Reviews
A murder mystery at a school in England told from 3 POVs (mother/teacher, daughter, and detective) with a mysterious ghost story as background.
Mystery book club choice for January. I've read one other Elly Griffiths book and thought it was just ok. But I enjoyed this one thoroughly. The ending was a little anti-climactic, but I was swept along by the story. Someone is killing English teachers at Talgarth High. Clare, Herbert the dog, Clare's daughter Georgie, and Georgie's friends Patrick, Vee, and Tash may all be in danger. It's up to cranky curmudgeon DS Harbinder Kaur and partner Neil Winston to solve the case. But there may be ghosts and/or witchcraft involved. I quite enjoyed the character of Harbinder Kaur. She starts out as cranky and rather unlikeable, but mellows through the course of the book. I'd be happy to read another in the series.
You can't go wrong with Elly Griffiths! Strong female characters, an exciting murder mystery, with twists and turns aplenty and a dog named Herbert. I devoured this book in three days! I highly recommend!
I read The Stranger Diaries while on a springtime getaway and at first, I couldn’t really get into it. I didn’t feel any compassion for or connection with the characters. Well, that was the case until I got to Georgia’s chapter. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The book is split up into chapters which follow one main character at a time. It didn’t get redundant (which I thought it might!) and I found myself connecting more with Georgia than I did Clare. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I loved getting to know Georgia in her pieces of the book, especially how she tends to act like a typical teenager to appease her parents. She’s a sly one, that Georgia. There's more to her than you think. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The book kept me guessing throughout its entirety (love when that happens). I had one strong theory about who the murderer was, and I was completely wrong! Which, made me enjoy the book even more.
This book was told using three narrators as well as interjecting bits of the short story that everyone in the book is so obsessed with. I enjoyed Clare’s narration and occasionally Harbinder’s, but having been a teenager not THAT long ago, I felt that Georgia was ridiculous. She seems to be one of those teens that thinks a lot of herself and feels that she’s too smart to deal with being a teenager (which is probably how I was) but this feels so overplayed in the narration. Going on about what mum wants to hear as teenager diatribe and whatnot didn’t work for me. I also wish there had been more character building for the men in the book. Or at least for a few of them? None of them seemed to have much personality beyond being a man or being an ass. I’m all for making the females the leads, but I’d still like the other characters to stick with me as more than stereotypically alpha male or stereotypical scholar.
I didn't care for the characters that much. BUT loved the story and mystery. The short story wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. Audiobook on from LA to PVD
It's really a 2.5 stars for me: I had a hard time getting into this book. Murder mysteries aren't generally my usual genre though. The writing was simple and the point of views easy to follow. There is a prominent Gothic style that is definitely a nice touch to the mystery. I ended up guessing the killer before it was revealed, which in my opinion isn't the best sign. I REALLY wanted to like this book MORE than I do, but I don't.
This was a great story and I love the "book about a book" premise. The book gives us three somewhat unreliable narrators; not unreliable in the sense that they're untrustworthy but rather that they have their own secrets, biases, and goals that don't always align with what's going on during the investigation. With constantly changing perspectives, I was always reevaluating the characters - whether they could be trusted, whether they were involved in the murder, and just what their intentions were. The plot was complex and layered, with new information being uncovered constantly. Claire's diary entries and snippets of R.M. Holland's story, The Stranger, are sprinkled throughout the book, adding additional layers of interest. I absolutely loved that we got The Stranger in full at the end of the book and enjoyed it in its own right. I'll definitely be picking up more by Griffiths in the future. (Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an advance copy of the book for review.)
I don't know what is it with me and this book. I mean, I didn't really understand the culprit choice. I felt a little bit cheated at the end but whatevs... Still, every time I pick this book up, I plunge into the story like a hot knife in butter. I absolutely love Claire's povs, and I believe that has to be something personal, something about me imagining living by the seaside, gothicesque (that's not a word) drama happening around me, a simple school teacher, who can afford doggie day(ly)care and jo malone's perfumes/candles. In all seriousness, Elly Griffiths is great at creating the right atmosphere and at birthing lovable, interesting characters. I utterly admire her dedication to details. Layered plot, several DISTINCT povs, the damn original gothic short story (!) etc. It may bug some people, but as a person, who's first language is not English, I really appreciate trivia in books. For me, this particular book did a very good job at blending pop facts into the narrative, so they helped to see the characters more clearly and were not exessive. P.S Love you, Elly. How about a second book about Claire, Georgia and Harbinder in a similar setting doing...whatever...you feel...like, okay bye!
**I received a copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review Clare Cassidy is an English teacher specializing in the Gothic murder story, The Stranger by RM Holland. Clare's work and personal life collide after the death of one of her friends and co-workers, with a quote from the story found on her body. As a way to stay calm during this difficult time, Clare spends most of her days writing in her journal. Then one day she notices some writing in her diary that isn't hers. I thought this was a really nice suspenseful mystery story. It's told though three different point of views: Clare, her daughter Georgia, and the investigating police detective DS Kaur. Each POV flows together well and doesn't feel clunky or disjointed. I also really liked how after a few of the chapters, there were excerpts from The Stranger and it always seemed to line up with what was happening at that moment. The inclusion of the full short story at the end was a nice touch, as well. I had my suspicions throughout as to who I thought the murderer was, and the end reveal threw me for a loop-- it was so unexpected and I appreciated that. Plus, I was also a big fan of all the Harry Potter references littered about. If you're looking for a mystery/thriller, definitely check this one out.
A ghostly, dark, gothic mystery with a full cast of characters. Great audiobook.
