Hey, it’s Diego.

Last week, I read The Stranger at No. 6 by Gemma Rogers.

And it’s about a young woman that goes out looking for trouble… and finds it.

And it’s not that rare of a trope, so I thought I’d list my top reads about it.

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Top Looking For Trouble Thrillers

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides follows Theo, a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia Berenson. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband and then went mute.

None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

In None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell, Alix and Josie meet by chance. They both turn 45 on the same day, at the same restaurant, leading Josie to suggest Alix feature her in a podcast about transforming her troubled life. Alix agrees, intrigued by Josie's mysterious past, but quickly realizes she's welcomed chaos and danger into her home.

The Perfect Nurse by Daniel Hurst

The Perfect Nurse by Daniel Hurst drops you into the life of Darcy, a nurse caring for Scarlett, the wife of a wealthy man recovering from a brain injury. When Darcy starts noticing oddities in their relationship, she decides to investigate further.

And the newest addition to the list:

The Stranger at No. 6 by Gemma Rogers

Molly is a junior reporter making minimum wage. So as an experiment, and because she’s saving for a caravan, decides to try “phrogging”. Phrogging is when someone sneaks into a home and lives there alongside the residents undetected, and barely disturbs the house as to not get caught. While doing this, a local woman goes missing and Molly discovers that to her horror, her disappearance is tied to the family she’s phrogging with.

The Stranger at No. 6 by Gemma Rogers is a domestic thriller set in a family home.

Rogers’s writing is amazing. Descriptions are enough to paint a picture, and dialogue flows naturally.

It starts slow. Molly describes everything about phrogging in her blog and how she makes it in to the family homes (plural) and everything about her latest experience. As a newcommer to phrogging, the explanations are interesting so it keeps the ball rolling during the first few chapters of the book until things start developing. All in all, it was an easy read.

We follow Molly in a single timeline as the story develops. And although her motives to keep digging and prying are somewhat vague, Molly is a proactive characters who moves the plot along.

I liked that there was tension throughout as she navigates the fine line between obtaining evidence and not being caught. I didn’t like as much how Molly is someone with fixed ideas and that once she laser focused on one thing, it was really hard to get her to consider others.

There is no romance, no swearing, and no scenes of graphic violence.

So, what about the ending? (No spoilers, obviously)

The ending was fine. Nothing crazy, but still good enough to get my attention. I would have preferred a bit more character development, but it works well.

The Stranger at No. 6 by Gemma Rogers is an entertaining read for sure. If you are looking for a quick and easy read with light tension, this one will do wonders for you.

This Week’s Update

• I watched The Woman at Cabin 10 on Netflix the other day with my wife and it’s very well done. Keira Knightley and Guy Pearce’s performances really sold the psychological aspect of the movie.

• The Housemaid adaptation hit theaters Friday 19, have you seen it? Do you plan to? Reply to this email let me know what you thought of it. Would like to carve some time with my wife to go check it out.

That’s all for this week. See you next time.

— Diego Dunne

P.S. Let me know how I did today by replying to this email.

P.P.S. I would love to hear your recommendations for thrillers you loved. Reply to this email, and I’ll add them to my TBR list. Thanks!