- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: Avon (2 April 2020)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0008222460
- ISBN-13: 978-0008222468
Synopsis
Ursula, Gareth and Alice have never met before.
Ursula thinks she killed the love of her life.
Gareth’s been receiving strange postcards.
And Alice is being stalked.
None of them are used to relying on others – but when the three strangers’ lives unexpectedly collide, there’s only one thing for it: they have to stick together. Otherwise, one of them will die.
Three strangers, two secrets, one terrifying evening.
Review
C.L Taylor has to be my favourite thriller author, whenever she publishes a new book I just lock myself away and read in one sitting as her books are so addictive. Strangers, is her new book and I have to say I was consumed by it. Different to her other books, the plot starts with a dead body and with the three main characters standing with the body; so we know they are involved in the murder, but not who the victim is. The plot then goes back to a week before the murder, and we follow the Alice, Ursula and Gareth as they hurtle towards the shocking conclusion. But how did three strangers come to be involved in a murder? This is a brilliant read, full of tension and suspense that had me trying to work out how the characters would come together.
The chapters are written from the point of view of Alice, Ursula and Gareth, three very different people whose only slim connection is the Meads Shopping Mall. Alice is manager of a clothes shop in the mall, divorced and lives with her daughter. She has just started dating, not particularly successfully, and is comforting her daughter whose love lie is also on the rails. She is a character I got a bit angry with at times, I felt she needed to value herself more, be more independent and less needy. Ursula lost her boyfriend and feels a responsibility to his death. To cope with grief she has started stealing things, from friends and Alice’s store. She is in a difficult place, not ties, no idea of what she is going to do, just floating from one disaster to the next. Gareth is the character I felt most connected to. In his forties he is in charge of security in the mall and is caring for his mother who has dementia, leaving him no time for himself, to find a partner and settle down. His mum starts receiving postcards from Gareth’s dad, who has been dead for twenty years. C.L Taylor confronts some of our societies problems, the perils of internet dating, stalking via the internet, grief, caring for an elderly parent, domestic violence and loneliness. There are also a few chapters written in Twitter speak, putting theories forward as to the disappearance of three men near the river, evidence of how everyone now thinks they are an expert and has an opinion.
I thinks this is C.L Taylors most intelligent thriller, in most murder cases the killer is someone the victim knows but here not only doesn’t the victim know them but the potential killers don’t know each other. I found the plot played with my mind, I kept trying to work out how they came together within the space of a week to be part of a murder, and who the victim could be. I thought of so many different scenarios but never guessed the truth. The suspense builds in the main plot, and also in the lives of Alice, Gareth and Ursula, who face dark times personally.
Strangers is delicious]y dark, complex and all consuming. Once you start this book you won’t be able to put it down. The characters are relatable and as a reader I was invested in their stories, wanting them to find what they were looking for and the happiness they deserve. The plot builds the suspense and keeps you guessing right up to the shocking and frightening conclusion. I loved this book, and it sees C.L Taylor retain her crown as the queen of the thriller!!
Thank you to Avon Books for sending me an advanced copy of Strangers in return for my honest review.
