Paranoid

By Lisa Jackson

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson comes a new novel of nerve-jangling suspense as a woman haunted by guilt realizes that nothing can be trusted—not even her own memory …
 
There are people in Edgewater, Oregon, who think that twenty years ago, Rachel Gaston got away with murder.
 
Rachel still has no idea how a foolish teenaged game turned deadly—or who replaced her soft pellet air gun with a real weapon. When a figure leapt out at her from the darkness, she fired without thinking. Too late, she recognized her half-brother, Luke, and saw blood blooming around his chest.
 
Despite counseling, Rachel’s horrifying dreams about that night continue. Her anxiety contributed to her divorce from Detective Cade Ryder, though he blames himself too. But as Rachel’s high school reunion nears, she feels her imagination playing tricks, convincing her that objects in her house have moved. That there’s a hint of unfamiliar cologne in the air. That someone is tailing her car. Watching her home.
 
She’s right to be scared. And as connections surface between a new string of murders and Luke’s death, Rachel realizes there’s no escaping the past, and the truth may be darker than her worst fears …

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jun 25, 2019
• ISBN: 9781617734724

Lisa Jackson

When asked what has inspired her to write more than 50 novels brimming with adventure, intrigue, hot passion, and high emotion, bestselling Oregon author, Lisa Jackson gets a mischievous smile on her face. Then the words flow as fast as her fingers fly on her computer keyboard when she writes. Her eyes sparkling with memories, she tells stories of her youth, stories of a Huckleberry Finn childhood in the small lumber town of Molalla and on her grandparents' nearby farm in the hilly region of western Oregon. There in the old growth timber, Lisa rode bareback and raced along the ages-old sheep, cattle and deer trails. In the nearby river, she skinnydipped and caught crawdads in her bare hands. An inventive child, she sneaked out of the house and rode her bicycle or horse in the moonlight and dreamed up childish pranks that would have done Tom Sawyer proud. "Nobody could have had a better childhood," Lisa remarks, her twinkling eyes and got-away-with-something-grin giving her a youthful appearance that defies the fact that she is in her mid-40s and the mother of two college-age sons. "My childhood was enchanted. We were a small, tightly knit family. My mum and dad were and still are my greatest supporters." Why then does Lisa write lousy dads and conniving relatives into the plots of books that regularly earn berths on such national bestseller lists as USA Today's and Waldenbooks'? "I think the deepest angst people can experience is what can develop among family members, because our emotions run so deep there," Lisa replied. "Deep down, we care about these people, but being related doesn't mean we think alike or want the same things. I also think manipulative people are fascinating. Characters like those help me to keep the readers' interest. I love it when readers write me to complain that they didn't get any sleep the night before because they had to finish my book." Lisa studied English Literature at Oregon State University for two years before she married. In 1981, when her younger son was a year old, she began writing novels. But she decided she needed a steady income and landed a nine-dollar-per-hour bank job. Before she could begin work, however, her supervisor was arrested for embezzling. "About then I sold my first book, A Twist of Fate, which — guess what! — was about a woman suspected of bank embezzling. It was purely coincidental. The story came out of my background in banking," Lisa provided. "But I guess you could say, if not for a bank embezzler, I might not have made it as an author." In addition to suspenseful contemporary page-turners, Lisa also delivers medieval romances set in eleventh and twelfth century Wales. "I enjoy doing these medieval period pieces, because women were so trod upon then. By nature of their lot in life, I can generate empathy or sympathy for the medieval heroines. They're underdogs from the get-go. Tell me what woman doesn't root for the underdog!" Britannia Roads, a creative Lansing, Michigan tour packager, read the first in Lisa's medieval trilogy and loved her writing so much that she designed a tour of Wales, with Lisa as the featured guest. Tour members will visit some of Princess Diana's favourite places to stay in Ruthin Castle. They'll be in for a treat when Lisa regales them with author stories during the tour, for she is as talented at public speaking as she is at writing novels. When not writing, Lisa enjoys spectator sports, reading, watching The X-Files and socialising now that she's a single mum. Her favourite authors include Pat Conroy, Nelson DeMille, Stephen King, Patricia Cornwell, Dick Francis, and other authors who also write compelling page-turners.

Reviews for Paranoid

[vickimarie2002 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I knew Rachel wasn’t just paranoid but that she had a reason to double check the locks on her house and be worried where her kids went! I was very intrigued on if Rachel had really killed her brother. She seemed innocent but she even thought she was guilty! There were several twists and the end was completely surprising! I didn’t even guess it! A very good and quick read.

[hotcha-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!! Paranoid may be so far the BEST book Ms. Jackson has written YET, and I LOVED THIS NOVEL! Poor Rachael was blamed of murdering her step brother, Luke, with a REAL gun instead of the air pellet gun that he had given her! Now, twenty years later members who had played the game in the old cannery are being killed one by one and Rachael is getting paranoid that someone is watching her and that SHE will be next!

[celticlady53 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Paranoid by Lisa Jackson is the story of Rachel Gaston, who lives in Edgewater Oregon with her son and daughter. She is divorced from Detective Cade Ryder but they do have an amicable relationship if only for the kids. Twenty years ago, Rachel along with some classmates was in an abandoned fish factory with pellet air guns when hers was replaced with a real gun, unbeknownst to her. When someone jumps out she panics and shoots, finds out that the person she shot was her half brother Luke. Despite counseling Rachel still feels that it was her fault that her brother is dead and blames herself after all of these years. A high school reunion is being planned, she feels that there are objects being moved in her house, whiffs of cologne and cigarette smoke is in the air. She is being tailed and feels that someone is watching her home.Now that there are classmates being murdered her paranoia increases. Her ex knows that Rachel has issues but he is not sure whether to believe her or not as to her paranoia. Not only that, her daughter has been sneaking out at night to be with a guy whom Rachel is not fond of. So all of these things come to a horrifying conclusion that I did not see coming.I had not read a Lisa Jackson novel in quite a few years and I am not sure why I haven't as I do remember enjoying them. This one was no exception. This book is character driven and is believable. I love the writing as it was pretty suspenseful and I did not see the ending coming but I like to think that the ending is such that there is another book coming with the same characters.I think that if you enjoy a good psychological thriller that you can't go wrong with the novel. I received a copy of this book for review purposes.

[jfe16 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Twenty years ago, Rachel Gaston’s half-brother Luke fell victim to a foolish teen-ager’s game gone horribly wrong. And for twenty years, Rachel has blamed herself for Luke’s death. But strange messages on her phone, a feeling of someone hiding in the shadows, watching her, and friends involved in that long-ago game turning up dead have driven her omnipresent paranoia into the stratosphere. Is there a connection between Luke’s death and the new murders? And how, when everyone in town believes Rachel got away with murder twenty years ago, is she supposed to find the answers and protect her teen-aged children? Will the answers Rachel seeks bring her closure? And what will happen if the truth isn’t anything like what Rachel believes she knows?Well-drawn, believable, [and sometimes rather annoying] characters populate this complex tale of secrets, deceptions, and lies. The often-palpable tension ratchets up the suspense as readers find themselves caught up in the telling of the tale. Unexpected reveals keep the reader guessing as the story switches between the memories of the past and the mystery of the present. Readers are likely to find it difficult to set this unputdownable tale aside before turning the final page.Highly recommended.

[dcoward_6 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A competent suspense novel.