The Perfect Stranger

The Perfect Stranger CHAPTER 1
Character, Emmy called it, the quirks that came with the house: the nonexistent water pressure in the shower; the illogical layout. From the front porch, our house had large sliding glass doors that led directly to the living room and kitchen, a hallway beyond with two bedrooms and a bathroom to share. The main door was at the other end of the hall and faced the woods, like the house had been laid down with the right dimensions but the wrong orientation.

Probably the nicest thing I can say about the house was that it's mine. But even that's not exactly true. It's my name on the lease, my food in the refrigerator, my glass cleanser that wipes the pollen residue from the sliding glass doors.

The house still belongs to someone else, though. The furniture, too. I didn't bring much with me when I left my last place. Wasn't much, once I got down to it, that was mine to take from the one-bedroom in the Prudential Center of Boston. Bar stools that wouldn't fit under a standard table. Two dressers, a couch, and a bed, which would cost more to move than to replace.

Sometimes I wondered if it was just my mother's words in my head, making me see this place, and my choice to be here, as something less than.

Before leaving Boston, I'd tried to spin the story for my mother, slanting this major life change as an active decision, opting to appeal to her sense of charity and decency-both for my benefit and for hers. I once heard her introduce me and my sister to her friends: "Rebecca helps the ones who can be saved, and Leah gives a voice to those who cannot." So I imagined how she might frame this for her friends: My daughter is taking a sabbatical. To help children in need. If anyone could sell it, she could.

I made it seem like my idea to begin with, not that I had latched myself on to someone else's plan because I had nowhere else to go. Not because the longer I stood still, the more I felt the net closing in.

Emmy and I

Megan Miranda is the New York Times bestselling author of All the Missing Girls, The Perfect Stranger, The Last House Guest, which was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick, The Girl from Widow Hills, Such a Quiet Place, The Last to Vanish, and The Only Survivors. She has also written several books for young adults. She grew up in New Jersey, graduated from MIT, and lives in North Carolina with her husband and two children. Follow @MeganLMiranda on Twitter and Instagram, @AuthorMeganMiranda on Facebook, or visit MeganMiranda.com.

Praise for THE PERFECT STRANGER

"Miranda's eerie suspense thriller...smartly examines the slippery theme of personal identity. In a world where identities are regularly lost, stolen or sacrificed for reasons innocent and otherwise, it's not enough to wonder where Emmy has gone. We need to know who she is if she is who she says she is--and if she exists at all."
-New York Times Book Review

"YA author ¬Miranda, who moved into the adult market with All the Missing Girls, proves she isn't a one-hit wonder with this exciting thriller. Its twisty tale with many layers-a little romance, great writing, and an awesome storyline-will keep psychological suspense fans turning the pages."
-Library Journal

"Solid plot...an entertaining read."
-Kirkus Reviews

"An excellent second novel of psychological suspense...Highly recommended for fans of Alafair Burke, Gillian Flynn, and Lisa Lutz, and for all readers who like their female characters clever and resourceful, even when their best friends become their worst nightmares."
-Booklist

"Fans of Gillian Flynn, Chevy Stevens, and Jennifer McMahon will devour this relentlessly paced and deftly plotted thriller...An irresistible and riveting page-turner, Miranda weaves several mysteries together, leading to the intricate climax. The story moves at a feverish, unfaltering pace, keeping readers just as perplexed as the characters."
-Publishers Weekly

"Rivals her debut adult novel, "All the Missing Girls."...This book will keep you on the edge of your seat."
-Virginian Pilot

"What is excellent, even template-worthy, about The Perfect Stranger is the pace of information...At the heart of this splendidly written story though is the question of trust and friendship and how each is implied in the other."
-January Magazine


"The distinct and well-defined characters add to the suspense, complete with twists and turns, and will make the