A modern gothic style mystery. An eerie, dark setting with mysterious happenings, murder with several possible suspects, and an unexpected thrilling conclusion. Perfect for a dark and rainy autumn day.

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.

Writing: 4/5 Plot: 4/5 Characters 4.5/5

A fun, fast-paced, whodunit where real life begins to resemble the sinister stories taught in Clare Cassidy’s Gothic literature course. Clare specializes in RM Holland, author of the classic: The Stranger. However, when her best friend and colleague turns up dead, with a line from the story by her body, things start to get chilling. Unsure of whom she can trust, Clare turns to her diary — only to find that someone else is writing in it as well …

The first person narrative alternates between Clare, her 15-year old daughter, Georgia, and Harbinder Kaur — the 35-year old, highly suspicious, Sikh, lesbian detective assigned to the case. Plenty of plot twists, good character development, and lots of fun literary references since much of the action takes place in the English department! Most of the action takes place in a small town on the Sussex Coast, but some beautiful scenes in Ullapool, Scotland as well.

A standalone mystery offering from Elly Griffiths, author of the Ruth Galloway series.

If you’ve been a fan of Elly Griffiths’ Ruth Galloway or Magic Men series ...or even if you’re not, you are going to love this! A standalone story, this book will grab you and not let you go until the very final page. Brilliantly plotted and terrifyingly scary and mysterious from start to finish. Three of the most reliable narrators I’ve ever come across tell the story in a way that keeps you guessing until the end and in this case, I truly never saw the end coming. There are actually four narrators if you count the secondary storyline running through this chiller. Reading this close to Halloween seemed very appropriate. This is without a doubt the best book I’ve read in a very long time. I wanted to stay with these characters long after I finished the book. I am beyond grateful to NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this yet to be published deliciously creepy mystery!

I have absolutely adored Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway mystery series and hope that she will continue to write many more book about Ruth, her family, colleagues and friends. Ms. Griffiths has also penned the post-war Max Mephisto series. Now, she has written her first standalone novel. I will start by saying that this atmospheric, character driven story does not disappoint.

Plot: Clare is a teacher at the school where her daughter, Georgia, is a student. Harbinder is a Detective Sergeant whose alma mater is this school. When Clare's colleagues begin to die, Harbinder is assigned the investigation. The school also has close ties to the author of a very scary story. These threads intertwine to produce a suspenseful, somewhat Gothic tale.

Most interesting to me in the book were the many characters and their interrelationships. There are Clare and her ex-husband, Clare and her daughter, Clare and her colleagues, Clare and Harbinder. Then there are Georgie and her parents, Georgie and her teachers, Georgie and her boyfriend, Georgie and her writing group, etc.

Another feature of the novel is the offering of different points of view. The reader sees events through the eyes of Clare, Georgie and Harbinder.

As in all good mysteries there are some twists. This is a novel that I definitely recommend. My favorite novels by this author are still the Ruth novels but this is worth a read for suspense lovers.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read by one of my favorite authors!

An absorbing crime novel with a hint of the supernatural. Elly Griffiths is one of my must-read authors and she doesn't disappoint here.

The sense of menace and peril is ever present, and I enjoy how the author is able to write flawed, not always likeable characters and pull you into their world.

The only thing that jarred was the name Harbinder - the only Harbinders I've ever come across have been men, but that was a small thing.

Highly recommended.

I've read many books by this author and thought they were all pretty good. But this one is a stand out. Interesting plot and characters. The story weaves around a short story called The Stranger, which is a great creepy story as well. I was drawn in quickly and enjoyed the mystery immensely!

The Stranger Diaries by author Elly Griffiths is an awesome gothic thriller! Leaves you almost breathless. A creepy read! I loved it!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of The Stranger Diaries in exchange for an honest review.