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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
Finished reading: October 28th 2022
"Though I knew better than most that blocking something out doesn't make it go away."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Sphere in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
I have a weak spot for stories with a remote location, and especially if there is a healthy dose of danger thrown in. That's probably why it's no surprise that I simply HAD to add The Second Stranger to my shelves straight away. I mean, have you seen the blurb?! The remote Scottish Highlands hotel setting, the storm and bad weather, the two strangers both claiming to be a police officer, the escaped prisoner... There was no way on earth I was going to be able to resist all that. And as a whole, this story turned out to be quite entertaining indeed, although it starts off stronger than it finishes.
It is without doubt the Scottish Highlands setting that is the star of the show for me. The Mackinnon hotel kind of gave me The Shining vibes, with the hotel being almost empty in preparation for a remodel starting the next day. Add the remote setting, the bad weather and the ominious atmosphere, and it was almost like visiting the little brother of the Overlook Hotel. Storm Ezra and the descriptions of the weather in general helped creating the right atmosphere, and the storm was key in the plot because certain things would have never happened otherwise.
The idea of having two strangers turn up and both claiming to be the same police officer is very clever. Especially since both Gaines One and Gaines Two act a bit shady at times, and it is basically almost impossible to guess who is the real Gaines and who is the prisoner. Remie Yorke made for an interesting main character and while I never completely liked her and I don't agree with all of her choices, I do admire her for never giving up. The flashbacks to her past and her brother did slow down the pace for me, but I do understand why they were incorporated as they help explaining things later on.
The Second Stranger starts out strong, and the whole mystery around who the real Gaines is and the cost of getting it wrong for the characters always hangs above your head. The atmospheric descriptions of the hotel and its surroundings only added to the ominous vibe, and it's definitely what kept me reading. I do have to say that once the identity of the real Gaines is revealed, things seem to slow down a little and the plot itself started to be less and less credible. Especially the final chapters were too over the top and neatly wrapped up to be plausible for me, and as a result the ending wasn't really all that satisfying.
That said, in general I did have a great time reading The Second Stranger. If you enjoy thrillers with a remote location, a creepy atmosphere and danger lurking around every corner, this story will probably work for you as well.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Immediately arresting, this thriller starts when a prisoner escapes during transit from a local prison, in a remote area of Scotland.
This is a classic murder-mystery style plot, written in a contemporary way. It begins with a similar storyline to a famous Agatha Christie book/play. Brilliantly executed and shown from the viewpoint of Remie Yorke, a member of the Mackinnon Hotel staff, with historical links to Porterfell prison. An interesting delve into Remie’s backstory as well as the suspense of being unable to trust anyone around her, makes for a captivating and tense read.
The narrator was excellent, she made it easy to tell between characters and elevated the book with her reading style.
This is a classic murder-mystery style plot, written in a contemporary way. It begins with a similar storyline to a famous Agatha Christie book/play. Brilliantly executed and shown from the viewpoint of Remie Yorke, a member of the Mackinnon Hotel staff, with historical links to Porterfell prison. An interesting delve into Remie’s backstory as well as the suspense of being unable to trust anyone around her, makes for a captivating and tense read.
The narrator was excellent, she made it easy to tell between characters and elevated the book with her reading style.
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It's Remie Yorke's last shift at the Mackinnon Hotel, tomorrow morning she's heading to Chile. As storm Ezra hits, taking out the phonelines and blocking the roads, PC Don Gaines appears at the door. He has been involved in an accident whilst transporting a prisoner from a nearby prison, and his prisoner has escaped. As Gaines heads to the roof to try and contact his colleagues another stranger appears at the door. He also claims to be PC Don Gaines, and warns Remi against the first man. Suddenly she realises that one of them is lying, and must be the escaped prisoner. With no way to tell who is who Remi and the hotel guests face a terrifying and deadly night.
I'm often a bit wary of locked room mysteries given the trope is so well covered in books. This one caught my attention on NetGalley though, and I'm glad I requested it.
The book grabs you from very early on. Griffin does an excellent job of describing this hotel in the remote Scottish Highlands, even more isolated due to a snow storm. Even before the strangers start arriving it's an intimidating setting, and Remi already has concerns with some of her guests. Once the first Don Gaines arrives the pace really ratchets up and the suspicion is through the roof!
I thought Remi's backstory was interesting and definitely helped to add depth to the plot. I did start to wonder towards the end why she was so desperate to leave on that specific day - I didn't think the reasons she gives were strong enough for the risks she has to take. I had a guess as to what that might be but it didn't eventuate, and although there was a bit of an explanation it didn't really explain why Remi would do what she did.
I was surprised by some of the twists and turns in the book, definitely didn't see them all coming. For a book that is as fast paced as this one is Griffin certainly packs a lot in. If you're a fan of locked room mysteries this is one not to be missed.
Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
I'm often a bit wary of locked room mysteries given the trope is so well covered in books. This one caught my attention on NetGalley though, and I'm glad I requested it.
The book grabs you from very early on. Griffin does an excellent job of describing this hotel in the remote Scottish Highlands, even more isolated due to a snow storm. Even before the strangers start arriving it's an intimidating setting, and Remi already has concerns with some of her guests. Once the first Don Gaines arrives the pace really ratchets up and the suspicion is through the roof!
I thought Remi's backstory was interesting and definitely helped to add depth to the plot. I did start to wonder towards the end why she was so desperate to leave on that specific day - I didn't think the reasons she gives were strong enough for the risks she has to take. I had a guess as to what that might be but it didn't eventuate, and although there was a bit of an explanation it didn't really explain why Remi would do what she did.
I was surprised by some of the twists and turns in the book, definitely didn't see them all coming. For a book that is as fast paced as this one is Griffin certainly packs a lot in. If you're a fan of locked room mysteries this is one not to be missed.
Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
It is Remie's final night at the hotel where she works, when a huge storm hits the local area and they lose communications with the outside world. A stranger appears at the front door, he claims to be PC Don Gaines searching for a missing detainee from the nearby prison. However when a second man arrives also claiming to be PC Don Gaines, Remie doesn't know who to trust.
I loved this fantastic mystery, I was completely engrossed by the story.
I think if I could pick my favourite book sub-genre it would be mysteries that are set in a hotel. I love that the characters don't know each other because it gives a feeling of unpredictability. The remote location and the added threat of treacherous weather meant I was instantly hooked.
As the story was told from Remie's perspective you get to see how she dealt with the situations that arose and how she made decisions about who she could trust. Remie has a fascinating backstory that sets her apart from your typical protagonist.
This is a brilliant book that has echoes of Agatha Christie, if you love mysteries with a twist then this is definitely for you.
Thank you NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Remie is finishing up her last night shift at the hotel during an awful storm she is hoping will clear in time for her flight to South America the next day. Then a police officer knocks at the door asking to be let in to call the station as a criminal in now on the run due to a road accident, as he goes off to find signal and hopefully reach his team, a second police officer knocks at the door with the same name, same police number and Remie needs to figure out what to do next,
This book had me hooked! I couldn’t stop listening to it, the thrill of trying to figure out who was the real police officer and why neither of them were trying to kill them was so captivating. This book is written so so well. It isn’t quite a 5 star read for me, it lost me a bit at the end, and I think you need a killer ending to get a 5 star on any thriller but it was written so well, the characters so well thought out and developed and the way you are constantly guessing at who is really who they say they are is so well done,
Highly recommend.
This book had me hooked! I couldn’t stop listening to it, the thrill of trying to figure out who was the real police officer and why neither of them were trying to kill them was so captivating. This book is written so so well. It isn’t quite a 5 star read for me, it lost me a bit at the end, and I think you need a killer ending to get a 5 star on any thriller but it was written so well, the characters so well thought out and developed and the way you are constantly guessing at who is really who they say they are is so well done,
Highly recommend.
I’d give this book a 4.5 stars. I listened to it via NetGally audio, gripping from the start. Remie is the star of this book along with Jamie they have to figure out who is the bad guy! It’s not as easy as you think. Very well written and easy to follow.
The Second Stranger takes us on an increasingly audacious journey, set in a remote location and featuring a small cast of characters that all seem to be hiding something.
Our main character Remie is the sole worker at the McKinnon Hotel on its last night before winter closing. There are only two guests, and she is counting down the hours until she can leave the next day. Unfortunately, things don’t go quite to plan.
The Hotel is close to a high security prison. With a storm approaching, the news of a disturbance doesn’t bode well. When Remie hears police officer Gaines at the door asking for assistance she lets him in. Though the situation is tense, it ramps up in drama when a second man arrives at the hotel claiming to be Gaines.
Suddenly we have a very different situation. One of the men is Gaines, but which one? And how can Remie work it out?
From start to finish we are placed centre-stage in an increasingly tense scenario. There was a sense of disconnect throughout, which is linked to Remie’s secret, and though this seems rather implausible once we’re given all the details it made for a rather satisfying diversion.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this prior to publication in exchange for my honest review.
Our main character Remie is the sole worker at the McKinnon Hotel on its last night before winter closing. There are only two guests, and she is counting down the hours until she can leave the next day. Unfortunately, things don’t go quite to plan.
The Hotel is close to a high security prison. With a storm approaching, the news of a disturbance doesn’t bode well. When Remie hears police officer Gaines at the door asking for assistance she lets him in. Though the situation is tense, it ramps up in drama when a second man arrives at the hotel claiming to be Gaines.
Suddenly we have a very different situation. One of the men is Gaines, but which one? And how can Remie work it out?
From start to finish we are placed centre-stage in an increasingly tense scenario. There was a sense of disconnect throughout, which is linked to Remie’s secret, and though this seems rather implausible once we’re given all the details it made for a rather satisfying diversion.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this prior to publication in exchange for my honest review.