Your Secret Admirer
Shadows lurk in every corner of Julie’s life. What begins as mysterious Valentine's messages soon morphs into a terrifying reality: someone is photographing her while she sleeps. In a game where trust is dangerous and everyone is a suspect, Julie is running out of time to survive a stalker whose idea of romance is deadly.
- Dr. Julie Berenger - Literary professor, 36
- Angie - Julie’s best friend
- Professor Isaacs - Julie’s boss
- Harry - One of Julie’s students
- Someone leaves a red envelope on Julie’s desk while she’s teaching.
- Julie thinks it’s a Valentine’s Day card, but it’s a threatening sounding note signed ‘your secret admirer.’
- Julie meets up with Angie the next day and shows her the card.
- Angie thinks it’s funny and doesn’t understand why it worries Julie.
- Julie tosses the card in a trash can on her way to the university.
- In her classroom, Julie finds the red envelope she threw away, along with a note that reads ‘DON’T IGNORE ME, BITCH.’
- Harry stays after class one day to help Julie clean up and asks if she enjoyed Valentine’s Day.
- Julie starts to wonder if Harry is her stalker.
- A few weeks later Julie finds another card in her purse while she’s teaching.
- Inside is a photo of Julie sleeping and another note that says ‘You’re mine when I want you.’
- Julie goes to the security office to see if the camera caught who slipped the card into her bag.
- The camera shows Harry following Julie around campus that morning, but not slipping anything into her purse.
- Professor Isaacs suspends Harry for making Julie feel uncomfortable on campus.
- When Julie leaves campus that night, Harry tries to stop her and talk to her, but she screams and he runs away.
- Angie walks Julie home that night and they find a piece of paper waiting on Julie’s doorstep. It says ‘DON’T RUN FROM ME.’
- Julie goes to stay at Angie’s flat, but as she settles in to relax, she notices movement in the corner of the room; it’s Harry.
- Julie runs out of the flat and collides with Angie.
- Harry calls after her, ‘I’m trying to warn you about her.’
- Angie restrains Julie while explaining the reason she left the notes; she has loved Julie for years and wanted Julie to see they could be good together.
- Harry says he saw Angie coming out of Julie’s office one morning and tried to warn Julie that Angie had been watching her around campus.
- Harry attacks Angie and Julie runs to grab her phone and dial 999.
- Epilogue: Harry tells Julie the note on her doorstep was from him and that it also warned her not to trust Angie, but Angie snatched it before Julie saw that part.
- Julie gets a restraining order against Angie and becomes friends with Harry.
This book was a solid dose of suspense that definitely nailed the atmosphere. A.J. Carter keeps the energy creepy and tense from start to finish. For a book with a relatively short page count, it felt longer than it was, largely due to the middle chapter being 40 pages long.
Because there are very few characters, it was easy to keep track of everyone, but that simplicity actually worked against the plot in the end. With such a limited cast, the ending wasn't exactly shocking - there just weren't enough suspects to make the twist a surprise. It’s a fun read for the atmospheric tension and perfect for anyone looking for creepy Valentine's Day vibes.
- Stalking
Publisher: Independently Published
ASIN: B0DV9CX36K
Publication Date: February 1, 2025
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.