Everyone a Stranger

A young war widow is unwittingly drawn into a sinister web of intrigue and murder in this taut, unexpected, masterfully plotted historical thriller set in WWII-era Seattle, where the enemy may be closer than anyone thinks. A crafty, addictive read for fans of The Americans, Anna Pitoniak, Graham Moore, and Elizabeth Wein.

“A page-turning masterclass in storytelling— historically captivating, emotionally rich, and crackling with slow-burn menace.” – JAMIE FORD, New York Times bestselling author of The Many Daughters of Afong Moy

Washington D.C., 1943: Virginia Abrams believed the war had taken all it could from her when her husband was killed at Guadalcanal. One year later, she’s in a dark, unexpected quandary—pregnant and on the run to avoid a ruthless political family that wants to erase all connections between her and the man who assaulted her.

Changing her name, Virginia moves to Seattle to start over. Against her better instincts, she’s pulled into the lives of her new neighbors in an apartment complex—especially Tim, a young boy whose mother dies suddenly in a fall. Virginia fears that her whereabouts have been discovered, and she was the intended target . . .

But there are secrets between the residents too—stormy affairs, mysterious visitors, whispers and rumors. Tim is convinced there are saboteurs among them, hiding in plain sight. Virginia wants to discount his teenage imagination and her own rising paranoia, yet there’s something menacing here . . .

Torn between wanting to help the boy and safeguarding her anonymity, Virginia tentatively begins piecing the puzzle together with the help of some of her neighbors. But now others are dying in an escalating series of “accidents.” No one is entirely who they seem to be. No one can be trusted. And though she doesn’t know it yet, her own life is hanging by the thinnest thread . . .

“I gobbled up Everyone a Stranger, with its ever-expanding sense of danger, its cool evocation of 1940s Seattle, and its indelible cast of characters—both shady and smart.” – JESS WALTER, # 1 New York Times bestselling author of The Cold Millions