get involved and it is a certainty that the reader will experience some sleepless time when unable to put the book down. A well done mystery with an ending a capstone to a well done novel.

Rose & Chris have been happily married for many years. They have a teenage daughter who has not caused them much angst & apart from Rose's rheumatoid arthritis, they are ticking along nicely, until a note is found for Chris saying, "I know what you did to Eve Levine"- which confuses them all. One evening their car is involved in an attempted robbery that is foiled by a girl on a motor bike. Shortly afterwards, their saviour arrives at their doorstep. She tells them that she is Katie, Eve's daughter- the result of a long ago fling. She has recently lost her mother & her flat has burned down. Kindhearted Rose invites her to stay. Chris reluctantly agrees- at least until a paternity test result anyway. So far so good. A bit of a stretch accepting them taking her in, but OK. However from there on things got progressively more difficult to believe. I like a 'good' baddy but this one really stretched the bounds of likelihood. I stuck with it to the end but the last few chapters were an effort! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.