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Starred review from March 16, 2015
A mysterious book within a book, which contains potentially damning information about the protagonist, jump starts this remarkable debut by British scriptwriter Knight. On the bedroom nightstand in the new apartment documentary filmmaker Catherine Ravenscroft shares with her husband, Robert, Catherine finds a self-published novel, The Perfect Stranger, which describes an incident that Catherine never told Robert about. Over 20 years earlier in Spain, 19-year-old Jonathan Brigstocke drowned while saving the couple’s five-year-old son, Nicholas. The book suggests that Catherine was to blame because she and Jonathan were having an affair, and it concludes with her death. Meanwhile, widower and retired teacher Stephen Brigstocke, who found the book’s manuscript among his late wife’s possessions and believes it to be true, begins to try to dismantle Catherine’s seemingly perfect life by humiliating her professionally and personally. This unsettling psychological thriller about guilt and grief briskly moves to a shocking finale enhanced by its strong characters. Agent: Felicity Blunt, Curtis Brown (U.K.).

Imagine opening a book of fiction and discovering that it's about you--and a secret you thought you'd kept to yourself for years. Renée Knight's deeply disturbing psychological thriller is expertly narrated by Michael Pennington and Laura Paton. Both narrators, particularly Pennington, begin with understated performances that may provide a barrier to entry to some listeners. However, their performances soon ramp up in a way that matches the story itself as layers upon layers of complexity and deception are revealed. The narration moves quickly from somewhat unengaging to utterly consuming. By that time, listeners will regret anything that takes them away from the story. J.L.K. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine