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  • Published: 15 October 2018
  • ISBN: 9781405922609
  • Imprint: Michael Joseph
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 368
  • RRP: $26.00

The Stranger

A gripping story of secrets and lies for fans of The Beekeeper's Promise




Reminiscent of Atonement and Sadie Jones's The Uninvited Guests, Riordan tells a devastating story of a house of secrets where everyone is guilty of something

1940, Cornwall, England.

Penhallow Hall shelters a handful of Land Girls, sent to the coast to avoid the horrors of London's Blitz. But the beautiful, arrogant Diana Devlin, impatient with the sleepy village and its placid residents, can't resist the temptation to stir up long-buried secrets.

When a young woman's body is found lying broken on the shore, the promised safety of the Hall is shattered. Was it simply a tragic accident, or did mischief end in murder?

  • Published: 15 October 2018
  • ISBN: 9781405922609
  • Imprint: Michael Joseph
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 368
  • RRP: $26.00

About the author

Kate Riordan

Kate Riordan is a writer and journalist. She started out as an editorial assistant at the Guardian, followed by a stint as deputy editor for the lifestyle section of Time Out. She now works freelance and lives in the Cotswolds, where she is currently working on her next novel.

Also by Kate Riordan

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Praise for The Stranger

Beautifully written and unputdownable. I loved it

Katie Fforde

An enthralling tale of secrets, the twists and turns will have you hooked to the very last breathtaking page

Jane Bailey, author of What Was Rescued

A beautiful and intriguing page-turner, where the secrets of the past cast long shadows. Cornwall springs to life in vivid colour

Dinah Jefferies

A fabulous twisting tale, so beautifully written that the pages practically turned themselves. I couldn't put it down

Liz Fenwick

A beautifully written tale of family secrets, loves and losses, set against the magical Cornish coastline. I loved it

Amanda Jennings

With its vivid Cornwall setting and a house full of shadows, The Stranger has echoes of Daphne Du Maurier but its riveting in its own right

Red Magazine

An atmospheric whodunit set in the Second World War

The Sunday Post

With such vivid, mysterious characters and an atmospheric setting, the echoes of Du Maurier's Cornwall are on every page. Brilliant!

Emylia Hall

With excellent characters, the novel revels in the magical backdrop of Cornwall, with shades of du Maurier

Daily Mail

A wonderful, gripping, beautifully written book. From the first page, I didn't want to put it down - and by the second half I literally couldn't put it down

Katherine Webb

Beautiful and haunting, you'll struggle to put down this mysterious tale

Take a Break

Wonderfully atmospheric and utterly engrossing. I hardly moved until I had read to the very last word

AJ Pearce author of, Dear Mrs Bird

Take an isolated house, family secrets, a divine Cornish setting, the tensions of war and you have all the ingredients for a tale where the pages take on a life of their own. The Stranger is wound tight as a clock, ticking down the days leading up to the disappearance of a young woman. It will stay with you long after the last breathtaking pages turn

Kate Lord Brown

So beguiling that I truly didn't want it to end. A captivating novel that pulls you into another time and place

Penny Parkes

The novel is cinematic, and the vividness of the Cornish landscape and its history of smugglers and pirates add to its charm. An engaging page-turner with a surprising twist at the end

The Lady

Simmers with a forbidding unease that makes it impossible to put down. Creepy and evocative, the mystery builds to a shocking end. Impressive

Heat

Everyone loves unravelling a good mystery and armchair sleuths won't be disappointed with The Stranger

Yours Magazine

A beautifully woven, immersive story that completely transported me

Judith Kinghorn

Richly textured, with a clever and deeply satisfying conclusion, the influence of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca infuses the The Stranger . . .

Sunday Express

Heady with atmosphere, simmering with tension, this novel had me captivated. When I wasn't reading, I was thinking about it, when I was reading, I couldn't think about anything else!

Jenny Ashcroft

An evocative whodunnit . . . an absorbing, heart-wrenching romance. This stunning tale about a house of secrets where everyone is guilty of something is both immersive and deeply atmospheric

Fabulous Magazine

As buried secrets and lies unravel, tension begins to mount in this atmospheric and compelling story

Female First

Dark, atmospheric and crackling with period intrigue. The perfect summer read

Rachel Rhys, author of Richard & Judy Book Club pick Dangerous Crossing

Praise for The Girl in the Photograph

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A prickly story full of tension

Sunday Express

A sweeping saga of secrets and ghosts

Good Housekeeping

A well executed, brooding, creepy atmosphere

Sunday Mirror

Full of slow-burning tension

Essentials

Rich and atmospheric, like Rebecca this novel casts an enduring spell

Rachel Hore, Sunday Times bestselling author