This seemed like a pretty typical Christian romance thriller. You have Torie arriving on Jekyll Island to see if she can solve the mystery of her friend's death. Cue the romantic interest right away over a rescue of baby turtles (which was cute) by a sweet kid and her handsome father who works in the navy to train sea lions as sort of special ops and detect bad guys. That was kind of entertaining, especially with Simon (really smart sea lion!). It was a wild story that I mostly enjoyed though parts felt kind of stiff and the big showdown was not what I expected from the clues and creepy things that had happened to Torie. Plus at odd moments, the characters would quote scriptures or doing a bit of preaching. But as you know with this type of story, the main character will find true love and a way to be together for happy ever after after the bad guys are foiled.

So it was an okay book and I will say that the narrator did a good job in relating the characters and story.

An enjoyable mystery with some romance thrown in. I loved the setting on Jekyll island, it had great atmosphere. The book was easy to follow and had multiple story lines with great characters. Great narration as well.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 Stars (Outstanding)
Setting: Jekyll Island, Georgia
Genre: Mystery

A Stranger’s Game by Colleen Coble is everything I want in a suspense novel — heart-pounding tension, compelling characters, and twists that kept me guessing until the very last page.

Torie Bergstrom is a fantastic protagonist: determined, intelligent, and vulnerable in all the right ways. Her return to Georgia to investigate her best friend Lisbeth’s suspicious death immediately pulls you in, and the rich, atmospheric setting of Jekyll Island adds a haunting, almost cinematic quality to the story.

The chemistry between Torie and Joe Abbott is beautifully written — their alliance feels natural and earned, and Joe’s protective nature and his bond with his daughter add depth to the narrative. I especially loved the scenes with the baby sea turtles, which offered small, tender moments in the midst of all the suspense.

Coble masterfully balances mystery, romance, and danger, weaving in just the right amount of emotional depth. As the layers of deception and secrets unfold, the stakes get higher, and I found myself racing through the chapters, eager to see how it all would resolve.

If you love a fast-paced, faith-tinged thriller with a strong heroine, a swoon-worthy hero, and plenty of unexpected twists, A Stranger’s Game is a must-read. Highly recommend! #netgalley #astrangersgame #booked_this_weekend

A mystery and suspense novel with a dash of romance and the odd Christian reference. Torie returns to her hometown on Jekyll Island, where she hasn’t been back to since she was 10, when her mother died. She returns under an alias to investigate the tragic death of her best friend, whom authorities claim was a suicide. During her stay on Jekyll Island she meets Joe and his adorable 8 year old daughter who become allies in finding the truth. However, the more they dig, the more questions they find instead of answers.

I listened to this novel as an audiobook. It was a bit slow to start, but the second half of the book was packed with action (maybe a little too much?). Some of the events that took place seemed a bit far fetched at times. But, overall the suspense was good and kept me guessing right until the end. It was easy to listen to and the plot was interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Colleen Coble for a copy of the audiobook.

This was my first Colleen Coble book and I will definitely be reading more.

The story was interesting and made me want to keep going to find out what happened, and I always appreciate when authors do research and include true historical events/ facts/ locations in their story.

I never knew that the Federal Reserve was created after a secret meeting on Jekyll Island in the early 1900s and I loved how she included that history in the story and plot of this book.

Another thing I found really interesting was her inclusion of the Navy's Marine Mammal program... who knew the Navy has been training dolphins and sea lions for things like detecting minds, protecting ships and naval bases, and retrieving items underwater since the 1960s???


I did enjoy the relationship between the FMC and the MMC, especially with their different traumas they've experienced in the past playing into how they handle and see relationships. I also liked that this book did not contain any 'spice'. I'm not completely against reading books with some amount of spice, and some of favorite romances definitely have some in there, but I felt like in their relationship in this book it would not have made sense where where they were both at and it being at the very beginning of their love story, and if there was a steamy scene added it would have felt like it was just for the sake of having it and not for the story (which I know she is a Christian author so I did not expect there to be).

I am not someone who thinks a book has to be a five-star great novel to be good or enjoyable. One of the things that sets a good book apart from a great book is how the author allows the story to progress. I thought this was a good book that I enjoyed, but there were times that I felt like the way the author progressed the story did not seem as fleshed out and maybe a little forced.


A couple of examples were, when she found a journal left by her deceased friend. Some of the passages in the journal just didn't seem like something somebody would write down, but it was information that was needed for the story. There were also a couple of occasions that the MMC's 8 year old daughter said something that didn't seem plausible for an 8-year-old to say, at least in the way she said it and the time she said it.... but again, it helped move the story.

I don't think that ruins the reading experience, and I still enjoyed the book and look forward to reading other things by her.

I did enjoy listening to the audiobook of this novel. I don't feel like the narrator took away from the story in any way and even added to my experience with the book (which to me is the most important part of the audiobooks). She had a great pace and inflections, and I even felt like her character voices helped me picture the some of the characters (especially the FMC) more vividly than I would have just reading the book.

I had a significantly hard time getting into this book. The characters are tough to connect with. The narrator is great 50% of the time. Resulting in the other 50% feeling like you’re in a kindergarten class being read to with exaggerated character voices.
Which was disappointing as the storyline I wanted to love. The characters really pull you away from that being possible.

A Stranger's Game by Colleen Coble is a gripping mystery audiobook that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The story follows Torie Bergstrom, who returns to Jekyll Island under an alias to investigate her friend's suspicious death. As she delves deeper, she uncovers connections to her mother's mysterious death twenty years earlier. The narrator's excellent portrayal of Torie's determination and the vivid setting of Jekyll Island make for an immersive listening experience. While the pacing slows at times, the engaging plot and well-developed characters keep you hooked. A must-listen for mystery enthusiasts.

A first read by this author for me. A good mixture of suspense and romance. Although a little predictable I enjoyed the book. 3.5 stars for me

This romantic suspense was a good stand alone from Colleen Coble. Some of the storyline was a little flat but Hailey drew me in the most.

A wealthy hotel heiress.

Torie Bergstrom hasn’t been back to Georgia since she was ten, but she’s happy to arrange a job for her best friend at one of the family properties on Jekyll Island.

A suspicious death.

When Torie learns that her best friend has drowned, she knows this is more than a tragic accident: Lisbeth was terrified of water and wouldn’t have gone swimming by choice.

A fight for the truth.

Torie goes to the hotel under an alias, trying to find answers. When she meets Joe Abbott and his daughter rescuing baby turtles, she finds a tentative ally.

But the more they dig, the more ties they find to Torie’s mother’s death twenty years before. Someone will risk anything—even more murder—to hide the truth.

Tori Berg is back on Jekyll Island to solve the mystery of her friend's death and maybe heal some old wounds from the sudden death of her mother years ago. She arrives on Jekyll Island and a local guy who is training sea lions for the government captures her attention and will possibly help her solve the mysteries.

First, let me say I love Colleen Coble. I have read many of her books and adore her writing, her characters, her plot, but for me this one just didn't really work. I loved the overall plot as Tori was trying to solve the mystery, but it felt as though with each page something happened that went to the edge of fiction and felt too outlandish and maybe just a bit too much. I loved Tori as a character and wanted her to solve the mystery, but the things that happened while doing so just seemed to be over the top.

Even with my "frustrations" with this book, I will keep reading Colleen Coble. Her body of work is more than my less than stellar feelings on this one.

A Stranger’s Game is a standalone thriller by Collen Coble. I enjoyed this so much! This was a quick read that I did not want to put down!

While this was definitely a thriller, it wasn’t dark or keep me from being able to sleep because it was too twisted. (For me, it was the perfect amount of scary without tapping into the creepy side of things.)

I thought the story was masterfully crafted and kept me wondering until the very end. I loved the characters. I thought they were interested and had depth.

I really enjoyed the narration by Liz Hill. She did an amazing job bringing the story to life.

This may have been the first book I’ve read by the author and I know it won’t be the last! I definitely recommend reading A Stranger’s Game!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A Stranger’s Game by Collen Coble
Narrated by Liz Hill
Publisher: Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio
Genre: Christian, Mystery & Thrillers, Romance

This is the first book by this author and I really wanted to like it but it is very difficult to get into. I had a lot of trouble with this book, from the very beginning. Everything about it felt flat and unbelievable to me. Audiobook. Didn’t like the writing and it felt like there were too many plots happening. Too much trying to happen with nothing happening - quoting Bible versus and the book just is flat for me.

2.8 stars, rounded up to 3 for goodreads.

We follow newcomer Torey to Jekyll Island where she falls in love and tries to go undercover to investigate her best friend’s suspicious death who was investigating someone else’s suspicious death, all the while our FMC and MMC’s plans are being thwarted by a mysterious actor. It was a romance, it was a mystery, it had adorable animals, it was a a thriller, a military thriller even – it was utterly inoffensive (except on the off chance you work for the Fed).

Overall thoughts: Jack of all trades, master of none…It was enjoyable, BUT, it felt like the book tried to attempt too many elements and none of them were done exceptionally well. They were fine altogether, but not exceptional to me.

There were a number of issues that stood out. It is not very believable that Torie could be so well known to the world to be treated differently by others by her name yet still be able to go undercover without any disguise. Then, the FMC and MMC fall in love very quickly despite both having reservations and tragic backstories. I imagine the romance had to be quickly established, however, to make room for all the other plot points, which were too many in my opinion, see above. The declarations of feelings also came at a very weird time: right after Torey thought Joe (our MMC) was going to die but while there was still a nefarious actor on the loose. I’m pretty sure there were more pressing issues to address at that exact moment!

What the book does well: you could tell the author tied in plenty of elements of the real Jekyll Island and peppered references throughout. Then, this book tackled themes fairly well. Colleen Coble writes from a Christian perspective. I enjoy the hopefulness of reading about characters who have real struggles but choose to lean on God despite their lack of understanding. It is wonderful to read about others viewing the character of God and applying that to their circumstances rather than viewing their circumstances and trying to extrapolate the character of God from that. The book also touched on loyalty, forgiveness, and learning to trust again. I will say, though the themes were good, they were quite overt – more telling than showing. I think they could have been a bit subtler to have an impact on a wider audience, but perhaps the author purposefully identified a lane and decided to stick to it.

I did a partial immersion read for this book. I had both the kindle version and the audio book . I enjoyed the narrator, especially for female voices. She was spot on with the kid voice! Sadly, the male impressions left some to be desired.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for a copy of the book to read and audio to review. All opinions are my own.

This book was so good, I couldn't put it down! Tori and Joe had a connection from the get go and the mystery that Colleen Coble wove was riveting. Her novels are always timely and fascinating, The narrators were great and pulled me right into the action! A not to be missed page turner!