3.5
Great concept and good creepy vibe but too easily solved. I don’t often solve mysteries, especially not so quickly. I get distracted by the red herrings and twists and I have no problem with that (I want to be shocked). But this one, although it had twists and turns, offered itself up to me well before I was ready. It didn’t wreck it for me by any means, I just would have liked it drawn out a bit more! It had great character development and the perfect setting. The writing was quite good and the transition between the ghost story and alternating points of view was handled deftly. Overall, I did enjoy it and would read more by the author

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for a copy in exchange for a review.

It’s always exciting to get to try a new author, one who has made quite a name for herself in the mystery genre already, albeit through series. I don’t like serials as much as I like standalones, which is significantly. So Elly Griffiths’ standalone, a murder mystery with heavy gothic undertones and a built in bibliomystery, seemed custom made for me. And to an extent it was. It read terrifically, cleverly alternating narrators and perspectives for maximum coverage of the events, while maintain the suspense throughout. The characters were enjoyable too, although DS Kaur took some getting used to and frankly she didn’t make it easy either. A 35 year old lesbian cop who lives with her parents to whom she isn’t out, single, celibate, angry and overly judgemental…not an immediately likeable character, but a compelling one all the same. And then there’s Clare, the epicenter of it all, the one seemingly connected to all the murders, tall, gorgeous, sartorially impeccable Clare, an English teacher at a small town school, in a building that one was a residence of a mysterious Victorian author who penned an infamous tale The Stranger, provided for your reading pleasure throughout the novel and in its entirety at the end. Clare isn’t quite as perfect as she seems, her diary entries are telling in a way even first person narration somehow doesn’t cover. The diaries are kind of problem, actually. Some are stanger and some are stranger still. Especially when someone starts leaving her personal notes below her entries in an unfamiliar penmanship. But Clare is just too committed to…well, to committing her daily insecurities to paper and whoever is obsessed with her seems equally committed to proving his love/obsession no matter what it takes. However will she juggle her parenting of a budding young witch, her teaching job, her writing aspirations, her potential new love interest and her personal life. So many fun elements, an awesomely creepy school building, terrific writing, positively delicious atmosphere and yet…at about 49 or 50% I knew with absolute certainly the identity of the killer and actually if I wasn’t reading this book in a somewhat sleep deprived state, it probably would have taken even less time to figure out. And that to me is just not acceptable for a murder mystery. Seriously. Those books ought to outsmart the reader or at least trick them sufficiently for a surprise or several. Don’t make the culprit be so freaking obvious that early on. Ok, if you haven’t read the book, you might want to skip the following paragraph, so pardon me while I rant, but…
What sort of a parent of a 15 year old girl no matter how smart and precocious is ok with her dating a 21 year old man? And what sort of a 21 one year old man wants to date a 15 year old girl? Think about it. And why is he so well behaved and well mannered and polite and friendly and all too nice to the girl’s mother? And how is that not a dead giveaway? He has access to their place, therefore access to the diaries, he has motive, means and motivation. He’s a very obvious suspect in a way that no others are throughout the book. That’s just…shoddy plotting. Or at least the one that didn’t take too much imagination and originality. I mean, he makes a perfectly good killer, had it been a surprised covered up until the very end for a dramatic reveal. And for all I know it’ll be that way for some readers, but it’s just entirely too easy to figure out.
Ok, I’m done, thanks for your patience. I should say that the built in bibliomystery’s solution was also quite disappointing, cute, but too easy. And thus the predictability factors brought down what should have been an awesome read to just a pretty good one. Immersive, but plot wise just not as smart or as intricate as I would have liked, albeit an enormously entertaining read. Thanks Netgalley.

I liked the story a lot but did not like that a 15 year old girl was dating a 21 year old with no concern from her parents. Surprised that made it through editing. Yuck. I could not recommend it to anyone.

Elly Griffiths new stand alone The Stranger Diaries was excellent. A taut mystery, great character development and superb pacing. I also loved how the mystery tied in with the short story also named The Stranger Diaries. Strong female leads and I hope we see more of DS Harbinder!
Characters felt real and relatable. Never a dull moment. This is a great mystery for fans of the genre. Spooky and full of gothic imagery. Well done!

An absorbing and unsettling contemporary thriller that mirrors a gothic tale~

Some elements I loved~

1. There is a gothic Victorian book placed inside the main story. ooh...book inside a book
.
2. Several points of view.

3. The mixture of modern and old school.

4. Police procedural mixed with the creepiness of the setting.

5. A quirky female detective with a sharp eye for inconsistencies. (She was my fave)

6. The setting of a "haunted" school.

If your craving something a little different from your standard thriller, this one has a lot to offer. I was absorbed in the story and it has "just enough" creepiness without being gruesome or overly graphic.

I loved how the author brought in the gothic feeling by using a book inside of the story that would hold answers to the mystery.

I found it atmospheric, entertaining, and unique.

Thanks to NG for my copy to read/review.

I LOVED this book. I connected with the characters quite easily, and it was so comfortable to feel part of the story somehow. It's a mystery within a mystery. A teacher has been found dead, and her colleague and friend somehow finds herself mixed into the drama in a parallel sort of way. It's a true tribute to gothic lit (and it includes a bit of it since an old gothic author and his work seem to be inspiring the events of the novel), wonderfully paced, a good mix of narration from various key characters, and is simply quite a gem of a mystery. Very moody, fitting for a dark night, alone with your beverage of choice, listening to the wind while you read. Truly an excellent read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the early review copy.

Someone has killed an English teacher at a school which was once the home of an author who wrote a famous ghost story. The story begins with an excerpt from the ghost story and the reader is immediately told of the murder of the English teacher. Elly Griffiths has chosen to tell the story from the perspective of three characters, which I enjoyed reading from the different viewpoints. I have given the book five stars because I read the book in two days, and I am a slow reader. I didn't want to put the book down. I will admit that the mystery surrounding R.M. Holland (the ghost story author) was a little disappointing. I would have enjoyed more substance in that part of the story. However, I enjoyed the characters and the plot of the main mystery of the story.

First thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a stand-alone mystery from the author of the Ruth Galloway forensic mystery series.

English Lit instructor Clare Cassidy is an expert on the writings of Gothic writer RM Holland and even teaches classes in his former home, now a school. When Clare’s friend is brutally murdered and found with a Holland book quote near her body, Clare confides her suspicions in her diary. To her horror, she finds someone has been reading the diary and adding their own annotations to her narrative.

Told from three points of view—Clare’s, her daughter Georgie’s, and the local police detective (who also attended the school), The Stranger Diaries will keep you guessing till the end.

Really great story! I've read all of Elly Griffiths books about forensics expert Ruth Galloway and honestly it's hard not to compare Clare, the main character of the Stranger Diaries, to Ruth. They're around the same age and both are raising a daughter on their own. This book revolves around a real-life murder mystery mirroring a gothic novel. Great setting and interesting characters. I highly recommend it!

Thanks to Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Heavy draperied rooms, long winding staircases, and imposing carved wooden doors lend themselves to a Victorian Gothic panoramic view.

Elly Griffiths sets this treasure box of a story within the walls of Talgarth Academy in Sussex. There's an array of buildings that stretch across campus including the Old Building that houses the original effects of the writer, R.M. Holland. Holland lived there with his wife, Alice, and an elusive daughter, Mariana. According to legend, no one knows what happened to Mariana. Alice, dear Alice, was to have taken a tumble down the lush staircase and never recovered. Students claim to have seen a white mist floating at times with a definite chill in the air. An immediate death was to occur after the sighting like clockwork.

We're introduced to Clare Cassidy, a literature teacher, who is smitten with The Stranger by Holland and implements the story into her classes. She is presently writing her own book on Holland's peculiar life and career and wishes to find out what happened to Mariana. Georgie, her fifteen year old daughter, resides with Clare off campus and attends the Academy. Clare has been divorced from her husband, Simon, for the past two years. Clare has no idea of what murderous intent will be assigned on this semester's syllabus.

A sudden pounding on Clare's front door marks the arrival of tragic news. Ella, best friend and co-worker, has been stabbed to death in her own cottage. DS Harbinder Kaur is lead investigator. Kaur is bright, witty, and highly analytical by nature. Her backstory is layered with interesting detail and the reader is drawn in immediately. It's my hope that Elly Griffiths brings Kaur back front and center in another book.

The story weaver lines up many threads throughout with inserts of The Stranger between chapters and references The Woman in White. Pay attention to the Shakespearean quote from The Tempest: "Hell is empty and all the devils are here." A luscious literature stew simmering on a burner of mystery told in revolving chapters by the main characters. Truly a classic who-done-it with all the trimmings.

I received a copy of The Stranger Diaries through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to the talented Elly Griffiths and to Quercus Books for the opportunity.

Clare Cassidy is an English teacher specializing in the Gothic murder story, The Stranger by RM Holland. Clare's work and personal life collide after the death of one of her friends and co-workers, with a quote from the story found on her body. As a way to stay calm during this difficult time, Clare spends most of her days writing in her journal. Then one day she notices some writing in her diary that isn't hers. I thought this was a really nice suspenseful mystery story. It's told though three different point of views: Clare, her daughter Georgia, and the investigating police detective DS Kaur. Each POV flows together well and doesn't feel clunky or disjointed. I also really liked how after a few of the chapters, there were excerpts from The Stranger and it always seemed to line up with what was happening at that moment. The inclusion of the full short story at the end was a nice touch, as well. I had my suspicions throughout as to who I thought the murderer was, and the end reveal threw me for a loop-- it was so unexpected and I appreciated that. Plus, I was also a big fan of all the Harry Potter references littered about. If you're looking for a mystery/thriller, definitely check this one out.

#TheStrangerDiaries #NetGalley#EllyGriffiths
Loved this new standalone novel of Elly Griffiths so much..I was not sure I was going to, and some parts were a bit scary, but the characters developed quickly and helped me along.At the beginning I was thinking "this is not Ruth..or the Magic Men" but as always this very fine and brilliant author brought me right into the mystery and empathized with the characters. Now I am hoping it is not a standalone since Elly Griffiths always is a winner with me.

from the publisher:"Clare Cassidy is no stranger to murder. As a literature teacher specializing in the Gothic writer RM Holland, she teaches a short course on it every year. Then Clare's life and work collide tragically when one of her colleagues is found dead, a line from an RM Holland story by her body. The investigating police detective is convinced the writer's works somehow hold the key to the case."

Clare's daughter Georgie ( Clare is divorced), DS Harbinber Kaur, and Clare tell the story each from their own viewpoint, which works very well. Herbert the dog is engaging as are Georgie's schoolmates and associates. Very well done.

Each murder or sinister event is accompanied by a handwritten note," Hell is Empty - All the Devils are here-". The surprising ending rackets to a finish on a sleeper train to Scotland. PreOrder your copy now!!

A slow-burn standalone mystery by Griffiths with the right amount of atmosphere for Halloween. It features an English teacher, Clare, dealing with the deaths of teachers in her school with plenty of references to a fictional writer of Gothic ghost stories, as well as witchcraft, school ghosts, Wilkie Collins, and Shakespeare. All of which are stuff that I just can't resist.

The character of pragmatic cop DS Harbinder is wonderfully realised; she has no patience for literary imagination: "It can be a dangerous thing, reading too much." In the hands of another writer she might have been a humourless bore, but in Griffiths' hands she is smart and unique and memorable. If this is a start of another series for Griffiths, I'd love to meet Harbinder again.

I am a huge fan of Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway series so I was eager to see what she would do with a book in the Gothic genre. True to form, she did not disappoint. Griffiths knows how to plot, set a scene, hold the reader's interest and pace the tension and action. The story features Clare Cassidy, a high school English teacher at a Talgarth High. The school is attached to the old historic home of Gothic writer R.M. Holland. Holland was the author of a literary Gothic thriller short story, "The Stranger." Clare has more than a casual interest in Holland. She teaches a course on his short story every October, and she is researching his life to write a biography. Holland's life was shrouded in mystery; his wife died mysteriously in a fall from the gallery, and her ghost is believed to haunt the annex rooms of the school that were Holland's home. Early on in the book, Clare's friend, another teacher at Talgarth, is viciously murdered, and a quote from "The Stranger" is left by the body. The investigating officer, D.S. Harbinder Kaur keeps coming back to Clare with more questions. Clare is troubled by both the murder and the police's suspicions so she pours out her heart and thoughts in her diary. Then someone else begins writing and leaving Clare messages in her diary. The tension builds with another murder and more messages written in Clare's diary. Clare turns the diaries over to D.S. Kaur, and as Clare becomes less of a suspect there is the fear that she too may be in the murder's sights. The story is told from several narratives, Clare, her teen age daughter Georgie and D.S. Kaur. Griffiths knows how to create a setting. Clare, Georgie and their dog live in a lovely home, yet it is set in the shadow of a monstrous, abandoned industrial building. That, and there is plenty of fog and sea mist to create a chilling backdrop. Also a sideline in the story, Georgie and a small group of students secretly meet with another Talgarth teacher, Bryony Hughes, a white witch. Hughes mentors and tutors the group in creative writing and instructs them in Wiccan rituals. Throughout the book, Holland's short story "The Stranger" is narrated which lends and added measure of spookiness. This book is an atmospheric modern Gothic mystery, a whodunit and an all around good story with interesting, well developed characters. I highly recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton, Mifflin, Hartcourt for and advanced Reading Copy.

I was provided an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Clare Cassidy is no stranger to murder. A high school English teacher specializing in the Gothic writer R. M. Holland, she teaches a course on it every year. But when one of Clare’s colleagues and closest friends is found dead, with a line from R. M. Holland’s most famous story, “The Stranger,” left by her body, Clare is horrified to see her life collide with the storylines of her favorite literature.

To make matters worse, the police suspect the killer is someone Clare knows. Unsure whom to trust, she turns to her closest confidant, her diary, the only outlet she has for her darkest suspicions and fears about the case.

Clare becomes more certain than ever: “The Stranger” has come to terrifying life. But can the ending be rewritten in time?

This was a page turner that kept me on edge through out the book. I found myself second guessing the characters that I suspected as the killer through out the book. Recommended for anyone that is a fan of myster/thriller books.

Chilling gothic thriller could not put down creepy tense highly recommend.So well written each character jumps off the page can’t wait to read more by this author. Grab this book, #netgalley The Stranger Diaries # st.martins.

This book was very well written with believable characters. The plot kept me guessing up until the end. I read the book straight through to see what the solution was. Highly recommended

I am a big fan of Ms. Griffiths' Ruth Galloway series and with some trepidation I began to read this stand alone. I was not disappointed. Perfect for these cloudy, dreary fall days with enough mystery to keep you reading to find out the culprit. Not being familiar with the English school system categories I was a little confused in that instant but the book was simply too good to let anything get in the way. The ending.....well just let me say I didn't see that coming. I love a good ghost story!
Highly recommended!

I enjoyed this gothic type murder mystery. The Stanger, a short story within the main story, is a little creepy and exerts are intermittently fed throughout the main story, as the central theme somewhat revolves around this unusual tale. Mostly told in first person from three of the main characters giving their accounts of events around the murders, although I did guess who did it quite early on, I found this book different and interesting. I like the Elly Griffiths Ruth Galloway series, and although I enjoy the RG series better than the stanger diaries, I would recommend this book.

Hooray for the Stranger Diaries!
I discovered Elly Griffiths through her Ruth Galloway series - once I was hooked I tore through all the published Ruth Galloway books in a row, and since then I have read every new Elly Griffiths mystery (Ruth Galloway and Magic Men) as soon as they were published. While every book she writes is compulsively readable, the most recent Ruth Galloway entry "the Stone Circle" seemed to lack spark.

I'm happy to say the stand-alone "Stranger Diaries" blows away any cobwebs that may have settled in her writing. Stranger Diaries is a delight from start to finish and features Griffiths at the top of her game. The "Stranger Diaries" defies genre expectations: it's a gothic thriller/police procedural/murder mystery AND a keenly drawn character study AND a densely packed literary adventure where the literary allusions inform and subvert the mystery plot. This book is all of these things for starters, but that sells short the experience: it's both screamingly funny and genuinely spine-tingling. Griffiths builds a complex story, giving us 3 narrative voices to follow (a high school teacher, her teenage daughter, and the lead detective) while surrounding those threads with excerpts from a Victorian piece of fiction. She also weaves into the main narratives pieces from the characters' own diaries; the goal is to keep us (the reader) guessing until the very end. While I did suss out the eventual culprit in the A plot a bit ahead of the final reveal, the book still had plenty of surprising story threads up to the last page.

This is a dynamo of a book by a talented writer, a wonderfully crafted thriller and a slyly funny and engaging read.