Another huge hit for the author. I just loved this book. It was fast paced. Exciting. Hard to put down. I love the authors style of writing

C.lTaylor never fails.This is a tense chilling thriller that is told from three different points of view that finally blend.Together.A book that kept me guessing .#netgalley#avonbooksuk,

This was a clever read especially how we build up to the ending. The characters were real and their paths cleverly interwoven. It was a book that you just didn't want to put down.

I have read all of C L Taylor’s previous novels and love reading her carefully crafted stories. This one is no exception.

Ursula, Alice and Gareth are the three main characters and there is no clear connection between them at the beginning of the story. The story is told from each of their viewpoints.

Alice is manager of a clothes store in the fictional shopping centre known as Meads in Bristol. She goes on a date which turns nasty and bumps into Simon who assists her at the time. Ursula is a delivery driver who has a compulsion for shoplifting from stores and flatmates which needless to say gets her into trouble. Gareth is a security guard at the Meads shopping centre and is caring for his mother who is suffering from dementia.

In addition to the turmoil of the three main characters, men keep going missing along the riverbank. Well-rounded individuals with differing lives find that their worlds collide in an intricately plotted story which kept me turning those kindle pages at a fast pace.

This is a deep, dark novel addressing some serious issues in society and a brilliant ending which I absolutely loved.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and C. L. Taylor for my ARC in return for my hones review.

Excellent Read. Recommended.

Strangers is a well constructed story which follows three unconnected individuals - Alice, Gareth and Ursula - whose lives ultimately collide. Alice, divorced with an adult daughter, manages a clothing shop in a shopping centre; Gareth is a security guard at the same centre and cares for his mother, Joan, who has dementia; six foot three Ursula, perhaps the most interesting of the three (Alice is definitely the least), works as a delivery driver and appears to be a bit of a mess, compulsively stealing from shops and flatmates and, unsurprisingly, getting herself into trouble as a result.

All these various people have issues, problems and strange events to contend with, at home and at work, but how and why they will ultimately connect keeps the reader guessing.

Strangers was an enjoyable read. There’s a lot going on and I did at times find it slightly hard to keep track, but it all comes together in the end. I really had no idea where the story was going or how it would all end up and the author does a good job of keeping us on our toes and weaving the disparate elements together.

There’s a kind of subplot with one of the people Ursula regularly delivers to, and this story is tense and engaging, but feels a bit wasted as we see so little of it. There’s also a storyline with Joan, Gareth’s mother, and I found this a refreshing change from the now ubiquitous missing-child stories, although I do have an issue with how it ended.

A very good, skilfully written, escapist read.

Great book. The kind of story that makes you want to read it all in one go - an ‘unputdownable’ book. I think it’s because it’s written in sections of the characters and you want to race to the next section of their story. Ursula, Gareth and Alice - strangers, we follow their individual stories until the final, exciting climax when their stories come together. Great characters, great storytelling.

When strangers lives intertwine what will happen? The book is told from three different people's perspectives. Ursula is a grieving widow with a stealing habit. Alice is a shop manager, single, desperate for love and convinced she has a stalker. Gareth is a security guard who looks after his Mum who has dementia.
Each of their lives are unravelling independently, but who is behind the mysterious happenings in each of their lives.
I was impressed at the fast paced twists and turns, and how everything is tied together to give answers. There's also a good little twist at the end. The book is definitely not a disappointment.

This is my first book by this author and what an amazing book it was. Plenty of twists and turns to keep me gripped and I thought I had guessed the ending more than once but I was wrong. I didn’t want to put it down and that’s the sign of a good book to me. I will definitely look to read more by this author. How have I missed such a good author!!

Let me tell you, C.L. Taylor is scary. Scarily good at twisting life as if it were a dishes towel to get those drops of reality and dilute them with her magical writing to create an intense and nail-biting novel.


Three strangers, two secrets, one terrifying evening.
Three slices of cake, two sittings, one terrified reader!

Ursula, Gareth, and Alice. Three people who couldn’t be more different. Three characters with enough layers to last the winter and keep you enthralled by the events happening to them. It can be difficult to juggle so many storylines and manage to spark an equal interest from the reader. Not for Cally Taylor.

Ursula was a mystery to me. I could picture her clearly but had the feeling the image was somehow askew. Why was she acting this way?
Gareth? I felt sorry for him. I immediately saw him as a good man doing his best for his ill mother.
Alice… I was not so kind to. I found myself tutting at her reactions and shaking my head at her teenager-like behavior. If a man acts a certain way with you, don’t be that needy and obsessed woman. Thankfully, she redeemed herself later and I found her development satisfying enough to forgive!

The problem with books like Strangers is that if I give you details about the strains and stresses of those people’s everyday life, part of the magic will be gone. Magic, well, bad magic. Black magic causing goosebumps, making you turn around in the middle of the street to check if you’re being followed. The story is laced with personal dramas which link all the protagonists in a way that I never saw coming. I know, I know “the twist I did not see coming” I hear you complain about how many times you’ve read that and actually saw the thing coming! But there is a real surprise here, among the pain and the fear. And between this twist and you, there are characters created to make you shiver, react, and swear.

The drama never lets up without ever feeling too much. The tension is palpable, without choking you at every page. You get to meet Alice, Gareth, and Ursula through their present and get to understand them better through their past. Actions speak loudly, and C.L. Taylor cleverly reminds us even the smallest actions have consequences… I was unable to tear myself away from the pages that unraveled different but interconnected lives.

Strangers is suspenseful and dramatic, a pure thriller!

Really loved this novel, as I did the same by this amazing author. She weaves a twisted net and the reader immediately gets wrapped up in it. Can’t recommend it enough!

Thank you to NetGalley for a Kindle ARC of Strangers.

I've never read this author before so I went into this with an open mind.

** Minor spoilers ahead **

Three strangers with no connection to one another will be brought together in a dramatic finale when their lives are in danger.

The writing was good, but I had a hard time connecting to any character, especially with Alice. I found her and her daughter to be too meek, too much of a doormat to sympathize or care about their plight.

Gareth wasn't a bad character; there were aspects of his personality I understood and could relate to.

Ursula was the biggest surprise; at first, I found her character kind of wimpy, and I didn't like her, but she owned up to her mistakes and took responsibility for them.

I had a hard time suspending disbelief in how the characters came together because it relied too much on coincidence.

I did like the ending, and the explanation about the disappearances of three men.

Well that was great. And satisfying. And suspenseful. And beautifully written. Three different people I cared about. Three stories I loved. All came together in the end. And what an ending. Fabulous book - thoroughly recommended. This was my first book by this author and I’m pumped there are plenty more..

I’ve read a few books by CL Taylor and loved them, so I couldn’t wait to get stuck into her latest thriller “Strangers.”

Alice is a single mum and the manager of a fashion store inside a shopping centre. She’s recently started dating again with the encouragement of her adult daughter.
Gareth is a security officer at the same shopping centre. He cares for his mum who has dementia and tries to protect her from someone he believes is trying to take advantage of her.
Ursula blames herself for the death of her partner a few years earlier. She has a job working as a courier and is living with friends. Until they discover she’s been stealing from them. Desperate for somewhere to live, she agrees to rent a room from an odd stranger who insists the radio is kept on at all times and seems to be hiding something in the basement.

Meanwhile, several men in the local area have gone missing, and rumours are suggesting it may be the work of a serial killer.

Eventually, the three seemingly unrelated stories collide in a nail-biting conclusion...

I debated between giving this book 3 or a 4-stars. I enjoyed it, however, I felt like the first half was a bit of a slow burn. I don't think it builds suspense as well as the other books I've read by the same author.

However, I thought it was really clever how the various storylines came together. The chapters alternate between the perspectives of the three main characters, so you easily get to know each of them.

If you fancy reading a psychological thriller with an ending that's hard to guess, I recommend giving this a go (and pick up the rest of C.L Taylor's books straight after!)

What can I say about this book? Firstly C.L Taylor is another one of my favourite authors. Although I still have a couple on my ‘to be read’ shelf, I loved her previous books, The Lie, The Missing and Sleep. I thought the premise of her new book was mysterious and creepy and really piqued my curiosity, so I had to read it straight away. 


The book follows strangers; Alice, Gareth, and Ursula. Three seemingly unrelated people who are struggling through life in their own way. The characters’ stories are told through multiple points of view, and although it moves around this way it is easy to follow. 
This book was amazing. Creepy, suspenseful and intelligent. I couldn’t read it fast enough. I had a few ideas of how it would all come together but I could never, ever have guessed the ending. Brilliant. Highly recommended.

Strangers is another fantastic book by CL Taylor. I've read all her novels and they are all great.

This time we are told the story through the viewpoint of 3 strangers, who we know are all tied together in some way. It begins with a body... All the best books do!

Alice, Ursula and Gareth live in Bristol and seemingly have completely separate lives, but are thrust together in the most horrific way.

Alice is a single parent of a teenage daughter, struggling with Internet dating. She's the manager of a clothing store... Where we find Ursula.

Ursula is currently homeless due to her stealing addiction, and frequents Alice's store to get her swag.... The store is in a shopping centre, patrolled by security guards... Where we find Gareth.

Gareth is a security officer at the Meads- the fictional shopping centre in Bristol where a lot of the book is set. He lives with his elderly dementia-stricken mother and is her full time carer.

The story follows the three of them over a few days that include stalkers, assaults, the police, murder, and loads of other stuff.

Difficult not to give anything away. But I would definitely recommend this.

#Strangers #NetGalley
Creepy and totally original, an unputdowable read.
Three strangers, two secrets, one terrifying evening.
Ursula, Gareth and Alice are three independent living personalities who don't know each other. Ursula is a pathetic girl who has a bad habit of stealing from her surroundings is living with her school friend Charlotte in her house but one day her friend asked her to go from her house. She's a courier delivery girl who makes money only when she completes her day's goal otherwise not. After she's kicked off from that house, she searched papers and finally got a new place to live. Her new landlord Ed is a creepy person who has a locked basement in his house and asks her don't to turn off the radio but doesn't tell her the reason for that.
Gareth, a security officer who's duty is to watch people in trouble or anyone is shoplifting. He lives with his I'll mum, his wife and daughter.
Alice, a middle aged woman who left her husband Peter and is living with her daughter Emily. She's an employee in Mirage fashions. When her daughter forced her to met a guy in a restaurant named Michael, she agreed for the same but that guy Michael abused her and then she meets with another guy Simon who tells her that he works in insurance. And then the story continues and we come to know more about these three characters. They're standing around a dead body. They had to do it but why? Who's dead body is that? Read this amazing psychological thriller to know more.
Characters were good but Alice was excellent and is the saving grace of this story. Ursula also has an important character in this book while Gareth on the other hand is ok but not so interesting one.
Narration was excellent.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for giving me an advance copy of this awesome psychological thriller.
A must read.

I received in advance for you just copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow – this book was a bit of a slow burn but the drama heats up and that last half is a crazy crash until it finally goes off the rails. These people are scary, and not in the horror movie sense of the word. This will definitely have you sleeping with one eye open when you answer an ad for a roommate

C.L Taylor has done it again! Strangers is perfect!

Following three very different characters, their stories and comes together with a terrifying conclusion! I absolutely loved this book. I loved how the characters all had very different identities. I really enjoyed the three subplots and how everything came together. I would love to see this on Netflix! It’s gripping, twisted and damn bloody good!

5/5

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the eARC.
My goodness, that was such a good book. I had never read a C.L. Taylor book before and was so impressed I will check out her other books, adding her as,a new author to add to my favorites.
The story is told from the viewpoint of three characters, each of them with an interesting and intense story. They're all flawed, but basically good people who have had difficult experiences and are trying to hold their lives together as best they can. They don't know each other, but come together at the end in a very tense situation. The tension builds throughout the book, so you can't put it down...great stuff.
The denouement is terrific and the last chapter made me smile, although a little guiltily. Definitely highly recommended!

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. This was a good book. First book I have read by C.L. Taylor. It kept my guessing as to how all three people were going to be connected. Suspense was good; could have been better, but overall I enjoyed the book.