Totally original story about three total strangers who are all dealing with distinct problems of their own. Alice, Gareth, and Ursula may not have met but their lives become intertwined in ways they could not have imagined. Excellent, suspenseful thriller with lots of twists and turns. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own ☺️

This has a really strong start and had me hooked pretty much right away. I enjoyed each perspective from our 3 main characters Alice, Gareth and Ursula.

I found Alice to be the most relatable of the 3 but Ursula was my fav, all those parts where she was snooping around and her creepy flat mate had me on the edge of my seat. I found Gareth’s story line to be a little boring if I’m honest and the pay out at the end wasn’t nearly rewarding enough.

The reason I couldn’t give this book a 4 or 5 star rating was due to the ending, it was a bit of a let down. I was expecting the story lines merging to be a lot more thrilling and exciting than it was.

That being said the writing was really up my street and I would be willing to check out more of the authors work.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows the story of 3 seemingly unrelated people: Alice, who is divorced and manages a women's clothing store in the mall; Gareth, a security guard in the mall, who takes care of his Alzheimer's stricken mother; and Ursula, an occasional drop in at Alice's store and package deliverer. Alice starts dating a man and is anonymously warned to stay away from him. Gareth thinks his father who disappeared years ago has returned and is sending his mom postcards and Ursula has been thrown out of her apartment by her roommate for stealing.

I had no idea what all of these people had in common until the very end. I found that their stories and what they were going through were mostly compelling enough to keep me interested in finding out what they all had in common, but my interest did wane a bit toward the end. In the end, I didn't feel like it all came together with the hidden connection between the three characters that I had hoped there would be, but overall, it was a decent read and since I have read all of this author's previous books, I will certainly read her next.

This is the story of three main people with secrets and problems, interesting enough, it took a long time for them to intersect, i expected it to be more at the beginning but it was an effective writing choice. liked it pretty well, not great but interesting enough to see how it would be resolved

Strangers is a story about 3 people Ursula, Gareth, and Alice. They have never met before, but they are all struggling in life in some way.
Ursula is a Courier and is grieving after the death of her boyfriend Nathan.
Gareth is a Security guard at the local shopping centre and looks after his mother who has Dementia.
Alice a manager at the local shopping centre and is looking for love, with the help from her daughter.
They don’t know each other but one day they meet with terrifying consequences.
Strangers is another excellent read by C.L. Taylor. She never seems to disappoint. This is another tense, gripping thriller written in in the 3 people point of view. I really enjoyed this. I like how the author told the three individual stories, building the tension as she writes, intertwining the story to the climax at the end. Very clever. I can’t wait for the next book.

Cally is, and always will be a literary legend! I always find her stories so clever the way that the characters intertwine with one another. She always manages to shock and surprise me and this new offering is no exception.

Read this book so quickly, I couldn’t help myself!

The way the story is told from three sides makes it stand out but it’s still reads well and keeps you hooked.

I like books set in the UK, I find it more relatable and this is no different.

Loved this one! I couldn't begin to guess how the all the stories would weave together and how the stranger's lives with intersect, so it was a great twist when they did. Plus the end had a great surprise!

C L Taylor has become a firm favourite with me. I see her latest book when it comes out, and I want it! After a string of books that were...okay...what a relief it was to dive into her latest, 'Strangers.'
Ursula, Gareth and Alice are virtual strangers to each other, connected only by the shopping centre which is a daily part of each individual's life. Alice is a shop manager; Gareth is a centre security officer; and Ursula is a shoplifter.
All three are emotionally vulnerable; yet when danger strikes, all three will come together to fight for each other, and for their lives.
C L Taylor writes psychological thrillers as do many other authors, but what makes her books stand out from others are two things. Firstly, Taylor has a particular talent for imbuing the entirety of her book with tension; her writing is unsettling, the atmosphere uncomfortable. Secondly, her climatic action scenes, often so chaotic and difficult to follow in other books, are clearly mapped out so the reader doesn't feel like they are ploughing through a fog of action with no clear idea of what is happening.
I give this book 4 stars; it's tense, atmospheric, invested in its characters and wholly readable.

Overall I think this is a solid 3/5 for me. The first 70% of the book was but too slow burn for me and it felt tedious to read. Having said that the last portion of the novel was really good, I’m glad I stuck it out. It was worth it,

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

#Strangers #NetGalley Another stonker of a book by C L Taylor!! The story of three different characters all going through their own personal traumas/problems neatly brought together at the end. I could not put this book down!! I'm normally not a fan of books that switch chapters between characters but it worked well in this case and I was soon engrossed in each 'next' chapter to find out what was happening to each character. Be warned - A definite read in one sitting book!! A well deserved 5 stars!

I have read a few books by C.L. Taylor and thoroughly enjoyed them and was delighted to have been gifted an e-arc of her latest book for review.

Alice, a divorced mum of a grown up daughter, who is dipping a toe back into the dating game;
Ursula, a parcel courier and a kleptomaniac; and
Gareth, 20 years a security guard and also trying to care for his mother who has onset dementia.

Three strangers. Three separate narratives. Three lives on a collision course.

This book was fairly unputdownable for me for the first 60% or so. Reading about the three main characters, I was intrigued by each of them. At the beginning of the book they are standing over a dead body. We don't know who it is, or what happened and we go back to a week or two earlier to find out the situation.

A very good, suspenseful and easy read, I flew through it. The ending lost me somewhere along the way however as I felt it was pretty drawn out but otherwise a very enjoyable book.

Opening paragraph: "Alice Fletcher has never seen a dead body before. She always imagined they'd look peaceful: their skin slackened, their muscles softened and their mouths settled, not into a smile exactly, but a loose, contented line. Alice Fletcher was wrong."

That same evening, residents are speculating on twitter about the massive police presence in the center of Bristol. Could it be the "Harborside Murderer" at work again? Or is that just an Urban Legend?

The story regresses to one week earlier....

Alice is just the manager of Mirage Fashions, in the Meads Shopping Centre, trying her hand at online dating" for the first time, at the urging of her daughter, Emily, with disturbing results.

Ursula, is a six foot three inch, kleptomaniac and shoplifter, banned from the store. The problem started when she thought she killed Nathan, who was "the love of her life."

Gareth, is the 47 year old security guard at the Meads Shopping Centre, who lives with his aging mother, Joan, who is suffering from dementia, and has been receiving postcards she thinks are from her long missing husband.

Chapters will alternate between the three POV's of these flawed, yet sympathetic characters until you return to the "opening scene" and the DEAD body.

I would categorize the story as LIGHT SUSPENSE, not a THRILLER, focused on the likable characters and their struggles, as the three narratives eventually intertwine.

Nothing dark or complex here, but entertaining nonetheless!

I LOVED the final chapter (55)- (don't peek!) It is the ONLY chapter told from the POV of one of the "supporting role" characters.....


I have been wanting to read something by C. L. Taylor for awhile now! Although she is not as well known in the U.S., she is a Sunday Times bestselling author with over a million copies of her books sold in the UK alone.

I am glad I was given a chance to discover her work through a digital ARC from NetGalley, Avon books UK and the author, in exchange for a candid review! Available in the US on April 2, 2020.

Quite an interesting and addictive story.
I enjoyed it and read it in one sitting. I liked the idea of three strangers that never before have seen or had anything in common but, when it comes to helping each other in a difficult situation they don’t hesitate.
Different points of view, different life stories that slowly are unveiled, everything adds up to a great read.


Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my review copy.

Another belter of a book from C.L.Taylor! I have loved her books from reading 'The Accident' and then wanting to read everything she writes, the Strangers did not disappoint!

The book is written from the perspective of three separate characters, characters that make some dreadful mistakes but overall are dealing with the rubbish that life can throw at us. All of their stories lead into one path that they all begin to cross and they are thrown into the worst possible situation, together! At points I had absolutely no idea what was going on or where the story was going, but I really think this was deliberate by the author.

The characters were completely believable and relatable - they felt like real people dealing with the journey of life.

I would definitely recommend this book! A 5 star read!

I really enjoyed this book.

There is 3 main characters, Alice - a woman trying to get on with her life after divorce, Gareth - a man who looks after his mum but wants more from his life and then Ursula- a woman trying to get over losing someone close to her.

At the beginning of the book I thought I’d connect more with Alice but to my surprise it was Ursula who I found myself growing to like the most. I won’t go to much into it because I don’t want to ruin the story for anyone.

All 3 characters are strangers but end up becoming involved in each other’s lives.

Ursula is a parcel delivery driver and a kleptomaniac.
Gareth is a security guard who looks after his elderly mother.
Alice is a store manager who is looking for love.
Three strangers who’s lives are about to collide.
The story is told by the main characters in alternative chapters and this certainly added to the suspense.
I really enjoyed this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This didn't feel like a typical CL Taylor book to me. It had a different feel, but I absolutely loved it. I loved the different characters and the crossover between some. It kept me guessing, wasn't predictable and the writing was so good that I can still see the imagery it created in my head, weeks after reading. 5* for sure, loved it!

I have previously read two other books by C.L.Taylor (Sleep and The Fear), both of which I really enjoyed, but this is my favourite so far!! I was hooked from the start, and thought the story worked really well being told mainly from the perspective of three different characters; who end up together for a thrilling (and quite dramatic!) climax. There’s always one last twist to stories like this, and that is not missing from this book. A fantastic read - both for old fans of C.L.Taylor and those perhaps looking for a new or different author!

A cast of unique characters seemingly unconnected. But as the story progresses, their lives become increasingly entwined. This book was such a delightful surprise to read.

The story is told from the point of view of the different characters. The characters were so unique, and so flawed. The story moved fluidly back and forth between characters and between the past and present.

This book has crime, romance, deceit, and some mystery.

I was on the edge of my seat until the end of the book. I wanted to know how each character resolved their problems.