Book Review: "The Stranger Diaries" by Elly Griffiths
“The Stranger Diaries” by Elly Griffiths
Synopsis: Death lies between the lines when the events of a dark story start coming true in this haunting modern gothic mystery, perfect for fans of Magpie Murders and The Lake House.
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. Then one day she notices something odd. Writing that isn't hers, left on the page of an old diary:
Hallo Clare. You don’t know me.
Clare becomes more certain than ever: “The Stranger” has come to terrifying life. But can the ending be rewritten in time?—Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Rating (out of 5): 4
Review: I was lucky enough to find this book randomly in a bookstore this weekend, and was absolutely delighted by it. I love a mystery that strikes a balance between cozy and chilling, and this book has the pleasant but still mysterious feel of a BBC series (this is a high compliment from me, in case it sounds otherwise.)
What the synopsis doesn’t make clear is that this book alternates between narrators. I’ve talked before about how I don’t always love this style—I get very attached to a particular voice and am perturbed when it switches. However, I loved all three of the women whose voices feature predominately in this story: Clare Cassidy, a high school English teacher; her daughter, Georgia, a brilliant teenager with a rebellious streak; and Harbinder Kaur, a sharp detective who happens to be 35 and still living with her parents.
The crimes in this book have a Victorian literary bent, and I loved this—it definitely added to the BBC-esque atmosphere. The cast of potential suspects is broad, and while the actual culprit was on my list of suspects, I had not figured it out by the end. Often in mysteries, the ending is either able to be guessed far too early, or in order to prevent this, the author creates a totally out of left field solution, but this book does neither, much to its credit.
I want to emphasize how much I loved how female-driven this mystery was. All of the women are compelling and interesting, while still being very different, which is a difficult line to walk. In addition, the setting in the English countryside lent an additional spooky overlay to the book. All in all, this was a fantastic read, and I highly recommend you pick it up!
TL;DR: A winning, cozy, and engaging mystery that you will power through quickly. Highly recommend!
If you liked this, try:
“The Turn of the Key” by Ruth Ware (my review here)
“Kind of Cruel” by Sophie Hannah
“And Then There Were None'“ by Agatha Christie
“Case Histories” by Kate Atkinson
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