Please Welcome Back Mystery Author Silvia Villalobos

We are delighted to welcome back author Silvia Villalobos to Omnimystery News.

We spoke with Silvia earlier this month to discuss her debut novel of suspense Stranger or Friend (Summer Solstice; March 2015 trade paperback and ebook formats) and we asked her to give us the backstory to the book, which is the subject of her guest post for us today. You can also enter to win a copy of Stranger or Friend by visiting this page.

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Photo provided courtesy of
Silvia Villalobos

In Stranger or Friend, Zoe Sinclair returns to Wyoming to care for her ailing mother, only to learn that her best friend Lori has been killed. Soon after, another body is found, and there are cries coming form the woods. The lawyer inside the woman is prompted into action, but she meets resistance from locals wary of outsiders. After having been gone so long, Zoe is little more than an outsider.

The mystery and suspense start on the first page and move deep into the story involving a cast of suspicious characters and dangerous events that affect not only Zoe, but people with firmly pre-established views on who belongs there and who doesn't.

The twists and turns lead to the surprising conclusion and revelation of who the murderer is, and why he or she decided to strike fear in the small town.

The story is sure to hit home with suspense-loving readers and present an all to real cast of characters with the kind of prejudice and harsh judgment that hide in every heart. In the midst of it all, Zoe Sinclair, the big-city lawyer, grapples with secrets and distrust. Can she really trust anyone? Is the man she's falling in love with trustworthy?

The Story Behind Stranger or Friend

Stranger or Friend is the culmination of two lives at a confluence of cultures: an Eastern European immigrant — the author — married to a California native of Hispanic descent. The result is a highly fictionalized story, an observation, of intersecting cultures, of newcomers and locals, the bumps along the way, discovery, rejection, and acceptance. This is the story of a woman going back home, only to find that home is no longer the place she remembers, or maybe never really knew.

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Silvia Villalobos, a native of Romania who lives immersed in the laid-back vibe of Southern California, is a writer of mystery novels and short fiction. Her stories have appeared in The Riding Light Review, Pure Slush, and Red Fez, among other publications. When not writing, or hiking the Santa Clarita Woodlands Park trails, she can be found blogging at Silvia Writes.

For more information about the author, please visit her author page on Goodreads, or find her on Facebook and Twitter.

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Stranger or Friend by Silvia Villalobos

A Novel of Suspense

Publisher: Summer Solstice

L.A. lawyer Zoe Sinclair finds her Wyoming hometown reeling from the murder of its most popular resident: her best friend, Lori. Not less unnerving are the strange cries coming from the woods. The lawyer inside the woman is prompted into action, but she meets resistance from a town wary of outsiders.

When a second body is found and Zoe is threatened, the case turns personal. Under pressure from the sheriff to leave the probing to the police, and taunted by the killer's subtle messages, Zoe finds herself trapped in a game of hunter and prey.

— Stranger or Friend by Silvia Villalobos