The Red Hunter: A Novel

Another great book by Lisa Unger. Is the villain really the villain, the good guy really that good? "The Red Hunter" alternates between first and third person-not usually my favorite style, but Ms. Unger has managed the flow of the book in a manner that you are aware of the change, but not jolted every time it happens.

Our main heroine was so easy to love and support. I kept wondering just who the hero would be and it's a well kept secret until the end of the book. A very suspenseful book with many, many twists to keep you guessing.

A thank you to Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy.

The Red Hunter: A NovelIn the standalone thriller The Red Hunter by author Lisa Unger, the paths of two women who have suffered separate tragedies will converge in one terrifying event. Can both find their way through the darkness of their pasts into the light of the future?

The author explores the protagonists’ struggle to heal using a compassionate and empathetic voice, forcing the reader to consider whether they’d be strong enough to survive what her characters have endured. The author has done an excellent job of relaying the mental state of the women, without a hint of melodrama. She also did a great job of leading the reader in one direction, then derailing the readers’ expectations for an interesting twist ending.

The various settings drew me in and complimented the characters’ sense of solitude, even in the city, and of their mission to survive no matter what the personal cost.

I found the book to be one of the better thrillers I’ve read in several years. A gripping storyline, realistic main characters, and carefully-merged dual plotlines made for an engaging, thought-provoking book. I enjoyed the author’s style of writing—intelligent yet easy to read.

I absolutely plan to continue reading Lisa Unger’s past and future works. If you enjoy thrillers that are more about the journeys of true-to-life damaged characters than police procedure, this book is for you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Claudia Bishop and her teenage daughter have moved in to her father’s old house, unaware of its disturbing past. Zoey Drake knows the house’s past all too well, and wants to erase it. Their paths will cross in an unexpected and frightening way. With RED HUNTER, Lisa Unger has written a thrilling story with great characters and a complex plot. It’s not often that we get a thriller where all of the major players are women, especially unconventional ones. I am a big fan of Unger’s loosely related books set in The Hollows and this book was just as satisfying. I look forward to her next!

Another amazing book by Lisa Unger!! I had very high expectations when I started this one and they were met and then exceeded rather quickly. A group of people all connected by a series of events that starts with the robbing of a drug dealer and ends in death, destruction, greed and ultimately the strength to move forward.

This was a real page turner, almost impossible to put down. There was so much going on from one chapter to the next that there was never a boring moment.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this review voluntarily.

The ending was expected and the story a little twisted/convoluted in getting us there, but overall still a very good read. I've missed Unger's books, since I haven't been too crazy about the ones prior to The Red Hunter. And although I really didn't like the whole "Red Hunter" premise at all (just silly to me), I still really liked the book and will be happy to recommend to others! Please bring us more like this one, Lisa!!

There's a good story in there (several good stories, in fact) but there are too many characters, too many viewpoints, too many backstories, too many subplots, and just too much stuff. I gave up about half way through and skipped to the end. The author could have helped matters by making it clearer upfront in each chapter who the narrator was, what the place or setting was, and not had so many off stage names constantly woven in. There was a lot of potential wasted here.

A gripping story with strong characters and a plot line that will make you think. The violence Claudia and Zoey experienced is horrific; how they deal with the aftermath is at the guts of this novel. Be aware that that the chapters alternate the voices of each of them and this can sometimes be a little distracting. There are secrets here and if you guess them ahead of the revelation, well, that's too bad because this is a well done thriller. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Disclaimer: I received this book as an advanced copy and my thanks goes out to Simon & Shuster and Lisa Unger for the opportunity!

We're first introduced to... someone. Hell bent on revenge for 'whatever reason.' Then quickly, we are introduced to a mother and daughter, a teenage daughter, Raven, acting out, and the mother, Claudia, who had endured a horrible and violent rape years before, and struggling to live normally and be okay, never really officially knowing if Raven is the product of that or not.

"Is this who you want to be?"

As we continue on, we go between the stories of Claudia, and Zoey, the unknown from the first few pages, who has her own horrible past of seeing her parents murdered and almost as well, we see just how everyone is connected. Claudia, trying to restore her life and house left to her, Zoey, trying to decide who she wants to be.

"Do you want all your childhood illusions shattered?"

It all comes to a head in the end in the house Claudia is restoring, which just so happens to be the house Zoey's life nearly ended. Secrets come out, lives destroyed, questions abound. Justice? Revenge? What would you do? Who knows? Who doesn't? What is he/she going to do?

“Justice is a concept, one agreed upon by a civilized society. Revenge is wild and raw, it’s the balancing of the scales of the universe” so says Zoey Drake as she sets the tone for this new thriller from Lisa Unger. So what entices you to pick up a new book? Is it the photo and design of the book’s cover, the short synapse from these reviews, or the Author’s reputation? For me, this is a Lisa Unger book, we know her plot will slowly unravel, finally coming together when we least expect it. We know she takes the time and effort for intricate development & crafting of her characters. We will know them, as our close friends, before we turn the last page. We know her book is a page turner that we wouldn’t be able to put down. Red Hunter, Lisa’s name for REVENGE. She takes two tragic characters, Claudia Bishop, who gets impregnated from a brutal rape in her home and Zoey Drake, as a teenage girl, is beaten, tortured in an horrific home invasion that ends with the murder of both parents and has her scarred for life. Our story picks up 15 years later as Lisa creates this compelling novel drawing the two of them together, both still consumed with the RED HUNTER. The Red Hunter, don’t hold your breath, and read it with the lights on.

My favorite book by Lisa Unger to date. There are very intricate story lines and great characters. The main characters are very believable and well written. My only problem with the book was the confusion I had at the beginning of the chapters. It would go 3-4 paragraphs before you knew which character they were talking about. Then I had to go back and start the chapter again, once I knew. It doesn’t distract from the storyline but broke up the flow of the book some. Other than that, I would highly recommend this book to any fan of Lisa, for sure, but anyone that enjoys suspense thrillers.

The Red Hunter is the latest story from Lisa Unger. The Red Hunter shifts from main characters and time lines and because of this in the beginning it is a little difficult to keep everything straight, but well worth the effort. The Red Hunter's characters are ones who come to life on the pages and whose edge of the seat moments keeps your heart pounding. I was given an early copy to review.

Two women -- Claudia Bishop and Zoey Drake

Two violent crimes -- rape and murder

The Red Hunter is the thrilling story of how these women's lives were changed by violence. It is also the story of how each embraced the violence and learned to deal with it on their own terms, and how their lives intersected in an old house in need of renovations.

From the very beginning, this book was a thrill ride. The story is told by each character in turn. The past and present are woven together in a way that makes it impossible to put down.

And the ending ... well, I never saw it coming, and that is one of the biggest compliments I can pay to books in this genre.

I have long been a reader of Lisa Unger's series, but I have to say, this stand-alone jumped to the top of my list of Unger books.

(I received an ARC of this title in exchange for my unbiased review.)

I really enjoy her writing. Sometimes it takes a while to get who's who straight, but I do. She has great full characters. Many are people that I wish I was friends with. I encourage other readers who really live what they read to read Lisa Unger's books.I enjoy her people who are me, but much, much more.

I loved this book. The characters are great and I love how the stories collide. I love the way everything plays out. A little predictable, but still great. Well written; not that anyone had any doubts about that considering it is Lisa Unger.

"What is the difference between justice and revenge? Justice is a concept, one agreed upon by a civilized society. Revenge is wild and raw, it's a balancing of the scales of the universe."

Claudia Bishop has been trying to overcome her traumatic past. To put it behind her, move on, after a brutal attack derailed her entire life. Her life, however, is an open book. Every detail exposed via her blog posts.

Zoey Drake is the exact opposite. After witnessing her parents’ murders in a home invasion and she herself being left for dead, she has lived her life invisible to the outside world. However, she has embraced the rage inside her. Vying time to get revenge.

Claudia and Zoey are strangers who will collide when they "come home". And in the end, they will unite to save their loved ones and themselves.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review. I enjoyed the story although it was not my favorite. I have read all of Lisa Ungers books and enjoy her writing style and prefer her to the other authors with similar subject matter. I really enjoy The Hallows novels, she has created a little world with those characters and I enjoy the supernatural aspect. I would recommend this book and encourage readers to also read Ink and Bone which was the prior novel.

I've read the Hollows series and loved that series. The Red Hunter is an excellent read also. It was a fast read and had me griped in the story. I don't want to tell too much because you need to buy this book and read it. I enjoyed it greatly. The past and the present merge together, it really was not how I expected it to end. Ms. Unger is a great spellbinder, drawing you in and making you part of the story.

A must read book for mystery lovers.

Thank you for the free read Simon and Schuster, in exchange for a fair and honest review. I've been a fan of Lisa Unger for years and have read every book she has. Lisa has a way of captivating a readers attention and keeping it as the story winds through all it's twists and turns. It's difficult to not get emotionally invested with these characters as they are like someone we all have met through our journey. Justice vs revenge is a fine line to walk and is colored by our own perspective! Loved the book, as I have all of them. Thanks Lisa and great job again!

The best thing about this book are the two strong female lead characters: Claudia the survivor; and Zoey the survivor and vigilante. The solution of the plot was disappointing to me as it was too close to home. Still it was a very exciting and thrilling ride for most of the book.

I always enjoy Lisa Unger, though the pace of the ending felt a big drawn out. The back story of Claudia and Raven held my interest but the caginess of Zoey made it hard for me to keep reading. I put it down a lot but still come back to it.

The Red Hunter by Lisa Unger was suspenseful. Different threads of the story finally begin to weave itself together to reveal a more thorough picture. The ending left me surprised. I didn't suspect a subsidiary character. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC on a good book.

Whoa. Tense. Every single page kept me glued to see what on earth was going to happen next. I'm not sure I could name a single author as skilled at keeping the tension going as Lisa Unger. The Red Hunter is an exceptional novel

I really enjoyed getting to know some of the characters. Overall, there were too many characters to keep track of, too many that were similar, and the story was overly convoluted. There are two stories, semi intertwined, that really could have been two separate books. A good editor would have helped the story a great deal. However, it was engaging and mostly satisfying.

I was lucky enough to receive an advanced reader copy of this book. This is the second book by Lisa Unger that I have read. This was an excellent book that I highly recommend. I definitely need to read the rest of her books!

If you love stories about strong women, this book is for you. Lisa takes us to two very different women. One has survived being raped and then raising a child from that horrible experience. Another young woman was tortured and then witnesses the murders of both her parents.
Their stories collide together as they meet in an old farmhouse. They combine their strengths and give be you an unforgettable ending you did not see coming.

This is my new favorite Lisa Unger book! She skillfully weaves a story of several unrelated families whose lives converge at one infamous house. Although the story moved somewhat slowly at first, once it got going, it was a roller coaster of suspense. I stayed up late reading this one!

The Red Hunter is the latest story from Lisa Unger. The Red Hunter shifts from main characters and time lines and because of this in the beginning it is a little difficult to keep everything straight, but well worth the effort. The Red Hunter's characters are ones who come to life on the pages and whose edge of the seat moments keeps your heart pounding. I was given an early copy to review.

Whoa. Tense. Every single page kept me glued to see what on earth was going to happen next. I'm not sure I could name a single author as skilled at keeping the tension going as Lisa Unger. The Red Hunter is an exceptional novel

I loved this book. The characters are great and I love how the stories collide. I love the way everything plays out. A little predictable, but still great. Well written; not that anyone had any doubts about that considering it is Lisa Unger.