Not knowing who to trust, and afraid that the killer is someone she knows, Clare confides her darkest suspicions and fears about the case to her journal. Then one day she notices some other writing in the diary. Writing that isn't hers...
I'd like to thank Quercus for my copy of The Stranger Diaries which I received to review via NetGalley.
I can't believe that The Stranger Diaries is Elly Griffiths' fourteenth book, not including her books written as Domenica De Rosa, and yet it's the first that I've finally read despite having bought a few previously that are still waiting for me in my TBR piles. But boy what a first book to start with, a gothic tale of murder and obsession which is perfect for this spooky time of year. Normally I'm more a traditional crime/thriller type of girl, rather than reading anything gothic or supernatural, so it's testament to the writing skills of Elly Griffiths that I was so caught up with the story within a story.
The Stranger Diaries is told from the viewpoints of three main characters, Clare, her daughter Georgia, and Detective Sergeant Harbinder Kaur who is investigating the murder of Ella, which means that we get to see events unfold from the three different perspectives. Alongside these narratives are passages from The Stranger by Victorian author R.M. Holland, someone who once lived at the school where Clare works and who she's writing a book about which adds the gothic, ghostly element to the storyline, as well as entries from Clare's own diaries from various stages in her life which gives us an insight into her as a person. All of these formats worked really well together to make this such a chilling, suspensful read never knowing what secret is going to be revealed next and what the consequences of them might be.
Although Clare is the main character, and the one that centres the storyline, I found myself interested in her teenage daughter Georgia slightly more. The fact that she was keeping secrets from her own mother was intriguing, about her attending a creative writing course at another school in the area, her seances with her friends, and her own diary entries on a secret online forum. I couldn't understand why she didn't want her mother to know she was writing, as I'm sure Clare would have encouraged her, but at the same time you sometimes just want something that belongs only to you although she was in fact sharing it with others on the forum.
As a reader I'm constantly on the lookout for clues as to who I think the killer might be and I'm happy to admit I was completely caught off guard and didn't have a clue! Throughout the story we're introduced to a handful of potential suspects; colleagues, students, acquaintances and the fact that you know it's someone who has a close link to Clare adds to the tension and paranoia as to who she can trust. Hiding in plain sight as they say, watching her every move and yet she's completely oblivious to the fact that they are closer than she thinks which makes it all the more sinister. Every potential suspect has a motive until one by one they are eliminated until we reach the dramatic conclusion.
The Stranger Diaries was an atmospheric, gripping read from start to finish although maybe it wasn't such a great idea to read it so late into the night!
I'm glad that I was invited to be a part of this blog tour as it gave me the perfect opportunity to make sure that I read The Stranger Diaries before I head to London next week to see Elly Griffiths, along with Rachel Abbott and Sabine Durrant at the Crime Files Rooftop Book Club event.
This fantastic evening will be chaired by Fabulous magazine journalist Claire Frost, as she interviews the authors and then opens up to questions from the audience. Details of the event can be found here.
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