Praise for The Stranger DiariesInternational Bestseller Named Best Crime Book of the Year by the TimesA CrimeReads Most Anticipated Book of 2019An iBooks Most Anticipated Book of 2019A Crime by the Book Most Anticipated Book 2019 A Bustle Spring 2019 March Read "This lively whodunit keeps you guessing until the end." —People "The Stranger Diaries is an utterly mesmerizing thriller. If you like chilling thrillers, this is what you should be reading next." —Washington Book Review "An entertaining collision of spooks and modern manners...firmly among the finest of modern gothic." —BookPage "Griffiths’ exceptional standalone THE STRANGER DIARIES is a spring 2019 must-read...Griffiths masterfully blends Gothic influence with modern-day suspense sensibility, and the result is effortless, spine-tingling, page-turning fun...accessible and seriously entertaining, while remaining rich in atmosphere as well...I loved this book." —Crime by the Book "Packs its punches with the creepy factor." —The Genre Minx “The perfect Gothic suspense novel to snuggle with under the covers and with a cup of tea.” —Ludwig's Thrillers“Utterly bewitching. This atmospheric, intricate thriller, a pitch-perfect modern Gothic, chilled my blood and warmed my heart. As unforgettable as it is original.” —A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Woman in the Window “My heart is still pounding after finishing Elly Griffiths’ The Stranger Diaries. As with her other books, this is fiercely intelligent, warm, human and at times, funny. But unlike her others, this is a stand-alone. Her first and I hope not her last. The Stranger Diaries picks up where the great Gothic thrillers of the past leave off. At once a homage to that great literary form, and a re-imagining. It is goose-bump spooky, smart, and haunting, in every sense. I loved this book! And you will too.” —Louise Penny, #1 New York Times best-selling author of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache mystery series "A multi-layered and splendidly creepy gothic tale...Cliffhangers and gothic tropes abound as the narrative baton is passed between Clare, her daughter Georgia and the former Talgarth pupil DS Harbinder Kaur, with Griffiths expertly ratcheting up the tension." —Guardian "Griffiths has gifted readers with a gripping homage to the gothic novel...An entrancing literary tour de force in which Shakespeare’s line, 'Hell is empty,' from The Tempest, cleverly connects past and present. Georgette Heyer fans will relish this, as will readers who enjoyed Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale and Anthony Horowitz’s Magpie Murders."—Booklist, STARRED review “The Stranger Diaries can be described in one word: delicious! Who could resist the gothic tale from the past, the spooky old school (so like those we all attended in England) all beautifully blended with very real and compelling characters in the present. Top marks to Miss Griffiths!” —Rhys Bowen,New York Times-bestselling author of The Tuscan Child, In Farleigh Field and the Royal Spyness novels “The Stranger Diaries is a gripping gothic thriller, with a wry, modern tone all its own. Griffiths writes here with the same sharp, compassionate understanding of how people work that has made her Ruth Galloway books so memorable. I couldn't put it down.” —Flynn Berry, Edgar Award-winning author of Under the Harrow and A Double Life “Reading The Stranger Diaries on the heels of Ruth Ware's The Death of Mrs. Westaway has made me a lover of a skilled Gothic mystery! With just the right mix of atmosphere, murder, and sleuthing The Stranger Diaries is a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging page-turner. I loved all three of the smart protagonists, each of whom added intrigue and nuance to this finely layered story.” —Zoje Stage, author of Baby Teeth "A perfectly paced and compellingly page-turning mystery. Griffiths' use of shifting viewpoints and her pitch perfect recreation of a Victorian gothic short story woven through the narrative serve to heighten the tension in this thrilling, and often spooky, tale. The Stranger Diaries will keeping you reading late into the night. You won't want to put it down . . . or turn out the light!" —Charlie Lovett, New York Times-bestselling author of The Bookman's Tale and The Lost Book of the Grail “Elly Griffiths’s haunting tribute to gothic literature is a riveting, humane whodunnit that explores the impact of even our smallest deeds. Urgently paced and sprinkled with literary gems, The Stranger Diaries will have you turning pages until well past the witching hour!” —Matthew Sullivan, author of Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore "An English teacher with an expansive knowledge of gothic literature finds herself tangled in a web of murder and mystery that begins more and more to be a kind of twisted work of gothic storytelling in this impressive new mystery. Griffiths writes at the perfect intersection of procedural and psychological thriller, with her latest adding a strong dose of dark atmospherics to spin a truly unnerving story." —CrimeReads "This meticulously structured novel features some indelible characters, a vividly-depicted setting, and a strong fair-play mystery...a delightful reading experience and one that many readers will cherish for years to come." —BOLO Book Reviews"A modern gothic that updates and plays with genre conventions to great effect. Highly recommended for fans of British mysteries and classic whodunit."—Library Journal, STARRED review "Gripping...eerie atmosphere...aficionados of such gothic classics as Wilkie Collins’s The Woman in White, which the killer may have read, will find this a satisfying novel for a rainy night."—Publishers Weekly "Sounds like Griffiths is out to show why she’s a CWA Dagger in the Library Award winner."—Library Journal, pre-pub alert "Griffiths hits a sweet spot for readers who love British mysteries and who are looking for something to satisfy an itch once Broadchurch has been binged and Wilkie Collins reread...has written her first stand-alone novel with immensely pleasurable results." —Kirkus Reviews "It is clear from the start of Elly Griffiths's The Stranger Diaries that we are in for a treat...Griffiths has a lot of fun setting up the scares...Armed with an enjoyably sharp detective...Griffiths overlaps perspectives, timelines and narrators, producing a darkly funny, enjoyable mystery." —The Observer "Spooky...This is written with Griffiths’s usual warmth and lightness of touch but has a genuine creepiness that gets under your skin." —Sunday Express
2018-12-11
A secondary school English department in West Sussex is turned upside down by a series of bookish killings.
Clare Cassidy is heading into middle age with just her teenage daughter, her faithful dog, her diary, and her teaching job to occupy her time. The most exciting part of her life may be the biography she hopes to write of R.M. Holland, a writer of gothic tales who once lived in the school where she works. But when one of her colleagues in the English department at Talgarth High is found murdered with a line from "The Stranger," the very same Holland story that has long obsessed Clare, left on a Post-it next to her body, she quickly realizes the murderer must be someone who knows an awful lot about her. This suspicion is confirmed when, the day before Halloween, Clare discovers that someone else has left her a note in her own diary. As the violence escalates, Clare and the police must figure out why the killer seems so fixated on Clare—and what a supernaturally tinged tale more than a hundred years old has to do with the quiet lives of small-town Brits. Griffiths alternates points of view among Clare, her 15-year-old daughter, Georgie, and DS Harbinder Kaur, the queer policewoman in charge of the murder investigation. Thrown into the mix are excerpts from "The Stranger," itself a delicious homage to writers like M.R. James. Though all these ingredients occasionally cause some structural unwieldiness, Griffiths (The Vanishing Box, 2018, etc.) hits a sweet spot for readers who love British mysteries and who are looking for something to satisfy an itch once Broadchurch has been binged and Wilkie Collins reread.
Griffiths, who is known for the Magic Men mysteries and the Ruth Galloway series, has written her first stand-alone novel with immensely pleasurable results.
