Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Until three months ago, Camelia’s life had been normal, with good grades, good friends, and a good job. But three months ago, Camelia almost got run over by a car, only to be pushed out of the way at the last minute by a mysterious guy with an intoxicating touch. Her friends told her to put it out of her head, but Camelia couldn’t, and three months later, she finally gets to thank mystery boy Ben for saving her life when he moves to town. Although rumors of Ben’s involvement in her girlfriend’s death make others way of and rude to Ben, Camelia still thinks he’s the good guy. But when she starts receiving strange and creepy notes and gifts, she no longer knows who she can trust. Her friends think it’s some practical joke that will blow over, and her parents have their own issues to worry about, but Ben insists that she’s in danger. Everyone’s hiding something, but hopefully, Camelia can unravel these little secrets before she meets her end.

Deadly Little Secret is a fantastic paranormal thriller with a romantic twist. The story starts off with action, builds up a lot of suspense, and culminates with a band that I didn’t see coming. Stolarz definitely has the unpredictability factor down pat; my guesses as to the Stalker’s identity were completely off target. I enjoyed reading the dual perspectives, both Camelia’s and her stalker’s; the stalker’s scribbling increased the sense of danger, and Camelia’s point of view revealed her to be an intriguing character. There isn’t anything about Camelia that is too exciting except perhaps her total disregard of the opinions of others; I wouldn’t say she’s boring, but her rather uniform life doesn’t define the plot, the action due to the stalker does. Ben is an elusive character with some odd inconsistencies, but he is still my favorite character because of his uniqueness, and I hope to learn more about him in subsequent novels.

Fans of Stolarz’s Blue is for Nightmares series will not be disappointed in this fast-paced paranormal mystery, which will also be enjoyed by fans of Sleepless by Terri Clark, The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong, and The Missing Girl by Norma Fox Mazer. I eagerly await the sequel, Deadly Little Lies.

Rating: 4.5

Review copy from personal collection