Strangers We Know

by Elle Marr

The search for a serial killer leads a woman into the twisted tangle of her own family tree in a chilling novel by the #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Missing Sister and Lies We Bury.

Adopted when she was only days old, Ivy Hon knows little about her lineage. But when she’s stricken with a mystery illness, the results of a genetic test to identify the cause attract the FBI. According to Ivy’s DNA, she’s related to the Full Moon Killer, who has terrorized the Pacific Northwest for decades. Ivy is the FBI’s hope to stop the enigmatic predator from killing again.

When an online search connects Ivy with her younger cousin, she heads to rural Rock Island, Washington, to meet the woman. Motivated by a secret desire to unmask a murderous relative, Ivy reaches out to what’s left of a family of strangers.

Discovering her mother’s tragic fate and her father’s disappearance is just the beginning. As Ivy ventures into a serial killer’s home territory, she realizes that she may be the next victim of poisonous blood ties.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Crime, Adult

Audio CD

First published May 1, 2022

About the author

Elle Marr is a #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of seven thrillers. Her work has been featured in PopSugar, Woman’s World Magazine, Goodreads, Audible, and TV affiliates for CBS, ABC, FOX, and NBC. Originally from Sacramento, Elle graduated from UC San Diego before moving to France, where she earned a master’s degree from the Sorbonne University in Paris. She now lives and writes in Oregon with her family.

Last year's THE ALONE TIME was named a Silver Falchion Award Judges' Pick among 2024 Suspense titles. Her following book YOUR DARK SECRETS was her first thriller romance, from Disney Publishing and Hyperion Avenue.

Now, THE LIE SHE WEARS publishes on November 18, and contains one of Elle's favorite twists that she's written. Signed copies are available via indie bookstore, Annie Bloom's Books (and make great gifts!).

For more info, check out ellemarr.com or follow her on social media.

Reviews

[jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

the premise of this soooo interesting - a women takes a medical DNA test, only to have her sample light up in the FBI database, flagging her as a relative of a serial killer on the loose. i was beyond eager to see how it would all play out.

and this story is decent, but too many plot holes prevent it from being anything more than that, unfortunately. and i usually dont have a problem over looking a plot hole or two, but when it comes to the mystery/thriller genre, it can really mess up a story. and when reading this, there was always a little voice in the back of my head saying “yeah, but what about (plot hole)?”

obviously not a total deal breaker, because i did finish and enjoy the story (i still think the concept is wildly inventive), but it definitely suffered from some overlooked loose ends.

↠ 3 stars

[Misty Marie Harms · Rating 3 out of 5]

**3.5 Stars**

Ivy finds out she is related to a serial killer, the Full Moon Killer, after doing a DNA genetic test. Being adopted, she has no idea who her biological family is. On the genetic site, she is connected to a cousin who invites her to meet the family. Ivy's mother was murdered by the FMK shortly after she placed Ivy up for adoption. Her father is unknown. Ivy is determined to discover who the serial killer is, even at the cost of her family.

There was so much going on. A serial killer, the weird sex cult, creepy half brothers, it was all over the place. How was she so sure the DNA was from her mother's side? It could have been the father's side. Anyway, a good thriller to fill the time.

[Ceecee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ivy Hon was adopted when she was two days old. In the present day she's struck with an illness doctors are struggling to diagnose. She does a genetic DNA test in the hope it may reveal some answers from her birth family and she gets way more than she bargains for. The test alerts the FBI as it reveals a genetic link to the Full Moon Killer, can Ivy lead them to finally catch the killer of over thirty years? Ivy connects to a cousin in Rock Island, Washington and heads north. Has she placed herself in danger?How far can we trust the strangers we know?

This novel pulls you in from the start. Ivy's perspective and story is excellent but to add to the intrigue we get Ivy's birth mother Tatum's story from the 1980's and that of Samson whose narrative is extremely chilling. Each one of these gives an additional layer to the plot, drawing you further into the storyline and desperate to figure out the identity of the FMK as well as getting answers for Ivy. Along her tortuous route to the truth, it starts with off notes and things that don't chime, progressing to shocking finds and discoveries including a cult called One Family, she's threatened and has narrow escapes. The tension and suspense escalates and the plot cleverly twists and turns. I do figure out part of it but by no means all! You do have to suspend a bit of disbelief towards the end but it is enjoyable and that's all we can ask from fiction writers!

Overall. I really enjoyed this entertaining and fast paced page turner!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Thomas and Mercer for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

[Erin Clemence · Rating 4 out of 5]

As seen on www.mysteryandsuspense.com

When Ivy Hon submits her DNA to an online website, she hopes for the answers to a medical condition that’s been plaguing her for months. What she gets instead is something far more sinister and serious- she is related, genetically, to a serial killer. Ivy is adopted, and although she has never sought out her birth parents, the website reveals a familial connection that Ivy is too intrigued by to ignore. As she is slowly introduced to the extended family she never knew, she finds out that they have secrets far deeper than anything she would have ever suspected, and some of them will stop at nothing to keep them.

Elle Marr’s newest novel, “Strangers We Know”, due out in May, has just about everything a suspense reader could want; family secrets, serial killers and even a controlling and pervasive religious cult. From one pulse-pounding, page-turning plot twist to another, “Strangers” pulls you in and does not let up.

I was a fan of Marr’s previous novel, “Lies We Bury”, and was surprised to discover it was only her sophomore novel. Labeled as the “one to watch”, Marr is definitely a rising star in the suspense genre.

Ivy is immediately likable and relatable, looking to reconnect with her biological family after the sudden death of her beloved adoptive parents. As she begins to develop relationships with those in the small town of her birth, there are a few bad apples (that immediately set off the red flags) and a few apples that may be a bit bruised, but all are full of never-ending surprises. Each and every one of Marr’s background characters were suspicious and somehow likable, cementing Marr’s talent at character development.

The story is narrated by Ivy, but there are also snippets from Tatem (Ivy’s birth mother) back in the 1980s when she was a pregnant teenager. There are also a few sections narrated by a character named “Samson”, whose identity remains a secret for most of the book (and once it is revealed- well, it definitely wasn’t who I expected!). Each character’s story adds more tension and emotional turmoil to an already immersive plot.

“Strangers” was well-written and, even encompassing all of the family drama and constant twists and turns in the plot, I was completely intrigued from the first page, and did not want to put the book down. Marr shows no signs of slowing down, and if “Strangers” is any indication, her creativity and writing prowess will only get better!

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this so much more than her previous book The lies We Bury. This book hooked me from the start. I just knew there would be twisty goodness later in the book.

Ivy Hon has known since she was a little girl that she was adopted. She and her older brother, also adopted, had a normal childhood in a loving family. But now, at the age of 30, Ivy is experiencing some strange health symptoms - headaches, sore joints/shins, fatigue and so on. When her doctors ask about family health history, well she has no idea. So she sends her DNA to one of those ‘find your family’ websites with the hope of finding a blood relative and getting answers about her condition. And she gets a hit, a potential cousin called Lottie has been identified. Ivy sends off a message and Lottie is excited to meet her.

But Ivy is also approached by Special Agent Ballo of the FBI. Apparently Ivy had ticked some box that allowed law enforcement access to her DNA and Ballo tells her she is related to the Full Moon Killer who has terrorised the Pacific NorthWest for over 30 years. Great!

Lottie welcomes her and starts to introduce her to other family members. But now, Ivy is wondering if any of them are the Full Moon Killer (FMK). Her mum was Tatum and everybody knows she’s dead but even Lottie did not know that, it was understood, Tatum was another victim of the FMK. This sends her reeling. Was her mum killed by one of her own family?

There are many elements to this story. It is told from the POV of Ivy and Samson who we know is a killer - but is he the FMK? Also, many of the family were once, and some still are, members of a very strict cult in which members HAD to obey certain rules. Yikes! Just how much sway does this cult have?

The characterisations were excellent and the plotting was taut. It was like peeling a very big onion - secrets within secrets. And still Ivy has no idea who her father was. She had initially arranged to stay for one week which see her out of there well before the next full moon. But, when the week is up she feels she is close to getting some answers so she arranges to stay longer. Will this end up costing her everything?

This one raced to a very exciting, if a little implausible, ending. It was a most entertaining story and I really felt for Ivy. She was so keen to find her north family that she maybe didn’t realise how much danger she was in. Many thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the much appreciated arc.which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

4.5 rounded down.

[CarolG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ivy Hon, now in her late 20s, was adopted when she was just days old and her adoptive parents are now deceased. She recently started suffering from debilitating headaches as well as aches, pains, fever, etc., the cause of which doctors can't diagnose. Hoping to locate members of her birth family and get some answers, Ivy submits a sample for DNA analysis. The FBI become involved when the analysis indicates a genetic link to the Full Moon Killer, a serial killer who had been active decades earlier. Ivy connects to a cousin in Rock Island, Washington, and makes the decision to travel there to meet the cousin and other relatives.

The story is told in alternating chapters by Ivy, her birth mother Tatum in the time after she gave Ivy up for adoption in the late 80s, and Samson who is very creepy. The writing is smooth, the pages went by very quickly and I was quite entertained until about the 70% point when everything kinda went south, Ivy's armchair detecting was OTT and she made some dumb decisions. Just after my update wondering what had happened to the FBI, they reappeared briefly but once again left it to Ivy to call if she learned anything. The pace did pick up again, the ending was surprising and many of my questions were answered. Although not a favourite of mine, I enjoyed it more than some of my recent reads.

I can't help but agree with another reviewer about the first few pages of this book ... parts don't really make a lot of sense, especially the first paragraph ... but if you can get past that, this book wasn't all that bad. As far as the reference to "blood" in the beginning I took it to mean the person's true nature, not necessarily the blood that flows in their veins. I got the impression from the author's acknowledgements that she is an adoptee herself.

There are many 4 and 5 star reviews for the book so if it appeals to you, you should go ahead and read it.

I was invited to read an uncorrected proof of this novel by Amazon Publishing via Netgalley (ooh, did I get a widget?!) so my thanks to them as well as Thomas & Mercer, the publisher, and Elle Marr. All opinions expressed are my own.

Publication May 1, 2022

[Samuel E. · Rating 1 out of 5]

One silly book

First there’s a Full Moon Killer and an FBI agent. Then the main character’s mother was killed by the Full Moon Killer 30 years ago. Then the main character’s grandmother — who gets her strength from growing tomatoes — turns out to be a killer who kills one killer who at the beginning of the book is as old as the main character’s mother but by the end of the book is about the same age as the main character. But then there’s another killer who happens to be the brother of the grandmother killer. And even though the Full Moon Killer is known to kill women when the moon is full, the main character leaves a bar with killer number two on the night of a full moon. Oh yes, the FBI agent turns out to not be an FBI agent either, and the main character’s mother isn’t dead either; she’s just been in hiding for 30 years. One Silly Book.

[Fiona Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those situations where I'd almost sell a body part for a ten star rating system on Goodreads, because Strangers We Know is a perfect example of a seven out of ten for me - I liked it, I read it in almost one sitting, but there's also definitely things that make it not likely to be one of my more memorable reads.

So good things first, because there's still not that many reviews on here and I do very much think this is still worth the read. Ivy's a great protagonist - adopted, looking for family, but confident in the family she does have left. Elle Marr does a great job with her as a character and in portraying a realistically flawed but likeable human. I loved the Pacific Northwest setting, and thought it played into the story naturally but not too intrusively. The writing is great too, with an easy flow that, like I said, made this a pretty quick and absorbing read. I feel like there's a lack in good serial-killery fiction that doesn't fall too far down the domestic suspense pigeonhole at the moment, and this really filled that gap.

You are going to need to suspend some disbelief though, and I didn't ding it too hard for this, because fiction is just that for a reason - if everything was a true-to-life recreation of the real world, where's the escape? It got to be slightly heavy lifting at points though, so it did impact my enjoyment - as, unfortunately, did the ending, which I felt was kind of rushed, and brought in too many new elements for the short space it was given. I did want to see that - but I wanted more build up to it, and more resolution for some of the other relationships that ended up without it.

At the end of the day though, still a book I enjoyed, so it went to the 4 side of the 3.5 scale. Kindle First finally coming through with a good one!

[Anita · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've found myself in a rut of sorts, only reading authors I have read and loved. So, I've challenged myself to read some new to me authors and Elle Marr is one of them. Well, now I know why I tend to read authors familiar to me. This book was not a hit for me, in fact, it came really close to a DNF. But, like a train wreck or a NASCAR crash you just can't look away. I didn't care for the writing style: multiple points of view and time period shifts made for some confusion at the beginning, but it was an interesting way to tell the backstory. The author was also all up in the main character's head and I much prefer action and interaction with other characters as the driving narrative in any book. Overall, I should have passed on this one.

Ivy Hon has been experiencing some medical issues that have her doctors baffled. Since she is adopted and her adoptive parents are both dead, she has no access to any family medical history, so she submits her DNA to a site hoping for some information. To say she opens a whole can of worms is putting it mildly. An FBI Agent approaches her and tells her she is related to a serial killer, the Full Moon Killer. She also discovers a cousin and a whole family in Washington State. The family is open to meeting her, but it is apparent that they are keeping secrets about her birth parents. Throw in a strange cult, the resumption of the serial killer after a long hiatus, Ivy playing armchair detective and this book just didn't work for me.

My thanks to Thomas & Mercer, Publisher, and Elle Marr, author, for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.

[John Gilbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was .... interesting. Although it had its moments of suspense and mystery, overall it was convoluted, messy and in the end pretty stupid I thought. Amazon sold this as a Fantasy/Sci Fi novel, which shows you how confusing the entire project was. Really a murder/mystery/thriller, not in any way what it was sold as.

I guess I am not a fan generally of the murder/mystery/thriller genre, usually written as a clever whodoneit book, meant to tantalise and surprise the reader. I guess some liked it, maybe even someone liked the totally anti climatic finish, but I didn't. Three stars just because I read it to the end and there was some promise early on, just did not deliver.

2.5 rounded up.

[Christina McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun domestic suspense with some interesting themes to sink your teeth into. After her mystery illness prompts her to take a DNA test, Ivy Hon discovers she’s related to an infamous killer.

Told in multiple POVs with excellent characterization and clear, sparse writing, I was hooked from the very beginning. And that ending! Never saw it coming! Twisty and compulsive.

[Elle Marr · Rating 5 out of 5]

How much can we trust the strangers we know?

Hello and thank you for finding my latest thriller. Equal parts inspired by true crime headlines and my own experience with genetics testing, STRANGERS WE KNOW is my third novel. I hope you enjoy turning each page all the way to the surprise ending.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unexpected

I sped through this in two days since there were so many possibilities of Ivy finding her birth family and then turning into a Murder She Wrote, drama. For those of you who don't know what I'm referring to, it was a drama\mystery series back in the day.
This book definitely kept me on my toes and has a surprise ending.

This is a First Reads choice from Amazon Prime.

[Danielle B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ivy Hon is sick and can’t figure out why. Since Ivy was adopted as a toddler, she does not know her biological family at all and therefore she has no family medical history available. She orders a DNA test to see what she can find out, this results in a visit from the FBI. Her DNA shows a relation to the Full Moon Killer, a serial killer that has been linked to several murders in the Pacific Northwest for many years. Will Ivy be able to help the FBI locate this relative of her’s that has destroyed so many lives?

I am so glad I was able to read the latest novel by Elle Marr. It was my first book by this author, but I can tell you that it will not be the last! I loved it! The writing is phenomenal and I burned through this book in one day. I was very anxious to solve this mystery so I could not be interrupted. The final twist will absolutely blow your mind, and that is all I can say to avoid a spoiler! All the stars for STRANGERS WE KNOW!

Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

[Anomaly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did it. I finally did it! I forced myself to keep reading this book out of a vague interest in the mystery of the main character's chronic illness. I wanted to see if she ever discovered what it was - and whether there was any merit in my hope that this would become a supernatural thriller. I wanted to discover that Ivy was from a long line of werewolves and a secret government agency was keeping tabs on them.

But nope. This is a mundane story... albeit not one based on any semblance of reality. It begins with an FBI agent harassing a woman who was adopted as a child, informing her that she may be biologically related to a serial killer and demanding her help finding these people whose identities she doesn't even know. That's a good indicator of the bizarre, unrealistic world in which this book takes place.

Told in alternating first person POVs which somehow manage to share the exact same narrative voice despite having unique personalities, the story hops between timelines and viewpoints with very little rhyme or reason.

The main point of view - basically the main character - is Ivy Hon, the woman who was adopted as a child. She's got the self-preservation instinct of a stinging bee (which is to say, she seems not to care if her life's in danger and only cares about immediate gratification) and is only intelligent when necessary to move the plot along. I found her completely unlikable and almost impossible to empathize with, because she just plain didn't think or behave like a real person.

One of the alternate viewpoints is Samson (I think? Sam-something; I can't be bothered to make sure I remember it correctly and he has many aliases). He's a sociopathic serial killer with a very poorly and insensitively shoehorned history of molestation and abuse to 'explain' it. His chapters read like mediocre, cringey fanfiction written by preteens trying to be edgy. I understand that it's difficult to find the balance between drama and believability when writing such a character, but choosing to do it as a first-person narrative is the equivalent of choosing Nightmare Mode. Unfortunately, the author lost that game miserably. I often skimmed - and once outright skipped - his chapters, because the second-hand embarrassment was unbearable.

The other alternate viewpoint is Tatum, Ivy's birth mother. She has all the personality of a slice of stale bread and her chapters are some of the most boring filler I have ever read. Though the intent was clearly to give insight into her life and the circumstances surrounding Ivy's adoption, it just made reading this book a tedious experience.

Then again, the first sixty or so percent of the book is also just... dull. Even when exciting plot beats occur, they're buried in so much repetitive and uninteresting stuff that they're hard to enjoy. It felt like the first six minutes of a Lifetime made-for-tv movie, stretched out for a few hours. Pacing is everything, and in this case it ruined what could have been a fun 'turn your brain off and just go along for the ride' thriller. Lifetime movies are a guilty pleasure of mine, so I'd have enjoyed this a lot if it had proper pacing - and that's despite the absolute absurdity and lack of research in some areas.

But it doesn't. Which means that, instead of sitting on the edge of my seat and eating up the ridiculous drama like Halloween candy, I sat there sighing and rolling my eyes every time the story piled on more absurdity. And that's a shame, because the billion-and-one 'twists' and high-stakes action in the last twenty percent or so come across like they're a novelization of one of those guilty pleasure movies I mentioned.

This book let me down. No werewolves, no logic, not a single likable POV character... And, to make matters worse, it doesn't exactly handle chronic illness or mental health well in how they're portrayed. From the stereotypical portrayal of a victim of child abuse becoming a mentally ill killer and the lack of nuance in portraying said mental illness to the moment Ivy decides to (successfully!) push away the symptoms of her chronic illness flaring up and her anxiety about it 'for tomorrow', there's just no care taken with portraying these things. The chronic illness is clearly just there to string readers along with a mystery and the symptoms conveniently never interfere with plot points despite being hinted at time and again. Depression is overused, as well, and addiction was even shoehorned in without any care taken to properly portray it.

Oh, and did I mention there's a 'free love' cult? Because, yeah, the author just couldn't pick one or two things. Or even one or two serial killers. She tried to do everything at once, and in the process didn't manage to make a good story.

There's potential and I can see it, but it was squandered. I wish I hadn't let the sunk cost fallacy of having chosen this as an Amazon First Reads book keep me from skipping ahead to the lackluster reveal of Ivy's illness (tacked onto a grossly saccharine and wholly unbelievable ending which abruptly ties loose ends). I really should have chucked this into the DNF pile!

[Joey · Rating 2 out of 5]

All that build up for what felt like rushed twists and a thrown together ending.

[RedRedtheycallmeRed · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 STARS

Ivy's quest to find her genetic relatives really came from a place of trying to sort out her medical issues, so she's understandably baffled when the quest leads to a serial killer.

I found Ivy quite perplexing. She's often warily aware of her surroundings, and alert to dangers. Except when she isn't and it almost gets her killed. More than once! And she doesn't contact the police?

Either the police AND the FBI are amazingly incompetent or Ivy should have gone into law enforcement, because she quickly puts together the clues that no one else has been able to.

The identity of the killer did surprise me, I never would have guessed. The ending answered questions about Ivy, but left me with questions about the case.

[Jess☺️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strangers We Know has 3 heavy subjects.. Adoption, cult and a serial killer.
It's an easy read, but for me there was something missing but I can't put my finger on what it is.
Definitely worth a read 📚

[ᒪᗴᗩᕼ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2⭐

Meh…I finished this two weeks ago and just realized that I never wrote a review for it. I actually didn’t even add it to Goodreads upon finishing it. If it wasn’t for my spreadsheet, I would’ve forgotten all about it. I’m afraid that just goes to show how un-memorable it was. It had too many loose threads that never came together and sub-par writing. Basically, it kind of left a bad taste in my mouth. And, ultimately I ended up lowering my rating to 2 stars.

[Samantha Verant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elle Marr is an auto-read for me. What an amazing, gripping, and surprise-filled suspense. Whoa! I didn't see that ending coming! I loved how the story was told in different POVs (no spoilers). Mostly, I really connected to Ivy, our protagonist on the search for her truth. An amazing read I gulped down in two sittings.

Oh, and can I gush about that cover! GORGEOUS!

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let’s just start at the beginning where an FBI agent randomly approaches Ivy in a coffee shop & dishes a little sensitive information…because FBI agents typically do that🙄🙄🙄 That was my first sign that this book probably wasn’t going to be a hit for me.

So we start out this book with Ivy who’s decided to pursuit not only her biological family (to find out about her medical history), but also a serial killer who may or may not be related to her. That’s a full plate for miss Ivy 😂

Fast forward to Ivy going to Washington to look into all of this new found information. Her character is missing the common sense many people have so she probably shouldn’t be out playing in serial killer country especially during the time when the killer is supposed to kill (full moon) much less be chasing them around with her little Swiss Army knife. Her interactions with her biological family she’s just met is so cringeworthy I was embarrassed for her. Also the entire book I couldn’t really picture her character, for me most the characters (but especially her) had a disconnect between what they should’ve looked/acted like & how they were represented in the book. While reading about her but I couldn’t visualize her how the author wanted her character to ‘look’ .. like a baby or animal that their name doesn’t fit how they look. I spent an entire book with Ivy and I hear her & I see her but Ivy doesn’t seem like Ivy🤷‍♀️ I felt like her character was an oxymoron.

There was so much going on in this book between the adoptive/biological angle, a serial killer that’s potentially a relative, a cult, and a bunch of characters (made it hard at times for me to follow)! It’s told in three points of view. Ivy the main character, her biological mother Tatum in the past, and Samson a messed up foster kid. I couldn’t stand Samson or his chapters, I know the author was trying to portray him in a certain way by how she wrote his POV but it was annoying to read.

I had an idea on who the killer was from early on but not all of it (can’t explain without spoiling). Towards the end the author put an interesting spin on things which I give her points for because I didn’t expect it! While I didn’t hate the ending or even the story, it was a lot going on for one story. Marr should’ve maybe led with the serial killer angle & made Ivy’s character a bit less ridiculous with some common sense/street smarts and it would’ve had the potential for a pretty good book.

Marr is no doubt a great writer & she had a good concept for Strangers We Know but there was too much going on in the story, that plus a simpleton of a main character made this book a miss for me.


Thank you to NetGalley as well as the publisher Thomas & Mercer for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging thriller! Ivy is adopted and plagued by a series of health problems. So, she set out on a mission to learn about her birth mom and father, more specifically the family health history. She ends up on the adventure of her life that ends with a surprise.

The pace was perfectly set and kept me engaged all the way through. You get a brief introduction to each of Ivy's relatives. Even though I took notes as Ivy questioned her relatives and their friends, I could not figure out the identity of the Full Moon Killer.

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kindle is dangerous -- the summer reading challenge pushed this book on me as an "editor's pick" and the promise of that pesky achievement is what forced me through to the end. I guess I also read The Maid for similar reasons. Maybe I need to cut back on this achievement hunting.

To summarize:

Ivy was adopted as an infant and has a mystery illness. She takes a genetics test and an "FBI agent" shows up in a diner to tell her she's related to the 🌔🕷️Full Moon Killer🕷️🌖. I was quasi-interested in the premise given actual serial killers have been caught this way and it might lead to some interesting privacy, ethical, and legal questions on how we use genetic information. But in this case, nothing of that nature is mentioned and Ivy decides "I'm going to fly to Seattle, harass the crap out of my biological family with blunt, poorly thought out questions, then try to stop the killer before (s)he strikes again!" This feels like a bad plan.

As the story progresses, two alternate narrative threads show up: one from Ivy's biological mother at age 17, the other from an unhinged psychopath named Samson. The specific timeline of when the latter takes place is unclear.

Long story short while trying to keep true to the book's writing style: Ivy's biological family is... involved in a killer sex cult! The full moon killer has... taken another life! A cold sheet of fear passes over me. Ivy trusts a stranger who turns out to be... Samson-the killer! But the killer-Samson- is... killed by another killer while he tries to kill Ivy-our main character named Ivy! So Samson's timeline is... pointless, ends abruptly, and comes to nothing! Fear and revulsion rage through me. Ah, but Ivy-our main character-gets away and then lies about having been nearly strangled. "I fell down the stairs" she says about the hand-shaped bruises around her neck. Thank goodness she was light on her feet and got on the logic train. But who killed the killer who wasn't the real killer? Her grandmother, the 🌔🕷️Full Moon Killer🕷️🌖! But she didn't kill the first of the 🌔🕷️Full Moon Killer🕷️🌖 victims. That was the sex cult! And Ivy-our main character-finds out her mother is actually alive and the FBI agent isn't really an FBI agent! PLOT TWISTS!

Sigh. Look, even if the book managed to pull together a cohesive plot and didn't use weird, irrelevant storylines that abruptly disappeared, the writing alone would have rendered this a DNF (assuming I wasn't achievement hunting). The constant use of ellipses, the explicit reinforcement of each character's role in the story any time they were mentioned, the unnatural plot-explaining internal monologues, and bizarre language were enough to drive me bananas.

[Cranky Commentary (Melinda) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’ll admit mystery thrillers aren’t my thing, although I have read some that are intelligent and pretty darn good. This was beyond ridiculous. “The Full Moon Killer”. This book deserves a full moon.

There are 3 alternating POV’s.

Ivy, the main character, has her DNA done due to a chronic mystery illness. (She is adopted.) The next thing ya know, she is accosted by an FBI agent who tells her she is related to a serial killer and they need her help to find out who it is! Well, apparently the FBI’s screwed, because Ivy is the stupidest person in the world. There’s a serial killer loose! He might even be targeting her! So she goes in a bar alone in a strange town, takes 3 pain pills (chronic illness ya know) and slurps down 3 drinks, and tells a strange man the story of her life, and that’s just one example.

The second POV is Ivy’s birth mother, Tatum, who is bland and boring, and seems to share the family trait of no common sense.

Sampson, a psycho killer, is just so poorly cooked up it still makes me cringe. Can we do a little research, maybe? He was a foster kid, ya see, and was molested by a guy who liked to wear a pink wig, soooo…

I skimmed through this whole mess, because I wanted to know how it turned out. No spoilers, but I’ll just say the only thing the author didn’t include was extraterrestrials.

One star. As Chablis from my last book would say, “Two tears in a bucket.”

[Barbara Behring · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually I give it a 3.5. I enjoyed Elle Marrs writing style which made it a very easy book to read, but I did feel like the plot got a little convoluted. I'm still trying to get it all straight in my head! I plan on reading more from this author.

[La Tonya Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will rate this book a 3.5.

This was an Amazon Kindle book of the month choice. It was a better read than my expectations. Ivy Hon is looking for a serial killer who maybe her biological father. She was adopted as an infant. The story goes into the mystery of the Full Moon serial killer, on this small community, in the state of Washington. The killer only kills on the full moon.

Further it expands into the Caine's family legacy in this community. Ivy's birth mother's family. Their involvement into a spiritual cult in the eighty's and ninety's. The writing was good and kept you engaged. I was totally out in left field when it came to the identity of the serial killer. See if you can guess the person?

Quotes:

Blood doesn't lie, or so the saying goes. I just wish I know whether that applies to adopted blood.

Heat rushes to my ears, the August sunshine suddenly bearing down in earnest.

Only then does it strike me that all three of the mirrors - both sideview mirrors and the rearview - are missing; all the tools I need to search behind me, to check for anyone following me.

[Nicole Wuthering Vines · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off - what a stunning cover!

Second - how intriguing is this premise? Could you imagine waking up one day and being told you’re related to a notorious serial killer?! 🤯

This was a tense and twisty read where I was completely compelled from start to finish. It’s a quick read coming in under 300 pages and I enjoyed the multiple POVs!

I found the middle part dragged on a little bit for me but found the cult aspect pretty fascinating so an overall solid page turner!

3.5 stars rounded to 4 for goodreads

[Megan Bevers · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐The beginning was interesting enough, but overall the writing was clunky and the ending was not captivating. In my opinion, the author tried to tackle too many ideas in one book and it ended up in a plot that didn't come together well.

[Rachelle]

Nope. Not for me.