Lisa Unger (; born April 26, 1970) is an American author of contemporary fiction, primarily

psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a Film genre, genre combining the thriller (genre), thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting ...

Biography

Miscione was born in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

but grew up in the Netherlands, England and

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. She spent her teens in the Long Valley section of

Washington Township, Morris County, New Jersey Washington Township is a Township (New Jersey), township in southwestern Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 18,197, a decrease of 336 (� ...

. Miscione moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

after high school, where she graduated from

the New School for Social Research The New School for Social Research (NSSR), previously known as The University in Exile and The New School University, is a graduate-level educational division of The New School in New York City, United States. NSSR enrolls more than 1,000 stud ...

and spent a decade working in publishing in New York. During a vacation in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, she met her future husband Jeff Unger, who was vacationing from Detroit. After marrying Unger, she resigned her job, moved to Florida and gave herself a year to sell her first novel. Fairly quickly, she found an agent and sold a deal to produce four crime novels. Her first four books were published in her maiden name of Lisa Miscione. In 2002, she published ''Angel Fire'', the first book featuring Lydia Strong. The book received mixed reviews. ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' described it as "gripping and terrifying right through the carnage of its final scene" and commended the novel's depictions of grisly scenes. Rex Klett, writing for ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

'', praised the Unger's writing style and the book's suspense. However, ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' called it "predictable" and "flatly written", criticizing Lydia's characterization. In June 2006, Unger published ''Beautiful Lies,'' her first novel under her married name, through

Crown Publishing Group The Crown Publishing Group is a subsidiary of Penguin Random House that publishes across several fiction and non-fiction categories. Originally founded in 1933 as a remaindered books wholesaler called Outlet Book Company, the firm expanded int ...

. It became a New York Times Best Seller the week it was released''.''

Awards

''Beautiful Lies'' was selected as a Doubleday Book Club International Book of the Month. It was also chosen in 21st place in the top 50 "Best Books of 2006" by the editors of

Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc., doing business as Amazon, is an American multinational technology company engaged in e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos in Bellevu ...

, a BookSense pick and a finalist in the

International Thriller Writers Award The International Thriller Writers Awards are awarded by International Thriller Writers at the annual Thrillerfest conferences for outstanding work in the field since 2006. Award winners References {{Reflist External linksInternational Thrill ...

"Best Novel" in 2007. ''In the Blood'' won the 2015 Silver Falchion Award for Best Novel (Crime Thriller) and was a

Goodreads Choice Awards The Goodreads Choice Awards is a yearly award program, first launched on Goodreads in 2009. Winners are determined by crowdvoting, users voting on books that Goodreads has nominated or books of their choosing, released in the given year. Most boo ...

Nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller 2014.

Novels

Writing as Lisa Miscione

Re-released in 2011 by Crown Publishing Group. * ''Angel Fire'' (2002) – Lydia Strong #1 * '' The Darkness Gathers'' (2003) – Lydia Strong #2 * ''Twice'' (2004) – Lydia Strong #3 * ''Smoke'' (2005) – Lydia Strong #4

As Lisa Unger

* '' Beautiful Lies'' (2006) – Ridley Jones #1 * '' Sliver of Truth'' (2007) – Ridley Jones #2 * '' Black Out'' (2008) – Standalone * '' Die for You'' (2009) – Standalone * '' Fragile'' (2010) – Jones Cooper #1 (''The Hollows'' book 1) * '' Darkness, My Old Friend'' (2011) – Jones Cooper #2 (''The Hollows'' book 2) * '' Heartbroken'' (2012) – Standalone * '' In the Blood'' (2014) – Standalone (''The Hollows'' book 3) * ''Crazy Love You'' (2015) – Standalone (''The Hollows'' book 4) * '' Ink and Bone'' (2016) – Jones Cooper #3 (''The Hollows'' book 5) * ''The Red Hunter'' (2017) – Standalone * ''Under My Skin'' (2018) – Standalone * ''The Stranger Inside'' (2019) - Standalone * ''Confessions on the 7:45'' (2020) – Standalone * ''All My Darkest Impulses'' (2021) – House of Crows #1 * ''Fog Descending'' (2021) – House of Crows #2 * ''Circling the Drain'' (2021) – House of Crows #3 * ''Love the Way You Lie'' (2021) – House of Crows #4 * ''Last Girl Ghosted'' (2021) – Standalone * ''Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six'' (2022) - Standalone * ''The New Couple in 5B'' (2024) - Standalone

Novellas

* ''The Whispering Hollows'' (2016) (''The Hollows'' series)

References

External links

Lisa Unger's websiteLisa Unger on a Comfort Junkie’s Resistance to Adventure Travel (The Wall Street Journal March 2015)Lisa Unger's Official Wattpad Profile
with ''

''
Interview
with Do Some Damage
Interview
with ITW's ''The Big Thrill''
Interview
with ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...

''
Interview
with

SuicideGirls SuicideGirls is an online community website that revolves around pin-up model, pin-up photography models known as the Suicide Girls. The website was founded in 2001 by Selena Mooney ("Missy Suicide") and Sean Suhl ("Spooky"). Most of the site ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Unger, Lisa 1970 births Living people 21st-century American novelists American mystery writers American thriller writers American women novelists American women mystery writers 21st-century American women writers American women thriller writers People from Washington Township, Morris County, New Jersey