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THE TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR. THE RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK.

‘Utterly bewitching … a pitch-perfect modern Gothic’ AJ FINN, author of THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW

A dark story has been brought to terrifying life. Can the ending be rewritten in time?

This is what the police know: English teacher Clare Cassidy’s friend Ella has just been murdered. Clare and Ella had recently fallen out. Found beside the body was a line from The Stranger, a story by the Gothic writer Clare teaches, and the murder scene is identical to one of the deaths in the story.

This is what Clare knows: No one else was aware of her fight with Ella. Few others have even read The Stranger. Someone has wormed their way into her life and her work. They know her darkest secrets. And they don’t mean well.

This is what the killer knows: Who will be next to die.

‘Compelling, intelligent and increasingly mesmerising’ PETER JAMES

‘Picks up where the great Gothic thrillers of the past leave off … goose-bump spooky, smart, and haunting. I loved this book! And you will too’ LOUISE PENNY

Publisher Review

A deviously plotted modern-day tale that's rooted in a flesh-creeping Victorian past. Elly Griffiths' clever and original murder mystery plays deliciously on the nerves and kept me guessing until the end -- Lesley Thomson, author of The Detective's Daughter series The perfect page-turner for foggy, wintry evenings * Fabulous magazine * This clever and entertaining novel has much to say about female rivalry, mothers and daughters, and the creation of fiction itself * Literary Review * My heart is still pounding after finishing Elly Griffiths' The Stranger Diaries. As with her other books, this is fiercely intelligent, warm, human and at times, funny. The Stranger Diaries picks up where the great Gothic thrillers of the past leave off. At once a homage to that great literary form, and a re-imagining, it is goose-bump spooky, smart, and haunting, in every sense. I loved this book! And you will too -- Louise Penny Elly Griffiths writes with a sharp, smart eye and great elegance. This novel is compelling, intelligent and increasingly mesmerising -- Peter James Utterly bewitching. This atmospheric, intricate thriller, a pitch-perfect modern Gothic, chilled my blood and warmed my heart. As unforgettable as it is original -- AJ Finn, author of The Woman in the Window Great on character and suspense -- Val McDermid