Book Review: The Stranger Diaries (Harbinger Kaur, #1) by Elly Griffiths

The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Unusual multi-narrator thriller and detective story.

The Stranger Diaries is the first book in award-winning mystery author Elly Griffiths' Harbinger Kaur series, and while Detective Sergeant Kaur is the series' protagonist, the main viewpoint in this initial story is that of Clare Cassidy, who is eventually identified as the catalyst for the subsequent murders. Harbinger Kaur doesn't enter the story until much later and feels more like a supportive or secondary character at first.

Clare Cassidy started life over after her divorce and had been teaching English at a school in Sussex, which her fifteen-year-old daughter also attends. When Clare's best friend, Ella, another popular English teacher on the faculty, is murdered, DS Harbinger Kaur is assigned to the case. A literary clue left at the scene of Ella's death seems to link the murder to a horror story that Clare uses in her curriculum, "The Stranger" by R.M. Holland, an author who used to live in the home that now houses the school, and the manner of Ella's death appears to mirror one from the story. Later, when Clare turns to her journal to record these events, her feelings, and experiences, she discovers someone else has left her a message inside.

I really enjoyed the character Clare Cassidy and could relate to some of her reactions, as well as to her unawareness of some of her daughter's activities. While she wasn't a fan of Georgie's older boyfriend, he did initially come across as a sensitive and charming young man who was prepared to wait for Georgie to mature and grow into their relationship, so she held her tongue and hoped their liaison would die a natural death without her interference.

I was not a fan of DS Kaur at first; she was somewhat harsh and sarcastic, and so blatantly critical of everything Clare (whom I did like) did. I was glad that her partner recognized her biases and did his best to balance their opinions. I eventually warmed up to her.

I liked the English school setting and the drama and gossip that circulated among the faculty. Still, everyone seemed so accepting of Rick and Ella's fling, which wasn't quite the secret Clare thought it was. The culprit remained a complete surprise to me right up to the reveal.

I recommend THE STRANGER DIARIES to mystery readers.

View all my reviews