The Red Hunter

A creaky old New Jersey farmhouse is the meeting place for Unger’s two cleverly interwoven plotlines. One involves new owner Claudia Bishop, a single mother who blogs about the farmhouse’s renovation while caring for her troubled teenage daughter, Raven. Plot two follows Zoey Drake, the vengeance-motivated hunter of the title, who’s planning to use her deadly martial arts expertise on the home invaders who murdered her parents and tortured her a decade ago when they lived in the farmhouse. The killers didn’t find any loot, but circumstances convince them it’s time to give the property one more search. Unger’s prose is fast-paced, and actor Whelan imbues Zoey’s revenge-charged chapters with passion and brings out the drama in the lives of Claudia and Raven and the suspenseful narrative following the killers as they make their move on the farmhouse. With her portrayals of gruff-voiced villains, defiant teens, and the determined Claudia, Whelan adds to the author’s creations. [em]A Touchstone hardcover. (Apr.) [/em]