The Stranger You Know

The Stranger You Know is a disturbing psychological thriller with a serial rapist/murderer intent on making Casey Woods, team leader of Forensic Instincts, his ultimate prize. Casey has built an impressive team at Forensic Instincts and between them and the skills they bring to the table, they are a formidable force. The idea of a team of maverick investigators who, at times, cross lines that the police cannot is intriguing. While they often work alongside the police, this group is full of specialists (a former Navy SEAL, a retired FBI agent, a behaviorist, a tech wizard, an intuitive) who work out of a brownstone in New York City and are called on to consult with traditional law enforcement agencies. This time they are being taunted by show more an imprisoned serial killer who has a partner on the outside brutally raping and murdering red headed college girls.

This is a chilling story made even more horrifying because the reader spends time following the thought processes of a serial killer and rapist as he plans and justifies his crimes. He's a very sick individual so the plot is disturbing and descriptions are mildly graphic. The psychopath is one step ahead of them all the way, until the very end. The story is told from the point-of-view of each of the members of the Forensic Instincts team as well as that of the killer, giving us rich character development and a back-and-forth that is easy to read.

I found myself caught up in the plot, which is tightly written and compelling. Andrea Kane knows how to build suspense, leaving tantalizing clues for the reader as she constructs a plot that makes you want to turn the pages even faster. Just when it seems that they have finally caught a break in the cold cases, they discover that they have only played into the hands of a convicted serial murder. This is the third of four (currently) Forensic Instincts suspense novels and I certainly will read the next one as soon as I can. show less

From my blog

The Forensic Instincts team is by far my favourite detective group, yes they are unorthodox and sometimes use research tactics and get their answers illegally BUT to save lives, that is ok, right....... They consists of a behaviorist, a techno-wizard, an intuitive and a former navy SEAL. If you watch the TV show Scandal, you will love these books.

Andrea Kane is one of my favourite suspense writers, I enjoy the characters and even if I guess some of the case there are always critical points I miss and are completely a surprise when revealed.

I enjoy this series because you can pick up any book and read as a stand alone but for the fans the building of relationships within the team and FBI connects and takes it to the next show more level, you become attached to the characters.

Andrea Kane takes you on a thrill ride during the investigation, you will be on the edge of your seat as the team have to keep up or more lives will be lost. This time the FI team know the killer's ultimate plan is Casey, their leader, and they are doing everything it takes to find him but the killer is always a step ahead of them and starts taunting Casey with telephone calls. Is it a copy cat killer or is the killer being directed from an ex murderer that is locked up?

I did think for a moment, why this, did Andrea Kane make a mistake, hmmm, keep reading. I got caught up in the story and forgot about my glimmer thought which in the end was the answer. I love that, like a true crime story, that thought in the back of your head may actually break the case.

I do think the end was a little to clean. Also, I can't believe her team would fall right into the killers plan but it just shows when tragedy happens all thoughts can be compromised when to close.

Another great story, I am loving being caught up with all of her new books and slowly catching up on her older. I recommend you try her. show less

In The Stranger You Know by Andrea Kane the Forensic Instincts team is hired by a dying father to find out what happened to his college aged daughter, Jan Olson, fifteen years ago. It's a police cold case that was never solved. While it appears the team only has a scant police file of information to go on, team leader, Casey, who was in college at the time, had a friend, Holly, who was brutally raped and murdered. It appears that the cases are linked and the team is really looking for a serial killer. While the team starts to investigate Jan's disappearance, it suddenly becomes clear that the killer, or an apprentice, is back and killing young women with red hair - a description that fits Casey. Things become even more stressful when show more the current serial killer calls Casey after each brutal murder and lets her know that she will be the final victim. And even more chilling is the question how does serial killer Glen Fisher, who the team helped put behind bars, tie into these recent killer's actions?

Each member of the Forensic Instincts team brings a special set of skills and abilities that make them uniquely extraordinary to work together with other team members. Casey is the behaviorist, with a "sharp mind and keen instincts about people, their body language, their responses and reactions." Marc is her right hand who is "brilliant at everything from his mental to his psychological to his physical capabilities." Ryan is "both a strategic and technical genius." Claire is a gifted intuitive, a psychic, who prefers to be called a claircognizant. Patrick is a lifelong trained investigator. Finally Hero is a retired dog from the FBI Canine Unit. Hutch, though not a member of the team, is an FBI profiler who has close ties to Casey.

While the team methodically works the cold case they were hired to solve, the new cases push themselves to the forefront and have the team working with other law enforcement agencies in an effort to unite their strengths to solve the cases. In The Stranger You Know Claire's claircognazant abilities are strongly featured and play a major role. This makes it imperative for you to believe in her abilities in order to appreciate her role in the teams efforts. Some of the plot is predictable, but that is often the case with crime/mystery novels so it was noted but didn't deter my enjoyment. There is a palatable tension as the team tries to solve the murders. The team's actions, running headlong on an impetuous beat-the-clock-or-else rush of adrenaline, kept me reading the book straight through to the end.

However, after accepting and acknowledging the teams qualifications, there were a few moments in the narrative where I felt like saying, "Oh really?" because their established competence and expertise didn't quite line up with their actions. (I'd give examples but I don't want to spoil the plot.) I'm also not completely able to accept Claire's psychic abilities to the extent that they played in the plot. The Stranger You Know is the third book in the Forensic Instincts series and, while it works as a stand-alone novel, it would be nice to have more information on the team members and their previous two cases. (I'm going to have to read the first two books on my wish list.)

Highly Recommended

Disclosure: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher. show less

The Stranger You Know is the third book in Andrea Kane’s Forensic Instincts series. These books follow a small firm of private investigators. All of them seem to come from some prior law enforcement, military, and or government type backgrounds but are now working in the private sector. I have not read the previous two books in this series and thankfully there really isn’t a need to. I didn’t feel lost at all because there was enough recap spread throughout the first part of the book to catch me up sufficiently on whatever details I might have needed.

Casey and her team are working to find the daughter of a dying man from a very old unsolved missing persons case. When they take on this case it hits close to home for Casey because show more when she was in college a close friend of her disappeared in much the same manner. Then during the course of their investigation young college girls matching Casey’s physical description start turning up raped and murdered. The killer makes it a point to call Casey, taunting her that she is his ultimate target.

So it’s all hands on deck to try and protect Casey while everyone still works to solve the cold case, and find the killer of this recent string of murders. The crimes of a convicted killer that Casey help put behind bars are coming back to haunt her as they realize he has a direct tie to these current murders. No doubt thriller/mystery fans will see some of the twists and turns coming with the ample clues Kane gives but I come to think of that as expected with these types of thrillers.

There were some interesting characters here, Claire and Casey being the ones that stood out to me the most. There is a romantic element for these two ladies with Hutch (an FBI profiler) and Ryan another member of the Forensic Instincts team. Ryan and Claire were my favorite of these two “couples” since they were more like the opposite of a couple…or a couple that didn’t want to admit that’s what they were. It added a bit of zest and I appreciated the occasional distraction from the young girls bodies who were brutally raped and murdered piling up. I loved the fact that a psychic was included, AND taken seriously as part of the Forensic Instincts team. I normally lean heavily towards the fantasy and paranormal books so Claire being psychic really gave me that element I needed to enjoy The Stranger You Know all the more.

One point that I wanted to bring up because I’ve read several books lately that dealt with the topic of rape. It seems to me that frequently rape is something that is quickly foisted upon secondary or disposable characters but rarely do I see this tragedy befall a main character. Now why is that? Granted, it would be a chancey thing to do to your character, but if the lead character is kept safe from this then does that not take away a small part of realism from the story? Just a thought that I had while reading a few recent titles.

Overall, The Stranger You Know was an enjoyable fast paced thriller that can be read as a stand alone novel. show less

This is my third novel by Andrea Kane in the Forensics Institute series - that being all of them. I must admit to liking this implausibly perfect group of individuals that have come together to create a super investigative agency to do what law enforcement can't because they have more money and pay less attention to things like warrants and rights and little things like that. But the purpose of books like these much like the purpose of one hour crime shows is to engage us, make us shake our heads and provide a little heart pumping drama. The Stranger You Know does that despite some utter stupidity on the part of very smart women.

In this installment the team has been hired to help find the daughter of a dying man. Her disappearance bears show more a striking resemblance to the rape and murder of Casey Wood's best friend from college. She hopes that in finding this girl she can solve that case too. As the team starts working red haired girls are being murdered and the killer is calling Casey, taunting her that she will be the finale. As they race to put the pieces together the psychopath gets closer to his end game. Who will survive?

This tale can stand alone from the other two novels but I think it helps to have read the previous books if only to understand the relationships between the players. Just knowing the back stories adds a depth of understanding that a reader might not have otherwise. The book does read along at a fast clip with events happening bing, bang, boom! There is a bit of time for romance and a couple of sex scenes not to mention the violence of the murder and rapes but one does not buy thrillers for sweetness and light. I admit to being caught by surprise at a couple of points which I always love in a suspense novel. But the two main women did act at the denouement with complete and utter stupidity that just didn't make sense with their intelligence levels. If an author is going to develop strong, intelligent women please have them act that way. Don't have them revert to idiots just so they can be saved by the big, strong men. show less

Amazon Book Description:
It begins with a chilling phone call. And ends with another girl dead. College-age girls with long red hair are being brutally murdered, posed like victims in a film noir. Each crime scene is eerily similar to the twisted fantasy of a serial offender now serving thirty years to life—a criminal brought to justice with the help of Casey Woods and her investigative team, Forensic Instincts. Call. Kill. Repeat. But the similarities are more than one psychopath's desire to outdo another. As more red-haired victims are added to the body count, it becomes clear that each one has been chosen because of a unique connection to Casey…. Now the Forensic Instincts team must uncover the identity of a serial killer before show more his ever-tightening circle of death closes in on Casey, the ultimate target. As the stalker methodically moves in on his prey, his actions make two things clear: He knows everything about Casey. And he won't stop until she's dead.

My Thoughts:
This book filled all of my mystery loving needs. The plot of the story is chilling and thrilling. This story builds the relationship between Claire and Ryan who are as opposite as two people can be. She is a psychic and he is a techie. However, opposites clearly attract. I also liked the strong relationships among all of the Forensic Instincts crew and look forward to reading more adventures. 5 stars. show less

The Stranger You Know, the third installment of Andrea Kane's Forensic Instincts series, hits close to home for the team members when a sadistic killer sets his sights on Casey Woods. Their investigation into a cold case bears a startling resemblance to a current string of grisly murders and leads the team to a murderer already behind bars. It soon becomes apparent the murderer is targeting Casey but why? And can they stop the murderous rampage before more innocent lives are taken?

In this third outing, the Forensics Instinct team is tighter than ever and all of their previous differences have been ironed out. While all of the members play vital roles in the latest investigation, it is Claire Hedgleigh who takes center stage as her show more unique abilities literally give her a front row seat to the killings. Her psychic talents are brilliantly showcased in The Stranger You Know and the in depth exploration of her special skills is incredibly fascinating.

The murderer is one step ahead of Forensic Instincts for pretty much the entire novel and some of the storyline is rather predictable. The team plays right into the killer's hand and some of their decisions fall into too stupid to live category. But in the end, all of the frustration is forgotten as Andrea Kane beautifully redeems The Stranger You Know with some very shocking and unexpected plot twists.

All in all, a pretty satisfying addition to the Forensics Instincts series. Although it can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend the entire series. show less