Married to a Stranger: A Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

Patricia MacDonald (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 26, 2007

Patricia MacDonald, whose finely honed suspense novels have won her a worldwide audience of readers, delivers a stunning new novel inspired by the headline-making murder case of Laci Peterson -- the chilling story of a young wife and mother-to-be who must confront the possibility that her husband is trying to kill her.

Twenty-six-year-old Emma Hollis has it all -- a fortune she inherited from her father, a job she loves as a counselor at an adolescent crisis center, good friends, and a boyfriend who is crazy about her. Emma met sexy freelance journalist David Webster at a dinner party. Romantic, free-spirited, and a perfect lover, David sweeps Emma off her feet. Now a baby is on the way. Emma expects David to say goodbye, but David enjoys surprises.

At their beautiful, impromptu wedding at a historic inn, Emma and David promise to love and cherish each other for the rest of their lives. The only shadow over Emma's happiness is cast by her stepfather, who is furious that David failed to sign a prenuptial agreement. As the newlyweds set off for their honeymoon at an idyllic cabin in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, Emma has no idea that her life is about to turn into a wife's worst nightmare.

With keen psychological insight and a storytelling style that thrills and surprises, Patricia MacDonald explores the dark, violent impulses that compel people to betray the one person they supposedly love most. Gripping and emotionally powerful, Married to a Stranger evidences Patricia MacDonald writing at the height of her celebrated powers.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In MacDonald's sixth novel, a smotheringly melodramatic mix of romance and suspense, 26-year-old psychologist Emma Hollis embarks on a nightmarish journey that begins with small glitches that raise doubts on the day she marries freelance writer David Webster. Things take a more serious turn during their honeymoon in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. After David goes out to chop wood for their cabin fire, a hooded figure attacks Emma with an ax. Though seriously wounded, Emma is saved by a passing hunter who loses his life protecting her. Where was David? Was he the attacker? Emma realizes that aside from his looks and the wonderful sex, which has resulted in her pregnancy, she knows little about her new husband. MacDonald (Stranger in the House) offers a handful of suspects, but time and again David emerges as the likeliest one. Suspend disbelief and MacDonald delivers plenty of suspense, unlikely twists and a resolution of puzzling uncertainty. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Emma Webster didn't plan on becoming pregnant before marriage, but given that she has a fulfilling career as a psychologist at a mental-health facility and that David, the father of her unborn child, is now her husband, she's happy about it. But the couple's honeymoon in a rustic cabin in the New Jersey woods comes to an abrupt halt when Emma is attacked by a hooded trespasser. A hunter happens upon the ruckus (where's David, anyway?), surprising the attacker, but gets himself killed in the ensuing melee, sparing Emma's life, though just barely. As she recovers in the hospital, she's uneasy that the locals see David as the key suspect. She defends him fiercely, but why is it that David seems to be missing whenever a crisis erupts? Does Emma really know the man she vowed to love, and will "death do they part" sooner than she realizes? Or could one of Emma's deranged patients have it in for her? Recommended reading for Mary Higgins Clark fans and others who like their mysteries fast paced and told from the female point of view. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books (June 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743269594
• ISBN-13: 978-0743269599
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,384,423 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buckle Up and Hold on Tight!!, August 1, 2006

By 

Steven James (Washington State) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Married to a Stranger: A Novel (Hardcover)

This excellent book starts off quickly and doesn't slow down until the last page. It will keep you guessing until the very end. Married to a Stranger is one of the best books I've read all summer. It has all the elements of a top-notch whodunnit, including a surprising finale. Patricia MacDonald is at the top of her game in this exhilarating thriller. The characters are interesting, the plot is well-paced and thorough, and the dialogue is realistic. If you are looking for an exciting read this summer I would highly recommend this book. Appropriate for all ages.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good thriller, bad ending, August 7, 2007

By 

Jane Austen "Barb" "schriftstellerin" (Montreal, Quebec, CANADA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Married to a Stranger: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

Imagine you're on a first date with someone. As the date progresses, you find yourself enthralled by this person, really enjoying yourself, having a great time - and then towards the end of the date, he or she says or does something that totally disappoints you, something that is totally out of character for the person you thought he or she was. That is exactly how I felt when I came to the contrived, unbelievable ending.
Up to then, this book was a real page turner with lots of suspense (true, the characterizations were shallow but hey, that's to be expected in thrillers) but the ending was illogical and left several questions unanswered.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mixed feelings, July 8, 2007

By 

Love to read (The Berkshires, U.S.A) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Married to a Stranger: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)

I did like this book, it kept me guessing who the killer was but
I was very disappointed with the ending maybe because in real life I
don't think things would have worked out quite that way! But thats why this is fiction. Still, I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a mystery. I like Patricia MacDonalds books because they are suspenseful and there is also romance without all the graphic
details. I just want a good story, suspense,mystery and some romance...