Oh wow, this was a fantastic book to read. Full of twists and turns but very well written so it kept you hooked so you didn't want to put the book down. I love crime thrillers and this will be an author that I will now add to my list. I will be catching up on this series!

Another fabulous DI Hamilton book, full of action and great characterisation. I read it very quickly and thoroughly enjoyed Ms Lyons writing, as always. However, I feel she has been let down somewhat by her publisher/editor. There were some silly mistakes that should have been picked up. One moment Fraser can't swallow the saliva in her mouth and the next moment her mouth is too dry due to lack of saliva. Also it's military precision, not military position and an alibi gets corroborated not collaborated. Whilst these errors didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the story, I did find myself looking out for them, which meant I wasn't giving the book my full focus. It's a shame because I can't give 5 stars to the book due to the amount of silly mistakes. If you're not a pedant, (I am), I highly recommend this book.

Tara Lyons is a crime writer who hails from London, UK, she has always had a love for both reading and writing. Lyons studied English Literature at Brunel University and was Assistant Editor at an in-house magazine for a period of eight years. Having held a lifelong dream of becoming a successful writer, after turning 30 in 2015 she turned her dream into a reality, with her solo debut "In The Shadows", the first book in the Detective Inspector Denis Hamilton series, being published in March 2016. "No Safe Home" and "Deadly Friendship", book two and three in the series came out in January and July 2017 respectively. She has also written books as part of a writing duo with New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author M. A. Comley, penning "The Caller" and "Web of Deceit" together. Well, this series is turning out to be a corker and this book is no exception! Gripping right from the get-go, easy-to-follow and a flowing, accessible narrative coupled with a great story and developed characters this is a excellent addition to the DI Hamilton franchise. As the synopsis suggests, there is an emphasis on mental illness in this book in particular and it is done pretty believably. Lyons uses the symptoms of Multiple Personality Disorder to ratchet up the tension and it continues to build nicely throughout the reading experience. The pacing is perfect as it's quick enough to keep the story suspenseful but you never feel as though things have been rushed. It is intelligently written and has an air of authenticity to it that a lot of thrillers lack these days. It feels as if the author has properly thought about the concept and made sure she executed it well. It is clear that she has done her research on the topics explored here and I appreciated that I was also learning as well as relaxing. In "The Stranger Within" the killer police are seeking is a complex and often confused individual making catching them much more difficult than it usually would be but time is also running out for them to find this elusive predator. Can they net them before it's too late? I must mention DI Denis Hamilton - I loved his character from when he was first introduced back in the series opener and you learn a lot about him throughout this series. As I always mention in this situation, although this can easily be read as a standalone novel, I would recommend perhaps beginning at the start and reading them chronologically to see the evolution of the characters. Even reading this one and if you enjoy it going back and acquiring the others would be preferable to not reading them at all. I look forward to the fourth book and hope it will be up to Ms. Lyons high standards. Somehow, with each additional book Lyons surpasses her last offering - long may that continue! Many thanks to Bloodhound Books for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This is my first novel by Tara Lyons and although this was the fourth book in the series, it held up as a stand-alone. Yes, the background of D.I. Hamilton and his team was obviously very much a part of the series but it did not spoil my enjoyment not having read the previous books. The plot was quite fast paced with short journeys to the past and the description of mental illness described was very interesting. Many thanks to Netgalley for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.