The Stranger Diaries is a tale of murder, mayhem and with a ghost story thrown in for good measure!

English teachers are being murdered at Talgarth High School in England.

Clare Cassidy, an English teacher herself at the High School who is writing a book on Gothic writer R.M. Holland, the author of a short story entitled "The Stranger" and coincidentally the former owner of what is now the High School loves her job, her daughter Georgie and their dog Herbert, who is named after R.M. Holland's own dog. She has had a case of writer's block on her hunt for information on the reclusive Holland. Until now...

Then her best friend and colleague is murdered. Beside her body is a hand written piece of paper with a line from Holland's short story. As the police begin to investigate, Clare, Georgie and even Herbert become embroiled in a murder mystery and ghost story which seems to revolve around Clare. She finds writing in her diary which is not hers, but matches the handwriting on the note found next to her friend's body. Could she be the next victim? How did the writing get there? Everyone is a suspect, (except Herbert!). As the detectives try to put the puzzle together the story races to surprising conclusion.

I enjoyed the separation of sections in the book in which particular scenes are told by each of the main character's perspective which gives the reader insights into what each was thinking and seeing as different situations occur.

Also, as a nice touch, Holland's short story is told in increments as the book progresses. This gives the novel an eerie, haunted feeling. A Gothic thriller, The Stranger Diaries has twists and turns and mystery. It has ghosts and even witches. I hope everyone picks this book up!

Thank you #NetGalley #Houghton Mifflin Harcourt #The Stranger Diaries #Elly Griffiths for the advanced copy. The book will be out March 5.

Just a Few Words: As a long-time fan of Elly Griffith’s, I was beyond excited to read this book, and I was not disappointed. The author brought her A-Game to this one! Okay, let’s begin….

The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths is a mystery novel.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:
Clare Cassidy is a high-school English teacher at Talgarth High. She is also writing a book on R.M. Holland, who coincidentally, once lived in the old part of the school. He is a bit of an enigma, an author whose wife Alice is said to haunt the staircase where she died, and whose daughter Mariana seems to have disappeared. He wrote a fairly well-known short story entitled “The Stranger”. Clare has learned a lot from his diary. She has kept her own diaries off and on for many years, and writes almost daily.

Georgia, Clare’s 15 year-old daughter, also keeps a diary (unknown to her mom), on-line, as do her friends. Also unknown to her mom is the fact that she too is fascinated by R.M. Holland, she too is writing a book, and she is friends with Bryony Hughes, a white witch. Clare does, however, know that Georgia has a 21-year old boyfriend named Ty, and that’s about all she can handle right now.

Ella Elphick, Clare’s close friend, also teaches English at Talgarth. That is, of course, until she was stabbed to death, with a quote from Holland’s “The Stranger" by her side.

DS Harbinder Kaur and DS Neil Winston are from the Murder Squad, and will be investigating Ella’s death. But as more bodies pile up, it becomes evident that they all tie back to Clare, her diaries, and “The Stranger“.

My Opinions:
I am thoroughly enjoying the Ruth Galloway series by this author, but this stand-alone novel took me a little while to get into….but once I did, I couldn’t let it go.

I liked how the tale was told from three different viewpoints – Clare’s, Georgia’s, and Harbinger’s. They were three very distinct and different voices, which I think the author nailed! Then, a fourth voice was added – the actual short story “The Stranger", which was interspersed throughout the book – a story within a story.

As always, Elly Griffiths provided a wonderful plot, with enough interesting characters and twists that I kept changing my mind as to the identity of the killer. Loved that!

Overall, a success! I highly recommend this book!

Despite a dear friend telling how much she loves the Ruth Galloway series, I’ve never read Elly Griffiths. So her first stand alone novel seemed like a good place to start, especially when it was compared to Magpie Murders. “A modern gothic mystery”, according to the book’s description. Perfect! And this book did work for me on so many levels.

First the characters…there are three narrators and I enjoyed each of them. It was easy for me to bond with Clare. An English teacher who teaches creative writing, she’s in love with her rescue dog. And she keeps a diary. As one person says, “I didn’t think anyone did that except in Victorian novels”. DS Kaur, the investigator, has a great dry sense of self deprecating humor. She’s sharp, a real sleuth in the old tradition. And Georgie is smart but still definitely a teenager.

Second, the plot… The book starts as a normal murder mystery, with Clare’s best friend the victim. But it takes on a deliciously creepy factor when Clare discovers someone has written in her diary. An unknown someone. And Griffiths has layered a bit of otherworldliness on top of the murder mystery. Usually, this would bother me, but here it works. It’s also one of the few books lately where I had absolutely no bloody clue who the murderer was.

Third, the writing style… The story flips back and forth between the three characters’ narratives. Griffiths shows us the same scene from various perspectives. I especially appreciated the parent vs. teenager views and how inept Clare was at understanding Georgie.

And for once, the comparison is apt. I do think those who enjoyed Magpie Murders will also enjoy this.

My thanks to netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an advance copy of this book.

Claire Cassidy is an English teacher who has an obsession with the short story "The Stranger" by RM Holland who taught at the same school. When Claire's best friend Ella is stabbed to death, Claire and her colleagues are shocked. Then Claire finds that someone had written a creepy comment in her personal diary...the killer.

Another murder occurs at the school and there is evidence that someone is watching Claire. Further entries are made by the killer in Claire's diary.

The story is told in different points of view: Claire, her teenaged daughter Georgia and DS Harbinder Kaur. Lots of repetitions of scenes and dialogue lowers the book rating for me.

I enjoy Elly Griffiths' other series but this stand-alone did not work for me.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

"It can be a dangerous thing, reading too much."

Clare Cassidy, a high school English teacher, specializes in the Gothic writer R. M. Holland. She and the rest of the school is shocked when one of her friends and colleagues is found dead with a line from Holland's most famous story, "The Stranger: is found near her body. Police further shock her when they inform her that they believe the killer is someone she knows.

Could she and her fifteen-year-old daughter, Georgie, be in danger? It seems so, especially after Clare discovers that someone else has written in her diary -"Hallo, Clare. You don’t know me." Is the killer someone she knows, or is it a stranger?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book told through the points of view of points of view, Clare, Georgia and DS Harbinder Kaur. Each provided insight and gave the reader a glimpse into each's personality and thought process. This book also contains a book within a book. Although this was interesting, this was my least favorite part of the book. I'm not sure that it was necessary.

Although, I guessed the culprit/murderer early on, it did not hamper my enjoyment of this book. This was my first book by this Author, but it will not be my last. I found this to be a fast paced read with quirky enjoyable characters. Besides, Herbert (the dog), I especially enjoyed DS Harbinger. I found the book to be well written, perfectly paced, not rushed and intriguing. This was the perfect read for this time of year.

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is a mystery/police procedural with a gothic feel set in the English countryside at a school. Multiple povs add variety and texture. This is a whodunnit with a culprit that I did not anticipate. The author’s writing and her ability to portray a story within a story is masterful.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Elly Griffiths for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Having never read any of Elly Griffith's books, I didn't know what a treat I was in for with The Stranger Diaries. This standalone is a great introduction the author (without having to commit to yet another series, though now I'm more motivated to go back and start the Ruth Galloway books). It's a fabulously atmospheric story (I love the school housed in the "haunted" former home of an enigmatic writer), and I enjoyed the parallels between the author's famous short story and the deaths that are happening- connected to both the school and to teacher Clare Cassidy, whose role and connection is murky and intriguing. With a hint of the paranormal, I found this to be a really excellent story.

Elly Griffiths is a fantastic writer, and this book is one of her best. Her characters are so real that we view each one so differently through the eyes of the other characters. This book kept everyone under suspicion and gave nothing away under the end. I can’t say I loved the resolution, but the whole story was quite a ride, one I didn’t want to end.

This is my first book by this author and I liked it. I was delighted to find it as a "read now" on NetGalley and snatched it up right away.

This was creepy good.. Claire is a high school teacher working on a book about author R.M. Holland who wrote "The Stranger. His wife's ghost is said to haunt the school. Some say they have seen her falling from the top of the spiral staircase and can hear her screams. Oh did I mention, that the very school that Claire works is the same place that R. M. Holland worked and his study has been preserved all these years? How creepy is that ?! When Claire's friend and colleague is killed, a note is found next to her body that says "Hell is empty" This is a quote from "The Stranger". Then Clare finds a note in her own personal diary. "Hallo, Clare. You don’t know me." Just what is going on?!

The Stranger Diaries is told from three points of view, Clare, her daughter Georgie, and DS Harbinder Kaur and occasionally you hear from a stranger telling a creepy tale while on a train. I was fine with this and liked hearing from all three women except for the repetitiveness of it, full conversations are repeated. I at first thought I was in the wrong place on my kindle but sadly found that it was just a different character repeating the whole story.

Overall I enjoyed this book and would read another by this author.

A big thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Prior to this, I only knew Elly Griffiths from the Magic Men series. This book could not have been further from that in style or scope, but as I've always enjoyed the writing in those, I thought this seemed like a great way to break into her contemporary work. I did still enjoy the writing, although not quite as much - and the back and forth perspective shifts that included the presentation of overlapping events from the perspective of various characters was interesting but did require more page flipping back and forth than I suspected or, to be frank, enjoyed. Still, the underlying mystery of the murders was interesting and I particularly enjoyed the way the RM Holland short story was interspersed with the text to provide a terrifically eerie and Gothic setting for everything that was going on.

This was a well-paced mystery with just the right amount of misdirection and secret-keeping, and the characters were a decent balance of personalities, albeit not as robustly developed as I'd come to expect in her writing. I'll admit it wasn't my favorite of her pieces, but I did enjoy it - particularly the tongue-in-cheek wryness of Harbinder and, as mentioned, the interplay of the short story as mood setter.

Elly Griffiths takes a break from her popular series to bring us a spooky stand alone. And you get 2 stories for the price of one.

Clare Cassidy is a recently divorced english teacher who moved to the Sussex coast with her daughter for a fresh start. She’s working on a book about author R.M. Holland whose chilling story “The Stranger” was a one hit wonder. Teaching at Talgarth Academy is a big plus as it was once Holland’s home & his study has been perfectly preserved.

Daughter Georgie has settled in & Clare quickly found a kindred spirit in Ella, a colleague at the academy. Another bonus is she doesn’t have to worry about bumping into her ex-husband & wife 2.0. Good times, right? Well….it was. Right up until Ella was murdered.

What follows is a spooky story with a decidedly gothic feel. This is partly due to alternate chapters where we listen in as a stranger tells an unsettling story to a fellow traveller as their train hurtles through the night. In the present, things are equally creepy as Clare’s quiet life begins to unravel. Another body with connections to the academy is found. Frightened for herself & Georgie, Clare seeks refuge in the diary she’s been keeping for years. But it’s not long before even her private thoughts are invaded. She opens her journal one night to find someone has left her a message. “Hallo, Clare. You don’t know me.”

Just so you know, at this point I’d be packing bags & making tracks as I’d be officially freaked waaay the hell out. Clare doesn’t have that luxury & soon finds herself the focus of an investigation led by local cops DS Harbinder Kaur & partner Neil Winston.

As it all unfolds we get versions of events through multiple narrators. This didn’t always work for me as in some cases we get the same scene twice & having it retold by a different character didn’t necessarily impart any new information. However it was very effective when each character told their own story. As they reveal personal thoughts & secrets, we begin to realize some of them have hidden depths. I particularly enjoyed spending time with Georgie. She’s a smart, intuitive young woman with more on her mind than typical teenage concerns.

I enjoyed the book-within-a-book format. The stranger’s story becomes more disturbing with every chapter & this is nicely mirrored by mounting tension in Clare’s situation in the present. As you try to suss out who’s responsible, you’ll first have to decide if the killer is of the flesh & bones variety or someone a little more spectral. Happy haunting…er…hunting.

The Stranger Diaries is a contemporary mystery, but with the feel, and potential hauntings, of a gothic novel. Modern gothic novels don’t always work for me, but the combo was flawless here.

Clare Cassidy is an English teacher at Talgarth High; she is divorced and has a 15 year old daughter, Georgia. At the school, there is a building where R. M. Holland, a reclusive Victorian writer, lived. Clare is writing a biography of R. M. Holland and is interested in the death of his wife, Alice Avery, whose ghost haunts the school. Then, Clare’s best friend and colleague, Ella Elphick, is found murdered with a note that is a quote from Holland’s “The Stranger”: “Hell is empty.” The whole story is actually framed by Holland’s creepy “The Stranger,” with bits thrown in at just the right times.

The Stranger Diaries is told from three female points of view, Clare, her daughter, and DS Harbinder Kaur, the lead investigator on the case. In a lot of ways, it’s a police procedural, with the requisite clues and interviews, but with the different viewpoints, we get such a fuller picture of the whole situation. Clare is scared. Georgia knows more than she’s saying and has a lot of secrets from her mom. Harbinder might be the most interesting of the three women. She’s got a unique back story that intersects well with the current mystery.

The suspect pool was good. We couldn’t really be sure that anyone was innocent, even most alibis were pretty weak. I maybe was a little disappointed in the ending, but not enough for it to ruin the story.

The characters were real, multi-faceted people, and the atmosphere was just spooky enough. There’s an adorable, brave dog, and when you add in the literary references from Shakespeare to Heyer that are sprinkled thoughout, it’s no surprise I loved it.

The Strange Diaries would be a perfect read for October, by the way, as the quote at the top suggests.

I've been a fan of Elly Griffiths for many years and I was delighted to b given this ARC. The Stranger Diaries is very different from any other book by Griffiths but still very enjoyable. It's a slow burner that keeps you guessing from start to finish. It's a very well thought out plot line ans I finished the book in one sitting.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC.

My friends in the UK love this author, and it’s about time I try an Elly Griffiths’ book! And it’s a win!

The Stranger Diaries is a gothic mystery of sorts centered on Clare Cassidy. She’s a high school English teacher whose area of expertise is a particular Gothic author.

One day, one of her closest friends is murdered, and right beside her body? A copy of the Gothic writer’s most famous story.

On top of that, the police insist that author connection means Clare must know the killer.

Clare has kept diaries for years, and she begins to write about the case; however, she notices something suspicious. In an old diary, someone has written, “Hallo, Clare. You don’t know me,” and she begins to wonder if that famous story has now come to life as her own.

The Stranger Diaries definitely has the gothic vibe to it. While it’s a contemporary thriller, it felt timeless or even old. The setting was super creepy and atmospheric. The tone is definitely haunting. The Stranger Diaries has the feeling of a classic old-fashioned whodunit, and I absolutely loved every bit!

I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this title.

I loved this modern-day update of the creepy Gothic horror novel, and thought Elly Griffiths did a great job of telling a creepy, atmospheric and engaging story. The changing POV was an excellent idea to add depth to the story and flesh out the characters, and I have to admit I was clueless up to almost the end "whodunnit". Great read, highly recommend!

It was hard to get through because not enough was happening. About half way through I could have skipped to the end and wouldn't have missed out on anything important. Stuff happened but most of it wasn't relevant for the ending to make sense.

The only character I remotely liked was Clare. I didn't like it as much when it switched to other points of view. Using Harbinger's POV was at least useful for telling the story although I found her to be extremely judgmental. The daughter was boring and kind of weird. I didn't understand anything about her. By the end I didn't feel like her POV was necessary at all.

The ending was lackluster. I was hoping for something more exciting. I hadn't figured it out, but that was because I was too busy thinking about how I wanted the book to be over. Then again part of the problem was that I didn't care enough to figure out what was going on.

Not your typical murder mystery! A story told from the perspectives of three different women: Clare, an English teacher and writer, her daughter Georgie, and DS Harbinder Kaur, interspersed with excerpts from the R M Holland mystery that seems to have inspired the murder.

I had only read Elly Griffith's Ruth Galloway series before, and wasn’t sure what I’d think of a stand-alone novel - would I be as invested in the characters or care as much about what happened? Well, I loved this. The chapters from different viewpoints really gave you an insight into how they were thinking and let you get to know the characters & grow to love them. It’s a very modern murder mystery, but the excerpts from the R M Holland story and the mystery surrounding his life throughout the book give it a very gothic feel which I felt I hadn’t seen before,

I’d highly recommend this book to any crime or mystery fan.

Thank you to NetGalley for the reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4 ½ stars rounded up to 5

I have to admit that the first time I started this book I was a little put off with all of the descriptions of gloomy gothic feeling British schools and talking about “The Stranger” a book by a supposedly famous author, none of which I knew anything about.

The second time I put aside an evening to immerse myself in this book and I was hooked after the first few chapters, actually I couldn’t stop reading it. There are so many interesting, unique characters, descriptions of the British countryside and Talgarth High School that I knew that I was in for a treat. The fact that this is a book within a book is very special, only a few authors that I’ve read can pull this off.

Clare Cassidy is a devoted English teacher who is teaching an adult course during the summer months to pick up some extra money, and she always enjoys introducing new students to one of her favorite authors, R. M. Holland. Clare is actually writing a biography on him, although at the time her writing has been frustrating her. The fact that she is teaching in Talgarth High, where the author, in his top floor study, wrote “The Stranger” adds added tension and mystery to the discussions in the class. She is actually in a good place, her divorce behind her, her daughter Georgia, age 15, is with her and lots of teachers she cares deeply for.

All of this changes when her teammate and friend Ella Elphick is found murdered, stabbed multiple times and a note left quoting a line from “The Stranger”, “Hell is empty”. Everyone is shocked, Ella was a favorite among colleagues and students. Detectives DS Harbinder Kaur and her partner Neil Winston are assigned to the case and quickly start interviewing everyone and searching for clues to the murder.

The novel is told from three points of view, Clare, Georgia and DS Harbinder. I enjoyed each of their viewpoints but really loved the character of DS Harbinder. She actually attended Talgarth High and so is very familiar with the stories surrounding R. M. Holland. She is a very meticulous investigator with a keen eye for details and a determination to find the murderer before more tragedy ensues, unfortunately there will be more murders but I will leave you to discover that.

The title “The Stranger Diaries” actually refer to Clare’s personal diaries which she has kept, locked in her bedroom, and has been journaling since she was young.

One of the hints I will share with you is that someone else is writing in Clare’s diary and writing very upsetting notes. We don’t know if this is the same person who killed Ella but it is notably creepy that he/she is able to gain access to the diary in able to write the notes.

I ended up loving this book and the incredible skill that Ms. Griffiths’s has as a writer. This is an intelligently written, deeply plotted mystery with a gothic feel and simply wonderful characters. Read this one, you will not be disappointed!

I received an ARC of this novel from publisher through NetGalley.

Will post to Amazon upon publication.

The premise of this book was very interesting. Claire Cassidy's best friend is murdered and a note quoting a story that she teaches for class is found next to the body. Later on she finds a note in her diary from the killer.

This book takes some time getting started. The story is told in three alternating view points: Claire's, the female detective in charge of murder case, and Claire's daughter. Some things are newly discovered from each view point but POV swapping could have been more tightly interwoven together.

After I got familiar with the characters, which did take longer than usual, it's a very well written mystery that kept me guessing,

Is there an option for half stars? Because this book is totally 4 1/2 stars for me!

That was a fun read!

Well fun and creepy, bookish, sexy, suspenseful and intriguing.

I love that the story, characters and murders center around a book plot. Is it original? Nope- but it’s a story arc that always entertains.

Just the short synopsis on the back of the book had me creeped out and there were definitely spooky parts (it’s set during Halloween time). I must say Griffths does a great job at describing the gothic and mysterious buildings without sounding like a bored European tour guide.

The characters were relatable! I found myself getting annoyed with the stupid things the teenagers were saying. The lead detective was super judge mental, but a smart and great cop.

Overall, I’d say it was definitely a creepy and suspenseful read!

Also, shout out to Griffths for all the HP references! 50 points to Gryffindor!

Oh and another 50 points for having a dog as a key character.