I love books that manage to combine gothic elements with a contemporary setting, and this one hits the nail on the head. Clare Cassidy is a teacher at a school that was formerly the home of a mysterious author named R.M. Holland. The school is allegedly haunted by the ghost of Holland's wife. When one of Clare's fellow teachers is found dead, Clare becomes a suspect in her murder. Then Clare finds some strange notes written in her diary (!!!) and things really start to get weird.

This is a very well-crafted mystery with a few twists and turns. I definitely did not figure out what was happening. This is a page-turner that kept me up way too late on a work night because I had to know how it ended.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing an e-book to me in exchange for my honest review.

I would like to thank the publisher, Houghton Mifflin and Harcourt and NetGalley for a free copy of this book for an honest review.

Clare Cassidy is a high school English teacher at Talgarth High School which used to be the Holland House. R.M. Holland was a Gothic writer and Clare teaches a course from his famous story, "The Stranger."

When Clare's fellow teacher, Ella, is found dead with a quote from "The Stranger" Clare realizes the killer is using the story as a guide to murder. Another colleague, Rick Lewis, is next found murdered similar to a character in Holland's story also with the same quote from "The Stranger" nearby.

Since Clare's divorce she has written daily in her diary. She notices one day that the killer has left her a message in her dairy. DS Harbinder Kaur requests to read Clare's diaries and comes to the conclusion that Clare is the one that connects to the victims and that Clare and her daughter, Georgia, may be in danger.

In the past, I have read Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway series and her Stephens and Mephisto Mystery series. This new standalone Gothic mystery is one that will not disappoint. The first-person narration switches between three characters, Clare, DS Kaur, and Georgia, Clare's daughter. I found the characters, especially DS Kaur, to be very interesting. The plot was one that kept the pages turning until the very end. Hopefully, Griffiths will turn this standalone into another series. I would highly recommend this book to those who love Gothic Mysteries and I look forward to reading more of Griffiths' books in the future.

The Stranger, a gothic tale of suspense, is one of the writings that Clare Cassidy teaches in an evening class at Talgarth High. Clare’s classes are taught in a building that was once the author’s home and has a ghost of its own. When Ella, one of Clare’s fellow teachers, is murdered, a note is left with the body containing a quote from The Stranger. Clare has kept diaries for a number of years and after Ella’s death she pulls out some of the recent ones to re-read entries dealing with her friendship with Ella. After her most recent entry someone else has written in her diary to let her know that they are watching.

DS Harbinder Kaur takes an instant dislike to Clare. A former student at Talgarth, Kaur has memories of the school that are not all pleasant and she believes that Clare knows more about what has occurred than she is willing to reveal. After Clare’s discovery of the addition to her diary and the death of a second member of the Talgarth staff, Kaur requests the diaries, hoping for information that may lead to the murderer.

Elly Griffiths divides her novel with scenes from The Stranger, adding to an already eerie atmosphere. As the story progresses it is told in three voices - Clare’s, Kaur’s and that of Clare’s teenage daughter Georgie, a student at Talgarth. Each character brings their own observations to the events and each brings different suspects for the reader to consider. This is a stand-alone novel from Griffiths who is the author of the popular Ruth Galloway series. It has the feel of a classic murder mystery that should appeal to fans of Agatha Christie. Mystery lovers will find enough red herrings to keep them guessing to the end. I would like to thank NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing a copy of this book for my review.

I really enjoyed this book, liked the characters and would love to read more about them, especially the detective. My first title by this author but will not be my last. Recommend A*

What if you discovered that someone had been writing in your diary, adding comments connected to your own entries? What if one of your friends had been recently murdered when you discovered the strange entries?

English teacher Claire Cassidy has been researching the life and works of R.M. Holland, the reclusive Victorian writer, and teaches at the school located on Holland's estate. When her friend and colleague Ella is murdered, a note with a line from Holland's most well-known work is discovered at the scene.

If this were not disturbing enough, the notes that begin to appear in Claire's diary are in the same handwriting.

From the beginning, this eerie novel with Gothic overtones and allusions creates a feeling of unease and uncertainty.

Without revealing anything, I will note that there was one situation that I found bothered me, but aside from that, the novel kept me glued to the pages, doubting one character after another, and it was not until the author wanted the reader to figure things out that the villain of the piece was clear.

The Stranger Diaries was surprising in several ways, and I loved the Gothic ambiance, the three narrative voices, the connection to the fictional R.M. Holland, and the fact that I didn't solve the puzzle until Griffith's was ready.

The sinister and spooky ambiance was both unsettling and fun--in keeping with a modern Gothic.

The book is a stand-alone, but I'd like to see Elly Griffiths continue this Gothic mystery style or at least give DS Harbinder Kaur another case.

Read in November; blog review scheduled for Feb. 18, 2019

NetGalley/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Mystery/Gothic. March 5, 2018. Print length: 416 pages.

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. 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 is definitely not your standard thriller, it's creepy and has touches of horror built in. Perfect for any fan of this type of genre!

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of #TheStrangerDiaries
Pub Date: 05 Mar 2019

A spine chilling, eerie, gothic novel from Elly Griffiths the author of the Dr. Ruth Galloway /DI Nelson series. This stand alone novel captured my attention from the first page and never it let go. Claire, a teacher that specializes in gothic literature finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation when one of her co- workers is killed on the school grounds. Clues left at the scene point to someone familiar with the author R. M. Holland whom Claire happens to specialize in. As her terror mounts she turns to her journals to release her despair and dread but in reading back through some of her entries she notices handwriting that is not her own. Spooky, taught and haunting. Kept me guessing to the very end. Atmosphere galore. You will not be disappointed.

Truly enjoyed. A definite page turner. Had me up reading all night. Would like to read more by the author

Wonderfully atmospheric and compelling, with an ensemble cast of characters who are richly drawn and sympathetic.

Clare Cassidy teaches literature at the Talgarth Academy and is writing a biography of RM Holland, author of The Stranger, a ghost story and who once lived in house on the school grounds. When a colleague and close friend is murdered with a quote from Holland left near the body, Clare becomes involved in the investigation.

Clare is accustomed to sharing her innermost feelings in a diary and she is horrified when she sees a writing in the diary that is not her own. It appears that the murderer is trying to communicate with her. More disturbing, he appears to be taking revenge on those individuals she has written about.

It's a good mystery with multiple narrators--Clare, her daughter Georgia and Detective Sergeant Harbinder Kaur.

This book would be a great match for readers who enjoy Carol Goodman's books which are often set in schools and have a similar Gothic feel.

A very enjoyable, spooky mystery! I thought this was better than Griffiths' Galloway series and I hope she writes more books featuring Harbinder. The atmosphere was fantastic and this made a perfect winter read.

This was such a fun, absorbing Gothic thriller!

Clare Cassidy is an English teacher obsessed with a famous gothic short story, "The Stranger." She's trying to write a book about the author's life, and even teaches at the school where he once lived. But her life quickly begins to parallel the events in "The Stranger" with a shocking murder, and DS Harbinder Kaur is pulled into her world. Harbinder has her own feelings about the case and the school, as she was a student there years before. Clare's teenage daughter, Georgia, is a current student, and she has her own take about what's happening at Talgarth High.

I loved the juxtaposition of the current day murder mystery with the "The Stranger," pages of the short story teased out throughout the entirety of the book. I also really enjoyed reading about Clare, Harbinder, and Georgia, three completely different women who find themselves swept into the mystery. I read a lot of gritty, violent, psychological thrillers, and it was nice that this book managed to be creepy without having a lot of overt violence or traumatic scenes.

It was my first introduction to Elly Griffiths' writing, and I'm excited to read more of her mysteries.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc.

This was my first Elly Griffiths book, but it definitely will not be my last. I really liked this book so much. The characters were intelligent and interesting, the setting was atmospheric, the use of multiple POVs added greatly to my enjoyment, and then the author added a Victorian ghost story within the story. I hated having to put it down. What a well written, fun book!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

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.