Clare Cassidy was a high school English teacher with her main focus being on the writer R.M. Holland, who had actually lived in the old house which was now the school. Many would swear to the ghost of his wife, Alice, being seen at the school, while his daughter Mariana was an enigma. Clare was fascinated by the history and was in the process of writing her own book about the writer. Her fifteen-year-old daughter lived with Clare, while her ex-husband, Georgie’s father lived in London with his new wife and children.

But when Clare’s best friend and fellow English teacher was found murdered in her home, with words from Holland’s story, “The Stranger” by her side, Clare’s horror at the parallels was immense. The suspicions of the police, led by DS Kaur, further confused and caused her concern, while the words in her diary came back to haunt her. What was going on? Not sleeping, not knowing who she could trust – would the killer be caught before it was too late?

The Stranger Diaries is the first I’ve read by Elly Griffiths, and it won’t be my last! Incredible twists; I loved that the mystery was connected to a book within this book. Fast paced and electric, the plot was a complex one which kept me on my toes. An excellent murder mystery which I highly recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

An atmospheric thriller, full of chilling scenes, I found this book very hard to put down.

Clare is a teacher at a high school, set in a historic old building. It is the former home of writer RM Holland, author of the ghost story The Stranger. Then Clare's friend and colleague, Ella, is found dead, a note is left beside her body with a line from The Stranger.

Clare, afraid that the killer is someone she knows, turn to her journal, where she's always written down her thoughts and feelings. Then one day she opens her journal to find writing that isn't her own...

The Stranger Diaries is a haunting gothic type mystery, full of creepy characters, any of which could prove to be the killer. With the setting of a haunted old mansion, what's not to love? Recommended.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have to admit that until about two weeks ago that The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths wasn't on my radar but then I read my dear friend Jennifer's review on her blog (you can read her excellent review here), and I knew it was the perfect book for me, especially after Jennifer told me that she was positive that I'd enjoy it, which of course I did!

The similarities between one of the main characters, Claire Cassidy, and myself just made it impossible to not pick up the book...you see, Claire is an English Literature teacher who specializes in teaching her favorite (fictional) gothic writer R. M. Holland and his thrilling, horror short story "The Stranger" to her class every year while I'm a university English Literature professor who specializes in teaching gothic literature and the works of Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, and Ann Radcliffe to students. I couldn't help but feel like Claire was a kindred spirit, and I really wished she'd been real just so we could chat over our shared love of teaching and researching gothic literature!

What I don't envy (or have in common!) is how Claire almost immediately becomes the center of a murder investigation when her best friend and co-worker at Talgarth High, Ella is brutally stabbed. The killer leaves a note beside Ella's body with these words from Shakespeare's Tempest written on it: “Hell is empty"...words also quoted prominently in Holland's short story, "The Stranger" that seems to suggest the killer is tied to Claire and that life is imitating art.

DS Harbinder Kaur, the detective investigating the murders, is even more certain Claire holds all the clues to the murder after Claire discovers a stranger is writing messages in her diaries; most importantly, the handwriting matches the writing left on the notes at the murder scene. Who is this stranger? Is it the killer? And what is the stranger's connection to Claire?

There is some mega-nailbiting suspense as the story continues and as it does, the specter of R.M. Holland looms even more menacing than before! Excerpts from his short story "The Stranger" are interspersed throughout the book, and each one is more eerie, atmospheric, and frightful than the last, which ties in wonderfully with the chapters in the book. I could have believed he was a real writer because of his story and backstory of living in Talgarth High, the school where Claire now teaches, which is supposedly haunted by his wife's ghost.

The novel is told by multiple narrators: Claire, Harbinder, and Claire's 15-year-old daughter, Georgia. Each of them gives such different and exceptional views on what is happening throughout the novel although all three were a bit unreliable at times. It doesn't matter though because Griffiths does an outstanding job making each one seem real, distinctive, and quite important to putting together this shocking mystery! By the end of the book, I really liked all three characters when I wasn't sure about them at first, so Griffiths' character development is simply amazing.

The Stranger Diaries is the ideal combination of gothic horror, contemporary suspense, classic whodunit, and detective fiction. It's a dark, ominous bookish mystery since they're also a book within the book, which I loved, so I think that there's something here for every mystery lover to enjoy, especially since the writing is brilliant, immersive, evocative, with a cast of incredible characters and a plot that is spine-tingling, page-turning, and beyond clever!

Although this was my first book by Griffiths, I now understand why so many of my blogging friends love her so much! She's now a favorite new author, and I've already grabbed the first few books in her Ruth Galloway series. I'm most definitely recommending you grab a copy as soon as you can of her standalone novel The Stranger Diaries!

**Thank you, NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an ARC to read and review in exchange for my fair and honest review. **

"Hell is empty, and all the devils are here!"

I may, or may not, be slightly baffled by how much I enjoyed this novel. 4.5 stars!

Gothic mysteries have never really been on my radar before, but, fellow readers, that needs to change. This story was absolutely, wholeheartedly delightful! My world needs more novels like The Stranger Diaries.

I'll admit, when I first began reading, the writing-style was off-putting. However, once the story got rolling (and it gets rolling very quickly), I became so engrossed trying to figure out who this nefarious killer was, the stylistic choices the author made became background noise to the amazing plot.

Speaking of the killer, this was one of the first stories in a very long time which completely, 100% stumped me--this coming from a long-time suspense fanatic. The multiple red-herrings were so well done, and so believable, at one point, I told my friend, Jenn (who was reading The Stranger Diaries simultaneously), that I thought I knew who this evil antagonist was. I was dead wrong. All the elements fit together seamlessly.

Told from three, first person perspectives...those of Clare, Georgia, and Harbinger...along with excerpts from The Stranger, I was genuinely spellbound by this fun, solid, little book. I'll definitely be reading more from Ms. Griffiths in the future.

My one and only complaint, and the reason this wasn't a 5-star read, I was a little underwhelmed when the killer was finally revealed. Yes, I was fooled, but I guess...after such a huge build-up...I was expecting more. Perhaps I'm just being too picky. Either way, you all need TSD in your life.

**As always, thanks to NetGalley, Houghton Mifflen Harcourt, and Elly Griffiths for gifting me an advanced reader's copy, in exchange for my honest review. It's appreciated.

Yes. This is a must read for fans of British mysteries. Told from the points of view of Clare, a teacher, her daughter Georgie, and Harbinder, the police officer investigating a series of deaths at the school where Clare teaches English, it deftly combines an old ghost story with a modern maniac. Yes, a maniac. Someone killed Ella, Clare's friend and another teacher at the school, and then Rick, the head of the English department and former lover of Ella. Now that same someone is writing in Clare's diaries. And then Clare's little dog Herbert goes missing and there's another attack. Creepy. Very creepy but the story hangs together terrifically. Harbinder is a wonderful creation- an in-the-closet Indian woman who lives at home with her curry cooking mom. She's slightly agog about Clare, who conveys as elegant but we know from her diaries that she's as insecure as the rest of us (just writes a lot better.). I've been a Griffiths fan for a long time. This is quite different from her other series but it's just wonderful. Best of all, I was surprised at the identity of the killer. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Two thumbs up!

Still reading this book but since today is the pub date and I like to at least give some type of response by this time, I will give an update. Current progress is at 82% and I will come back and finish my review when I am finished. When I first started reading the book, I was a bit unsure if I would be able to get past the British-isms in the book and really find and enjoy substance. However, once things started to pick up with Ella's murder and we really dive into Holland's book and the history of the house/school, I really started to enjoy things more. And of course, the diary and how the book as a whole is wrapped up in such a gothic feeling. Its very neat.

ARC received from NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in exchange for an honest review.

As soon as I heard about this book I knew I had to read it. A gothic Agatha Christie-esque murder mystery? Sign me up.

The story is told through three different POVs (an English teacher, her daughter, and a detective) and revolves around the investigation of the murder of an English teacher and its connection to “The Stranger” a gothic short story and the mystery surrounding the death of the writer’s wife and disappearance of his daughter a century before.

The plot is fast paced and full of twists that keep you turning the pages and though initially all of the characters were pretty unlikeable, I ended up being quite fond of (almost) all of them. The only criticism is that I felt the resolution of the mystery of the past was pretty rushed. But other than that this was a pretty clever and enjoyable mystery and I will sure check out Elly Griffiths other series.

Clare Cassidy is a high school English teacher who specializes in the works of Gothic writer, R.M. Holland, who just happened to reside in the school she now teaches at. When one of Clare’s close friends and colleagues is found murdered with a note containing a verse from Holland’s most famous work, The Stranger, beside her body, Clare starts to worry that she may know the killer. The coincidence of this line and her connections to the victim are too obvious to brush to the wayside.

As the detectives begin to dig deeper into the murder, Clare makes a startling discovery that leads her to believe she might be a target. Someone has written in her diary. Her innermost thoughts are contained within these pages and her fears start to mount when she realizes her sense of security has been violated. Can the detectives solve this case before Clare or someone else close to her falls victim to the killer?

Elly Griffiths has created an absolute masterpiece in storytelling within the pages of THE STRANGER DIARIES. A mixture of blurbs from The Stranger, alternating narratives, and sections of Clare’s diary come together to form an atmospheric and suspenseful story. Griffiths’ writing echoes an Agatha Christie-esque style that will resonate with fans of the crime fiction genre. There is something so comforting in these classic mysteries. THE STRANGER DIARIES manages to stay fresh, while including these nods to the past, through the use of alternating narratives, which overlap to tell the same story through the eyes of three main characters. This remains one of my favorite writing styles in the genre because of the exposure I am granted to alternative viewpoints, which tend to expose clues to the case at hand.

Griffiths’ decision to launch THE STRANGER DIARIES with a passage from a short story titled, The Stranger, immediately sets the Gothic, moody -vibe that this story needs to make it eery. The connection between the short story and Clare’s situation continues to be explored throughout the novel. I appreciated that it was not a random addition to the book, but instead aided the story greatly. I adore the fact that the entire short story can also be found at the end of this book. I loved getting to end of the main book and being treated to this gift!

The plot to this book is richly layered and unraveled in a manner that will keep your attention throughout the entire story. While I’m not sure I would characterize the three narrators as unreliable, I would say that they each have their own objective and are keeping some interesting secrets that could hold the key to the identity of the killer. I appreciated that Griffiths’ didn’t stick to the much used style of making the reader distrust and ultimately dislike these individuals. Instead I found myself able to connect with each of them, while remaining suspicious.

This is the first standalone novel from Elly Griffiths and it makes me want to snag all of her other titles. If she is able to create such a wonderful masterpiece within one book, I am beyond intrigued to find out what she can put together in a series. If you like your crime fiction with an air of Gothic undertones and multiple narrators, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of THE STRANGER DIARIES!

The Stranger Diaries is a great read! It is a blend of modern gothic, police procedural and a compelling mystery with enough suspense to keep you reading well into the night. The story is actually a story within a story, which is a clever way to present the plot. The characters are interesting and well-drawn and the story itself is told from several points of view, which I really liked. It gives the reader an insight to the lives of the three main characters, which only adds to the enjoyment of the book. It is suspenseful and atmospheric, with gothic undertones and touches of humor. It’s a complete package.

I believe this is the first Elly Griffiths book I have read and now I understand her popularity. Stranger Diaries is a great book, well-written, well-plotted and quite clever. I highly recommend it!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Initially I wanted to read this book simply because it was written by Elly Griffiths and for that reason alone I figured how could I not enjoy this standalone. When I first started reading I could not get into the story and found the main character Clare, a bit of a stick in the mud. So I put it down and didn’t go back to it for well over a week. Second time round I got into the story and am so glad I did. I very much appreciated the book and once I was half way through I couldn’t put it down.

Elly Griffiths does it again! I have long been a fan of the Ruth Galloway series by this author. I have to admit I was a little hesitant to read something without Ruth as the main character. Often I find that I become attached to an author's first series and I have a hard time adjusting to new characters. However, within a few chapters I found the magic so prevalent in Griffith's Galloway series. This was a book I did not want to put down and provided the twists and turns I have come to expect from her. Definitely a must read for those familiar with her previous work!

You may not want to read this chilling standalone mystery after dark. Clare Cassidy is an English teacher and working on a biography of R.H. Holland, the author of the atmospheric and enigmatic tale "The Stranger." Her friend and fellow faculty member Ella is murdered and Clare's life begins to take on a very sinister turn. She finds a message in her personal diary and then there is another murder. Is there a serial killer on the loose? Why do these crimes all connect back to Clare and mimic "The Stranger?" I could not put this down and read it at breakneck speed to get to the end -- totally shocked by the reveal of the facts behind all the evil acts in the narrative. Then at the end you get to read the entire text of "The Stranger" and its chilling conclusion. Goosebumps!

A big thank you to Houghton Mifflin andNetGalley for providing a digital ARC of this new release in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great read for a dark and stormy night! Elly Griffiths newest novel has all the elements of a creepy gothic mystery.

Set on an old school campus, the story at times reminded me of Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers. The story wasn’t the same, but the author managed to capture that same atmosphere of the school and the secrets to be uncovered.

Clare Cassidy, the main character, is obsessed with the life of Gothic writer RM Holland, who just happened to have a study on the top floor of one of the school buildings. Clare also teaches English with a focus on Gothic literature and is in the process of writing a book about RM Holland.

Strangely enough, about the time Clare hits a roadblock in completing the book, her good friend and colleague is murdered. Harbinder Kaur, a former student turned detective, is called in to investigate. As the investigation proceeds, things escalate to a frightening level.

Clare, her daughter Georgia and their faithful dog Herbert seem to be unwittingly holding the clues to the murderer. This was an engaging “whodunnit” and one that I think mystery readers will enjoy.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

Thank You Net Galley for providing me a copy of The Stranger Diaries.

This is my first book by Elly Griffiths and now I'm off searching for all her works. The Stranger Diaries was an impressive Gothic fiction with surprisingly a school as the backdrop. The story begins with such a high impact and the gloomy dark feeling of the school with the wet Sussex weather adding the perfect backdrop. Spooky enough?? The story moves thru' Clare, DS Kaur and Georgie, Clare's daughter. There's a parts of short story that we read and something that the murderer is copying into actions. I loved it that the author provided the complete short story in the end, it was incredible with that ominous 'What happens now 'feeling.
Harbinder Kaur was such a lovely character and it was fun reading about her quirky traits, hopefully she will be repeated in further stories.

I had an idea that I would like this book, as it contains all the right ingredients to keep me happy; a book about books, a historical mystery, contemporary thrills, an evocative setting, a sassy female detective, multiple points of view, an unreliable narrator (or 3), lots of red herrings, and a sprinkling of dry humour, all mixed together with a strong gothic sensibility. But I didn't just like it - I loved it! So much so that I'd be happy to return to the first page and start again straight away, if life was different.

Following her divorce a few years earlier, Clare Cassidy had moved to West Sussex with her teenage daughter Georgie, and taken a job teaching English at Talgarth High. It wasn't the best school by a long shot, but it was improving under the stewardship of relatively new head teacher, Mr Sweetman. One of the attractions of the school for Clare was that its campus was centred on a historical house - the former residence of the 19th century author RM Holland, most famous for writing the gothic horror short story, The Stranger. Clare has always loved this story and uses it to teach her creative writing course. And what's more, she happens to be writing a biography of RM Holland in her spare time.

As The Stranger Diaries begins, it is half-term and Clare is busy at school teaching her creative writing course as part of the adult education program offered at Talgarth. When her best friend and colleague, Ella, is killed, Clare is shocked to learn that the murder shares some similarities with one described in The Stranger. Local detective DS Harbinder Kaur is on the case. So when school resumes, it's even more hectic than normal and emotions are running high with the school community dealing with this awful tragedy. Clare is interviewed about Ella's death, and she is left feeling that DS Kaur is not entirely happy with the way she handled herself, particularly in relation to some questions about Ella's love life. Clare confides her frustrations in her diary, and then goes back to an older diary to check what she had recorded about the events DS Kaur is interested in. And that's when Clare notices the handwriting that doesn't belong to her!

"HALLO, CLARE. YOU DON'T KNOW ME."

Aaaaaaargh!

From this point the story really kicks into gear and the bodycount starts to rise. The story is told from 3 points of view - Clare, Harbinder and Georgie - often covering some of the same ground but adding their own spin, and then driving it forward a bit further before handing over to the next person. In between we are given excerpts from The Stranger so that we can see how creepily fictional reality is mirroring fictional fiction (haha).

This book contains quite a large cast of characters, and the main ones are drawn exceptionally well. But the minor characters are well done too (I was never allowed to forget or get confused about where they fit in the story). They had to be, because there are so many people who could be the murderer! However, I didn't pick it until right at the end when Harbinder - my favourite character - figuratively unmasked them.

This is a clever, multi-layered gothic murder mystery, and I hope Elly Griffiths chooses to continue writing in this vein in future.

This tale gets all the points for originality and atmosphere. It has a very gothic air and feels very British to this American reader. Set in modern times, but ample references to the past with Oxford, literature, diaries, and mysterious writers. Throw in an abandoned factory, a haunted school, magic, and several murders and you’ve got a classic mystery.

There are several points of view in the book which threw me at first but was a brilliant way to tell the story. How different the same events are from another perspective! We have an English teacher, Clare, and her teenage daughter, Georgia, who attends Talgarth -- the school where her mother teaches. There’s the police detective Harbinder Kaur who has her own history with the school. We have a whole host of fascinating characters that we get to know well during the chapters from their view.

All throughout the book we are teased with snippets from a classic ghost story written by R.M. Holland. Clare just happens to be an expert on this writer and is writing a book about him. When life starts to mimic the story, things take a deadly turn and Kaur frantically tries to solve the case before another murder happens.

This book was a fantastic surprise! I’ve never read anything by Elly Griffiths, but she has legions of fans! I now count myself in that group. This author is so talented, and I can’t wait to get my hands on her other books.

It was my first book written by Elly Griffiths but certainly not my last - I so enjoyed her writing. The story is told from three POVs although there is also a short story which give us fourth narrator. It was slow build up that introduce all the characters with details. And then everything changed. I just couldn’t stop reading. Wow for all the twists and mysteries  love it


Thank you to Net Galley and Quercus Books for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Elly Griffith is one of my favourite writer and I was very happy when I got this book.
I love her series and loved this standalone mix of whodunnit and gothic novel.
The structure of the book is different from the one of other books: we have different voices and different point of views that makes this book enthralling and unputdownable.
The books is engaging, entertaining and atmospheric, once you start you are enthralled and you cannot put it down.
The mystery was very good and I also like the part about the gothic writer and how the gothic atmosphere seems to permeate also the rest of the book.
A very good book, highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all opinions are mine.

Already given feedback on this title from another copy from Netgalley as follows:

My first Elly Griffiths' novel but certainly not my last - I so enjoyed her writing. This takes the form of a gothic novel within a novel. Clare Cassidy is an English teacher who also coaches a writing class and is trying to write a book about R.M. Holland who wrote The Stranger (the gothic novel) - this story is told in part during the book and then in its entirety at the end.
Clare's best friend is killed and from there we follow the characters involved in this story. It is well told and there is much humour in the writing with wonderful descriptions and very up to date references. An entertaining and enthralling read with ghostly overtones.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Elly Griffiths/Quercus Books for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Clare teaches English literature and does a short course every year in the Gothic writer R.M. Holland, an author she is researching for a potential book. When one of her co-workers is found dead with a line from one of Holland's stories nearby, the police are convinced that the author's work is somehow relevant. Clare, unwilling to accept that someone she knows must be the killer, records her thoughts in her journal. But one day, she notices writing in the journal – that is not her own penmanship. What is going on… and who is responsible?

Elly Griffiths is one of my favorite authors, so I was excited to get a chance to read this book, but this is her first-ever stand alone, so I was a bit skeptical at the same time. Unfortunately, the skepticism was well-placed for this particular book. The setting, especially the Holland house, was incredibly appropriate to the storyline, and the writing was, as usual for this author, well done. The characters were well-drawn, but I think part of my problem with the book was that there were so many of them, and that it took so long to introduce each of them. Once I got past all of that, the story picked up and I found it harder to put the book down, but I still wasn't as absorbed by this story as I am by the author's series. If (when?) she writes another stand alone, I'll certainly read it, but probably without such high expectations until proven otherwise.