The Stranger Within

by Kathryn Croft

Be careful what you wish for...

On the surface, Callie Harwell has it all. Newly married to James, she finally gets the family she has longed for and becomes a mother to his two sons.

So why is she arrested for murder?

Things are not as Callie hoped they would be and she struggles to be accepted as part of James' family, and to keep hidden the secrets that could destroy her future.

As her life spirals out of control, setting in motion a chain of events with devastating consequences, Callie is forced to question how well we ever really know ourselves.

A gripping psychological thriller for fans of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, and authors Lucie Whitehouse, Sabine Durrant, S.J. Watson and Elizabeth Haynes.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Audiobook, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Suspense

363 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 2014

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Lying Wife” by Kathryn Croft is difficult for me to rate. The narrator, Callie, is strange, bordering on the unreliable narrator. She seems unhinged, yet there is evidence (at least through her eyes) that she’s being framed or set up.

I found Callie’s version of life to be innocent yet conniving. She married a widower with teenage sons. Neither son is crazy about this interloper, also known as their stepmother. The husband/father is a workaholic and expects her to discipline and care for his boys. As expected, there are some shenanigans pulled by the boys. There is gaslighting. It is not a healthy environment.

The story is structured in two parts, the current time while Callie is being held by the police for murder. She tells her tale in alternating chapters. As the reader reads what led up to the murder, one cannot help but shake their heads at Callie’s stupidity. I felt like this could be a “Girl On a Train” thing, with a crazy narrator. Well, it’s not, sadly.

Croft pulls out an interesting ending, which I predicted. Yet, I kept reading to see how this would end. It’s difficult to explain how why I needed to finish the story (out of curiosity) yet I rolled my eyes through most of it.

I’m giving it a 3 solid stars in that I kept engrossed. How stupid can one woman be? No one was likable in this story, yet that isn’t necessary for me. Keeping my interest is what keeps this in a favorable rating.

[Tonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I am a wife. A mother. A friend. But now I am also a murderer.” When a book starts with those opening lines, you know you are in for a thrilling treat! The Lying Wife pulled me in instantly as the tension was building. Callie lives her life in constant fear. “It is fear, that’s what it is. Fear of even your best friends knowing who you really are.” Callie’s fear leads to secrets, lies, and ultimately murder. This book kept me reading way past my bedtime. It brought out emotions of frustration and apprehension as Callie navigated her life running from her past. The final twist was jaw dropping. It’s twisty, unpredictable and extremely entertaining. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author. Thank you NetGalley and Canelo for my copy. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read. From the beginning, we know Callie is a murderer, but not the who or the why. Callie is newly married to a widower with two sons who hate her. She tries everything to be accepted into the family. Callie also has a schizophrenic father, and she is terrified of becoming like him. As the book progresses, she becomes more and more paranoid. Just at the point where I was thinking things were becoming monotonous, things changed and I was surprised.

[Melissa (Mel’s Bookshelf) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Great read!

Callie has taken on the role of James wife and stepmother to his two sons. The sons, especially the eldest, hate her, but she loves her husband and wants them all to be a family.
So when her thoughts start getting out of control and she believes that her husband is having an affair with his colleague, things start to go downhill for Callie. Fast.

I enjoyed the format of this book. You know from the beginning she has been arrested for murder, but who did she murder? It is not revealed until the end. Is it her husband? Her horrible stepson? Her teenage lover? Her nosy neighbour? Her dad? Her ex boyfriend?. And even after you discover what happened, there are still more twists in store, until the very last page!

Loved the characters! Callie is a really likeable character despite everything. Her mental illness and thoughts are portrayed very well. Her husband, although a bit of a twit, is also likeable and her stepson Dillon, wow what an evil little creature! Love the dialogue between them and the way his hate for her seeps through the pages.
The relationship between Callie and Rhys, although cringe worthy, is actually really realistic and reminds me of how obsessive young love is.

I really did cringe at Callie and Rhys. I remember thinking how much I was enjoying the book until he came into it. I wondered at the time how much of their relationship was really necessary.
Looking back that was the whole point I think, to add a new darker dimension to her life and demonstrate how destructive her thoughts were.

So I've given it 4/5 stars. I'm trying to think about the missing star.. What I didn't like about it?? As I said I think I was just annoyed the direction it took when Rhys came into it. It wasn't the way I wanted it to go. But that's my issue! :)
I loved the writing style. I loved the characters and I really enjoyed reading it. And LOVED the ending! I may have to revise it to 5 stars!

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all I've read a book a while back from this author it was a slow read then another Goodreads friend said he wasn't keen on the same book. but had read other of her books telling me they are alot better so decided to give another book ago, it took me a while as downloaded some of her books on my Kindle.well im glad I did as this one completely got me hooked.couldnt put this book down.callie not long married and has to live up to his ex wife.thinking her husband was up to an affair and stepkids who hates her.her ex husband max.and her stepson friend.her friends.all she wants is a happy family life and her dad has illness.theres a murder who does she kill all is revealed near the end of the book.highly recommend for psychology reader's.would read more from this author.

[Kolleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am surprised by so many great reviews. The write-up said this is a book for people who liked Gone Girl and similar books that I've read and enjoyed. The writing in this book felt almost childish - choppy sentences, repetitive. The story line was odd and not at all what I was expecting from the teaser write-up. Very disappointed with this one.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me this year has started with some excellent reads and this is yet another one. I always enjoy Kathryn Croft novels, good characters, well paced teasing plots make excellent reads.

Callie’s life has not been a smooth ride, full of sadness and troubles and happiness a far away dream. But when she meets James she feels life may be suddenly be getting better. James has also suffered and is no stranger to grief, but they bond and Callie becomes his wife, and the stepmother to his two sons.

But everything is not as straight forward as she would hope for, there are tensions between her and the two boys and they do very little to accept her into their lives. The tensions rise until her life careers out of control until there doesn’t appear to be any remedy. Following a series of events Callie is arrested for murder and her secrets look like they will be exposed to the very people she kept them from.

A very enjoyable read that I couldn’t put down.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Canelo for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

[Tracy Fenton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. A roller coaster of emotions and twists and turns. Callie opens the story explaining she has been arrested for murder and tells us her version of events leading up to her arrest. There were several times during this book I was getting so annoyed with her and what she was doing and had to keep reminding myself that it's only a book! Bloody brilliant one though!

[Lyn❤Loves❤Listening to Real Voices Only!!!!❤️🎧📚 Addict ON HIATUS · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audio 3.75 Stars
Story 2.25 Stars

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick read, fairly predictable. There is a twist at the end but the overall plot was, I felt, really unsavory. I'm always dubious when mental illness is used as a plot device, particularly when the associations with it are deemed to be dangerous and violent. I found that particular inference dangerously offensive and misleading, frankly.

[Louise Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Callie has known sadness, and sometimes doubted she would never have the life she wanted. When she meets James, also no stranger to grief, it seems as though her life has changed. She becomes his wife, and in the process a stepmother to his two sons. Callie has finally got what she always imagined for herself. But things don't go to plan for Callie. She tries to get things right, but at every turn she makes mistakes. If only she can show her new family how much she cares. A split-second decision leads to her spiralling out of control, and there's no way back for Callie.

The story starts with Callie confessing to murder. We then find out the backstory to what had happened to make Callie confess. But we don't know who it is that she had murdered - i was continually second guessing to who it was. Filled with suspense, you never knew what was going to happen next. The pace is steady in this gripping read. The ending was totally unexpected.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Canelo and the author #KathrynCroft for my ARC of #TheLyingWife in exchange for an honest review.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I thought the story was ok. The characters frustrated me at certain times. The plot twist at the end was pretty good.

Callie adores her husband James. Her step-kids Dillon and Luke, not so much. They have been making Callie’s life miserable from the start. Nothing she does is ever right or good enough, and their dad James is too busy working to notice.

One action changes everything and when the police arrest her for murder, all of Callie’s secrets are revealed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Jamie ♡♡ submits to books ♡♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

☆☆☆☆☆ 5 Casualty of My Own Actions ☆☆☆☆☆



All Callie has ever wanted was to have a husband and a family to love. She finally has that but things aren't how the should be. The love of her new husband isn't enough when his two sons hate her.

Trying endlessly to gain the two boys' approval, Callie's life begins to Crack under the weighted pressure to get the love and acceptance she wants within her new family.

Feeling broken and with no answers to fix her family life, she gains a friendship with her step son's best friend Rhys. A friendship that should be nothing more but soon becomes something Callie loses control of quickly.



As her life rapidly turns to lie after lie and all consuming paranoia, Callie tries to end things, but ending things isn't so easy.



Callie's lies erupt around her. The only thing left, is to finally speak the truth to the man she has loved no matter what her horrible actions have caused, her husband James.

As we sit in the semidarkness, I tell James everything. And with every word I can feel a piece of him crumbling. He is just another casualty of my actions. But it stops now.

The outcome of all this, you will never see coming. Callie will pay the ultimate price for her lies and for a hate she tried so hard to turn into love.



FREAKING AWESOME BOOK!! Miss Croft had me hooked page 1. I couldn't stop reading!!! Amazing mix of lies, secrets, taboo attraction, twists and turns for a hell of a good read.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find Kathryn Croft books a very quick read, due to the frenetic pace of the plot, approximately 270 pages but largely because of my eagerness to read more.
'The Stranger Within' ticks all the boxes for me and as per usual I had finished her novel in just a couple of sittings.
The novel begins with the knowledge that the main character Callie Harwell is charged with murder but the details of the murders are not stated. Callie is recently married to a widower with two sons who both show a dislike to her. She tries hard to be accepted by the boys but her life goes out of control and makes bad decisions that threaten to make her life even worse.
Fast paced plot that grips the reader and makes it very difficult to put it down.

[♛ Garima ♛ · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I suppose I just don’t know myself. That’s all I can say. I just don’t know what I’m capable of.”

At the beginning of story we know that Caroline 'Callie' Harwell is arrested for a murder but we don't know who she murdered or how? And we don't find it until last 2 chapters so in my honest opinion, it seems rather lengthily. The story has been used to develop the plot and characters so I guess it adds to mystery but still bit slow for me.

There are many issues highlighted - parenting, mental illness and marital. Some dialogues we all married people could related to -

There is often a power struggle in relationship; one person having the upper hand. It can be subtle, unintentional, barely noticeable to the couple, but it’s still there.

And then some of shelf doubt

When everything is against you there are choices to make either away defeated or stand up and fight.

And

Sometimes I wonder what I would think of myself if I were someone else. If I could analyse myself from some exterior perspective: my thoughts, my actions, nothing out of bounds or hidden from view, what opinion would I have of Callie Harwell?

I liked Croft's writing style and highlighted many sections of the book so onto the next one...

[Kasia (kasikowykurz) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Takie 2.5 ⭐.

Najmocniejszą częścią tej książki jest zakończenie - totalnie się tego nie spodziewałam. Ale cała reszta? JEZU JAK MNIE TA KSIĄŻKA WKURZAŁA! W okolicach połowy chciałam już machnąć DNF, ale mówię sobie, nie, brnę dalej, bo do ej pory uwielbiałam tą autorkę. Ale nie, koszmarnie mi się dłużyła, główna bohaterka irytowała na maksa, a sama zagadka, choć przyjemna, nie uratowała sytuacji.

Zaznaczam, że to nie jest zła książka, to wybitnie nie jest moja tematyka, ale do autorki na pewno jeszcze wrócę.

[Bill Kupersmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Stranger Within made me reflect on how women & men still inhabit different realities. I can well imagine a straying husband thinking ‘I don’t want my wife to find out’ but never that he wants to ‘protect my marriage’ - a phrase the narrator Callie uses three times. (Thank you, Kindle ‘Search This Book’.) She is having an affair with her estranged stepson’s best friend Rhys. He is about to turn 18 & her attempts to cover it up lead her to telling further & further lies. She dare not tell her BF Bridgette, thinking, ‘There are limits to what people will accept & I don’t want to find out hers.’ Leaving aside that a real friend would have no problem with sharing this secret, in the case of us guys if your average homme moyen sensual is having it off with his teenage stepdaughter’s BF he can hardly wait to tell his mates @ the pub & to enjoy their jealousy, however much he might want to keep it secret from his spouse. (Of course if one of his mates is the BF’s dad, things might get a trifle dicey.)

Callie is a confused twenty-something married to James, a widower whose teenage sons detest her & make every effort to render her life miserable, especially the eldest, the 15 year old Dillon, whose BF becomes Callie’s lover. (Are there class distinctions between naming one’s son Dillon & Dylan or Rhys & Reese?) In addition there is a neighbour from hell who spies on her continually & catches them snogging. Unlike in Tampa or What Was She Thinking, whilst the relationship itself is clearly folly (in the old days one would have said ‘sinful’), Callie doesn’t appear sleazy. That’s partly because Rhys is clearly the instigator & very attractive & talented, but especially that Callie is very lonely (she fears her husband is having & affair) & vulnerable. She reminds me of a principal character in one of Helen Fitzgerald’s novels, & if you like reading Helen Fitzgerald as much as I do you may well enjoy Kathryn Croft.

Like in one of Helen Fitzgerald’s books, here the plot turns in a quite logical, believable, but surprising direction that quite altered my take on Callie’s character. This isn’t a book I’ll want to read again, but I found it quite intriguing & the time spent with it rewarding with much to meditate about later.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Callie has had a hard life and suffered grief after the loss of her baby. She has always wanted to be a mother. So, when she meets James a Widower ten years her senior. She thinks she has a chance. James as two boys Dillion and Luke, a readymade family but there is one catch. The boys hate her, and they do everything they can to split them up. Callie makes a lot of mistakes, but she tries her hardest to get the boys to like her but all they do is lie, so it causes friction between herself and James. So, when she thinks that James is cheating on her with Tabitha who he works with in his shop. She does something that changes everything forever.
Thank you, Canelo, for the lying wife by Kathryn Croft. I have always been a fan of the authors books. At first, I found this to be a little slower than her other books. But I found Callie’s life of destruction quite entertaining and a twist at the end I wasn’t expecting. 4 stars from me.

[Earlthomas29 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing. If I could back in time, I would not have read this book.

The character is so flawed and foolish that it's impossible to root for her. You know those horror movies where you yell "don't go into the cellar!".. well, she goes in, but lives, and then does it over and over and over again.

The writing quality is repetitive and mostly dull.

I finished the book out of pure stubbornness and hoping that something would happen that would make me actually care for her.

Go read Fates & Furies for a rich character book, or Descent for a thriller.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the first line of this book Callie tells us that she's a murderer, but who is dead and why?

The story then goes back a few months to when Callie is newly married to James, a widower ten years her senior and the father of two teenage sons, Dillon and Luke. Still reeling from the sudden death of their mother three years earlier, the boys are bitterly resentful of Callie and are doing everything they can to make her life so utterly miserable that she'll leave. As Dillon cranks up his hate campaign a dithering James is caught in the middle, and as the household tension rises so cracks begin to appear in the marriage.

Callie is also secretly dealing with her schizophrenic father, afraid to tell James about him as she knows the illness can be hereditary and she's terrified she'll end up like him. With her paranoia and isolation growing, she becomes convinced that James is having an affair with a work colleague, and stretched to breaking point, she foolishly turns to Rhys, Dillon's best friend, for comfort, which is when things really spiral out of her control. Consumed by rejection, desperation, fear and guilt, something has to give.....

I really liked this. It reads at quite a pace, and as Callie struggled to keep her sanity I tried to guess who she'd bumped off. There aren't any clues or foreshadowing which makes a nice change for this genre, and so the reveal and twist came as a surprise. Although neither a deep nor dark read, it's still a page turner.

[Agnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Callie - with a mom who ran away; a dad who is schizophrenic....a husband whose first wife died and will never be replaced - and - two step children who hate her. How is that for a life. The story is based on what her stepsons put her through and her fears of becoming like her father. She is telling her story to the police so it jumps back and forth (but easy to follow) and through out the book you dont know who she killed but is being charged with murder. Not until the end do you find out the REAL story. And you will be surprised. I would have given it 5 stars except it leaves you hanging as to what actually happens when the REAL STORY comes out.

[Diane Aultman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not good, not thrilling,can't believe all the positive reviews!

This woman was the most ignorant and annoying character I've ever encountered. The storyline was very slow and irritating. I wanted to quit reading at 37% but drug my way through to the end. I would NOT recommend this book to anyone!!!

[Cindy Knoke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Psychologically brilliant thriller. Highly recommend.

[D · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read this book a decade ago. The only change is the title of the book else it is the same book and not a line here or there. Same author got published it now however under a different name.

[KasiaMa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sama nie wiem, czy dać 3 czy 4 gwiazdki 🙈 Dawno nie zdarzyło mi się tak bardzo nie lubić głõwnej bohaterki 🤔

[Kay Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, at first, I really felt bad for Callie. The poor woman married a widow with two kids who hated her and went out of their way to show it, behind their father's back of course. And that made me want to scream at her husband. I mean, put your foot down, man. Come on! Ugh! But then Call he does something so stupid and reckless and did I mention stupid that I could have hit her with her own book! Get a grip, woman. Or at least a freaking brain cell. I skipped through the last twenty or thirty percent of the book because it was frustrating and repetitive but the ending . . . it blew me away and I never ever saw it coming. I had a lot of ideas of what might be going on but, man . . . BOOM!

[Lani · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one started a bit slow, but eventually picked up the pace and kept on going right to the end. I recommend going in without reading too many reviews because there are things that happen which are wackadoodle and it's way better to learn as you go. I found myself siding with Callie, feeling sorry for her, then questioning her, then wondering what the hell she's thinking, to understanding her and feeling bad for her again. And the ending? I didn't see the twist coming until I was in it and I love when that happens.

Domestic thriller fans will enjoy this one. I will be looking to read more by this author.

[Abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This took ages to get really good for me, but it was an okay read overall.

[Freyja · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could not stand the main character and kept hoping for a good twist that did not really happen.

[denudatio_pulpae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ktoś tu chyba ma nierówno pod sufitem.

Callie bardzo chciała być matką, ale jej życie nie ułożyło się pod tym kątem szczęśliwie. Kiedy wychodzi za mąż za wdowca z dwójką dzieci, wydaje jej się, że oto właśnie jej marzenia o macierzyństwie zaczynają się spełniać. Z naciskiem na – wydaje jej się. Prawda okazuje się być okrutna – żaden z pasierbów jej nie toleruje, a atmosfera w ich domu jest, delikatnie mówiąc, dramatyczna. Do czego może doprowadzić taka toksyczna sytuacja u osoby, której odporność psychiczna nie należy do najmocniejszych?

Ja naprawdę jestem wiele w stanie zrozumieć, ale akurat postępowanie Callie wykracza poza moje możliwości. Pomijam problemy z dorastającymi nastolatkami, bo rola w jakiej musiała się odnaleźć główna bohaterka nie należy do najłatwiejszych, ale zakończenie tej książki przekracza moją odporność. Chyba, że zamysłem autorki było stworzenie głównej bohaterki, która nie do końca ma kontakt z rzeczywistością, wtedy to nawet pasuje.
6/10