Nominated for the 2019 Edgar Award, Hammett Prize, and Macavity AwardPopSugar’s Best Mysteries & Thrillers to Read in Fall 2018 CrimeReads Best Book of 2018Booklist’s Best New BookOne of the Most Anticipated Crime Books of 2018 from CrimeReadsOne of Fall 2018’s Most Exciting New Mysteries & Thrillers by BookishBookbub’s One of the Biggest, Most Anticipated Thrillers of the Season, Fall … Biggest, Most Anticipated Thrillers of the Season, Fall 2018 Best Mystery Book Pick, and Editors’ Pick
Library Journal 2018 Killer Thriller
From New York Times bestselling author and master of suspense Lisa Unger comes an addictive psychological thriller about a woman on the hunt for her husband’s killer.
What if the nightmares are actually memories?
It’s been a year since Poppy’s husband, Jack, was brutally murdered during his morning run through Manhattan’s Riverside Park. In the immediate aftermath, Poppy spiraled into an oblivion of grief, disappearing for several days only to turn up ragged and confused wearing a tight red dress she didn’t recognize. What happened to Poppy during those lost days? And more importantly, what happened to Jack?
The case was never solved, and Poppy has finally begun to move on. But those lost days have never stopped haunting her. Poppy starts having nightmares and blackouts—there are periods of time she can’t remember, and she’s unable to tell the difference between what is real and what she’s imagining. When she begins to sense that someone is following her, Poppy is plunged into a game of cat and mouse, determined to unravel the mystery around her husband’s death. But can she handle the truth about what really happened?
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UNDER MY SKIN is a twisting labyrinth of a book where nothing is as it seems, dreams bleed into reality, and the past is the future. Lisa Unger is one of my favorite writers. And in this tilt-a-whirl of a psychological thriller, she’s at the top of her game.
Lisa Unger’s deliciously intense and addictive thriller got under my skin. I picked it up, was drawn into this dark, tangled tale, and couldn’t pull away until it was done. Gripping suspense at its best.
UNDER MY SKIN is a perfectly dark and unsettling, spellbinding thriller. Told with both eloquence and urgency, Unger knows just how to hook her readers and reel them in. This book is not to be missed.
How do we know the difference between memories and nightmares? Under My Skin is a twisty, captivating psychological thriller that explores the lingering toll of grief and the enduring power of love and loyalty. This is Lisa Unger at the top of her game.
Under My Skin by author Lisa Unger is another of her psychological suspense books which will have you turning the pages for answers! I won’t post spoilers but will give you a summary of my thoughts as I read the book.
After the funeral of her husband, Poppy runs away…somewhere, she can not remember. She has lost those two days of her frenzied grief and now it is imperative that she remember where she was and what she did. Poppy thinks she is being followed by a mysterious man wearing a dark hoodie. Detective Grayson doesn’t seem to be of much help in solving the brutal murder of her husband, Jack, but does he suspect Poppy could have been involved? Poppy’s best friend since childhood urges her to come stay with her family and Layla wants an accounting of Poppy’s whereabouts each day. It is frustrating for Poppy, but, also may be necessary since Poppy showed up a hysterical wreck at Layla’s home after her loss of time. So as the story progresses the reader wonders if Layla knows more about Jacks death, or is she just trying to be a good friend.
Poppy is experiencing vivid night terrors and recently she has started episodes of hypnagogic hallucinations during the day while she is awake. The scenes are very real and she is having trouble decerning real time from the hypnagogia. Poppy cannot sleep and is getting through each day with the help of her prescription from Dr. Nash and a secret stash of pills Layla gives her to take.
The various possibilities of what happened to Jack and why are many. There are many mysterious characters in this story and they will keep you guessing!
Some of the scenes are repeated and the time sequence changes from past to present and from real to hallucination are often. That can be a bit confusing. I don’t think I would want to listen to audio due to that, but reading through the book it is clearer about the timelines.
Twisty thriller with great characters.
Lis Unger is brilliant–her incredible knowledge of psychology and the darkest corners of the human psyche is unmatched–and, amazingly, her equally enthralling understanding of light and joy. This book is nominated for everything..a true winner.
Most likely the best novel I have read in a long while. Lisa Unger is truly a very gifted story author.
Lisa Unger is one of my favorite authors, and her novels never disappoint!
Oh. My. Gosh. If the ending of this novel doesn’t blow your shorts off, you are beyond being shocked!
This well-crafted story moves like a rocket-powered steamroller. It’ll flatten all your expectations. The twist-filled, Hitchcockian plot will leave you breathless.
Poppy Lang’s husband, Jack, was beaten to death nearly a year ago while jogging in Central Park.
A suspect still hasn’t been found. The investigation is a maze leading to many dead ends.
Poppy’s life has been scattered since. Awash in a sea of grief and pills. And fatigue.
This tales deals with hypnagogia – the space between wakefulness and sleep. Where dreams can seem real.
It’s a state in which thoughts, memory, dreams and reality can collide.
Ms. Unger writes about these transitions with stunning aplomb.
Poppy thinks she’s being followed. She’s trying to remember what happened during a psychotic break that she had for a few days after Jack was killed.
What is real and… what’s not?
She’s starting to wonder about her circle of friends and co-workers. Who can she trust? What can she trust?
For Poppy to get on with her life she needs to find out who murdered Jack and why.
Was it a random act…or not?!
That’s it. That’s all you get. Read and discover for yourselves one of the finest suspense thrillers of 2018!
And why Lisa Unger is so, so good.
A year after the murder of her husband Jack, Poppy is dating again but there are gaps in her memory of the days and months since the funeral.
She is attending Dr Nash, who is prescribing decreasing doses of sleep medication. However, she is also taking tablets given to her by her closest friend Layla, and she is drinking to excess to blot out her pain…
A mysterious hooded figure begins to follow her and she confides in Detective Grayson, who has recently uncovered new evidence in the murder investigation.
Poppy grows afraid for her own life, and spends increasing amounts of time with Layla, her husband Mac and their two children.
Under My Skin is an exceptionally well crafted thriller which will keep you wondering about the reality of Poppy’s experiences versus her dreams and nightmares.
Highly recommended.
Lisa Unger is an extreme talent. I count the days until her next book comes out. Since the moment I read Beautiful Lies, I was hooked on her writing. Under My Skin continues this brilliance. I lose myself in Lisa’s books, connecting with the characters and feeling their journeys. I can’t say enough.
Best book I’ve read this year.
“Under My Skin” by Lisa Unger is a psychological thriller told as a first person narrative by Poppy. Her husband was murdered; the killer was never found, and she cannot get past this; she cannot move on.
Readers learn a lot about her right from the start. She is troubled, haunted even, and has only the thinnest grasp on reality. She is stuck in a past she cannot escape. Her past merges with her present, and her imagination intermingles with the truth. To say she is an unreliable narrator is an understatement. Enigmatic characters add to the suspense, and readers are at times as confused about reality as she is.
Poppy is determined to learn the truth about her husband’s death. Readers wonder if she will be able to handle the truth if she finds it. Little by little, she untangles the mystery, and eventually, all the pieces slowly fit together in a startling finish.
I received a copy of “Under My Skin” from Lisa Unger, Harlequin Hanover Square Press, Park Row, and NetGalley. Although “Under My Skin” starts out almost in disarray, things pull together by the end. It becomes a woman’s wild search for truth, and it is full of suspense, drama, and finally answers.
Not a book I would buy.
This book, told from first person pov, starts out confusing and continues. Dreams, reality, past, present? It’s difficult to tell in some parts of the story. You think you’re being told about a memory, but it’s just a dream or is it? This did make reading “Under My Skin” a little challenging, but it also kept me just enough interested to keep reading.
Poppy, the ‘unhinged’ one in the story turns out to be the more stable of the whole group of characters who are hell bent on making her well by keeping her in the dark and hopped up on pills. The mysteries around Poppy’s husband’s murder, the friends who ‘care’ and the new men in her life all strive for Poppy’s attention. And she strives to stay sane as she tries to unravel the ‘who’ that killed her husband.
I gave this a four * only because I thought it went a little long; however, the ending was worth the wait.
I’ve been a fan of Lisa Unger (Lisa Miscione) for years. I have a couple of more of her books that I’ve not read and look forward to picking those up. Thanks for a good read.
She’s one of the best writers I have ever reaf!
Great author. I highly recommend any of her books.
Fabulous book – sucked me in from page one! Left with too many unanswered questions after her husband’s murder, Poppy has been self-medicating and trying to regain some memory of what happened to her in those missing days following his funeral. A daily struggle, trying to tell what is real and what isn’t, who she can and can’t trust, having suddenly lost the man she loves. Highly recommend title; kept me on edge and I was heartbroken (yet hopeful) when the truth finally came out.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Living in opulence or squalor, under the skin people are just the same. Everyone suffers. Everyone struggles. It just looks different from the outside.
Grief can be all-consuming and no one knows that better than Poppy Lang. Her husband, Jack was murdered in Manhattan’s Riverside Park a year ago. His death sent Poppy over the edge, she can’t account for several days after she received the shocking news. When she comes back to the land of the living she is wearing clothes she has never seen with very little memory of what happened. She is also devastated that Jack’s killer was never caught, the case is still open but stagnant.
Then she starts to have nightmares and blackouts. She feels like she is being followed and she is missing vast periods of time. She needs to remember what happened to her because she thinks it will lead straight to Jack’s killer. The question is – Can she survive her quest and handle what she finds?
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The synopsis and prologue captured my interest. I wanted to know what happened to both Jack and Poppy, but there were a lot of confusing moments. I think that is just what the author intended. Poppy’s path certainly wasn’t a straight one so much so it was sometimes hard to know what was really real and what was not. There is also quite a bit of repetition that was oft putting at first until I noticed a minuscule change in the event. Poppy’s fears are palpable and continued to pull me further into the story.
I really didn’t care for her therapist who seemed to be missing the big picture. Her goal seemed to be getting Poppy “a good night’s sleep” while not realizing her client was mixing pills with alcohol, mixing sleeping pills of different dosages with alcohol, mixing sleeping pills with other pills and alcohol, making her hallucinate, have nightmares and blackouts.
Poppy’s best friend Layla was a mother hen over her. She was so traumatized when her friend went missing she wants to be sure it doesn’t happen again. She comes across a very controlling person. The lead detective on her husband’s case is also very involved following up each little clue that is uncovered.
Ms. Unger takes us an emotional roller coaster with almost everyone Poppy interacts with a suspect. Through her words, we see what Poppy sees, and most of it is downright frightening. I am glad I don’t live in New York, I would probably never leave the house again. I was so engrossed in my reading that when a child entered the room and surprised me I actually jumped and my Kindle went flying into the air. This book has exciting twists and some terrifying turns. I did have a very hard time putting it down and stayed up late in the night to finish. Then I was too keyed up to sleep.
The story is so well written and immersed in this psychological mystery there is some food for thought regarding death and losing a loved one. I may have only caught this because I continue to grieve for a loved one myself.
This is the first book I have read by Lisa Unger but it won’t be my last.