I really enjoyed this book. It was a slow burner, but still a very well crafted book. All the characters were quite well created and what I loved about it was all the main characters were given a very strong back-story and everything quite well defined. What I really loved about the book was that I could not see that ending coming. Kudos to Elly Griffiths for making me suspect every single character and going through every possible outcome while the actual perpetrator was staring at me and mocking me throughout and I still couldn't get it. To be honest, there were certain parts of the book that I struggled with but I kept on going with it and I'm so thankful that I did otherwise I would have missed out on a wonderful book. This book I won't hesitate to recommend it to anyone. A big thank you to NetGalley, Elly Griffiths and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange of my honest review.

Clare seems to have it all a great job at Talgarth High as a English teacher, a teenager daughter Georgie who has an older boyfriend and then there is Herbert her animal familiar. But everything has changed in their small town as another English teacher Ella has been found murdered and everyone is a suspect. Clare knows that she should have been a better friend as she hadn't treated Ella very nicely after the affair and she has kept it quiet all this time. Now the police have come to see her and she lied about anything happening on their training course away. Clare knows that the affair ended but could Rick have had anything to do with her murder as he does become a stalker after awhile but she can't see him doing it so who then?
Clare has always written in her diary so she is very worried when she finds out that someone has written in it but who? She knows that she has no choice but to go to the police and now everything will be out in the open.
The police know that Clare is the key to the murder but they have no solid leads as yet and it seems like the killer wants to protect Clare as another murder has taken place. Clare is in danger now but why could be doing this, what do they want from her?
Will the police be able to find the killer before even more people get killed?
A good read very different to Elly's other books. I was lucky enough to receive a copy via Netgalley & the publishing house in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars

I’ll admit, I was swayed by the overwhelming number of high reviews for Stranger Diaries. And while I did enjoy it, it was not held in such high esteem for me.

Stranger Diaries has everything I love about suspense books. 1- Book in a book format. 2- Gothic suspense / slight supernatural undertones and 3- a classic who-dun-it mystery. The story is told in 3 different POV- Clare, Georgie (Clare’s daughter) and Harbinder (DS) and interspaced throughout are snippets of The Stanger, the fictional ghost story that is a favorite of Clare’s.

The book is fast paced with a well-developed plot and I was certainly surprised by the ending. I really enjoyed the Stranger Diaries and it was my first book by Elly Griffiths. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for her books.

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for my copy of this book via NetGalley

I've been on an unfortunate run of mysteries with poorly done sovles lately, and sadly this was no exception. A shame, because it's a well-paced, intriguing story for the first 90 percent of the book.

I really liked the premise and the book-within-a-book plot line, and greatly enjoyed the blend of gothic and procedural genres. Griffiths wrote one hecukva mystery, right up to the point where she apparently had no idea how to finish it, finishing it with one of the worst solves I've encountered.

The identity of our killer comes out of left field. The story points a possibly accusing finger at many characters, but never links this particular person to anything suspicious. Any clue that might have helped the reader consider this person a suspect was only shared after they were revealed as the killer. And even once it was exposed, the motive and supporting details strain credulity and feel completely out of step with the entire rest of the book. Some details suggest the killer can't even keep his own M.O. straight.

The amateurish, insipid ending was a disappointment because I had really been enjoying the book up to that point. This wasn't a story where it would have been impossible to come up with a better conclusion. In the end, it's just bad writing. Odd, since the author did so well crafting most of the story, but as is always the case with mysteries, an extremely poor solve pretty much ruins the whole book.

This standalone novel was my introduction to Elly Griffiths (author of the Ruth Galloway series.) I was drawn in by the promise of a modern gothic mystery and was not disappointed!

The main character is Clare Cassidy, a literature teacher at the Talgarth School in Sussex. It also happened to be the home of a Victorian author, R. M. Holland, famous for his ghost story called “The Stranger.” It is this dark and creepy short story which provided the frame for <i>The Stranger Diaries <i/>. Similarities between the ghost story and Clare’s life begin to add up as told from the point of view of three women. The alternating narrators are Clare, her teenage daughter, and the lead investigator in the murder of one of Clare’s colleagues in the English Department.

True to the gothic genre, this book combines an atmosphere of the fear and horror with mystery and romance but in a contemporary setting. It was real page turner with an ending I did not see coming which made for a thoroughly engaging and entertaining read. I will definitely be following this author for more!



FYI - I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

‘The Stranger Diaries’ weaves around the short story, 'The Stranger', written by Gothic writer R. M. Holland. Clare Cassidy, a high school English teacher, and researcher leads a course each mid-term with this writing to both instruct and to lend a sinister air.

This year is different, as real-life bodies begin to pile up and Holland quotes are found with them, the police begin to suspect Clare and a small band of her friends. To compound matters, Clare a dedicated diarist herself notices comments that have been added to her writings. Comments that tie into the deaths and have her beginning to question her sanity.

Unfortunately, the final twist is not all that surprising. There was an inkling early on as to who was behind this eerie tale within a tale. Though the author did her best to throw the reader off, all the parts were there, and if the reader was following the breadcrumbs, there was no other suspect.

I was excited to read this because I had started Griffiths' Ruth Galloway series a few months ago and enjoyed it, but got sidetracked by another book I had to read at the time (story of a reader's life 😊). In this book, Clare is shocked to hear of the murder of one of her best friends. She soon finds herself in the middle of the investigation when she finds that someone has been making notes in her diary...and that someone might be the murderer. This book drew me in quickly and I couldn't put it down! There were a few little clues here and there that push you to suspect this character or that one, and while the ending wasn't a super twist or anything too crazy, I definitely enjoyed the ride and felt satisfied in the end. I also loved the short horror story weaved into the tale - almost made me wish I had read it closer to Halloween for atmosphere! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy of this book 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Many thanks to NetGalley, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Elly Griffiths for the opportunity to read this wonderful Gothic mystery - I loved it! I have never read any of Elly Griffiths' books before but this one was a definite winner in my eyes.

The story is told in 3 voices - Clare, an English teacher, living with her daughter, Georgie, and their rescue dog Herbert. Clare teaches creative writing and is writing a book based on a short story written by the original inhabitant of the school where she teachers. Detective Sargent Harbinder Kaur is the lead investigator when one of Clare's fellow teachers is found murdered. Georgie, a 15-year-old who attends the school where her mom teaches, lends her voice to the story as well. Interspersed with these characters' voices are the creepy short story that Clare is obsessed with as well as entries from the diaries she keeps. The diaries become integral to the story when Clare finds someone is writing in them.

This is just a good mystery - I loved the characters and their different viewpoints and really was surprised at the murderer's reveal. Highly recommended!

I didn't love this book; but I didn't hate it either. I admit to getting tired of the frequent repetition of the same conversations from different viewpoints. The middle of the book moved very slowly for me.

The characters are well developed and the writing is good - gives a definite gothic atmosphere. I did guess the killer shortly before the reveal - - but only after suspecting basically every other character but Herbert, the dog!!

This is a good book to read on a dark, stormy night!

This is my first time to read Elly Griffiths' work and it will not be the last, for sure. The Stranger Diaries is a thrilling read with a dynamic pace, told from three different narrators, Clare (our main character), DS Harbinder (the detective that investigating the murder of Ella, Clare's best friend/colleague) and Georgia (Clare's daughter). I love how each narrator has their own flaws and secrets, making me confused about who to trust and who to suspect. I totally had a good time, jumping from one scene to another.

Yet, I'm going to be honest. It took me a good couple of days to finish this book because I feel overwhelmed with the gothic atmospheres in it. It's not really something that I adore from this book. Also, I like how the mystery solved at the end of the book, yet I feel it's a bit too forced and rushed for some reason. Mind you (inside joke if you've read the book, HA), the tension building was incredible. That's why I had a higher expectation for the ending.

But overall, it's an amazing read. I couldn't recommend it enough, especially if you're into gothic mystery and bookception plot.

“It’s one thing to fear a thing for yourself, another to hear it confirmed in a matter-of-fact way by a Detective Sergeant. It’s as if the angel of death has flown over the room, flapping his grisly wings.”

The Stranger Diaries is the first stand-alone novel by British author, Elly Griffiths. When her good friend and colleague in the English Department of Talgarth High School is murdered, Clare Cassidy is shocked. Ella Elphick was a much-loved and respected teacher, and she can’t imagine why anyone would viciously stab her to death. Clare is determined to protect her sixteen-year-old daughter Georgia, a student of Ella’s, from exposure to this awful crime. Might Georgia, though, know more about this murder than she is admitting; perhaps even more than she realises?

Herself an ex-student of Talgarth, DS Harbinder Kaur seems inexplicably suspicious of Clare, and wants to know more about a rumoured affair between Ella and the department head, but Clare is reticent. When Clare checks her personal diary from that time, she’s surprised at the emotions she recorded. But what shocks and scares her is the sentence in italics, addressed to her, that she definitely did not write.

When DS Kaur reveals the text of a note left by the body, Clare, as prospective author of a biography of nineteenth-century Gothic author, R.M. Holland, recognises it as a quote from his short story, The Stranger. A practical joke in the form of a costumed dummy placed in Holland’s study (preserved in Talgarth’s attic) sets Clare’s nerves even more on edge.

Readers familiar with the two (so far) series that Griffiths has written will not be one bit surprised at how well-written this piece of crime fiction is: the three narratives (Clare, Harbinder and Georgia) detail what happens after Ella is murdered (with diary entries and flashbacks to earlier events), and the overlap of these different narratives offers alternative perspectives, gradually revealing facts not initially apparent.

Each revelation brings another possible suspect, until one of those too is murdered. Is life imitating art? The murders look like re-enactments of murders in R.M. Holland’s short story, The Stranger, with elements of Wilkie’s The Woman in White and Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Clues are subtly inserted as the story steadily progresses, before then racing headlong to a dramatic climax.

In her gripping thriller, Griffiths manages to include stabbing, garrotting and stigmata; gossip, infidelity and false alibis; a white witch, a ghost and a brave dog; ritual and symbolic artefacts. There are red herrings and not a few surprises, and even the most astute reader is likely to be kept guessing until the final chapters. Recommended!
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishers

EXCERPT: Hallo, Clare. You don’t know me.

Someone has written in my diary. I didn't recognize the handwriting. It was thin and spiky, written with what we used to call an italic pen. I keep thinking of that bit in I Claudius where Caligula drives his father to madness and death by, amongst other things, writing his name on the wall in tiny letters. One letter less each day until, by the time he got to the G in Germanicus, his father was dead.

Who is my Caligula?

ABOUT THIS BOOK: 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 favourite 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. Then one day she notices something odd. Writing that isn't hers, left on the page of an old diary: "Hallo, Clare. You don’t know me."

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

MY THOUGHTS: Elly Griffiths never fails to impress me, entertain me, educate me and, in this case, make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Deliciously creepy is an apt description of The Stranger Diaries.

The story is told from multiple points of view, most notably: that of Clare, in whose diary the messages are being found; Harbinder, one of the investigating officers; and Georgia (Georgie), Clare’s teenage daughter. The narrative is also interspersed with extracts from Clare’s diary and the story The Stranger by author R.M. Holland, who used to live in the school where Clare now teaches, and on whom Clare is writing a book.

There are mysteries within mysteries, mysteries that cross the boundaries of time.

An excellent read, not to be missed. So why, you ask, only 💖💖💖💖.5 instead of the full five 💖? Two minor, and they were very minor, things irked me. The first: with the story being told from multiple points of view, we sometimes get to see the same incident again. But in one part of the book an interview is related again from another character's point of view, word for word as it was narrated the first time. The second: As I have already said, the current story is interspersed with the story The Stranger by R. M. Holland. At the end we get the story in its entirety, not just the ending, but the whole thing again. I have to admit to skipping most of it to get to where the last extract had ended, and beginning again from there.

💖💖💖💖.5 very admiring stars

THE AUTHOR: Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway novels take for their inspiration Elly's husband, who gave up a city job to train as an archaeologist, and her aunt who lives on the Norfolk coast and who filled her niece's head with the myths and legends of that area. Elly has two children and lives near Brighton. Though not her first novel, The Crossing Places was her first crime novel.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

I loved the contemporary take on this classic gothic fiction style. If you're a fan of this genre you will LOVE this book. It does have a slow burn to start, but I flew through this one, and loved all of the characters, the setting, and interwoven ghost story/historical narrative of the author. A book within a book, with three unreliable characters, but likeable narrators, this gloomy ghost story gave me all the feels. Posted on my instagram!

<i><font size="5">‘”If you’ll permit me,” said the Stranger, “I’d like to tell you a story.”’</i></font>


<b><i>Clare Cassidy is a creative writing teacher at Talgarth High, a school that was once the Victorian home of horror author R. M. Holland and his wife. The stories say that Holland's wife died one night after taking a nasty fall down the stairs of the home. Legend has it that when you see her ghost, it means someone has been slated for death and their death is coming soon.
Clare loves Holland's stories and is obsessed with one story in particular, </i> The Stranger. <i> It's the story of a stranger on a train who tells a young boy the story of his friends and school colleagues... and how they all died. Clare's favorite work of fiction is brought to life when her best friend turns up dead, killed in the same manner as the first victim in </i> The Stranger. <i> With the body count rising, Clare scrambles to keep her daughter, Georgia, safe and to try and understand why her colleagues and friends are being murdered. It isn't until the killer writes a line in her diary that she realizes she may be the link to all the murders.</b></i>

<b>BOOKCEPTION!!</b>

If you've never read a "bookception" book, it's a book within a book. I LOVED this aspect of the book. I loved reading the snippets of Clare's favorite short horror story, <i>The Stranger</i>. So much so that I was thinking, "Is this book real? If so, I need to find it and read it. But guess what, guys!? <b> The entire story is at the end of the book!</b> Bless you, Elly, bless you.

I will admit, the first few chapters were a bit slow for me as we get to know our characters but those first few chapters were SO worth the wait. This book managed to excite me and send a horrible feeling of dread through me simultaneously. <b>AND I LOVED IT.</b>

The story is told from three different character perspectives and then we get those snippets of the short story, <i>The Stranger</i>, as I mentioned before, in between.
The first perspective we're given is Clare. A divorcee creative writing teacher who cares deeply for her daughter and her dog. Yes, her dog. Her dog is also named after the dog from the book, <i>The Stranger</i>. That doesn't really add anything to the mystery of the story, I just thought it was really cool. What DOES add to the mystery of the story is the fact that Clare keeps a diary...

Next up is DS Harbinder, (my favorite) the detective heading up the investigation of the murders. She's a hard-ass, gay woman who lives at home with her mom and dad. She's smart, witty, and she doesn't take crap from anybody. Throughout the book she's always willing to go the extra mile for the case. Though she has the hard outer shell... deep down... I think she really does have feelings.

Lastly, we have Clare's 15 year old daughter, Georgia (Georgie "for short"). Georgia is one of my favorite characters in the book. She's mature for her age. She's intelligent and has a good head on her shoulders. She also has a small group of friends with whom she tells everything and has a sort of "pact" if you will...

All of these narrations had me reeling. I was going back and forth with who I suspected was behind the killings. Each time we switched to a different narrator, I was given bits of information that swayed me into suspecting someone else. I can't even tell you how many times I was sitting and reading this book and had to stop for a second to collect myself because <b>I HAD BEEN SHOOK.</b> Right when I thought I had everything figured out, I was thrown a curve ball and had to rethink my entire interpretation of what was really going on.

This book was a joy to read. It was all the things I love in a book. It was dark. It was twisty. <b>It was creepy</b>. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and every aspect of it. Between Griffith's writing style and the way she builds tension throughout this book and the fact that this book gave me <b>actual chills</b> I would highly recommend reading this one. I don't think you will be disappointed.

A final thank you to this book as it left me with my new favorite quote taken from Shakespeare's <i> The Tempest</i>:

<b><i><font size="6"><font face="chiller"> Hell is empty, and all the devils are here.</b></i></font></font>

4.5 OUT OF 5!!

I have only read one of the author's previous works and felt very neutral about it. Didn't love it. Didn't hate it. So when I went into this one I didn't have particularly high expectations but was excited because of the great reviews. I was not disappointed. This is a really, really enjoyable book. Although I will say I didn't find it to be a modern day Gothic story as many readers are. When I hear Gothic I think I am expecting a very creepy read that is a bit of a slow building burn. This one was decidedly creepy - it was set in the UK, fall/winter, many parts set in the home of a Gothic writer subsequently turned into a school, and there is a ghost. But this is not a slow burn. It starts out strong and continues that pace throughout the book with murders, police investigations, gossip, affairs, and plenty of misdirection. In my mind this made the read very modern for me. But regardless, if you like a good mystery with lots of creepy goodness, read this book!!

I’m a big fan of the Ruth Galloway series, so I was excited to receive a copy of Griffiths’ new standalone novel. It was an interesting premise, with modern murders being committed in ways that seem identical to those in a Victorian ghost story called The Stranger. It just so happens that this is a favorite of main character, Clare, an English teacher at the local high school where the author of The Stranger used to live and work. This was a solid read, and an interesting premise, but I must admit I enjoy the Ruth Galloway series more. I found the characters in this one to be underdeveloped.

Thank you NetGalley for a free advanced copy. This did not affect my review.

I know I'm in the minority opinion here, but this was just an ok read for me. There wasn't anything especially memorable or remarkable about the writing or story. The only character that I actually liked was Harbinder and it took a long while for her to grow on me. I think what bothered me most was that the gothic elements (i.e. the mysteries surrounding R.M. Holland, The Stranger story, the white witch Mrs. Hughes & the summoning of ghosts) had nothing to do with the actual killer. I kept waiting for all of the many sub-plots to come together in some brilliantly woven, mind-blowing way and then nothing. No connection. I was very disappointed.

This book was unlike any others that I have read before. I’ve never read any Gothic Mysteries or Horrors before, but I have to say this one was truly a good read.

I liked how the story was told from the perspectives of the main characters and how they intertwined with each other to show you just a little bit more of the story.

I was definitely shocked by the reveal of who the murderer was... it wasn’t even an option for me when I was trying to figure it out!

I am glad this author didn’t decide to kill off the dog... like it was mentioned that some authors do.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy. It was truly a pleasure to read this book!

MY THOUGHTS:
I loved the gothic creepy setting of this book! I loved the ghost story and the killer's references to it. I thought it was a quick read and very intriguing! I was not too fond of the characters overall. By the way, what are the statutory rape laws in England? Fifteen year old girl dating a 25 year old? I thought that was crazy. But that's beside the point. Overall, I liked the story, the mystery, the setting... Wish I could have liked at least one of the characters, but it didn't ruin the book for me at all - still a great read!

MY RATING:
Entertainment Value: 5
Characters: 3
Voice: 5
Plot: 5
Overall: 4 stars!

See all my reviews @ www.mamaneedsabook.blogspot.com
<i>Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!</i>

Rating: 5 suspenseful stars

The author of, ‘The Stranger Diaries’, Elly Griffiths, has written a couple of popular mystery series (Ruth Galloway and Stephens & Mephisto Mystery). However, this is my first foray into her work. This is a standalone book of gothic suspense, and I loved it!

This story is quite cleverly laid out. ‘The Stranger’ is a short story written by a RM Holland who is a bit of an obscure Victorian writer. ‘The Stranger’ is a work of gothic suspense. Clare Cassidy is a high-school teacher in Sussex, England. The school she teaches at used to be the home of RM Holland, and his study is has been left intact in the attic. Clare is writing a book about ‘The Stranger’, and has written her own personal diaries for years. Her teen-aged daughter, Georgie, unbeknownst to her mother, is keeping an online diary of her own.

Then Clare’s friends and colleagues start turning up dead, murdered, with an important line from ‘The Stranger’ left by their bodies. Clare cannot be ruled out as a suspect. Detective Sargent Harbinder Kaur and her partner work to discover the killer. Interwoven in the story are excerpts from the ‘The Stranger’ which unfolds in a creepy gothic way. The murders follow some of the methods of the killings in ‘The Stranger’. Then one night Clare discovers that someone has written in HER diary. “Hallo Clare. You don’t know me”.

From there the story really takes off. It’s layer upon layer of possibilities. This was a very intelligent mystery. I especially liked the character of no-nonsense DS Harbinder Kaur. I’m hoping to see her in more books. Perhaps this could be the beginning of a new mystery series for Ms. Griffiths? I didn’t guess who the culprit was, and after it was revealed, I kicked myself because I SHOULD have guessed who it was. To me that’s the hallmark of a great mystery! Next up in my reading list, perhaps I’ll start one of Ms. Griffith’s mystery series. If they are as good as this book, I’ve been missing out on some fun reading.

‘Thank-You’ to NetGalley; the publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; and the author, Elly Griffiths; for providing a free e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
(Any quotes shown above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.)