The Stranger Diaries

Description

THE TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR. THE RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK. 'Utterly bewitching ... a pitch-perfect modern Gothic' AJ FINN, author of THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW A dark story has been brought to terrifying life. Can the ending be rewritten in time? This is what the police know: English teacher Clare Cassidy's friend Ella has just been murdered. Clare and Ella had recently fallen out. Found beside the body was a line from The Stranger, a story by the Gothic writer Clare teaches, and the murder scene is identical to one of the deaths in the story. This is what Clare knows: No one else was aware of her fight with Ella. Few others have even read The Stranger. Someone has wormed their way into her life and her work. They know her darkest secrets. And they don't mean well. This is what the killer knows: Who will be next to die. 'Compelling, intelligent and increasingly mesmerising' PETER JAMES 'Picks up where the great Gothic thrillers of the past leave off ... goose-bump spooky, smart, and haunting. I loved this book! And you will too' LOUISE PENNY

Elly Griffiths is the bestselling author of the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries and the Brighton Mysteries. She has won the CWA Dagger in the Library, has been shortlisted five times for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, and longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for The Lantern Men. Her new series featuring Detective Harbinder Kaur began with The Stranger Diaries, which was a Richard and Judy book club pick and won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in the USA. It was followed by The Postscript Murders, shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger and Bleeding Heart Yard. Elly has two grown-up children and lives near Brighton with her archaeologist husband.

Great on character and suspense A beautifully turned chiller - Mail on Sunday Written with Griffith's usual warmth and lightness of touch but has a genuine creepiness that gets under your skin - Sunday Express A splendidly creepy Gothic tale ... cliffhangers and Gothic tropes abound - Guardian This creepy crime read is the perfect page-turner for foggy, wintry evenings - Sun A darkly funny, enjoyable mystery - Observer A love letter to Gothic fiction. Perfect winter read - Sunday Mirror Combines real suspense, spooky other-wordly goings on and well-drawn, likeable characters in a manner that doesn't strain credulity - Irish Independent