Audiobook Review: The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths

The Stranger Diaries
Author: Elly Griffiths
Narrator(s): Andrew Wincott, Esther Wane, Sarah Feathers, and 2 more
Series: Harbinder Kaur (Book 1)
Publication: Recorded Books (March 5, 2019)
Length: 10 hours and 32 minutes

Description: Death lies between the lines when the events of a dark story start coming true in this haunting modern Gothic mystery, perfect for fans of Magpie Murders and The Lake House.

Clare Cassidy is no stranger to murder. A high school teacher specializing in the Gothic writer R. M. Holland, she even teaches a course on him. But when one of Clare’s colleagues is found dead, with a line from Holland’s iconic story “The Stranger” left by her body, Clare is horrified to see her life collide with her favorite literature.

The police suspect the killer is someone Clare knows. Unsure whom to trust, she turns to her diary, the only outlet for her suspicions and fears. Then one day she notices something odd. Writing that isn't hers, left on the page of an old diary:

Hallo Clare. You don’t know me.

Clare becomes more certain than ever: “The Stranger” has come to terrifying life. But can the ending be rewritten in time?

My Thoughts: This was an excellent modern Gothic thriller. Framed around a creepy story by Victorian writer R. M. Hubbard, English teacher Clare Cassidy, her daughter Georgia, and Detective Inspector Harbinder Kaur find themselves trying to track down a killer before the killer completes his horrible agenda.

Clare is disturbed to learn that a fellow English teacher has been murdered in her home and a quotation from R. M. Hubbard is left by the body. When the police come to talk to her, she is reluctant to share what happened at a workshop/conference they both attended the past summer. She doesn't want to spread gossip. 

Clare has enough to deal with in her life with a fifteen-year-old daughter who is dating a twenty-one-year-old "older man." She has also been working on a book about Hubbard along with her duties as a teacher which have grown exponentially since her colleague's murder. 

Meanwhile, Georgia is keeping a whole secret life from her mother. She is a talented young writer who is taking classes at a local college while feigning disinterest in her current schooling and complete lack of interest in her future education. 

Harbinder Kaur is a Hindi, gay police inspector who has mentioned her sexuality to her parents yet. Nor is she interested in revisiting her past as a student at the school where Clare currently teaches or her own past encounter with the tutor who is coaching Georgia.

Kaur is certain that the killer is someone close to Clare. She becomes even more certain when Clare discovers that someone has been adding comments to her private diary. 

I enjoyed that the story was woven between the three main characters. I was also more than a little creeped out by the male narrator of R. M. Hubbard's famous short story which begins and ends this book.

I bought the Kindle January 2, 2025, and added the Audible Plus copy. You can buy your copy here.