The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths
Harbinder Kaur #1
Mystery
2018
Narrated by Anjana Vasan, Sarah Feathers, Andrew Wincott & Esther Wane
Finished on January 15, 2025
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)
Publisher's Blurb:
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 favourite 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?
Despite the fact that it took me over a month to read The Stranger Diaries, I really enjoyed it. The narration by four readers added to my pleasure, although I wasn't all that interested in the secondary ghost story, which struck me as melodramatic and distracting. As with her Ruth Galloway series, Elly Griffiths has crafted a compelling mystery that kept me on my toes trying to guess who was responsible for the murder, as well as who was writing in Clare's diary. At one point, I gasped out loud, I was so surprised by the turn of events.
Hell is empty and all the devils are here. Shakespeare's famous quote from The Tempest is mentioned throughout the story, and one I'll not forget. A few days prior to finishing the audiobook, I heard the passage quoted by a character in a TV series (The Diplomat) that we'd been watching. What a coincidence!
Elly Griffiths' gothic mystery is told from three alternating points of view, which lends more detail to events and scenarios. I'm looking forward to reading The Postscript Murders, in which DS Kaur returns to investigate the death of a ninety-year-old woman. The Stranger Diaries and The Postscript Murders are considered standalone novels, but I intend to read them in the order of publication.
I liked the Ruth Galloway series so this one will go on my list. Sounds like you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteTina, I have several of the Ruth Galloway books to catch up on. BTW, somehow I posted my very rough draft of this review without realizing it! Now it's up and in its polished form. :)
DeleteI'm glad you enjoyed the narration by several different folks on this one. It's funny how I used to avoid audiobooks, but now I like them a lot.
ReplyDeleteDeb, I love having an audiobook going and a print book (diffent genre, usually) to read at night. Audiobooks certainly make it easy to go for long walks! I'm glad you're enjoying them.
DeleteThe ghost element probably won't work for me on this one, but it does sound good otherwise.
ReplyDeleteHelen, I should probably delete the word "ghost" from my review. It really isn't very prevalent to the mystery.
DeleteI liked this one very much and will likely do a reread of it later this year. I will say that I've read 3 of the Harbinder books and they are all more like standalones. So, enjoy! I've taken myself down the path with Ruth Galloway and her books. Have read the first six so far this year and am now working on #7. Enjoying them all again.
ReplyDeleteKay, I'm excited to read more of the Harbinder books! I still have several Ruth Galloway books yet to read, as well.
DeleteThat is a coincidence that you heard the saying in The Diplomat. I'm wondering if I should re-try that show? Good audio narration makes a big difference for a book!
ReplyDeleteSusan, it was such a strange coincidence! I've probably heard the quote in the past, but never paid any attention since I wasn't familiar with it. Now, I find myself saying it a lot... especially this past week. :( Yes, give The Diplomat another try. I thought it was quite good!
DeleteI remember borrowing this book from the library a few years ago and not even starting it before the due date. Still haven't gotten around to checking it out again, but I love multi-narrator productions and may add it to the audio list instead.
ReplyDelete