Read the opening chapter!
The Red Hunter is a deftly layered, thought-provoking psychological thriller, that cuts deep into the hearts and minds of its well-drawn characters – as each is drawn closer to the dark events that connect them. Lisa Unger raises haunting questions of justice versus revenge, and her masterful grip on suspense will leave you on edge until the final resolution.
It’s more than fifteen since a brutal assault shook the foundations of her life and ended her marriage, but Claudia Bishop has found that blogging has helped her to stay sane and positive despite her creeping anxiety about the world around her. And now she’s trying for a fresh start, renovating an old farm-house – and moving her troubled teenage daughter Raven away from bad influences in the city. But Raven is already facing trouble at school – and Claudia doesn’t know it yet, but the house she has chosen is so very far from the safe haven she hopes it to be.
Meanwhile, Zoey Drake has taken a very different path from the defining moment of her life – when her parents were brutally murdered and she was left for dead in a home invasion. After years of martial arts training, Zoey is no longer the terrified teenager who cowers behind her uncle. Now has mastered the art of hiding in plain sight, all the better to deliver her brand of revenge. She is no longer a victim; her controlled rage has a name, The Red Hunter. And she knows all too well what happened at the old farm house.
Two survivors who have never met, but will soon be drawn into the dark past and increasingly troubling present in the old Bishop house. But how will it end? And what happens when a victim’s quest for justice crosses the line into righteous vengeance?
Lisa Unger has cleverly interwoven perspectives from victims of brutal attacks, with the even more complicated perspectives of those connected with the events in more difficult to define ways. Raven grapples with the notion of inherited evil, wondering if she is connected to the man who hurt her mother so badly. And local handyman Joshua Beckham just wants to help, but finds himself drawn back into the poisonous influence of his brother – the man responsible for drawing Josh into something he has regretted his whole life.
Unger isn’t afraid to play with the grey areas of the human psyche. Teasing around the moral minefield of victim and predator, what is monstrous and what is human. There are psychopaths here, but more troubling can be the monsters that lurk within. Her tight story telling, well-developed characters and spine chilling narrative will hold readers in thrall until the last lines. And make no mistake. This may be a stand-alone thriller, but it will leave you wanting more. A great crossover book for those who are new to the thriller genre. Unger is a safe bet for a great read.
Lisa Unger is an award-winning New York Times and internationally bestselling author. More than two million copies of her novels have been sold, and her novels have been translated into twenty-six languages. She lives in Florida.
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