Stranger in the Room: A Novel

After loving The Stranger You Seek, I went into this book with very high expectations only to seem them shattered in the best possible way. Stranger in the Room was even better than the first book in my opinion which just goes to show you how much I loved this thriller! I'm blown away by just how good this mystery series is....I need the next book as soon as possible!

In this book, Keye has two different ongoing cases that she is investigating. One of them involves her cousin, Miki, who like herself battles her demons over alcohol and drugs. Miki believes that she is being stalked, and it is up to Keye to figure out what is really going on. Is it all in Miki's head thanks to the drugs that she won't stop taking or is there something more sinister going on? Keye is also looking into a weird mystery involving a crematorium and chicken feed. Between these two investigations, Keye finds herself not only struggling with her former addictions but also in some serious danger. Can Keye find the answers without losing her self control?

This book was SO good! Just writing about it gets me excited about this series all over again :) I love it! The author has managed to create such an honest, raw character in Keye whom I can't help but connect to. She struggles with her past on a daily basis but keeps moving forward. She isn't perfect and doesn't expect herself to be. I am completely hooked on this series thanks to her character. And the mysteries of course. Because the mysteries are complete page turners! I never know what to expect which keeps me on my toes. This one felt darker and more sinister to me which I really liked. I don't know why but I really like thrillers that are dark and gritty. And this series so far has fit into that category perfectly. The author did a great job of taking two different storylines and tying them together in a way that really worked. I was hooked from almost the very first page. And the ending! This author always manages to take me by surprise with the endings of her books. I love it!

All in all, I am a HUGE fan of this series! I'm really, really eager to get my hands on the third book to see what kind of trouble Keye finds herself in next. This author is now on my favorites list, and I would rank my love of this series up there with S.J. Bolton's Lacy Kincaid series. This book really has everything that I look for in a good mystery with a strong female lead, tons of suspense, and a riveting story arc. I cannot wait to read more! Highly recommended but especially for those fans of thrillers and suspense!

Bottom Line: A must read series for me! Start at the beginning with The Stranger You Seek!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher. Thoughts are my own!

"Stranger in the Room: A Novel" by Amanda Kyle Williams is the second in a series about Keye Street, a Chinese-American private investigator who lives in Atlanta. Keye was traumatized early in life when her custodial grandparents are murdered in front of her.

The characters are believable and incredibly funny - I kept stopping to chuckle, guffaw, and outright laugh my head off - which was slightly irritating to my husband who was reading a book which was not at all funny. Ms. Williams is able to people her books with characters you wish you could meet and get to know and which those which you truly wish never to run across in your life. This all sounds a little weird when you are talking about a murder mystery! The mystery is certainly there and is fairly hard-edged. The descriptions of the crime stop short of grotesque (thankfully) but are definitely enough to bring the crimes to life.

I look forward to reading more in the series - I want to know where Keye ends up next, what Neil is up to, and exactly who ends up in their front office!

Thanks for a wonderful book! I highly recommend it.

This is well plotted investigatory type story set in Atlanta and starring a young Chinese American private eye, Keye Street. Keye is battling her personal demons in the form of a controlled addiction to drink, which is hardly an original idea but the author does manage to convey her daily battle against the bottle rather well. Keye herself is an interesting and well drawn character who is clearly set to appear in a series of books since this is her second.

There are references here and there to the earlier book, but I personally had not read it and did not find that this impeded my enjoyment of this story. Hence I confirm that there is no problem in reading this on a standalone basis. This time round Keye and her detective boyfriend, Rauser, are involved in researching several apparently unconnected killings, male and female, young and old etc. but eventually come to realize that there might possibly be an unlikely link between the cases. Meanwhile, Keye's cousin, Miki, has seemingly been the target of someone, possibly an ex boyfriend, who wishes her harm. As a side show, Keye has also been asked to investigate the strange case of a cremation company which has delivered an urn of cement powder rather than the ashes of a loved one which a bereaved family were expecting.

This is a well put together story, which despite being quite complex is very clearly narrated. The writing is good and snappy with plenty of interesting detail which keeps the reader engaged. A very competent tale and I will certainly be happy to read more about Keye Street should her next book come my way.

Have you ever selected a book and thought, "this is going to be one great read". It seemed to offer everything that you would love in a good story, only at the end to be disappointed in the end. To me, it is kind of like when you get a beautifully wrapped Christmas gift, only to unwrap it and find that it is a pair of granny panties, two sizes too small? Well, that's how I felt reading "Stranger in the Room". You have mystery (surrounding a crematoria with some unscrupulous business practices); an interesting sounding main character (Keye Street, ex-alcoholic/special agent) and her lover(APD Detective Rauser); another plot involving a dastardly serial killer; a cat penned "White Trash"; and an addicted cousin (Miki) who swears she is being stalked. As an Atlantan, I also thought I would love it since the story takes place in Atlanta. I was familiar with most of the places and have even worked at the Atlanta Police Department for 10 years.....and yet, contrary to other reviewers, I wasn't in love with this book and even found it difficult to read at times. The sad thing is that I am not sure why. Perhaps it was because I had not read the first Keye Street story (although I have enjoyed other books that are part of a series without reading all of them). Or maybe it was because there were so many plots (some significant, others not so significant) running throughout that I wasn't invested in any of them, and instead focused on finishing the book. Whatever the reason, I just thought that this story was ok....full of potential, but missing the mark.

Author Amanda Kyle Williams gives readers another entertaining glimpse at razor-sharp investigator Keye Street in "Stranger in the Room". The prologue for this book sets the tone when Keye's issue-plagued cousin Miki comes home one night with a couple of drinks settling in and hears a noise from inside her house as she is fumbling to open the front door. When she looks through her window from the outside, there is a man wearing a ski mask, dressed all in black, staring back at her from the inside. He makes a motion with his hand like he is firing a gun at her. How invasively creepy is that? Keye, struggling to recover from her own substance abuse issues with alcohol, provides refuge to her cousin, wondering all the while why she's adding to her own stress load. Keye's boyfriend, Police Lieutenant Aaron Rauser is deeply involved in the homicide case of a strangled teenager. Another murder case, the hanging of an elderly man, would at first appear unconnected, but there are similarities that former FBI profiler Keye cannot ignore. Then there's the weird case of the crematorium mixing up cement mix and chicken feed and serving up as human remains to grieving loved ones. Atmospheric, set in the July heat of Atlanta, and edgy--Keye shoots from the lip, and her thoughts fly just as fast--"Stranger in the Room" is a perfect all-night read for lovers of whip-smart, idiosyncratic female criminal investigators.

Review Copy Gratis Library Thing

Fast-paced, intense, engrossing ... a wonderfully complex and flawed main character and a colorful and interesting supporting cast working through multiple plot lines that twist, turn and demand the reader put aside whatever else they had planned to read just one more chapter ... and then another.

Stranger in the Room by Amanda Kyle Williams (@AKyleWilliams) is better than the first Keye Street book, which is hard to believe because The Stranger You Seek was exceptionally good. This time out, the story kicks off as Keye, a disgraced FBI profiler turned Private Investigator/consultant, is summoned to the side of her cousin, who discovered a man in her house coming home from a party. The cousin is a bit flaky, with a track record of drug and alcohol abuse, cutting and bad relationships, and Keye initially dismisses the incident. Big mistake.

I don't do spoilers (which would be disastrous with these books as the plots are so wonderfully twisty), so let me just say like the first Keye book, this one starts off in high gear and never really slows down. There are many balls in the air, some of which may or may not intersect, as Keye goes about her business helping her cousin, running her PI business and helping the Atlanta Police Department hunt a brutal killer.

A third of the way through Stranger in the Room the major plot lines were laid out and I had no idea what was going to happen next, but I was totally locked in, engrossed, and could not wait to find out how/if/why/when any of it connected. I found the finale to be very satisfying on several levels, and honestly can't wait for the next installment to see what happens to Keye, her techno-wizard co-worker Neil and Atlanta PD Lieutenant Rauser.

This second book in the Keye Street series a good follow up to the first book in the series. There were some disappointments and I really didn't like the way it veered off track to an entirely different story for a while in order to make Keye this rather unbelievable hero. If that hadn't been in the book it would have been much better in my opinion.

Every once in awhile there is a new lead character that grabs onto your mind and won't let go. Author Williams has done just that with her first two Stranger novels. Keye Street is one of those magnetic clinging to the brain people. Her profiling for the FBI is a bit different than the usual private eye or detective that a story centers on, and it allows some unusual angles for the author.

The book almost reads itself to you and it will keep you entertained from word one. I was waiting for a similar shock ending as in the first of the series, and when it didn't occur I felt let down. That's not the story's nor the author's fault, just mine for anticipating incorrectly.

Amanda Kyle Williams has written her second book featuring Keye Street as the main protagonist and it is one superb read. "The Stranger You Seek" was her first novel and it is one you should pick up and read for a wonderful story with an amazing surprise ending. It will also introduce the leads that are maintained in this new book.
"Stranger in the Room" does not disappoint from beginning to end.
Keye Street is a former FBI profiler, current private investigator, ex-alcoholic, adopted Chinese-American cat lover. If that sounds like a mouthful, it is necessary because each one of those elements are vital to this thrilling mystery.
Street initially becomes involved in this case because her cousin (a drug addict and professional photographer named Miki) feels she is being stalked and is terrified when she finds a stranger in her house.
This incident links to the murder of a 13 year old boy and a 90 year old man whose deaths require Street to use her FBI analyst past to help the Atlanta Police Department attempt to solve the mysterious deaths. A long unsolved murder kicks in later in the book which also fits into the complex mix. What do these victims have in common? As this book unfolds, Street's skills help her and the police to find the links.
This book is also a wonderful description of the city of Atlanta in all it's glories and faults. The reader gets a true sense of this city because Williams obviously have a deep feeling for the Southern life.
Another thing that Williams brings to both of her novels is a terrific and wicked sense of humor. Her ability to integrate humor at exactly the right time but not to overdo it makes this not only a fascinating read but a fun time. There are many chuckle moments and quite a few laugh out loud lines as Street and her pals express their thoughts both spoken and unspoken. When the story gets deadly serious, so does the author.
The other major characters in this book include Street's love interest Detective Aaron Rauser, her able bodied and hysterically clever partner in her detective agency Neil Donovan, her charming adopted parents and various side players who all contribute to making the book whole and completely entertaining.
A side story involving a crooked crematorium takes up a few chapters and turns out to quite involving and funny even though it seems to simply be added to fill pages rather than be vital to the overall book.
Though this book does not bring the same shock ending of her previous novel, Williams still writes a finely detailed story which holds the reader's interest and defies skimming. The final pages strike like a tornado, both literally and figuratively. One quibble might be that the eventual perpetrator of the crimes is not as finely drawn as he/she could have been. A good villain would have added the fifth star to my review.
But overall, a wonderful read from page 1 to the end and a highly recommended book to mystery fans, humor fans and anyone who wants to find a new lead character to both root for and look forward to a next novel by a superb writer.

I enjoyed Williams' first installment in the Keye Street books because Keye was such a realistically flawed main character. Williams cleverly used exposing Keye's daemons to give insight into why she made the decisions she made throughout the book. The same holds true for Stranger in the Room. If you are a recovering addict, you will appreciate even more how Keye views life.

In addition to good character development, Williams has put out a fast paced murder mystery that is engaging from front to back. Unlike her first book The Stranger You Seek, Stranger in the Room is less a "who done it" and more focused on identifying a killer and catching them before they kill again. The ending is crisp, decisive and satisfying.

After the excellence of her first, The Stranger You Seek (2011), The Stranger in the Room was disappointing. Williams went from warranting comparison to Sara Paretsky and Karin Slaughter to being just another hack mystery writer. It was obvious that she had worked to craft Stranger 1, whereas Stranger 2 was poorly written and dull, showing none of the craftsmanship of Stanger 1. The characters who sparkled in Stranger 1 were reduced to clichés of themselves and were not appealing. The reader could develop no rapport with them.

There were two separate stories with no relationship between them, creating what amounts to a jarring insertion into the main plot. The first story retold an actual 2002 incident in Georgia, although she made some changes to heighten, in her opinion, the tension and the dramatic horror. Usually the literary imagination can take a shocking incident and craft an even better story of it. Not this time. Since I more or less knew what to expect, I found her retelling tedious and lacking in any of the intrigue and compelling interest of the actual. I have no idea her purpose of spending so much time using this story in the context of a murder investigation because it had no connection whatsoever with the main plot line. One can't help but think that she was merely trying to fill her
page quota.

The murder plot wasn't well developed and was so full of irrelevant "busyness" that it actually got lost in the "poor little me" and all the references to Keye's alcoholism. There is no "spark," nothing which engages the reader. I liked Keye Street and Aaron Rauser in Stranger 1; in Stranger 2, they're as cardboard as the Atlanta in which the story is set. Although the deus ex machina in the final scene will make for exciting cinema, it seems trite and artificial. I hope Williams will work harder on her next book. If it's no better than Stranger 2, I won't read her again. I do not recommend this book to mystery fans. It's poorly plotted and dull. The difference in the quality of her two books is astonishing.

The second in Amanda Kyle Williams' "Stranger" series, Stranger In the Room, exceeded my expectations in a number of ways - a well rounded reading experience. There are moments of every emotion I want in a read.

Characters are flawed but totally likable, personalities and relationships fleshed out with enough detail to become "real" to the reader. Locations are described in a way that allows one to not only appreciate the ambience but also to orient oneself in the scene to fully grasp what's going on.

I think what I like best about Williams' style is her attention to detail. The reader is treated to a personal view of what's best and sometimes what's worst in the south. Chinese American, Keye Streets' obvious racial heritage is mostly a non-issue, remarkable only in juxtaposition with her southern accent. Reality bites when she's called "eggroll" and denied the hospitality accorded to Neil by an old, rural, southern woman. That said, Williams (and Keye) never dwell on these issues - just point them out with a taste of humour.

The side story of Keye's PI work in her own agency adds to the entertainment value, but never takes away from the horrific crimes she consults on with her friend and lover Aaron Rauser of the Atlanta PD. There, Keye's FBI training and experience let the reader see the guts of real crime scenes and investigations. Through it all we're given the awareness of the addict's constant struggles.

I enjoyed "The Stranger You Seek" but found this one more enjoyable as I got to know Keye better, and appreciated the shock and terror value of the whole culminating scene better for the preparation in knowing by then who the perpetrator was.

I bought the audible versions of both books and loved the southern accent and treatment of characters by the reader of both.

Stranger in the Room is a suspenseful crime novel and the first book I have read by this author. I really enjoyed reading this book as it was very entertaining and the characters felt real. The debut novel by this author was called The Stranger You Seek and this is where the reader is introduced to Keye Streets. I had not read the first book and I didn't really feel that off while reading the second book, there was a lot of mention to what had previously happened to Keye and Rauser so that you can get an idea of what the first book was about.

Keye is a recovering alcoholic and she use to work for the FBI but now she is a Private Detective who sometimes helps the APD with cases because her boyfriend Rauser works there as a Lieutenant. You get the feeling that she is not really over what happened to her from the previous book, it was a big case and both her and Rauser were injured. She works with Neil her computer guy and they also take on a little work from Tyrone a bail bondsman. When her cousin Miki calls she really doesn't believer her when she said there was a man in her house. Miki has a really big drug and alcohol problem and it is hard for Keye's to be around her, but she also feels sorry for her. Then things get heated up and she finds out that Miki really does have someone after her and now that some is after Keyes too. Keye's is a strong character with flaws that people can relate too, its nice to have heroines with flaws, but yet still tough.

Rauser sounds very handsome and caring. He is older than Keyes, as she teases him about it all the time. He has been a cop for a long time and though I am not sure how long they have been together (I advise reading the first book), they really seem to work well together. They are both emotionally stressed from the previous big case they worked on and they poor a lot of themselves into the cases they work on. Rauser is working on a case involving a teen age all star who was murdered and as things progress they find out that some how is teenage murder and Miki and the things happening with her are linked though it really seems odd. Rauser is very protective of Keyes you can tell her really cares a lot about her and you really just can't help but like him.

All the characters in the book even the side characters like Neil and Tyrone are really likable. I am sure that if the author continues books with Keyes that we will get to know the side characters more and they will grow on me even more.

The only thing that kept me from giving this book a five star was the fact that it really took me longer than I like to get into a novel. For me it took until they find the body in Miki's house for it to really grab my interest and from then on I was hooked. Because Keyes is a PI and helps Rauser there are a lot of different things going on and it has a lot of side cases that takes you away from the main case and it was okay but sometimes it just feels like to much detail and filler.

I can't say I am totally in love with the cover but it does make it look suspenseful.

Over all, I really enjoyed this book and will be on the look out for any more books from this author especial if they involve Keye and Rauser. If you are a crime fiction fan then I would suggest this book!

Although plot-driven, this book also devotes considerable time to developing characters and relationships between characters. The lead detective in this series is Atlantan Keye Street, a private investigator with a doctoral degree in psychology and experience as a profiler for the FBI. Chinese-American Keye, who witnessed the murder of the grandparents, was adopted and raised by White parents. The book begins not with Keye, however, but with Keye's cousin Miki. Diva Miki, who has major mental health and substance abuse problems, has seen someone inside her house. She calls the police and Keye, but both doubt her story of seeing the outline of a man inside. They wonder if this really happened, given Keye's history. Although the police don't take the report seriously, Keye gives Miki the benefit of the doubt, and tries to protect her and investigate whether she is being stalked, and if so, by whom.

The central plot held my attention very well, but my concerns (why I didn't give the book five stars) have to do with extraneous material which detracted from the main plot. In summary, some judicious editing would have tightened up and improved the book.

For those loving plot, perhaps too much time is spent on Keye's background and problems, including racist experiences, Keye's desire to drink (she's a recovering alcoholic), her visits to a psychiatrist, her ambivalent relationship with her mother, the effect of witnessing her grandparents' death, her relationship with Atlanta police detective Aaron Rauser, Keye's condo, Rauser's home, Keye's car, Rauser's car, Southern cooking (whole menus), why Keye gave up riding a scooter (Atlanta weather), Keye's cat, etc. Some of this material could have been edited out as repetitive and/or irrelevant. How many times can we hear Keye describe how wonderful alcohol is? We know she's a recovering alcoholic - we don't need more than one episode of her craving a drink. And do we really need to hear about Keye's cat getting loose? This may have been one of several hints that some intruder was in Keye's home, but if these were later confirmed as related to a stalker, I missed it.

The book would have been improved even more if the author had stuck with the main story, which was quite intriguing and held my attention well: Unfortunately, the author also pursues a secondary mystery, as well as an unrelated incident in Keye's work as a private investigator (which is supposed to be funny in a Stephanie Plum sort of way). The secondary plot involves a Georgia crematorium, clearly based on real life events that occurred a few years ago in rural Georgia. Most people - and virtually all Georgians -- will be familiar with those events, so a lot of the punch is missing (we know what's going on). The author tries to add a twist, but the twist is quite frankly incredible -- literally. It is simply impossible to believe that none of the many professionals involved would notice a problem immediately. More importantly, most mysteries don't work well when the detective is working two separate and unrelated cases in the course of the book. It's particularly unnecessary when the main plot is already sufficiently complicated and holds the reader's attention so well.

Altogether, I can recommend this book to those who love mysteries and thrillers. This book will particularly please those who love mysteries/thrillers with an emphasis on characters and their private lives. Some of my own enjoyment of the book came from living in the Atlanta area, in particular, having lived for years in the area (Decatur) in which much of the book takes place. Since I did not read the first in the series, I will go back and read it, particularly since that book received glowing reviews. I will also look forward to reading the next book in this series, but hope the author more carefully edits out extraneous or redundant material.

There is more intelligence in this thriller than in most, both in the plot line and the main character. The author does not simply rely on gruesome crimes to keep the reader's attention. Keye Street is a complex character, defiantly realistic and flawed, and therefore interesting. Her relationships are messy, her self esteem is constantly fluctuating, she second guesses everything and is constantly fighting the urge to return to drinking. I liked her.

A star off for how the plot line was wrapped up. Too neat. Too convenient. Still, an interesting and more in depth read than the typical thriller.

After the recuperating blow of the serial killer turning out to be a friend in Book #1 , Keye Street has taken a step back from the world of Police and Crimes and has stuck to the nice easy work of catching bail jumpers. That is until she recieves a phone call from her cousin Miki, her cousin's house was broken into and she believes she is being stalked. As a family obligation, Keye starts to look into it but as she digs deeper into Miki's life it seems that she may have alot of enemies including a line of unhappy ex-boyfriends as she seems to be the type of girl to Date and Dump. On the other side of things, it seems that the police have a serial killer on their hands and a crematorium that has been very dodgy and scarce on the ashes. With Aaron Rauser tracking down the serial killer angle , Keye takes a job in a smalltown called Big Knob which as quoted has a little Niagra Falls running through it. :P.
It seems that a local crematorium has been mixing up the ashes of the deceased as a few people have recieved instead of ashes cement mix and chicken feed. With the help of partner Neil and a local busybody neighbour Mary-Kay , can Keye get to the bottom of it and when she does , is it something she really wanted to uncover ? Meanwhile Miki is still being stalked and threats galore are turning up , what will happen when it is discovered that Miki's stalker and the unsub called "The Birthday Killer" are connected ? Is Miki next to die ?
Find out in another riveting and fast-paced mystery/serial killer novel by Amanda Kyle Williams. An author that if you haven't read her books - YOU MUST.

The story begins with a home intrusion that sets the stage for a maelstorm of murders that draws private investigator and recovering alcoholic Keye Street into its vortex.

The story is told reasonably well, the characters are humanly flawed but believable, and the story has a satisfying conclusion. However, the profiling aspect was a bit eerily perfect, and the ease with which the killer was identified seemed a bit too convenient, both of which cost it the final star.

Happy Reading!

Overall, I really enjoyed "Stranger in the Room". Why not 5 stars? I felt the author not only spent a bit too much time on emphasizing that Keye (how do you say it?) Street and her struggle with alcohol but that is was more a central point of the story than it should have been.

The opening where Keye's cousin Miki is on her way home and has that feeling that something is off -- and it is -- through the ending kept the reader on their toes and anxious to find out not only who the killer is but why he/she is doing this stalking! I also loved the secondary case of a cremation place as it is very reminiscent of a few recent stories in the news where I live.

How Keye with much help from her assistant, computer geek Neil, and also help from her boyfriend Aaron Rauser is able to cope with her two cases and resolve them leads to both dangerous and hilariously funny situations!

Now if the author can just back off the addiction distraction... (Don't get me wrong, I firmly believe that alcoholism is a disease and the people who have it need continual help!!)

I missed the first title in this series, but Amanda Kyle Williams's STRANGER IN THE ROOM is excellent.
The plot is tight and gripping as Keye Street struggles to comes to grips with a hunger for alcohol that destroyed her career plus finding a resolution to her cousin's stalker.

Miki is trouble with a capital "T." Beautiful, self-destructive, brilliantly talented, and addicted to many forms of drugs. Miki comes to stay with Keye, but can never stay in one place for long.

Det. Aaron Rauser is Keye's former partner and current lover. Neither Keye or Rausser believe Miki until they walk into her home to find the body of an elderly man hanging just inside the doorway. The additional cast of characters including her assistant Neil and her somewhat estranged mother flesh out the behaviors and quirks that are Keye.
STRANGE IN THE HOUSE grabs the reader and propels them to the final page in a non-stop adventure very worth reading.

I really like this series. Keye Street is a very interesting and developed character but still has room to grow. The supporting characters are also interesting and I find myself caring about what happens to them.

This is Amanda Kyle Williams' second mainstream novel, and she is proving to be an able and entertaining storyteller.

This is a crime fiction novel that takes place in Atlanta. There are many compelling characters, including the narrator--a crime-solving Asian-American woman who sabotaged her career with alcohol abuse. Though at times a tad predictable, there's a lot to like here. Lots of humor, for one thing, and the author does a great job of getting Atlanta and nearby areas just right. You will definitely get your money's worth.

Kenye Street an ex FBI profiler is assisting the Atlanta PD in a investigation of a serial killer who has also targeted Kenye's own cousin. There is a love interest in Aaron Rauser and Kenye is a member of AA and strugling to stay sober. Her cousinMiki was in the spotlight and the serial killers light or was she. Some say she is crazy and struggling with fantsies while others believe her. Meanwhile someone is killing and tormenting and stalking people at random and getting away with it for the time being.
There is a creamatory in Georgia that is creamating people??? and returning ashes composed of cement mix and bird seed. Sound fishey??? Wait while Kenye and her partner and a very nosey little ole lady from Georgia scope out the truth and mixed body parts. This one will keep you up nights till you finish.

This was a very eclectic mix of characters (an ex FBI criminalist & profiler who is also a recovering alcoholic, a homicide detective, a recovering suicidal cousin, etc) however they mesh and blend well together. Action packed story (3 murders, a stalker, an attempted murder). The story keeps you guessing through til the end and was quite enjoyable. I read this book through in 2 sittings and would recommend it to others. I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

Avoiding the sophomore jinx, Amanda Kyle Williams', Keye Street remains the most interesting, cynically funny and smart series detective today. Keye entered the arena in last years knockout debut, The Stranger You Seek: A Novel (reviewed here). Recovered from her, and her lover's (Atlanta PD Detective Lieutenant Aaron Rauser), near fatal battle with the serial killer known as "the Wishbone Killer". Keye and her employee, the perpetually red-eyed high computer guru Neil, have settled back into the life and work of a private detective. Serving processes, arresting bail jumpers and keeping the local Krispy Kreme in business.

Life is good and if not quiet, it is at least a time for Keye to spend time navigating the mean streets of a romantic relationship with the obsessive and always on the job Rauser. They seem to pass in the night, him coming in at 3 a.m. fresh from a murder scene or a stake out, her wishing for more face time not to mention sack time, but as an ex-FBI psychological profiler understanding the pull of the job she is content for now. Besides, Rauser has just come from the scene of a senseless murder of a young, gifted teenage athlete. Strangled and staged just steps from his home.

Then Keye's cousin, the sometimes suicidal, ever brilliant and sought after celebrity photographer, Miki Ashton intrudes into Keye's life, bringing baggage that challenges Keye efforts to remain sober and drives a wedge between her and Rauser . Miki seems the polar opposite of Keye. She is a practicing alcoholic, drug abuser and psychologically dizzy black sheep party gal. When Miki returns home from a wild drunken night on the town and spots a masked stranger in her living room, she turns to Keye for protection. Keye and Miki have shared many childhood memories and remain as close as sisters, so Keye takes her in. After all, the police don't take Miki's report of an intruder serious as Miki has a habit of reporting stalking incidences that have little evidence they actually took place and the fact that Miki is obviously drunk and or drugged up do not help with her credibility. But Keye, out of familial obligation, gives her a bed and promises to check out ex-boyfriends, of which there are many, and to give Miki the space to calm down and maybe sober up.

When Keye and Neil go out of town to investigate and gather evidence for an Atlanta attorney with a possible big money civil suit in the works. The suspected provider of the golden goose is a crematorium that has delivered the ashes of a loved one that turn out to be a mix of cement and chicken feed. It seems the perfect opportunity to escape the heat of Atlanta in July and the turmoil of Miki's life, if only for a little while. Not to mention a little harmless fun checking out a darkly comic screw up with a profit for a punch line. As an added bonus, it's also the perfect opportunity to avoid a family 4th of July celebration with Keye's adopted mother and father. But when a second set of fake ashes are discovered, the case seems to turn into more than a civil suit and when Keye and Neil uncover a gruesome and illegal tissue harvesting operation, any thought of a light-hearted get away are dashed. Then, Keye is called back to Atlanta when Miki, probably drunk, probably high and always self-absorbed and irresponsible, lets Keye's cat out. Keye decides to deliver Miki back to her own home only to find a corpse hanging from a doorway. Soon the similarities between the murder of the man hanging in Miki's house and the teenager start to becomes clear. Could it be another serial killer? And he or she seems to be able to get uncomfortably close to Keye and her family while stalking Miki. This stranger seems to, at will and without being recognized, stalks Miki and leave tantalizing clues, but for what purpose?

As Keye, now called in as a consultant on the case, along with the taciturn Rauser, try to make sense of the bewildering case and find the common thread between the victims they will have to overcome the heat of a Georgia July and the turmoil of their own relationship, the media, there own doubts and most importantly the stranger who seems to be able to enter the room unnoticed as the next victim is cut from the pack right under the nose of Atlanta's finest.

Williams seems to effortlessly be able to write engaging multi-threaded hardboiled mysteries and balance a deeply examined psychological plot with a light hearted banter and complex, very human characters. She has shaken up the perfect cocktail of police procedural, hardboiled detective story, noir-ish villains, and thoroughly modern and oh so original stories. The tension buzzes like cicadas on a hot Georgia night and the pace is relentless. It all makes for thrilling explosive action to rival a 4th of July fireworks display.

Where the first novel had the added attraction of a sexual tension as Rauser and Street came together romantically, Stranger replaces that with Keye's struggles against her addictions and the psychological scars that delving so deeply into the gruesome results of greed and obsession, of deranged killers, and the marks these leave on her psyche. This ability to shift the tension to another level shows a maturity in not just the authors writing ability but the ability to grow the depth of her character. Keye Street is no one trick pony and certainly no one hit wonder.

Williams was recognized as joining the front of the pack with Karin Slaughter and Patricia Cornwell in the ranks of female detective thriller writers. With Stranger in the Room she is ready to drop the gender qualification and run with the big boys to the the top of the best seller lists. Her sense of place will make you salivate for some downhome cooking and her dialog is some of the best in the craft. A perfect balance of a hard exterior and a miles deep introspective personality mark Keye Street as one of the most well developed protagonists in the genre since Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch. There is simply not a single weakness in Williams writing. Not a one.

The Dirty Lowdown

Loved the author's delightful descriptions of Southern Food and the social shaping that comes from being raised in the south, particularly for mixed-race children. Her characters have real-life problems and familiy issues. Very entertaining and often humorous.

The main character, Keye Street, receives a lot of literary license in her actions; but this is fiction, so not expected to be true to life.

Will also raise your eyebrows regarding the actions of people operating a crematorium -- and the possibility that this could probably happen given the greediness of people and the tendency to take advantage of the privacy surrounding an unfortunate situation.

I love mystery, suspense, thrillers...and normally give the author a lot of leeway in regard to story lines and reality...but I just couldn't buy the Birthday Killer idea as it was portrayed.
I also so thought there were too many cliche characters.
I got sick of hearing about her alcohol recovery and how alcohol may taste...
I did trudge through the entire book - as difficult as it was for me.
The book did not hold my attention.
And though I would drift off and daydream while it was playing (audio book don't forget) I never missed a thing.
The book was too wordy and somewhat painful for me.
I normally like Michael Connelly, Tess Gertisen, Jeff Abott, Steve Hamilton, Lee Child etc.
You may like those authors and this book as well - as for me - there was no comparison.

this is a decent series and is improving. alhough i enjoyed the first one i thought the ending was a bit makeshift. this one was also a good read with a proper ending. looking forward to the third which i just downloaded.

This is an amazing author--the plots are exciting and the characters well developed. The rollercoaster ride is fantastic!! Plus the southern charm is close to my heart!!! Looking forward to more from this author!!

I loved this book. It's a well written, intelligent mystery. The characters are flawed and feel real. I loved the first book in the series and thought this one was even better. I'm looking forward to the third in the series and will buy it as soon as it's released.

I REALLY loved this book, better than her last if that was possible. You can`t put it down, was up till 4 am with it. She keeps you wondering what is coming next. It is so good, it is a must get and read book. Can`t wait for her next one.

I was thoroughly impressed with Amanda's first offering. It had, as does this, a strong female lead who was as flawed as she was courageous. But I found the book tedious to read and less engaging. It turned to a done to death formula of murder mystery books that just did not work well for me.