Strangers We Know by Elle Marr. Photo: Sarabeth Pollock
If you’ve ever considered taking one of those at-home DNA tests, you might have also pondered what will happen after you’ve connected yourself to the vast community of answer seekers. In Strangers We Know, Elle Marr crafts a tale that begins with a woman’s quest to solve a medical mystery and spins into a journey about her birth family that she never could have imagined.
Writer Ivy Hon was adopted into a wonderful, loving family when she was an infant. She never knew her birth mother or any details about her birth family, but she’s hoping genetic testing offered in an at-home DNA test will offer some insight into her health struggles. When the FBI shows up before her results arrive, she’s shocked to learn that her DNA matches her to DNA from the Full Moon Killer, one of the most ruthless serial killers in the Pacific Northwest.
With a writer’s intuition and drive to ferret out the truth, Ivy connects with a cousin through her DNA test and learns that she has a big family of people she never knew existed. Ivy is hoping for answers, but what she finds is that her birth family is hiding more secrets than she could ever imagine.
The first Elle Marr book I’d ever read was 2021’s Lies We Bury. What I love about her writing style is that she spins a narrative that is compelling from the first page. She introduces the players and then weaves a story that moves seamlessly between the past and the present, dropping hints and revelations along the way that collide in the thrilling – and wholly unexpected – ending.
Marr knows how much to reveal without giving away too much. She takes her time developing the narrative so that when the end arrives, the payoff is huge. Her stories pull you into the action and you’re right there trying to piece the puzzle together with Ivy as your guide.
Strangers We Know is so compelling that you might be drawn to finish it in a day, as I did, but I highly suggest taking your time to truly appreciate all of the little details Marr packs into the story.
Strangers We Know is available now!
