The Stranger

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What to expect

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Stranger by Kate Riordan. Read by Pippa Bennett-Warner, Hattie Morahan, Gabrielle Glaister, Chris Nelson and Laura Kirman.

When you're the outsider, who do you trust?


Cornwall, 1940.

For decades, Penhallow Hall has stood frozen in time, protecting the secrets of its isolated inhabitants. But the far corners of England are no shelter from the war, and Penhallow must finally open its doors to strangers.

Three newcomers arrive, each looking to escape their past. They adjust easily to the routine - nightly blackouts, the threat of invasion - but tensions mount and secrets are forced into the open. For one of them is not there by choice. And then, in the hushed hours of deepest night, a young woman is taken by the sea.

Was it simply a tragic accident? Or should the inhabitants of Penhallow have been more careful about whom they invited in?

Critics Review

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

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

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

Female First

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

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

Daily Mail

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

Sunday Express

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

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

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

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

Amanda Jennings

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

Liz Fenwick

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

Dinah Jefferies

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

An atmospheric whodunit set in the Second World War

The Sunday Post

A beautifully woven, immersive story that completely transported me

Judith Kinghorn

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

Emylia Hall

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

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

Praise for The Girl in the Photograph

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

Rachel Hore, Sunday Times bestselling author

Full of slow-burning tension

Essentials

A sweeping saga of secrets and ghosts

Good Housekeeping

A well executed, brooding, creepy atmosphere

Sunday Mirror

A prickly story full of tension

Sunday Express

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