The Stranger You Seek by Amanda Kyle Williams
Yes, there are an awful lot of books out there. And yes, it’s hard to find something “good” when there are a lot of similar books (amateur sleuth, vampire romance, spy thriller – to name a few) in a subgenre coming out every year. But every once in a while you have to take a chance on the new kid on the block, and I’ve found more often than not I’m not disappointed. Enter Keye Street, recovering alcoholic, disgraced FBI profiler, now private detective in Atlanta, Georgia. The damaged former golden child of law enforcement has been done before, typically with a male protagonist, but Street is a character to watch.
I enjoyed Street’s story, there is just enough to satisfy my curiosity, but not too much so that the main plot is overwhelmed. She’s an adopted child of stereotypical Southern parents. For example, her mom is a genteel (in her mind) southern lady who refused to address Street’s cat by her given name. Street found her cat outside in the garbage can; it is a white cat, so she named her White Trash. Street’s mom doesn’t find the name proper and calls her White Kitty, Whitey and her new favorite name Snowflake. It’s little touches like this that make the book read more like a real life and less like an episode of CSI. But this is no cozy and Street is a tough lady. The way she takes down a bail jumper twice her size is too cool to give away here.
This is a complex serial killer thriller. Street and her best friend from Atlanta Police Department are trying to track a sadistic killer with terror, red herrings and back story galore. I love a thriller that keeps me on the edge of my seat and constantly guessing and this book is a winner. I’ve read so many of these types of books that sometimes I see the end coming and I really don’t like that. I like the surprise. I like participating in the brain games and the chase alongside the main character. I was with Street every step of the way.
