Goodnight Stranger

3.5 stars.

Goodnight Stranger by Miciah Bay Gault is a rather mystical mystery.

Twenty-eight year old Lydia Moore lives on Wolf Island with her brother Lucas. Their life is marred by tragedy which includes the tragic death of their brother Colin when he was a baby. Lydia once left the island for college, but she returned following her mother's cancer diagnosis. Lucas is pathologically shy and deals with stress by further withdrawing from the world. When stranger Cole Anthony arrives on the island, Lydia is fascinated by the stranger who somehow has intimate knowledge of their family. Lucas is convinced Cole is actually a reincarnation of baby Colin. However, Lydia is certain there is a much more earthly reason Cole is insinuating himself show more into their lives. Will she overcome her fear of leaving the island to uncover the truth about Cole before it is too late?

Neither Lydia nor Lucas have moved past baby Colin's or their parents' deaths. Both have taken their mother's somewhat fanciful beliefs to heart but Lydia is more practical than Lucas. Lydia's fascination with Cole is intertwined with attraction. But since she is unsure of his connection to their family, she tries to keep their relationship platonic. Lucas and Cole have formed a tight friendship and Lydia grows alarmed as she and her brother's relationship begins to deteriorate due to Cole's influence. With suspicions growing after he moves into their house, Lydia is desperate for answers about Cole.

Goodnight Stranger is an intriguing mystery that has a bit of a supernatural aspect to the storyline. Lydia and Lucas are likable characters but both are somewhat mired in their family's heartrending past. Cole is rather mysterious but Lydia quickly discerns he is more dangerous than he appears. The storyline is interesting but the pacing is sometimes a little slow. With an pulse-pounding showdown, Miciah Bay Gault brings the novel to a mostly satisfactory conclusion. show less

Strange, atmospheric psychological thriller about brother and sister Lucas and Lydia, who live together on an isolated island off Martha's Vineyard (Wolf Island--it devours its own).. One day a visitor arrives on the island. Could Cole be, as Lucas believes, the reincarnation of their dead triplet brother Colin? Seesawing, shifting-sand narration, refracting motives, playing on doubles, ghosts, strangers--impossible not to be sucked into the vortex of it.

"I'd begun to see him as...[s]omething flesh and bones, but complicated by the heft and history of myth and fairy tale. A wolf."

I feel like this book had a lot going for it. It's about a brother and sister living together in their parents' house on an island off Cape Cod. One day, a strange man comes into their lives and captivates them both, but the brother believes the stranger to be the reincarnation of their triplet, who died as an infant, and the stranger comes to invade their lives in a very disturbing way. I really liked the island setting; it had a strong sense of place. The family story is just weird and dysfunctional enough, and the two siblings themselves just quirky and damaged enough, to catch my attention and want to know more about them. But something fell flat for me. Perhaps if this weren't positioned as a "thriller" so much as a late-in-life show more coming-of-age story, I would have liked it more. I also found the writing style to be somewhat clunky and disorienting. All in all, this book just fell flat for me. show less

Not at all what I expected from this mystery/thriller with such an amazing cover. It has supernatural undertones that remind me of Jennifer McMahon, who I love! Nothing over the top, just enough to keep readers gripped. Are they real or imagined? You’ll have to read the book to find out!

This mysterious debut centers around the Moore triplets and an unusual stranger that enmeshes himself into their lives. Lydia and Lucas were triplets at birth, but their brother died at just a few months old. The two of them are all that’s left of their family and they live together in their childhood home, on Wolf Island. Lydia keeps everything running smoothly. She more or less “mothers” Lucas, as he is a little odd, very socially awkward and show more dependent on Lydia. She wants to leave the island but stayed after their mother passed and now feels stuck in this situation.

Their brother, Colin, has always had a strong presence in their lives, even though they never knew him. When a stranger comes onto the island and gets overly involved in their lives, Lucas is convinced he’s the reincarnation of Colin. Cole knows things he shouldn’t know and has memories he shouldn’t have.

At first, there is sexual tension between Lydia and Cole. He has pulled Lucas out of his shell and Lydia has never seen him happier. But Cole is immersing himself into their lives like he belongs there and intends to remain. Lydia begins to see a disturbing side of Cole and wonders why he’s so secretive about his past.

This is the second novel I’ve read recently which mentioned the poem “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe.

Sincere thanks to Park Row Books. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

My Rating: 4 ⭐️’s
Published: July 30th 2019 by Park Row
Pages: 304
Recommend: Yes

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After publication, my reviews can be found at Amazon, Twitter, GoodReads, Barnes and Noble, BookBub, NetGalley, and Edelweiss

@miciahbay @parkrowbooks show less

A very well developed mystery with lots of twists. This is Gault's first novel and her writing is unique and original. I couldn't stop reading, but the last few chapters were a bit of a let-down. I'm not sure how it should have ended, but I didn't feel like it was wrapped up well considering how much I enjoyed the novel.