From the Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestselling author of True Places comes a suspenseful novel of love, secrets, and obsession.
Psychology professor Jackie Strelitz thinks she’s over Harlan Crispin, her ex-lover and colleague. Why should she care if Harlan springs a new “friend” on her? After all, Jackie has everything she ever wanted: a loving husband and a thriving career. Still, she can’t help but be curious about Harlan’s latest.
Nasira Amari is graceful, smart, and appallingly young. Worse, she’s the newest member of Jackie’s research team. For five years, Harlan enforced rules limiting his relationship with Jackie. With Nasira, he’s breaking every single one. Why her?
Fixated by the couple, Jackie’s curiosity becomes an obsession. But she soon learns that nothing is quite what it seems, and that to her surprise—and peril—she may not be the only one who can’t let go.
Reviews ~
“Stories We Never Told is a beautifully told story of love and obsession, a gradual unearthing of long-held secrets that can unravel even the happiest of marriages. Yoerg has a real talent for creating compelling and complex characters who wrestle with real-life situations, leaving the reader wondering who to root for until the very end. Yoerg should be on every reader’s radar.” —Kimberly Belle, New York Times bestselling author of Dear Wife
“Sonja Yoerg expands her literary repertoire into suspense with Stories We Never Told, a tale of obsession, love, secrets, marriage, and the lies we tell ourselves. The prose is lyrical and immersive, and the story builds delicious tension. But the characters are where Yoerg truly shines: they’re all so keenly developed, so realistic, and so surprising with their own crackling takes on relationships, academia, and each other that the story itself starts to feel almost immaterial. Until, of course, it shocks the living hell out of you.” —Kate Moretti, New York Times bestselling author of The Vanishing Year and In Her Bones
“Obsession, jealousy, and secrets smolder into a deadly fire in Yoerg’s latest, as a woman’s marriage and career implode at the same time her ex’s life seems to be on the rise. Astutely observed and beautifully written with echoes of Highsmith’s Ripley, this one’s got a deliciously diabolical villain to die for.” —Emily Carpenter, bestselling author of Burying the Honeysuckle Girls and Until the Day I Die
“Truth and trust relentlessly collide in this beautifully written and riveting page-turner. Talented storyteller Sonja Yoerg will ensnare you from page one—and her determined and endearing main character, twisted by love and betrayed by expectations, will keep you turning pages as fast as you can. Loved this! — Hank Phillippi Ryan, nationally bestselling author of The Murder List
Some Q & A with Sonja:
“Sonja Yoerg expands her literary repertoire into suspense with Stories We Never Told, a tale of obsession, love, secrets, marriage, and the lies we tell ourselves. The prose is lyrical and immersive, and the story builds delicious tension. But the characters are where Yoerg truly shines: they’re all so keenly developed, so realistic, and so surprising with their own crackling takes on relationships, academia, and each other that the story itself starts to feel almost immaterial. Until, of course, it shocks the living hell out of you.” —Kate Moretti, New York Times bestselling author of The Vanishing Year and In Her Bones
“Obsession, jealousy, and secrets smolder into a deadly fire in Yoerg’s latest, as a woman’s marriage and career implode at the same time her ex’s life seems to be on the rise. Astutely observed and beautifully written with echoes of Highsmith’s Ripley, this one’s got a deliciously diabolical villain to die for.” —Emily Carpenter, bestselling author of Burying the Honeysuckle Girls and Until the Day I Die
“Truth and trust relentlessly collide in this beautifully written and riveting page-turner. Talented storyteller Sonja Yoerg will ensnare you from page one—and her determined and endearing main character, twisted by love and betrayed by expectations, will keep you turning pages as fast as you can. Loved this! — Hank Phillippi Ryan, nationally bestselling author of The Murder List
Some Q & A with Sonja:
In my first incarnation, I was an animal
behaviorist. I taught at the university level and conducted research on how
animals use learning to solve the problems of survival. I studied all sorts
of critters, including blue jays, spotted hyenas and kangaroo rats.
Writing has always come easily to me but
never considered writing a novel until a few years ago when my daughters were
poised to leave the nest. I needed a new focus and now look what happened!
Writing novels is the hardest thing I’ve ever done and the constant learning
and challenges is what I love best about it.
What are some things you enjoy when not writing?
Before the coronavirus pandemic, my husband
and I traveled the world, mostly to hike for weeks at a time. Other than those
adventures, we are homebodies. We enjoy sports together: running,
weightlifting, more hiking. We have an enormous vegetable garden, plus an
orchard, and I spend hours and hours tending vegetables and fruit, and
harvesting, cooking, and preserving them. And eating! We really enjoy our food
and our wine. It’s simple stuff but immensely satisfying.
Can
you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?
My first book was actually a popular science book about animal
intelligence, CLEVER AS A FOX, published in 2001. But I sold my first novel the hard way, by sending out queries until I emerged like a sea creature from
the slush pile. Once I found an agent—or, rather, the agent found me—HOUSE
BROKEN sold quickly.
What
are you working on now? My book for 2021, THE
FAMILY SHIP, is in the hands of my editor right now. It’s about a family with
nine children who turn a backyard boat into a make-believe naval destroyer. The
story is told from the points-of-view of six of the children, ages five - twenty-two.
It was an ambitious project, so I’ll soon find out what my editor thinks of it!
Is
anything in your book based on real-life experiences?
Of course! But I never kiss and tell.
Of course! But I never kiss and tell.
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Don’t expect what you learn about one
project to apply to the next. In my experience, the only certainty about the
creative process is the lack of certainty, and what seemed like the perfect
approach to the last book might be an abject failure for the next. It might be
that I haven’t written enough books to see an overarching pattern in the
process, something I can grab onto for the next book. Who knows? For now, the
upside is that I’m unlikely to get bored since I never know exactly what I’m
going to do next or how I’m going to do it. Stay tuned!
Is
there anything you’d like to say to your readers and fans? Stay safe and stay well. I’ll keep writing stories if you
promise to keep reading.
To connect with Sonja ~
Facebook: https://www.
Instagram: https://www.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/
