Sorry to say that this crime novel did not work for me.
I found the present tense first person voice pulled me out of the story completely.
As in "Alice isn't aware of the frantic pounding of her heart."
It was if I was being told a story or reading an audio description rather than following in the character's footsteps and participating.
Plus, the split point of view between Alice, Gareth and Ursula was often hard to follow and link to the other characters..
Did not finish.

Another brilliant novel by CL Taylor. If people haven't read any of hers, they really must!! They're missing out.

Gareth
Alice
Ursula

3 different people who have no link whatsoever to each other. Each have their own worries in life. They are brought together in a surprising event that is the highlight of the story and I couldn't let anyone interrupt me while I finished this book. What an event it was.

If I see or hear about a CL Taylor book coming out, I just have to have a copy.

I absolutely loved this book..

C L Taylor caught my imagination and had me gasping for breath from the beginning. The three main characters, Ursula, Gareth and Alice are all utterly believable, each with their own little quirks, be it dress sense, personality or living arrangements. This book took me over and the one time I managed to put it down, the plot was still whirling away in my head!

But nothing is left to chance, every secret is dropped with perfect timing, the twists left me hanging on the edge of my seat and when I thought I couldn’t possibly take any more, there is a lovely poignant moment, before setting my heart racing again.

And…..just when the last piece of the jigsaw has been placed…………Taylor hits you with her stupendous and unexpected ending!

Unputdownable!

Three main very-well-developed characters come together in an action-packed suspense that left me wondering, where the hell is this going?

From the very first chapter, this book managed to pull me straight into its treacherous waters and although I wasn’t quite satisfied with the denouement, I still enjoyed the wild ride with its highs and lows, twists and turns.

I would definitely recommend this book and will also be on the lookout for this author’s future work!

I would like to thank the Publishers, NetGalley, and the Author for sending me an ARC of this book.

Three different stories with three very different characters.
Alice is the manager of a clothes shop, a single parent hoping to find love. Following a disastrous first date with Michael, Alice meets Simon who seems to be exactly what she is looking for.
Ursula is a delivery driver who suddenly finds herself homeless and rents a room in the house of Ed, a strange man who seems to have a lot of secrets.
Gareth is a Security guard in a shopping center who looks after his elderly mother who has dementia.
The three stories are compelling on their own and I was over halfway through before I wondered how they could possibly come together and at that point I realised I didn’t care if they didn't because I was enjoying them anyway!
When they did come together it was unexpected and very tense.

Three strangers, two secrets, one terrifying evening.

Ursula, Gareth and Alice have never met before. Ursula thinks she killed the love of her life. Gareth’s been receiving strange postcards. And Alice is being stalked. None of them are used to relying on others – but when the three strangers’ lives unexpectedly collide, there’s only one thing for it: they have to stick together. Otherwise, one of them will die.

This story brings together the lives of three strangers and entwines their stories in a way we wouldn't expect. They each have their own troubles in their daily lives, but how does it connect them together, what is the link between them and will it all work out in the end?

The book is told from the point of view of the three main characters; Alice, Gareth and Ursula and throughout the book we learn of their pasts and why the things they've experienced have made them the people they are today. I connected with all three characters in different ways and thought the author portrayed each of them perfectly, they each have their flaws but they are good people, let's face it, none of us are perfect are we? I loved the intrigue in this book, wondering where it was all heading, it was an exhilarating ride that I did not want to stop! Cally Taylor, you've done it again, you put pen to paper and you create a total work of art, I loved it and, after a stressful couple of weeks, you gave me my mojo back. A huge five stars from me!

I'd like to thank Avon Books and Netgalley for the approval. I will post my reviews on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Another five star read from CL Taylor. I loved the way this story came together and just had to finish it tonight.
Ursula, Gareth and Alice have never met before and we hear about their lives in alternating chapters.
Ursula thinks she killed her boyfriend years before and can’t forgive herself. She has a unique way of coping.
Gareth is looking after his sick mother who starts to receive strange postcards from his dead father.
Alice meets a new man but then a stalker takes an interest in her, and she doesn’t know why.
It all comes together but I won’t tell you the how’s and why’s as I don’t want to spoil it.
This is a gripping thriller that well and truly had me hooked from the word go.
I felt empathy with all the characters as they were each dealing with their own crisis and each needed things to reach a conclusion.
This is a fast paced book that you won’t be able to put down.
Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Well. All I can say is how much I absolutely loved this book. I started it on Sunday evening and finished it Tuesday evening.

You are always guaranteed a good read from C L Taylor and this book doesnt disappoint. There are plenty of quirky characters to keep your interest. Some loveable, some not so much, but characters all the same that keep you invested and want to find out what the hell is going on!

And may I add, this book is the perfect distraction to the crazy world we are living in at the moment!

I now cannot WAIT for her next book!

Having really enjoyed C L Taylor’s other books such as Sleep and The Fear I was excited to receive the ARC for Strangers. I really enjoy that all of Taylor’s books that I have read all feel different – she doesn’t seem to get stuck in her comfort zone and keep to the same theme or writing style and Strangers is no exception. Told from the perspective of three strangers, we meet Gareth - the aging security guard with a mother suffering from dementia, Ursula – the kleptomaniac delivery driver who has been kicked out of her flat and Alice who seems to have acquired a stalker after a disastrous blind date. Each chapter focus’ on a different character but these are not necessarily rotated in a particular order, just whichever story needs the most attention which works well. Each chapter also seemed to have an underlying sinister and unsettling air which compelled me to keep reading to find out how they were all connected.

I really enjoyed reading about each of the characters, they are well-developed and I empathised with each of them. Although they all end up winding through to a conclusion together at the end, their storylines are still very standalone. I was actually a touch disappointed with how they linked together, not giving away any spoilers of course, but the blurb had led me to believe they were perhaps more linked than they actually were in the end. I really enjoyed the last chapter though which turned everything on his head.

Overall, this is another strong, well-crafted thriller from C L Taylor and I look forward to reading more from her in future. Thank you to NetGalley & Avon Books UK for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been a big fan of C.L. Taylor for a while now, and I thought Strangers, her latest, is her most addictive and compelling book yet. Whenever I’ve picked up one of her books, I’ve read them in just a couple of days. C.L. Taylor creates a cast of intriguing characters, and she draws you into their lives and personal struggles. Nothing binds them together at the start of this book, and how she brings them together is done brilliantly. C.L. Taylor will have you wondering throughout how everything is going to come together, and how she does this will totally shock you.

We’re introduced to three characters, Gareth, Ursula and Alice. They are all going through some kind of turmoil in their lives. Gareth finds himself at the centre of a police probe which he has no idea about; Ursula is addicted to shop-lifting and the thrill of it, which is why she has just been kicked out of the flat she shares with her friend. Alice is scared that she is stalked and is constantly on edge. And in the midst of this, strange disappearances are sparking intrigue in the local community, prompting many to start discussing them online.

What really makes this book exceptional are the characters. I found their lives and their circumstance utterly compelling, and it’s what made me turn the pages faster and faster. I think I felt most for Ursula as she battles her addiction to shop-lifting. You can see that she is desperate to stop doing this as it is destroying her social life, particularly when her friends kick her out of her flat. And I engaged with Gareth and Alice. Gareth works as a security guard, which is already a demanding job, but he also has to care for his mother, who has dementia. I felt exasperated for him when he became involved in a police investigation, especially as he already had a lot of other things going on in his life demanding attention. Alice is desperate to find love again, but she is also having to deal with her teenage daughter trying to give her advice, but may not be going the best way about it.

It’s really hard to talk more about the plot without giving anything away, but what I can say is that you will be pulled into the lives of the characters and the story, C.L. Taylor has created without any effort. If you’re already a fan of her work, you’ll no doubt already know what a treat you have in store. Strangers is C.L. Taylors best book yet.

Ursula is a courier, barely making a living delivering packages. Gareth is a security guard at a mall. He lives at home with his mother who has dementia. Alice is divorced with an adult daughter, a manager of a clothing store and is lonely and wants to date. They are strangers who are brought together one fateful night. The story then jumps back a week and we get to know them and what's going on in their lives and how they ended up together.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I liked it. I liked the writing style and there were lots of twists and turns ... some turned out to be innocent, which was fun. It is written in third person perspective in Ursula, Gareth and Alice's voice. The author is English and the book is set in England so there are lots of references that I'm not used to or haven't heard before. As a head's up, there is swearing.

I wasn't crazy about Alice. Considering her age, I found her too desperate and needy. She'd only gone out with a fella named Simon a couple times but was calling and texting him like crazy, and discussing every nuance of their "relationship" with her friend and daughter (who both told her to chill out). I didn't like Ursula all that much in the beginning but once her story was revealed I understood why she was the way she was. I liked Gareth ... he had a lot going on. His father had disappeared without a trace 20 years ago and Gareth is always looking for him in crowds. His mother has dementia and refuses to go to a home ... he never knows what he's going to come home to. She has started to receive postcards from her husband and Gareth is determined to find out who is messing with her.

I look forward to reading other books by this author.

I have read several other titles by C.L. Taylor and I am not sure this is her best in my opinion. It is a strange story based around a series of characters who are not interconnected and lead complex lives. They will meet, as you can suspect towards the end of the book for a big finale. Gareth is a security guard whose father disappeared 20 years earlier, he is now looking after his mother who suffers from dementia. Alice is unlucky in love and has recently met Simon but his behaviour is erratic maybe because he is afraid of his ex. Then there is Ursula a very tall woman who works as a courier and rents a room in a house with a weird guy and is traumatised by an event in her recent past. .
It takes a while to realise what the problem is as all people in the story experience strange events but it is hard to put your finger on it.

As far as British psychological thriller go C.L.Taylor is possibly one of the most accomplished writers and this book shows her skill in painting realistic characters and an interesting plot. The characters are quite complex, but quite likeable in spite of their human flaws. But the book itself has not really kept my attention as much as other thrillers did and other books by the same author. It is a good thriller worth reading if you like the genre but it is not the kind of book that has kept me awake until 2 am to finish it. And I found the ending a bit rushed.

Day 6 of Lockdown here in NZ and this is only the 2nd book I’ve finished since it began - like many others, from what I’m seeing on social media - I’m having difficulty concentrating, so wanted something gripping but not too scary, violent or depressing. This had a string of 5 star reviews and I can confirm it was a brilliant distraction from the stress and anxiety of the world’s current plight. I had previously read and adored Sleep by this author, so knew I was in safe hands. I found it hard to categorise as it’s not really a psychological thriller and neither is it domestic suspense, so I’m inventing a new genre called Retail Noir.

Set in Bristol (England) this begins with three people - the Strangers of the title - standing over a body in a fashion boutique. We then jump back a week and follow their individual stories: Alice is the shop manager, who is cautiously dating again after a nasty divorce, Gareth is a security officer at the mall, struggling to look after his elderly mother, and Ursula, a compulsive shoplifter since her life fell apart after a terrible loss.

The clever thing here is that despite none of these characters being remotely appealing, sensible or charismatic, I was rapidly drawn in to their depressing humdrum lives because you know something much more dramatic is going to happen. There’s a suspected serial killer, a stalker, a missing mother and a missing child, and a flatmate with something alarming in the basement.
I had no idea how they would all end up intersecting, but by the time they do, about 85% in, I was spellbound as Taylor coaxed me into caring about our leads, in spite of their failings. Ursula is brave, Gareth is kind, and Alice is resolute.

This would make a fantastic TV series, as long as Gwendoline Christie played Ursula. I loved the ending and especially the wicked epilogue. I want to give it 5 stars, but I’m rounding down from 4.5 for the present tense narration which was the only thing that spoiled it for me - if that doesn’t bother you I can highly recommend it as a distraction from Covid-19.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc which allowed me to give an honest review. Strangers is published on April 2nd.
Oh and special mention for the cover image which is stunning.

This is my first read by this author and I have to say I am shocked by how well this one was thought out and how C.L. Taylor put so many twists and turns in this book that I did not see coming! Very well done!

There are three main characters that we follow throughout this story, Ursula, Gareth, and Alice. These three have not met each other at all. Ursula is a young lady that has gone through a hard time with her boyfriend in the past. She is trying to find a place to live when her current roommate kicks her out. She ends up finding a place that is with a strange guy but it is somewhere to sleep.

Gareth is a middle aged man that is a security guard at the mall where he lives. Gareth also takes care of his mother that is in the early stages of dementia. Gareth has caregivers that see after his mom during the day but he takes care of her all the other times. Gareth worries about his mom all the time because she is getting worse and worse with her dementia as time goes on. Gareth's father went missing years ago so he is not in the picture anymore.

Alice is a middle aged woman whose daughter lives with her. Alice and her ex-husband divorced several years ago and now Alice's daughter is encouraging her to get out and date again. When Alice goes on a date with someone she met online, she is quickly turned off by him and in turn meets someone else that she decides to date instead. Alice's daughter thinks that she is acting to desperate and tells her to slow down. Alice is confused by what her daughter is trying to tell her and it causes some tension between them.

We get to go with these three on a few days of their lives and then one day, everything goes crazy. I am not going to give any of it away because this book was so gripping that I read all nigh long until I finished it. I was on the edge of my seat wondering how things were all going to turn out for everyone. This is such a great read and makes me want to go back and read all of the other books by C.L. Taylor!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are my own. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

This was my first book by C.L. Taylor (although I own a few others I've yet to read) and it was as good as I hoped it would be.
Alternating between each of the 3 main characters, we learn they each have some kind of mystery going on in their lives.
Despite not knowing each other, they all live in the same area so their paths cross regularly.
There was so much going on that I couldn't read it quick enough and I enjoyed every bit of it. So many twists that it constantly has you guessing every possible theory right up to the last page.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a bit of suspense.

An enjoyable pageturner with interesting characters and some good twists, particularly at the very end. However, I felt the denouement was a bit rushed and I wasn't convinced by the stalker's motive, so not quite a five star.
Thank you to netgalley and Avon books for an advance copy of this book

Three strangers - each of them completely different personalities, so what event could possibly bring them all together? Well of course I’m not going to say, but rest assured, if you choose to read ‘Strangers’, you’re in for a terrific read! I couldn’t wait to see where it was heading.

Slowly, tantalisingly, Alice, Ursula and Gareth’s stories are told in fine detail, describing their personal lives, and why and how they all eventually come together. And this defining meeting can only be described as a frightening frenzy of activity, and the words “What on earth is going on here”? echoing in my head!

The characters were great, there’s Alice, manager of a fashion shop in the Meads shopping centre in Bristol, Gareth, head of security, and responsible for monitoring CCTV cameras in Meads (though he and Alice haven’t met) and Ursula, parcel delivery driver and kleptomaniac.

What a wonderful journey the author took us on to get from A to B, and just when I thought this journey couldn’t get any better, guess what? It did! because that ending is memorable for all the right reasons!

Well, this was all things wonderful. Everything I want from a psychological thriller and then some. Phew, what a ride this book took me on...
Alice has a bit of a nasty encounter on a date, saved by Simon who, on the face of things appears to be her knight in shining armour. But is he? Shortly after starting seeing him, she starts to receive warnings. Ursula is a bit of a funny fish. She blames herself for her husband's death and her life has gone to pot. Gareth is a bit sheltered, living with and caring for his mum.
They all have connections to a shopping centre. Alice and Gareth work there, Ursula shoplifts there! But is this all that connects our trio. I suggest you read this wonderful book to find that out as the author intends... In fact, do yourself a favour and stop reading reviews and go in as blind as you can. You will not be disappointed...
As well as being a cracking psychological thriller, this is beyond a doubt a very character driven book. Most of the characters are wounded in one way, shape or form, but not excessively so and the author doesn't rely wholly on this in her creation of them. It was easy to connect with the majority in some way which, in turn, brought me closer to all the action going on. And there was a lot of that, I can tell you. Nothing too over the top, I hasten to add, and all of what happened around and about them felt real and credible.
Plotting was tight and well handled - no mean feat considering all the interconnections and convolution going on. It all wrapped up so very well at the end too which left me wholly satisfied. And then there's chapter 55... Oh MY!
All in all, another firm winner from one of my favourite authors. Really looking forward to seeing what she serves up next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I feel a bit out of sorts because once again, so many people give this one high marks and once again, I just don't get it. This is not a fast paced thriller. The book moves extremely slowly and honestly, the only reason that I did not DNF it is because it was an ARC.

I didn't really like any of the characters. Alice was super needy after going on three dates with Simon, a guy who helped her after another guy assaulted her. She texted him all the time and was way too invested in someone who was stalking him. She was supposedly being stalked too, but it was one of the most boring stalkers in history. There was one FB message that wasn't even threatening and some graffiti on her car that wasn't threatening either. There was Ursula. The premise suggests that she is upset because she feels responsible for the death of her boyfriend. But the author doesn't actually tell the reader this until 75% of the way through the book. Then there is Gareth, who is taking care of his mom with dementia.

The problem with this book was that there was so much buildup to . . . nothing. Nothing happened, there was no excitement and then the ending was just rushed. I was never on the edge of my seat. I thought there would be more suspense and more excitement, but I had to force myself to finish it. There were also sections of the book where the author would show tweets about whether or not there was a Harbourside Murderer. Those tweets and that subplot was completely unnecessary, especially since the resolution to that felt forced and it was a twist that I didn't care about, mainly because it didn't even involve any of the main characters. This book was just boring and I would not recommend it.

This is another intriguing and interesting tale from CL Taylor. It has all the usual features of a robust and well told story - or, in this case, stories: the story trajectory follows a period in the lives of a number of apparently unconnected characters, whose lives are slowly shown to have more points of contact than is apparent at first sight. The careful reveal of the way the characters eventually interconnect is cleverly constructed and the final denouement has all the surprise and tension that make for a satisfying ending. The characters are very well drawn and are well-sustained as the story develops. The narrative is exceptionally well-paced and, for this reader at least, the book was hard to put down, particularly in the second half as the tension built.
Strongly recommended.