Between Two Strangers by Kate White

Kate White is a former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine and author of the suspense novels The Second Husband and The Fiancée. This paranoia mystery takes 300 pages to deliver a twist—okay for some, but quite mild.

Skylar Moore is a struggling New York collage artist, who hopes a profile in ArtToday will attract attention to her upcoming show. When a Scarsdale attorney calls to let her know someone has bequeathed 3.5 million dollars to her, she is more than surprised. She didn't know the man. Christopher Whaley was part of a very wealthy family who have varying reactions to her. His affluent mother tells her to accept and enjoy; his brother went back to South America; and his wife and grown children, although already rich, want it all.

Did he want to support an artist? Perhaps he just wanted to get back at his wife after they both had affairs. The wife utters veiled threats, and Skylar's apartment is burgled. Nasty notes are left and her artwork is tampered with.

And - she remembers who Christopher was. They met in a bar twelve years ago and had a one-night stand. That was the weekend she went to a grad party with her half-sister Chloe; the night Chloe disappeared. After the weekend with Christopher, she realized Chloe didn't return home, and her body was later found.

Skylar also wants to have a baby at 38, and maybe this money will facilitate the pricey IVF. Certainly, the men she goes out with have turned nasty when she breaks it off. Perhaps one of them is responsible for the recent threats and stalking.

This has an intriguing premise but a slow pace. The twist at the end was a surprise, but there was a lot of wondering and wandering as Skylar tries to figure out who is bothering her. It moves between the present day and twelve years ago on that fateful weekend, with not enough substance to recommend it. I read the entire hardcover in one night.

Just okay.

2023 / Hardcover / 304 pages