The Stranger Diaries

by Elly Griffiths

From the very first pages of this novel, I was seeing a little-known British horror movie in my head.  The more I read, the more it bothered me that I couldn’t remember the name of the movie.  It didn’t have any big-name actors that most Americans would recognize.  After a day’s search, I finally remembered an actor and found the movie.  The atmosphere of this book was the same as this movie.  Our main character in this book is an English teacher who wishes to write a biography of Gothic writer R. M. Holland whose only novel, The Stranger, deals with death.  A murder.  As it happens, the home of the famed writer has been converted into a school.  Our English teacher works at this school.  She is stalled on her writing, so her teaching helps with the bills and provides a school for her teenage daughter.  Her good friend is found murdered, a line on a note from The Stranger left beside her body.  From this point on the safety bar locks in place and you are on a steady moving ride that will take you on so many twists and turns you made need a dose of Dramamine.  When you arrive at the end, you will be gobsmacked and the safety bar will unlock.  This is a stand alone novel by Griffiths and any fan of her Ruth Galloway or Stephens and Mephisto series will be pleased with this offering.  Hopefully, those unfamiliar with Griffiths will pick this up and discover a real gem. 

The movie?  It is called Dark of Night.  The actor I remembered is Sir Michael Redgrave.  It’s a highly atmospheric film about a man who shows up at a country house and realizes it’s a house from a recurring dream that is a portend of his impending doom.  #TheStrangerDiary  #NetGalley

I wish to thank the publisher and NetGalley for generously allowing access to the Advanced Readers Copy.

PUB: HoughtonMifflinHarcourt

PUB DATE:  March 5, 2019
ISBN:  9781328577856

GENRE:  Mystery