The Stranger Diaries
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

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Published
HarperCollins , 2019.
Status
Available from Libby/OverDrive

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Libby/OverDrive
Titles may be read via Libby/OverDrive. Libby/OverDrive is a free app that allows users to borrow and read digital media from their local library, including ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines. Users can access Libby/OverDrive through the Libby/OverDrive app or online. The app is available for Android and iOS devices.
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Titles may be read using Kindle devices or with the Kindle app.

Description

International Bestseller Winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel "This lively whodunit keeps you guessing until the end."People“Utterly bewitching…As unforgettable as it is original.”A.J. Finn“Goose-bump spooky, smart, and haunting…I loved this book!”Louise PennyDeath 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?

More Details

Format
eBook
Street Date
03/05/2019
Language
English
ISBN
9781328576088

Discover More

Also in this Series

  • The stranger diaries (Harbinder Kaur novels Volume 1) Cover
  • The postscript murders (Harbinder Kaur novels Volume 2) Cover
  • Bleeding heart yard (Harbinder Kaur novels Volume 3) Cover

Author Notes

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Similar Series From Novelist

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for series you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
These suspenseful, intricately plotted mystery series follow the investigations of a homicide detective in close-knit English towns. -- CJ Connor
These series have the appeal factors intricately plotted and multiple perspectives, and they have the theme "small town police"; the subjects "women detectives," "policewomen," and "cold cases (criminal investigation)"; and characters that are "flawed characters" and "well-developed characters."
These series have the appeal factors atmospheric and intricately plotted, and they have the genre "mysteries"; and the subjects "murder investigation," "secrets," and "women detectives."
These series have the appeal factors intricately plotted, and they have the genres "mysteries" and "thrillers and suspense"; and the subjects "murder investigation," "secrets," and "suspicion."
These series have the appeal factors atmospheric and intricately plotted, and they have the theme "small town police"; the genre "police procedurals"; the subjects "murder investigation," "secrets," and "women detectives"; and characters that are "well-developed characters."
These series have the themes "books about books" and "small town police"; the genre "police procedurals"; and the subjects "murder investigation," "women detectives," and "policewomen."
These series have the appeal factors atmospheric, strong sense of place, and intricately plotted, and they have the genre "thrillers and suspense"; and the subjects "murder investigation," "women detectives," and "policewomen."
These series have the theme "small town police"; the genres "thrillers and suspense" and "police procedurals"; and the subjects "secrets," "women detectives," and "policewomen."
These series have the appeal factors atmospheric and intricately plotted, and they have the theme "small town police"; the genres "mysteries" and "police procedurals"; the subjects "murder investigation," "women detectives," and "policewomen"; and characters that are "sympathetic characters."

Similar Titles From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for titles you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
These books have the appeal factors creepy, and they have the theme "dark academia"; the genre "gothic fiction"; and the subjects "literature teachers," "suspicion," and "universities and colleges."
These books have the appeal factors multiple perspectives and first person narratives, and they have the theme "dark academia"; and the subjects "women amateur detectives," "small towns," and "suspicion."
These books have the appeal factors intricately plotted, and they have the genre "cozy mysteries"; and the subjects "murder investigation," "women amateur detectives," and "suspicion."
These books have the appeal factors atmospheric and intricately plotted, and they have the theme "dark academia"; and the genres "gothic fiction" and "book club best bets."
These books have the appeal factors atmospheric, and they have the theme "books about books"; and the subjects "women amateur detectives" and "authors."
NoveList recommends "Elise King novels" for fans of "Harbinder Kaur novels". Check out the first book in the series.
These books have the appeal factors atmospheric and intricately plotted, and they have the genre "gothic fiction"; the subject "women"; and characters that are "well-developed characters."
These books have the appeal factors intricately plotted, and they have the theme "life in small towns"; the genres "mysteries" and "adult books for young adults"; and the subjects "women amateur detectives," "small towns," and "suspicion."
In each of these intricately plotted mysteries, a story within the story holds clues to solve a modern-day crime. The Stranger Diaries is an homage to classic gothic novels while Magpie Murders is inspired by the works of Agatha Christie -- Halle Carlson
These books have the appeal factors intricately plotted, and they have the subjects "suspicion," "married women," and "women murder suspects."
These books have the theme "dark academia"; the genres "gothic fiction" and "adult books for young adults"; the subjects "suspicion," "lesbians," and "women-women relations"; and include the identities "lesbian" and "lgbtqia+."
Rife with atmosphere and creepiness, both of these engaging gothic novels offer a complex story-within-a-story framework about an enigmatic book and its connection to the mysteries surrounding the main characters. -- Halle Carlson

Similar Authors From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for other authors you might want to read if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
Both Elly Griffiths and Patricia Cornwell write suspenseful, contemporary mysteries with strong female sleuths whose backgrounds -- archaeologist (Griffiths) and forensic anthropologist (Cornwell) -- play a large role in the books, as do the complex relationships among the characters. Their writing is atmospheric and disturbing, intricately plotted and compelling. -- Melissa Gray
Both Elly Griffiths and Kathryn R. Wall craft atmospheric, intricately plotted mystery series starring strong female characters. Some of Griffiths' stories can skew darker than Wall's cozier take on the genre, but both offer compelling plots and a dose of humor. -- Halle Carlson
These authors' works have the genres "historical mysteries" and "historical thrillers"; and the subjects "english history," "london, england history," and "child detectives."
These authors' works have the genres "historical mysteries" and "victorian mysteries"; the subjects "women amateur detectives," "amateur detectives," and "english history"; and characters that are "complex characters."

Published Reviews

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* In a departure from her acclaimed Ruth Galloway and Magic Men mystery series, Griffiths has gifted readers with a gripping homage to the gothic novel. Clare Cassidy teaches a course on the fictional eighteenth-century writer R. M. Holland, author of the grim but beloved story, The Stranger. Her colleague and good friend is murdered and a line from the story is left by the body. Someone has begun writing in her diary, starting off with an ominous Hallo Clare. You don't know me. Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White opens This is the story of what a Woman's patience can endure. Like Collins, who wove his tale with multiple voices, Griffiths uses three different narrators here, none of whom is entirely reliable. This is 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 (2006) and Anthony Horowitz's Magpie Murders (2017).--Jane Murphy Copyright 2018 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
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Library Journal Review

High school English teacher Clare Cassidy specializes in the work of gothic writer R.M. Holland. When one of her colleagues is murdered, a line from Holland's most famous work, The Stranger, is found on her body, and the police are certain the killer is someone Clare knows. As she struggles to make sense of the events surrounding the murder, Clare pours out her heart into her diary, but when she visits an earlier volume to check on the date of a work trip, she's shocked to find a note in unfamiliar handwriting in the margins: "Hallo, Clare. You don't know me." Unsure whether she has a stalker, a ghost, or suffered a break from reality, Clare struggles to keep it together for her teenage daughter-until the next murder. VERDICT Griffiths's ("Ruth Galloway" and "Magic Men" series) first stand-alone novel is a modern gothic that updates and plays with genre conventions to great effect. Highly recommended for fans of British mysteries and classic whodunits. [See Prepub Alert, 9/10/18.]-Stephanie Klose, Library Journal © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Kirkus Book Review

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 Clareand 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. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
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Booklist Reviews

*Starred Review* In a departure from her acclaimed Ruth Galloway and Magic Men mystery series, Griffiths has gifted readers with a gripping homage to the gothic novel. Clare Cassidy teaches a course on the fictional eighteenth-century writer R. M. Holland, author of the grim but beloved story, "The Stranger." Her colleague and good friend is murdered and a line from the story is left by the body. Someone has begun writing in her diary, starting off with an ominous "Hallo Clare. You don't know me." Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White opens "This is the story of what a Woman's patience can endure." Like Collins, who wove his tale with multiple voices, Griffiths uses three different narrators here, none of whom is entirely reliable. This is 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 (2006) and Anthony Horowitz's Magpie Murders (2017). Copyright 2018 Booklist Reviews.

Copyright 2018 Booklist Reviews.
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Library Journal Reviews

High school English teacher Clare Cassidy is understandably upset when a good friend and colleague is found dead but truly undone to learn that a line from "The Stranger," a celebrated story by her beloved Gothic writer R.M. Holland, has been left with the body. To steady herself, she starts keeping a diary, only to find someone else's handwriting amid her words, offering the threatening observation, "Hallo Clare. You don't know me." Sounds like Griffiths is out to show why she's a CWA Dagger in the Library Award winner.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal.
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Library Journal Reviews

High school English teacher Clare Cassidy specializes in the work of gothic writer R.M. Holland. When one of her colleagues is murdered, a line from Holland's most famous work, The Stranger, is found on her body, and the police are certain the killer is someone Clare knows. As she struggles to make sense of the events surrounding the murder, Clare pours out her heart into her diary, but when she visits an earlier volume to check on the date of a work trip, she's shocked to find a note in unfamiliar handwriting in the margins: "Hallo, Clare. You don't know me." Unsure whether she has a stalker, a ghost, or suffered a break from reality, Clare struggles to keep it together for her teenage daughter—until the next murder. VERDICT Griffiths's ("Ruth Galloway" and "Magic Men" series) first stand-alone novel is a modern gothic that updates and plays with genre conventions to great effect. Highly recommended for fans of British mysteries and classic whodunits. [See Prepub Alert, 9/10/18.]—Stephanie Klose, Library Journal

Copyright 2019 Library Journal.

Copyright 2019 Library Journal.
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Publishers Weekly Reviews

In the wake of a divorce, Clare Cassidy, the heroine of this gripping standalone from Mary Higgins Clark Award winner Griffiths (the Ruth Galloway mysteries), accepts a job teaching English at Talgarth High, whose West Sussex campus includes the home of Victorian writer R.M. Holland, best known for his chilling story "The Stranger." Five years later, Clare and her 15-year-old daughter, Georgia, have settled into local life, and Clare has started work on a Holland biography. Then colleagues begin dying in violent ways reminiscent of "The Stranger," and Clare discovers mysterious notes written in her personal diaries. Alternating among the voices of Clare, Georgia, and Det. Sgt. Harbinder Kaur, who investigates the killings, Griffiths weaves a tale replete with ghosts, the occult, forbidden desire, and murder. Excerpts from "The Stranger" build the eerie atmosphere, though the tale's denouement and the killer's identity may disappoint some readers. Still, 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. Agent: Kirby Kim, Janklow & Nesbit. (Mar.)

Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly.

Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly.
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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Griffiths, E. (2019). The Stranger Diaries . HarperCollins.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Griffiths, Elly. 2019. The Stranger Diaries. HarperCollins.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Griffiths, Elly. The Stranger Diaries HarperCollins, 2019.

Harvard Citation (style guide)

Griffiths, E. (2019). The stranger diaries. HarperCollins.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Griffiths, Elly. The Stranger Diaries HarperCollins, 2019.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

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