As a huge fan of the author's Ruth Galloway series, I was delighted to get the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Stranger Diaries. This standalone book did not disappoint; I loved it. The style of the book is completely different than the RG series; I think she did a masterful job having the story told from 3 points of view, probably better than I've seen in other books with the same technique. I think it enhanced the telling of the tale. As with her other books, she had great characters who are brought to life. I would be happy to have the book turn into the beginning of a series. Unlike her other books, this one had creepiness added to the suspense, but it wasn't more than I could tolerate. Once I started the book, I hated to put it down wanting to see what happens. It was very atmospheric and very cleverly written. I highly recommend the book and look forward to the next.

This standalone novel by Elly Griffiths is suspenseful and clever. A murder mystery with various narrators, references to a diary and novel make this story unique. I found I couldn’t put this book down. Just when I thought I had figured out the murderer, the plot took a turn and left me surprised. A must read!!

Elly Griffiths is one of my favourite authors and this book did not let me down. She outdid herself with
this psychological thriller. The main characters were well thought out and definitely could relate to
Clare and Harbinder. Two of Clare’s friends and coworkers have been murdered and her ex-husband attacked. It kept me guessing who the murderer was until the very end. I highly recommend this
suspenseful novel.

"Hell is empty and all the devils are here." Although it could be referencing the current situation in Washington DC, this is a quote from Shakespeare's The Tempest. It's also written on a paper found at the murder scene in Elly Griffiths' new standalone novel.

Clare is an English teacher in Sussex, and as the novel opens, her best friend and colleague is found murdered. If that isn't bad enough, someone has not only been reading Clare's private diary, they have also been leaving comments in it. Who is responsible? And who will be the next victim? Detective Sergeant Kaur, a Sikh police woman assigned to the case, is determined to learn the truth,

I've enjoyed all of Griffiths' previous mysteries--the Magic Men and Ruth Galloway series-and The Stranger Diaries is another wonderful option for readers who love an exceptional mystery with a multi-layered plot and unique and intriguing characters.

A book that begins with a gothic horror story to catch your attention then moved in to modern day murders at the school. Great read for a cold dreary day.

With the caveat that I'm already a huge fan of Elly Griffiths' work, I have to say I loved this book. It was exciting to try this stand-alone novel from Griffiths. It's just as well-paced and written as the books in her Ruth Galloway and Magic Men series, but a little creepier. In fact, it felt a little like Tana French's work, and I kept having to remind myself it wasn't.
This story is told in roving first-person perspective, and we sometimes see the same scene from more than one of the characters' points of view. We start with Clare Cassidy, a literature teacher at a comprehensive school located in the historic home of a Victorian gothic writer, RM Holland. Clare is writing a book on Holland, and soon realizes the murders at the center of the story are eerily reminiscent of those in Holland's most famous story. The other narrators are DI Harbinder Kaur, who is investigating the murders, and Clare's 15-year-old daughter Georgie. All three narrators lend different perspectives on the events, but I found myself less interested in Georgie than I was in Clare and Harbinder. These two are more complicated characters and it was interesting to see how they mistrust and misread one another before starting to get along.
The gothic elements to the story were super creepy, and the devices of Clare's diary entries and the fragments of Holland's story added to the mood. I found myself unable to put down the book because I had to find out how it ended. No spoilers, but I guessed the murder maybe two-thirds of the way through the book and then had to see how it played out and if I was correct (I was, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment). This is an extremely entertaining page turner. Fans of Sharon Bolton and Tana French might particularly enjoy it.

An interesting novel. It slowly pulls you in and then grabs you.
Keeps you guessing till the end. Well done.

Griffiths. Has crafted a great ghost crime story. The book ticks a lot of boxes to keep the reader engaged. Claire is an English teacher researching a reclusive author who wrote a seminal ghost story. As claire research happens her close friend and colleague is murdered. Set within a English brooding landscape the murder is investigated by Harbender, a gay Indian detective and her partner Neil.
In the style of Louise penny this book has a clever plot revealed by good detective work.

From the very first pages of this novel, I was seeing a little-known British horror movie in my head. The more I read, the more it bothered me that I couldn’t remember the name of the movie. It didn’t have any big-name actors that most Americans would recognize. After a day’s search, I finally remembered an actor and found the movie. The atmosphere of this book was the same as this movie. Our main character in this book is an English teacher who wishes to write a biography of Gothic writer R. M. Holland whose only novel, The Stranger, deals with death. A murder. As it happens, the home of the famed writer has been converted into a school. Our English teacher works at this school. She is stalled on her writing, so her teaching helps with the bills and provides a school for her teenage daughter. Her good friend is found murdered, a line on a note from The Stranger left beside her body. From this point on the safety bar locks in place and you are on a steady moving ride that will take you on so many twists and turns you made need a dose of Dramamine. When you arrive at the end, you will be gobsmacked and the safety bar will unlock. This is a stand alone novel by Griffiths and any fan of her Ruth Galloway or Stephens and Mephisto series will be pleased with this offering. Hopefully, those unfamiliar with Griffiths will pick this up and discover a real gem.

The movie? It is called Dark of Night. The actor I remembered is Sir Michael Redgrave. It’s a highly atmospheric film about a man who shows up at a country house and realizes it’s a house from a recurring dream that is a portend of his impending doom.

I enjoyed this modern gothic mystery. I love books with a story within the story and I would recommend this novel to readers who enjoyed Magpie Murders.

An excellently plotted book with realistic characters and a wonderfully spooky setting. Griffiths is an author I always read and she has yet to let me down. I loved the idea of the murders taking ideas from the short story plot.

A strong sense of atmosphere, but ultimately few surprises made for a pleasant but somewhat uninspiring read.

On the one hand, Elly Griffiths 'The Stranger Diaries," provides a lot of what one might want to read as summer gives way to fall: strong atmosphere, a touch of high falutin taste without a ton of work, and a few spooky things that literally go bump in the night. Even the switching between narrators guarantees you'll find at least one voice to relate to and one to be irritated by.

It's forgivable that the lack of character development for the killer makes it obvious early on who he or she must be, but the Deus Ex Stalker resolution is what grinds an otherwise pleasant mystery into the realm of disappointing.

A cast full of people with viable motives and means, even an actual witch! And yet, Griffiths did the very thing protagonist Clare feared - wrapped it all up neatly with a stalker who just couldn't resist how pretty she was.

Is it the bitter teacher trapped forever in his high school? No.
Is it the dangerous bad boy who sent a Valentine to the deceased? Nope, not him either.
What about the seemingly unstable narrator or her teen witch daughter? Nope. Neither of them.

It's the token obsessive stalker who just couldn't resist a pretty girl. How dull.

Despite my salt, I may actually read this book again and just skip the last chapter.

I received a digital ARC from Net Galley and the publisher for an honest review.
I really enjoyed reading The Stranger Diaries. This mystery kept me guessing to the end. At times Gothic and spooky, other times modern and contemporary, the characters were well rounded and relatable. I could not put it down until the last page!

This book is really different from what the author usually rights, found it a bit off putting what the story kept on jumping innand out of the “the Stranger” story randomly did not seem to flow as well.
Not a bad book , but not as good as the Ruth Galloway series

Elly Griffiths Stranger Diaries is a Gothic Mystery I could not put down. Putting this book down was not an option, filled with suspense that could be at times a bit unnerving. The final outcome of this "who done it" mystery was surprising but satisfying. Elly Griffiths led us down all the right paths to the final solve.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of this book.

This was fantastic. Just fantastic.

A caveat before I begin. I enjoy the Ruth Galloway series by this author very much. I am drawn to academic novels, especially mysteries with great atmosphere, and the Galloway series is a lot of fun. Plus, like Ruth, I am an academic in her 40s and a first time mom. (Dr. Ruth Galloway is a forensic archaeologist, though, while I'm a literature professor, a 19th-century British Gothicist.) So when I heard about this new book--a mystery that centers on a Victorian Gothicist--I was both excited and concerned.

I was excited for obvious reasons. The genre could barely have been more to my liking. However, I have read more than one book (or series) before that has claimed to be based around some sort of academic, a literature professor who, all too often, is also a Gothicist. And very often these books are a terrible let down. The authors often have no idea what Gothic Studies actually is and seem to have simply googled for texts under the tag "gothic" as the full extent of their character and narrative research. So I was a little worried. What if Griffiths--whom I really like--had done the same thing? What if I start reading this and find yet another superficial treatment of the Gothic where the writer doesn't seem to know the difference between American and British Gothic? Or who confuses Frankenstein and his monster? Well, I had to know.

And . . . Griffiths (Domenica de Rosa) is the real deal. According to her bio (sorry Ms de Rosa!), she holds a Masters in 19th-century literature. This novel is a great representation of her background. She seems to have based her storyline on a combination of M R James with a very healthy dose of Wilkie Collins (and a dash of Agatha Christie). And Griffiths also realizes that Sensation fiction is a sub-genre of the Gothic, which was perfect timing for me. I was prepping my fall class on Sensation fiction--which begins with The Woman in White, of course--while reading this novel, which largely centers around and mimics The Woman in White.

The tale, like Collins' Sensation classic, moves through multiple narrators as they try to uncover the clues to a crime. There is a story that's told intermittently (a good one!) that also accompanies the action and influences the storyline. The text is often atmospheric--we move from a southern landscape often obscured by sea frets via an overnight train to end up in Scotland surrounded by the sea. I liked everything about this.

I don't know what Griffiths plans to do next, but I was frankly never of the opinion that her Ruth Galloway series was a "cozy" genre. I find many books, like this series, slid into the category that I feel are much more literary. So I can't say that this is an abrupt departure from what she's done before. But I do think this more complicated plotting with its stand-alone characters demonstrates her ability to build character, create atmosphere, and sustain suspense. This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. I highly recommend this one and hope you can read it on a dark and stormy night!

Ellie Griffiths is known for her Ruth Galloway crime series, so The Stranger Diaries is a change of direction for her. This standalone gothic, murder crime novel manages to unnerve, unsettle and keep you reading until the final outcome of the plot.

Clare Cassidy is an English teacher working in a school that once was the home of a famous ghost story author. She herself is writing a biography about him when a close friend is murdered. Clare finds herself at the heart of this dark tale. A great combination of crime and classic gothic ghost story.

I love all Elly Griffiths' books. I carry them in our store. I enjoyed this book and I plan on hand selling it.

A good read for just about anyone, but particularly delightful for fans of Golden Age mysteries and Victorian gothics. It's written from three POVs, including first person and diary entries, and peppered with the text of an in-book infamously creepy short story. There are flavors of, and allusions to, Wilkie Collins and Agatha Christie throughout and yet the characters never feel like anything less than (particularly bookish) moderns. The self-awareness and sense of humor about the tropes Griffiths is invoking and subverting is a compelling combination. It's the first of hers that I've read, but I will definitely be seeking out her other titles. Really enjoyable!

It's difficult to express just how much I enjoyed this novel. Eerie and atmospheric, it was exactly the ode to the beauty of gothic novels that I needed. The story is based around a gothic short story by a brilliant author from over a century ago and how this short story wove its way into the lives of several interesting modern-day women. This booo has it all: murder, mystery, ghosts, sex, teen angst, and one cute and brave doggo. I just finished it last night and I'm already planning on reading it again in a few months. Please grab this book as soon as it's available and prepare yourself for a satisfyingly creepy adventure!!