Product Description

A first-year resident at a major Boston children's hospital, Peyton Shields finally has the career she's always dreamed of—even though her marriage to Kevin, an up-and-coming young lawyer, is suffering from her hard work and impossibly long hours. But a late-night drive home in a heavy snowstorm changes everything when she is forced off the road.

No one, not even Kevin, believes Peyton's claims that the "accident" was deliberate. Suddenly, her wonderful life has turned dark and uncertain, and the terror has only just begun. Her husband is growing inexplicably distant and bitter, accusing her of paranoia, betrayal, and infidelity. And a series of bizarre and frightening events is moving Peyton steadily closer to a faceless, resourceful enemy who is watching her every move.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #58854 in Books
• Published on: 2008-08-01
• Released on: 2008-07-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 464 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780061138393
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Beautiful doctor Peyton Shields, head resident at Boston's Children's Hospital, and handsome lawyer husband Kevin Stokes would appear to have bright futures at the start of Grippando's stand-alone, which falls short of the standard of the author's Jack Swyteck series (When Darkness Falls, etc.). Mutual suspicions of infidelity and the fundamental failure of either partner to trust the other pave the way for the misunderstandings that make Peyton and Kevin ripe pickings for a psycho obsessed with Peyton. First Peyton nearly dies during a snowy accident that only she believes was deliberate. Then she and Kevin are ensnared in a web of escalating circumstances that drive them further apart. The soap opera plot will disappoint those expecting something meatier, and even the two lead characters play stock roles (the strong, independent woman; the dissatisfied, jealous husband). The result is a thriller that doesn't offer many thrills, even when Grippando takes the wraps off some late surprises. This title was first released in 2006 by Bookspan as a Madison Park Press book club exclusive. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Taking a break from the Jack Swyteck legal-thriller series, Grippando offers up a stand-alone thriller that is as tautly constructed as his fine early novels, including as The Abduction (1998) and Found Money (1999). Peyton Shields is a resident at a Boston hospital. Driving home one night during a snowstorm, she is run off the road by another car. Authorities are treating the incident like an accident, but Peyton is convinced it was a deliberate attack. Problem is, she can't convince anyone else, not even her husband. When other, equally frightening things begin to happen to her, Peyton realizes she is alone against a nameless but exceedingly determined stalker. Grippando excels at the ordinary-person-in-extraordinary-circumstances story, and this one uses the premise expertly, building enough suspense to keep readers looking in dark corners and over their shoulders. Fans of the Swyteck series shouldn't look askance at this stand-alone; it's every bit as strong as the series novels. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

James Grippando is the bestselling author of the Jack Swyteck series. His fifteen previous novels include Born to Run, Last Call, Lying with Strangers, When Darkness Falls, and Got the Look. He lives in Florida, where he was a trial lawyer for twelve years.

Customer Reviews

Frustration, Unhealthy Competition, and the Nature of Love
High achievers are often happy only when they stand atop the mound of people they have overcome. Lying with Strangers has much than its quota of such self-absorbed people.

At the center of the story, we have the perfect woman, Dr. Peyton Shields. She's bright, beautiful, married, and on the fast track in her profession as she starts her internship at Boston Children's Hospital after graduating from Harvard Medical School. The rest of the major characters find themselves overwhelmed by Peyton . . . including her husband, her old boy friend, and her stalker. Many men want to be the career stars in their marriages. That opportunity isn't likely to be fulfilled for Kevin Stokes whose career isn't doing well as he follows Peyton to where her career can flourish. Kevin finds himself being attracted to another woman and a chance for a new career. The ex-boy friend simply feels used. The stalker has convinced himself that Peyton wants him sexually, and he's frustrated by her come-ons in a chat room.

As the story evolves, Peyton and Kevin realize how little they know about each other and their marriage. But deadly peril makes it critical that they pull together. Will they?

How will Peyton get rid of the stalker? Usually, the more attention you pay to them . . . the worse it gets. But what if you don't realize you have a stalker?

The plot has many unexpected twists and turns that will keep some women up late at night checking for prowlers and burglars. I found myself wondering how the conflict set up by the plot would be resolved, but didn't feel like the threat implied in the plot was a serious one.

Those who like legal thrillers will enjoy some good insights into the difficulties of sustaining a defense for co-defendants.

But ultimately, it's a book that doesn't do enough to develop its characters, to create suspense that readers will feel in their guts, and to lure readers into caring about the characters.

Suspenseful
This book is a great "rainy day" book.

I read it and found myself nodding off in the first few pages. My ex-mother-in-law had a copy of it by the couch, well needless to say I had a great nap.

What a Thrill Ride!
I decided to read "Lying With Strangers" by James Grippando because of the praises that James Patterson has given his books. Patterson's praises certainly hold up as Grippando shows all the signs of entering the realm of the best mystery writers today--like Harlan Coben, James Patterson, Dean Koontz and many more.

The book starts out with a bang as Dr. Peyton Shields is run off the road by a stalker she doesn't even realize is stalking her while her husband is out of town on business having an affair with a colleague. Kevin Stokes, Peyton's husband, is riddled with guilt, but doesn't tell his wife about the tryst. And so begins a series of keeping secrets coupled with circumstances that appear one way, but truly are not. When Peyton believes her husband really isn't being faithful, she goes out with an ex-boyfriend and his friends, gets very drunk, and wakes up the next day in his bed. From there, the book twists and turns leaving the reader to wonder what will happen next after Peyton and Kevin are indicted for murder and secrets are revealed.

Although I figured out who the culprit was behind Peyton's trials and tribulations, I did find myself doubting my decision until the very end. Grippando's writing and his way of having the characters keep secrets from the reader make this an exciting read for any mystery buff. He is definitely an author to watch.