Thrown into the mix are excerpts from 'The Stranger,' itself a delicious homage to writers like M.R. Griffiths alternates points of view among Clare, her 15-year-old daughter, Georgie, and DS Harbinder Kaur, the queer policewoman in charge of the murder investigation. As the violence escalates, Clare and the police must figure out why the killer seems so fixated on Clare-and what a supernaturally tinged tale more than a hundred years old has to do with the quiet lives of small-town Brits. This suspicion is confirmed when, the day before Halloween, Clare discovers that someone else has left her a note in her own diary. But when one of her colleagues in the English department at Talgarth High is found murdered with a line from 'The Stranger,' the very same Holland story that has long obsessed Clare, left on a Post-it next to her body, she quickly realizes the murderer must be someone who knows an awful lot about her. Holland, a writer of gothic tales who once lived in the school where she works. The most exciting part of her life may be the biography she hopes to write of R.M.

Writing that isn't hers, left on the page of an old diaryĬlare becomes more certain than ever: 'The Stranger' has come to terrifying life.A secondary school English department in West Sussex is turned upside down by a series of bookish killings.Ĭlare Cassidy is heading into middle age with just her teenage daughter, her faithful dog, her diary, and her teaching job to occupy her time. Unsure whom to trust, she turns to her closest confidant, her diary, the only outlet she has for her darkest suspicions and fears about the case.

To make matters worse, the police suspect the killer is someone Clare knows. Holland's most famous story, 'The Stranger,' left by her body, Clare is horrified to see her life collide with the storylines of her favorite literature. But when one of Clare's colleagues and closest friends is found dead, with a line from R.

Holland, she teaches a course on it every year. A high school English teacher specializing in the Gothic writer R. I loved this book And you will too.' - Louise Pennyĭeath 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.Ĭlare Cassidy is no stranger to murder. 'Goose-bump spooky, smart, and haunting, in every sense. As unforgettable as it is original.' - A.J. This atmospheric, intricate thriller, a pitch-perfect modern Gothic, chilled my blood and warmed my heart.

Rm holland the stranger