Title: Under My Skin by Lisa Unger
Publisher: Park Row
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 416 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
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?
Review:
Under My Skin by Lisa Unger is an absolutely riveting mystery which brilliantly utilizes the unreliable narrator plot device.
One year after her husband Jack’s murder, Poppy Lang is self-medicating with drugs and alcohol. Poppy experienced a breakdown immediately after his death and she still cannot recall what happened to her during the days she went missing. Undergoing therapy, Poppy is struggling to understand if her dreams are real and if so, what do they mean? She is also certain someone is following her, but can her account of events be trusted? Her best friend, Layla Van Santen, wants her to put the past behind her, but with Jack’s murder still unsolved and her lack of clear memories, Poppy cannot stop searching for answers. Will Poppy’s quest put her in the crosshairs of a killer?
Poppy is a very sympathetic yet frustrating character. Her unrelenting grief and guilt over Jack’s death is palpable. Unable to cope, she uses non-prescribed drugs and copious amounts of wine to numb her pain and quiet her mind. As her therapist tapers down the dosage of her sleeping pills, Poppy’s dreams become quite vivid and she desperately tries to figure out their meaning. During the day, she loses time and experiences terrifying holes in her memory. Poppy also has great difficulty trying to figure out whether what is happening to her is real or a series of frighteningly realistic delusions. Her unrelenting sorrow is understandable but she is incredibly self-destructive as she tries to make peace with her tragic loss. Once Poppy finally decides to take control of her life, many of her disjointed dreams and hallucinations begin to make sense.
With an incredibly tension-filled storyline, a possible unreliable narrator and a heartbreaking unsolved murder, Under My Skin is a very intriguing mystery. Despite a bit of repetition, the storyline is engrossing and fast-paced. With unexpected twists and breathtaking turns, Lisa Unger brings the novel to an absolutely jaw-dropping conclusion. I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend this clever mystery to fans of the genre.
