The Red Hunter

By Lisa Unger

A Simon & Schuster eBook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Release date: May 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781471165078

Lisa Unger

Lisa Unger is a NYT and internationally bestselling author. Her books are published in 32 languages, with millions of copies sold worldwide. In 2019, she received two Edgar Award nominations, an honor held by only a few writers including Agatha Christie. Her work has been named on "Best Book" lists from Today, People, GMA, EW, Amazon, IndieBound and many others. She has written for the NYT, WSJ, NPR, and Travel+Leisure. She lives in Florida with her family.

Reviews for The Red Hunter

[carlathelibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Two women, two crimes, one house, and they are strangely linked together. Claudia Bishop was happily married, when she was raped in her home. She tries to rise above the horrible crime that victimized her. She has a beautiful daughter, Raven. When her marriage falls apart, she moves to Hidden Valley, a small town outside New York. Her father had purchased the property with a house and barn years before and when he died, he left it to her. Zoey Drake witnessed the murder of her parents and was herself tortured inside that house ten years earlier. She did not try to rise above the crime, she became "The Red Hunter" with the goal of revenge.

All three of the female characters are strong women, although sometimes doubt their decisions. The relationship between Raven and Claudia is amazing. They have their normal mother/daughter issues, but they are honest and share information with one another that perhaps should not have been shared. Claudia never wants to know if Raven was the result of the rape and raises her to believe that her father is her father. Raven grows in this story and learns to become a more self-confident person. Zoey, is small but mighty. She tries to help others find their strength and tries to protect those being hurt, but she has such anger inside that nothing seems to help. She and her Uncle Paul have a loving father/daughter relationship and she takes care of him as he has emphysema, but she is very much a wanderer and is searching for whatever can bring her peace, if anything can.

This book is a mystery, who killed Zoey's parents as well as a psychological thriller. It kept me on the edge of my seat as I wanted to know what would happen next. This is not a neat and tidy story, there is some violence and still some mystery left at the end, but it is a good book that I recommend any thriller or mystery lover to read. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book to read, and I thank them as Lisa Unger is one author that I read all of her books.

[carol420 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There are several characters intertwined with multiple storylines that makes this, at times, a difficult read to sort out. I've read several Lisa Unger books and have always found her to be very good at writing a story that is suspenseful as well as "spooky" at times. I think the entire essence of the story was the question of "how would you react if something horrible and violent happens to you?".

[niaomiya · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"The Red Hunter" is an engaging mystery thriller from a reliably good writer, Lisa Unger. Two women, both survivors of brutal attacks in their past, find their lives converging when the past rises up to meet them. Claudia Bishop is the survivor of sexual assault, a single mother to a teenaged girl. As part of starting over, she moves into a run-down home once owned by her now-deceased father, determined to renovate the house and restore it to its original beauty. When Zoey Drake was a teenager, she survived a home invasion that left her parents dead; unbeknownst to Claudia, the home invasion took place in the very home where Claudia now lives.Author Unger does an excellent job of keeping the two threads - Claudia's story and Zoey's story - distinct. She also does an excellent job of steadily bringing the two threads together, the pace of the story getting faster and faster as the women's paths inevitably reach a crossing point. The big reveal surprised me, although in hindsight it probably shouldn't have, but I was so held in nail-biting thrall by the converging plots that I wasn't even thinking about the "who" in the whodunit part of the story until the time came to reveal who it was.If I could, I'd give this book 4 1/2 stars. It wasn't quite to the 5-star level because it took me maybe 35-40 pages to really get into it, but from that point on I was hooked.

[carpe_librum · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Red Hunter by Lisa Unger is an enjoyable crime/thriller novel - with one of the best covers this year - featuring two protagonists: Zoe and Claudia.Zoe experienced a traumatic home invasion as a child and Claudia was assaulted in her own home as an adult. Both women recovered from their trauma in different ways and their paths will eventually meet in an unexpected way.The Red Hunter had me at 'Claudia takes on a crumbling old house with a home restoration project' and it didn't disappoint.Told from multiple points of view, I did find it a little confusing at first until the characters and their lives cemented themselves in my mind, but the pages started flying when Zoe's backstory was revealed and a mystery surrounding a missing amount of money began to emerge.Dealing with themes of justice and revenge, The Red Hunter is a quick and entertaining stand alone novel. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy it as much as Ink and Bone, which means I'll have to give it 3 stars, but it's a solid 3 stars and I'd recommend it to fans of the crime, mystery and thriller genres.* Copy courtesy of Simon & Schuster *

[debkrenzer · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love Lisa Unger books. I always know that I am going to get a great read whenever I pick up one of her books and this one did not fail one bit. Zoey was a little strange to begin with until I learned what made her strange. Then I was like "she's only that strange"? This girl had a very rough life and it started very early.Of course, Claudia was having a rough life of her own, but her's was only about to get a whole lot rougher.There are some really mean characters in this book. The author did a great job with the time lines, the plot twists, the "secret man" (small spoiler) and the overall secrets that all come out in the end. Secrets that started early in Zoey's life and that Claudia inadvertently shares with her decades later. Such a great read that I fully enjoyed. It's all there, mystery, suspense and . . . very well put together. Kudos Lisa on a great job! I have met Lisa. As a matter of fact, I have the marketing poster board for her book "Heartbroken" signed and framed hanging in my bedroom. (It has the colors that match - turquoise and teal). Thanks again Lisa! And yes, this review is unbiased, HA!!!Huge thanks to Touchstone for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

[pegmcdaniel · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Thanks to the publisher, Touchstone, via NetGalley, for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.I regret to say I've never read Lisa Unger before. After reading this novel, I have become a fan and plan to read more of her novels. She's a brilliant author who has written a fast-paced, well-plotted suspense novel. She drew me in at the start and I didn't want to put it down.Saying much about the plot isn't something I want to do because of spoilers. The setting is a New York City suburb and occasionally the City itself. There are two female protagonists who have an old country house in common. Each of them has been traumatized and is tryng to find her way. This dark mystery involves police officers, criminals, murder, rape, self-defense, a million dollars, revenge, love and forgiveness. The chapters alternate between the present and past and Ms. Under does an excellent job of switching between the time periods. Her characters are well-developed and written in such a way that I found myself liking the good guys and disliking the bad guys which is the way I prefer relating to them! I'll be thinking abut this novel for a long time.

[dianekeenoy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was lucky enough to get the ARC from the author and was very excited to get to read it before the publishing date. With one of Lisa Unger's books, you know that you are going to get a great fast moving read! The story goes between that of Claudia BIshop and Zoey Drake and the house that they have in common. Both women have had brutal assaults in their past and both have to figure out to move on. Claudia and her teenage daughter move into an old house that is falling apart. They are slowing fixing up the house and Claudia blogs about her progress. Zoey left this same house years ago after a brutal home invasion. She's trying to move forward by training in the martial arts. While they don't know each other, they both know the house and are on a collision course as the old secrets start coming to the surface. A great read!

[ewhatley_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As usual, Unger does not disappoint in this telling of multiple story lines of two women with different points of view. It can be a little confusing but does come together. As you read consider whether this is revenge or justice, then decide. Another must read for Unger fans or a good place to start for those who have not previously read her work.

[purple_pisces22 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoy this one. I always enjoy Lisa Unger's books. I wouldn't say it was one of her best. Not a lot of plot twists. Worth the read though.

[olivermagnus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Claudia Bishop and her husband Ayers had a perfect life and perfect marriage until one night when she was brutally raped by a stranger who broke into their apartment. Claudia found out she was pregnant soon afterward and chose to believe Ayers was the father. They are now divorced and for some bizarre reason they felt compelled to inform their daughter Raven that her father potentially could have been a rapist. Raven is now fifteen and is contemplating a paternity test to find out who her real biological father is.

In the meantime, Claudia has decided to remodel an old farmhouse that her father once owned and that, unbeknownst to her, has a violent history. The family that lived there were all murdered in a horrific home invasion, with the exception of Zoey Drake, the daughter. Zoey now lives in New York and is hell bent on a plan of revenge. The two women, both who have lived through personal trauma, are now on a path that will connect them to some very violent criminals.

Lisa Unger is a fantastic writer who flawlessly weaves together a fascinating thriller narrated through the eyes of several characters. This novel explores the gray area of revenge or forgiveness. The ending is filled with suspense and all the loose ends are tied up in an engrossing and believable way. I highly recommend anything written by Lisa Unger.

[bookofsecrets · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“While seeking revenge, dig two graves – one for yourself.” This chilling quote (originally from Douglas Horton) plays heavily in Lisa Unger’s latest book THE RED HUNTER. The paths of two women – strangers – whose lives were altered by brutal attacks eventually collide in this suspenseful, atmospheric thriller. The puzzling question is how will their troubled stories intersect?I enjoyed this book quite a bit, even though the tension put knots in my stomach! That’s a good thing, right?!? Zoey, Claudia, and daughter Raven, are complex and flawed characters who easily pulled me into their stories. There are many layers to their haunting mystery, and hold on for a nail-biting ending. This is a stand alone novel, not part of The Hollows series, so no prior backstory knowledge needed.Audiobook • 11 hrs, 5 mins • Julia Whelan, NarratorI listened to the audio version which was narrated by Julia Whelan. Great performance! She did well with both the female and male characters, and her performance added to the suspense. One thing to watch out (or listen out) for are the time jumps in the story. A couple of times I was a bit confused as to what was going on, then realized that it was a flashback. Not a big deal as the story progressed and I got more familiar with the characters.Disclosure: I received a copy of this audiobook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[undermyappletree · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What’s it about . . .Two women, strangers to each other, each experienced a horrific trauma in their past.Claudia Bishop’s life fell apart after a brutal assault left her with constant anxiety and a crumbling marriage. She is now rebuilding her life and has immersed herself in a home restoration project.Zoey Drake experienced trauma as a child when her parents were murdered and she barely survived the attack. The crime was never solved. She has spent subsequent years training in the martial arts hoping to someday find the people responsible for killing her parents.The two women are destined to meet. The house that is providing Claudia with the hope of rebuilding her life is the same house where Zoey’s parents were murdered. And urban legend says that a million dollars is hidden somewhere in that house – money stolen from drug dealers.What did I think . . .I enjoyed this psychological thriller. It had lots of action, a tight plot, fast pacing, and a tense storyline. The narration switches between Claudia and Zoey in what first appears to be two unrelated stories. Gradually, connections are revealed, secrets are exposed, and their stories converge in an exciting ending.I read a lot of psychological fiction and although I guessed the twist at the end, I still found it very entertaining.Audio production . . .The audio was read by Julia Whelan. Excellent performance. She is a pleasure to listen to. Because the point of view switches and occasionally recounts the past, the listener needs to pay a little extra attention, but overall a fine performance and one that audio listeners both new to the format and experienced will enjoy.

[grumpydan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Claudia Bishop decide to renovate an old farmhouse left to her by her father. It was an investment property but had been vacant for the past decade. She sees this as therapeutic since many years ago she was raped in her NYC apartment. She gave birth to her daughter, Rachel and her marriage fell apart. Is Rachel the child of that rapist? Rachel wants to know herself. Meanwhile, Claudia is unaware of the history of the house and is curious as to way the previous tenants left most of their belongings behind.Ten years prior a policeman Chad Drake and his family lived there and he and his wife was brutally murdered in an attempt to locate missing money from a robbery. His daughter, Zoey survived and vowed to locate and kill the assailants. But when she murders the first know assailant it sets off a chain of events that can’t be stopped.Wow, you have these two stories that intertwine to make a suspenseful thriller. The author has me guessing and I was quite satisfied with the outcome and the whole novel.