5 stars is not enough !!

Three strangers, Alice, Urusla and Gareth.

You know from page one someone is dead.

Then each of these strangers tells their story .

I know somehow they will all come together but how ?

The pages fly by, my kobo freezes as I try and turn the pages too fast. (no walk for you dog)

I dont want to give too much away but the ending is ingenious, very clever (Agatha Christie) but the story they doesnt stop where you think it might.

I love any book by C.L Taylor , she just keeps getting better and better; how can?

Thanks to NetGalley, Avon Books UK, Avon Books for a spellbounding read !!!!!

Strangers was a pretty quick book, that had you guessing until the very end. I couldn’t wait to see how the three main characters came together, and how their lives would intertwine. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Three characters. Three separate stories.
Alice is a clothing store manager, divorced and trying to get back into dating, but as soon as she starts seeing Simon, someone threatens her to stay away from him.
Gareth is a security guard at the shopping mall, who lives with his mother who's struggling with dementia. His dad has been missing for years and is presumed dead but recently his mum has started receiving postcards from someone whose handwriting is suspiciously similar to his dad's.
Ursula is a courier, trying to come to terms with the death of her partner and turning to shoplifting as a way of dealing with it.
After being kicked out of the flat she was sharing with her friend and her boyfriend, she finds herself a new room but she quickly becomes wary of her new landlord/roommate.
Three strangers. Each of them with a story of their own.
What situation will make them come together? And will they get out of it alive?

I really enjoyed this book, it had me hooked from the beginning. Each of the stories was gripping and intriguing on their own and kept me wondering how and when they will eventually connect. I had no idea what the characters' common thread was, and all the subplots were adding to the suspense.
Despite having one of CL Taylor's books on my tbr shelf, Strangers ended up being my introduction to the author's work, and I can say it was a good choice.
I give it 4 stars and urge you to reach for it as soon as it's published.

How do 3 strangers who have no connection to one another come together and endure a horrific incident? That’s just what happens in the novel Strangers by C.L. Taylor. Meet Alice, Garreth and Ursula. Each unknown to each other but somehow brought together through a common 6 degrees of separation. A great read full of suspense and excellent character development and strong story lines that will keep you reading and up way past your bedtime as you race to see how this psychological suspense ends.

Special thanks to Bookoutre and Avon for another great read by the impressive C.L. Taylor. You won’t be disappointed:

Another compulsive thriller by CL Taylor. Taylor is one of those authors you can trust to deliver a brilliant story, and Strangers is no different. Pacy, entertaining, and utterly gripping.

A brilliant story from the wonderful C L Taylor and it was so damn compulsive. Three strangers Alice, Gareth and Ursula all struggling with problems in different ways all seemingly disconnected with each other but maybe not !! That’s all I’m going to say about the fabulous plot line in this book because to say more would spoil the read, so my advice is read it it’s so very clever !!
The writing was as always in CL Taylor’s books excellent and the characters were all portrayed so well. The book is told from each alternative characters point of view making the pages fly as I rushed to finish and find out the brilliant and inventive ending.
This is a book I can highly recommend as a totally entertaining and satisfying read.
My thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Strangers, by C.L. Taylor is a great read. It was captivating and tense and kept me guessing throughout. The three main characters it follows are well thought out and you feel like you know them. The whole time I was reading, I was curious to find out how their lives would collide. There’s a nice little surprise twist at the end that got me, too!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

What a thoroughly entertaining read!
I was hooked from the first page to the last. A fast paced very enjoyable read which was difficult to put down.
The characters were well thought out and the story weaved around them with interest and ease.
I would recommend this to fans of CL Taylors previous work as well as fans of light intriguing thrillers.
Thank you to Avon Books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As an avid reader of CL Taylor I can confirm that Strangers certainly lives up to expectations!

The book trips along at a great pace, written from three central characters perspectives chronologically. It kept me guessing throughout, and whilst there wasn’t a major twist for me, it reached a very satisfying conclusion. It didn’t quite pip The Lie as my over all favourite of hers - if you’ve not read it, do!

Another great read from CL Taylor. Highly recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When NetGalley approved my request for 'Strangers', I abandoned my tbr and started reading it. Since C.L. Taylors 'Sleep' was my favourite book of 2019, I was eagerly waiting for her next release. That being said, this book didn't disappoint, it was absolute fun to read this intelligent psychological thriller.

The story is told from the perspective of three people who are facing different challenges in their personal lives. They vaguely know each other but one day their lives unexpectedly collide under mysterious and violent circumstances. What follows next is a thrilling ride where these strangers must stick together to survive.

I really liked the main characters of this book and their individual stories, the book covers various themes including bullying, abuse violence, grief and loss. One could relate to these characters and their behaviour/actions in different situations. Grabbed my attention from the prologue until the very last page. I couldn't figure out what possible event would have connected these people. And those final pages of the book were mind-blowing, definitely didn't see that coming!
Highly recommend this fast-paced and entertaining thriller. Overall 4.5 stars.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for giving me the opportunity me to read the ARC of this highly anticipated book.

This is by far the best book I've read by C.L
Taylor. In a nutshell, it is seemingly three separate stories. Alice is a lonely divorcee who might finally be having some luck in the love department. Gareth is a shopping center security guard who lives at home with his mom, who has dementia. Ursula is a down on her luck package courier who shoplifts to deal with a past trauma. All of their stories will culminate in a murder.

I have to admit that I was nervous going into this because while I enjoyed the previous books I read by Taylor, I always ended up feeling underwhelmed. This book kept me hooked the whole time, and I really cared about the characters and was curious as to how they would intersect. I would highly recommend.

Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The book started slowly but picked up into a page turner, until the final chapter which gave a fitting end. Engaging read. 4.5 stars

Big fan of this author, always exciting to have another book of hers. Strangers i a good thriller. The three POV characters have interesting stories and I love how they weave together. Gripping and full of intrigue. Not my favourite by this author, but still another great novel!

Actual rating: 3.5 (rounded down)

Many thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for providing me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

In Strangers, we’re introduced to three characters: Alice, Ursula, and Gareth. They all live and/or work in Bristol. Three characters, three different POVs, three separate stories (for the most part). The thing is, and while I found each of the characters individual storylines intriguing in their own ways (Ursula’s was by and far my favorite, while the other two were just ‘okay’), I still couldn’t find any reason for them being so disparate from one another. All three of them cross paths a few times, but it’s only fleeting and seemingly inconsequential. From the opening chapter, though, we know they do all end up together in a messy situation, but I wished there was more interaction between them, or that they had all connected sooner in the story (and not 75% in). What this book wound up being as a whole, for me, was three unconnected and mildly suspenseful short stories all happening in the same English town, that culminate in a decent payoff at the end.

It could’ve been more cohesive... more sinister, but it was still pretty fun. I skimmed a few paragraphs here and there, because the bulk of some chapters were, in my opinion, essentially filler. I don’t typically do that, but I found myself wanting to get to the ends of the chapters (which usually end in small cliffhangers), or get back to Ursula’s POV.

All the while we’re following Alice and Ursula and Gareth’s stories, in the background it’s being reported through tweets and radio that men have been disappearing. We’re told it’s potentially the work of some ‘Harbourside murderer’. I won’t spoil anything, though. It was just hiding there, off to the side of the main plot.

All in all, I appreciated the slow burn as the connections rolled. It was a nice touch, but again, I wish that they were made closer to the middle of the book. The ending, although really nice, felt a little rushed and too neat— but then THAT bit happened and totally surprised me. I thought it was clever and a great conclusion overall. A slightly better than average suspense/mystery novel.

I’ll definitely be checking out more from this author.

This was a great book- it was set at a perfect pace where it drew you in to each of the characters for the first part of the book, and through an action packed climax towards the end. It centers on 3 characters, Alice, Ursula, and Gareth, and the chapters alternate between them. The reader doesn't know if or how the characters are connected. None of these 3 characters is perfect but they felt very human and I was drawn into their dilemmas. I did get frustrated with Alice from time to time, as she seemed awfully needy and naive for someone her age, but there was an endearing quality about her even when I did sometimes want to throttle her.

The author did a great job of getting the reader to know the characters to the point where you were fully invested when it all comes to a head later. I thought the climactic scene was really gripping and well done. The end of the book tied everything together nicely and I left feeling satisfied.

Overall, this was a unique and interesting story and I'd strongly recommend it for those who like psychological thrillers, mysteries, and action thrillers. I look forward to reading more of Taylor's books. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Three different stories - all different. Yet, the reader waits for them to converge...

Alice; Divorced. Lonely. Living with her 20 year old daughter. She begins internet dating. This is how Michael and Simon enter Alice's life and turn it around...

Ursula; At 6'3' she is taller than most. She is also a serial thief. Alone, she rents a room from Edward. The landlord we all would like to forget...

Gareth; Lives with his elderly mum who has dementia. He has a thin hope that after 20 years of disappearance, his father will return home. Now Liam, at work, is trying to extort money from him

Three lives that the reader knows will somehow intertwine.. it is just a matter of time...

Great characterization by a great author.

Many Thanks to AVON Books, UK and NetGalley for a fine read!

Cleverly woven story that centers around three individuals Ursula, Gareth and Alice. They are strangers to one another. All three are facing tough challenges in their lives, varying issues and problems to contend with.

Ursula is a delivery driver, she is grieving the loss of her partner, struggling to cope and face what happened that frightful day she has become addicted to stealing from her friends, flatmates and the local shopping mall. Gareth a security guard at the same mall, he is having issues at work, he also cares for his mother whose health is ailing from advanced dementia. Alice manages a clothing store in the center and has her own personal struggles to deal with.

There is a common theme around loneliness explored in this book and we see sliding door moments with each character if they took a different route in dealing with their issues or problems what the outcome may have been.

I loved how the characters all have the common connection of the shopping mall, there are instances through the book where they cross paths without even knowing it like ships in the night.
All three ultimately collide, leading up to a series of events where they will need to work together to ensure they all get out alive.

There are few sub stories in here I would have liked to explore even more, we got a little taste but I wanted more of Paul’s story in particular. My favorite character was Ursula by far she was so interesting. If you love thrillers like me this book is next level – Chilling, tense, fast paced it has it all.

..... Remember to check under your bed before you go to Sleep!

C.L. Taylor has done it again. There are a handful of authors out there on my list who will never fail to disappoint you with their quality of writing and even bettering their last book when you thought it wasn't possible. She is one of those authors. This book is incredibly absorbing and the characters, most of them, are very compelling! This was such a good read, very original and very well written.

I received a free copy of 'Strangers' by C.L. Taylor from Avon via Netgalley in return for a honest review.
'Strangers' is typical of the type of twisty, thriller which we have come to expect from Taylor.

There are three central characters -
Alice, a manager in a fashion boutique in the shopping centre Meads
Gareth, a security guard at the same shopping centre
And
Ursula, a delivery driver, who likes to shoplift from Meads.
Three people with reasonably simply links between them but when we initially meet them, they are standing over a corpse and agreeing to tell the police, that "it was self-defense". - and so we begin.... a journey of constant twists and turns. Where we are never entirely sure just who we are trust.

Kept me guessing until the end! I really wondered how all the threads were going to come together but they did successfully. At times creepy, others quite sad, it was another great page-turner from CL Taylor.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-copy in exchange for an honest review. I'm already looking forward to the next one!