The Red Hunter. Finished 4-17-19, 3.75/5 stars. thriller, pub. 2017

Unabridged audio read by Julia Whelan. 9 cds.

Claudia Bishop’s perfect life fell apart when the aftermath of a brutal assault left her with a crumbling marriage, a newborn daughter, and a constant sense of anxiety about the world around her. Now, looking for a fresh start with a home restoration project and growing blog, Claudia takes on a crumbling old house–one that unbeknownst to her has an ugly history and may hide long buried secrets.

For Zoey Drake the defining moment of her childhood was the horrific murder of her parents. Years later, she has embraced the rage that fuels her. Training in the martial arts has made her strong and ready to face the demons from the past–and within.

Strangers to each other, and walking very different paths in the wake of trauma, these two women are on a collision course–because Zoey’s past nightmare and Claudia’s dreams for her future take place in the same house. As Zoey seeks justice, and Claudia seeks peace, both will confront the terrifying monsters at the door.     from Goodreads

There are two competing storylines that seemed to have little to do with each other for most of the book.  Claudia, a fragile yet hopeful mother, and Zoey, an orphan not afraid to take a life, are as different as night and day whose different journeys will eventually put them in the same place at the same time.  The two storylines were challenging when listening to the audio and as much as I enjoyed the performance it wasn’t easy to differentiate between the two at times.  Aside from that I found the story okay and was happy with the ending which both satisfied the need for answers and warmed the heart.

This is my 5th read by Lisa Unger.