Loved the writing style and the way the author got you to connect with the characters. I really couldn’t put this down! A great book

An absolutely beautiful book, brought me to tears on numerous occasions I don't know what else to say - but read it please.

This book felt very real. The author did a great job with the characterisation and some of the characters felt relatable.

This was a compelling read.

The Secrets of Strangers is one of the most beautiful pieces of literature I've read in my entire life. I will never forget this book.

5*

Firstly, a word of warning: This book completely broke me, but it was totally worth it. It takes a lot for a book to make me cry, but Charity Norman tells this story of a group of strangers caught together in a hostage situation with such expert sensitivity that I defy anyone not to shed a tear or two.
The novel itself brings together the heart-breaking and inspiring stories of the hostages, as well as the man responsible for their situation, in such a way that I found myself empathising with every single one. It’s not an easy read in emotional terms. Get ready to laugh and cry as Norman tackles incredibly sensitive issues with honesty and a level of emotional intelligence most books of this style fail to reach.
My only slight criticism is the book’s structure. It is split into chapters, understandably, but then also into sections with different character’s names, which didn’t always seem to correlate with the particular focal point of the chapter. However, this minute issue didn’t make me any less of an emotional mess!
Read with tissues to hand!

Jesus wept what a ride this one was! Didn’t know what to think most of the time, brilliant plot a new one for me, great characters and a seriously good book; one that you’ll be thinking about long after you’ve finished the book!

The whole story is set in a cafe and tells of a group of people who end up stuck together held hostage. At first it becomes a story of how the hostages react and how they think over their lives. Later on they start to help the gunman through his struggles and we find out why he made the choices to do what he did.

My favourite quote from the book “Our lives collide with Sam’s today. We were rolling merrily along in different directions until he smashed into us and knocked us all off course. Now we’re travelling together for a while.”

You don't quite know where 'The Secrets of Strangers' will carry you... It certainly ends in a very different place than you would expect it to when you have just started it and are getting acquainted to the characters. I like the different layers of the story and the way we discover more about the protagonists as we go on. I have read some comments suggesting that the characters are a little cliche and on the whole, I would agree with this. It doesn't however spoil the story development for me.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ecopy of this book in exchange for an impartial and honest review.

Hostage situation… 4 stars

Early one morning, a diverse bunch of people head for the Tuckbox café. Most of them are just looking for a caffeine fix, but one is carrying a loaded shotgun. Soon a man lies dead on the floor and some of the strangers find themselves as hostages of the killer. Outside, as the police scramble to get their armed response units in position, their negotiator, Eliza, begins the long job of trying to calm things down and resolve the situation without any more people getting hurt. And in the café, as the initial shock and terror wears off, the hostages and their captor begin to develop an uneasy rapport…

This book is getting rave reviews all over the place and, although I wasn’t as blown away by it as many other people, I can certainly see why. The quality of the writing is excellent, and the beginning in particular is brilliantly done, quickly building up an atmosphere of extreme tension and concern for the characters whom the author has already managed to make us care about.

After this explosive start, the book then settles down to a slow reveal of the background of each of the characters, especially of the killer and his victim. This is when it began, slightly, to drag for me. The essential problem is that all of the characters – yes, even the killer – are such awfully nice people who have been dealt unfair hands by fate. I liked them all, but oh, how I longed for someone’s stiff upper lip to fail – a touch of hysteria, or a dramatic but futile show of heroism. At the beginning, when there are kids among the hostages and we don’t know just how unstable the killer might be, the tension is palpable, but this disappears when it soon becomes clear that the immediate horrors are over and the hostage situation is merely an opportunity to bring together some disparate life stories.

And mostly they’re, dare I say it, not very interesting stories. The career woman undergoing IVF and hiding her pain under a brittle veneer of professional distance. The homeless man, brought to this state by his own weaknesses but with a heart of gold and a limitless well of sympathy for others. The kind, motherly care worker who uses her common sense and knowledge of the darkness that can lurk in the human soul to connect with the killer. And the killer himself, product of an unhappy childhood ruled over by a controlling, gaslighting step-father. I may be making it sound much duller than it is – I did like all the characters and I did enjoy hearing their stories, especially the harrowing one of Mutesi the care worker which is very well done; but it was all too pat somehow. Here we all are, each with our own troubles, locked in this room, so why don’t we swap stories and all find some kind of redemption and turn this horror into a deeply meaningful moment of affirmation of life? It all feels a bit Harold Fry, if you know what I mean – another book that other people adored and I didn’t. And I do feel someone should have said no to the last chapter, which is quite frankly sickeningly saccharine and with the same kind of mystical twaddle that made me want to hurl Harold Fry at the wall.

Hmm, this review has turned out more critical than I intended. I enjoyed reading the book and would recommend it quite highly, especially to people who enjoy feel-good novels, since despite the killing that’s what this is. But for those looking for realism or a thriller, this is not that book. Horses for courses. This horse provides a nice, comfortable, sedate ride, not a wild mane-flying gallop. Bill, not Shadowfax.

Wrong place, wrong time. I bet that's what the majority of the people who end up in the middle of hostage a situation think. Luck of the draw. Sam doesn't seem to mind whether he frightens children, pregnant women or about crossing the line between threat and death.

The way Norman has woven the threads of coercive abuse, violence and desperation together to create an emotionally charged read is quite remarkable. There is no black or white, but rather a pyramid of greyish areas.

There is a scene between Mutesi and Neil that I found incredibly poignant. In the cafe we have the new norm and status quo of the nurse or carer and the homeless man. She thinks nothing of reaching out to help him and he is grateful for those stolen moments in his bleak life.

When Mutesi speaks of her turbulent past - a life filled with horrors we will never be able to comprehend or imagine, the status quo shifts. As she speaks and he tries to wave away the images her memories conjure up, in an attempt to protect himself and others and diminish her experiences, he reverts to the white man of privilege. She in turn is expected to acknowledge her status as the black woman expected to bear the systemic oppression of her race, and in this case also her tribe, and be silenced by him. So subtly done - point made.

Then the comparison of abuse and blame when it comes to Sam and his stepfather, and Sam and his girlfriend. The assumption that being a victim automatically means you could not possibly be a perpetrator too.

I think what I will take away from this book is that everyone has a story and none of us know what each individual has dealt with or is dealing with at any given time. It's important to keep that in mind when we interact and communicate - no matter how briefly that may be. It doesn't excuse Sam's actions, but it does put them into perspective.

It's an excellent read - absolutely food for thought.

Neil is a rough sleeper.

Abi is a lawyer.

Mutesi is a nurse for a care home…..

These three people are following their usual morning routines as they pop into the Tuckbox cafe in Balham for the usual breakfasts and coffees.

Robert is the owner and Rosie the waitress.

Just a usual morning until Sam arrives with a shotgun, shoots Robert and holds the others hostage…..terrifying.

As the story unfolds you learn of each of their lives and the secrets they hold.

I found this to be such a compelling read. It’s so well written and really captures your attention from the very start. The fear the hostages experience is palpable and the tension is gripping. But it also tells of compassion and how you never know just what is going on in the lives and the circumstances of those around you.

A tense, heartbreaking and utterly engrossing thriller from start to finish. Brilliant and I loved every emotion filled minute.

I very much enjoyed this book. It has a good story and excellent main characters. I would definately recommend this book.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

This was one of my best reads this year, I stayed awake late into the night to finish it. I hadn’t read anything about the book so was completely taken by surprise with the story. It was a fantastic, gripping and moving book. We meet up in the opening chapters with Neil, Abigail and Mutesi and learn a little about their lives and how they come to be at a small London cafe one morning and also with Robert, the cafe owner. Whilst in the cafe an armed man appears, Sam, and shoots Robert dead and takes the others as hostages. We meet up with DI Eliza McClean and her team who are brought in as negotiators.. We gradually realise that it is more than an ordinary siege. Sam has history with Robert and he tells his story of events from his childhood to the present day. We learn more about the hostages as they gradually bond with each their and with Sam. This book will make you realise that things are not always what they see and there is kindness and compassion in all of us. Don’t miss reading this book!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I am a huge fan of Charity Norman, she is one of those authors who manages to bring each character to life in your mind with incredible detail and once again she’s created a stunning, thought-provoking and highly emotive story in The Secrets of Strangers.

Set in a cafe in Balham, London “Tuckbox” is a busy coffee shop, packed with commuters, parents on school runs, gym mummies gossiping over a cappuccino and customers getting their caffeine fix before the day begins. Owned and run by the friendly and loved Robert, a recent widower, the customers are shocked and terrified when a young man armed with a shotgun comes into the Tuckbox and shots the owner dead and then takes hostages.

The story is told by numerous narrators and each character has such an authentic voice that the reader is immediately transported into the cafe and can almost taste the emotion, fear and despair felt by the hostages, the negotiators and the gunmen.

I was taken on an incredibly powerful journey through each character and chapter. My emotions ranged from shock to sympathy and back again throughout the book. What starts off as an horrific and violent unprovoked attack on a seemingly innocent victim ended up making me question everything I’ve read and rethink my judgement.

At times it was heart-breaking and then heart-warming, my emotions were all over the place. The Secret of Strangers may be a work of fiction, but it left me feeling hopeful and positive about the human race and that most people are kind, caring, compassionate and more importantly brave. 5 stars

The Secrets of Strangers by Charity Norman

It is a weekday morning and people have places to be, except for Neil, a former teacher who now sleeps rough on the streets beside his dog Buddy. He wakes up to discover money in his begging cup and so he takes it along to Tuckbox Cafe in Balham, London. Shots are fired and the cafe’s owner Robert is gunned down, dying in Neil’s arms. Most people escape, fleeing for their lives, but a few remain and they become the hostages of the shooter, a young man called Sam. Mutesi is a nurse, who fled Rwanda, and is now trapped with her grandson whom she was taking to school, Abi is a barrister on her way to defend a young woman accused of harming her children, and then there’s Neil, who has lost everything. All of them must try and reach Sam, to save themselves. Outside the cafe is negotiator DI Eliza McClean, whose job it is to get everyone out alive.

I have heard some good things about The Secrets of Strangers and so I was looking forward to it. It has a fantastic premise and I enjoy action thrillers that take place over just a few hours, almost as if events are taking place in real time. The start is excellent. I really enjoyed meeting Neil and was gripped by witnessing the shooting through his eyes. Chapters then move between each of the characters – hostages, shooter, negotiator – giving us a fully rounded portrayal of what goes on in a siege situation, practically and in the minds of those who must survive or work for the survival of others, including the killer.

It’s all very tense and I quickly grew invested in the characters, especially Matusi, Eliza and, unexpectedly, Sam. However, towards the middle of the book I realised that I knew exactly how this was going to go and found the time spent exploring the back histories of each of the characters dissipated the tension and left little room for surprises. I would have liked far more of Eliza, a character I really enjoyed, with enormous pressures on her shoulders. As the novel progresses we spend much more time in Sam’s head. I found his story extremely painful to read, too painful, actually. Credit must be given to an author who can trigger such a strong reaction in their reader but I was relieved when we were returned to the present day in the cafe.

The Secrets of Strangers is a powerful, disturbing read, that is more character-driven than I expected. I was so keen to find out how it all ends and the final chapters of the novel are utterly engrossing.

Wow! This book was just brilliant.

What starts as a regular morning with people on their way to work, school, meet friends etc suddenly becomes pandemonium. An angry lone gunman enters a coffee shop shoots the owner and takes hostages of a small number of customers that didn’t manage to flee.

We get to find out the background behind what has caused the gunman to target this venue and the author’s descriptive detail of each of the characters involved made for an enthralling read.

I was completely engrossed in each character and felt I knew them which proves the excellence of the writing. I cannot recommend this highly enough.

"A regular weekday morning veers drastically off-course for five strangers whose paths cross in a London café - their lives never to be the same again when an apparently crazed gunman holds them hostage. "

This was a lovely interwoven story of random strangers being held hostage in a coffee shop and how their lives unravel, their stories are gently told and shared and they all come to know, understand and care for each other by the end of the day. I enjoyed getting to know them all and was looking forward to finding out what happened to them all at the end of the day/book and I was not disappointed.

I enjoyed my first book by the Author Charity Norman and will definitely look for other books by her.

As far as thrillers go, this one is up there for me! It’s definitely a book I will be recommending to everyone as it takes you on a rollercoaster of a ride.

A normal, everyday morning in a London cafe turns out to be quite the opposite of that as we find Sam entering the cafe with a shotgun. Most customers manage to flee but we find ourselves reading about a variety of different characters and hearing more about their stories.

With the story, Charity Norman is the queen of character writing and she develops them so expertly as the book progresses. There is Sam, the young man brandishing a shotgun in the cafe but who childhood has been marred with control and manipulation but ultimately just wants happiness.

We have Neil, a homeless guy who deals with Sam brilliantly throughout the ordeal but also has his own sad story to reveal.

Mutesi, the heartwarming grandmother who keeps everyone positive and focused, whilst hiding her own sadness.

Abi, the driven lawyer, who packs no punches but makes some revelations about her life whilst waiting captive in the cafe.

It’s hard to review this without giving too much away but it had me on the edge of my seat and also in tears of sadness. It is brilliantly written, showing how the power of people together can have such a huge impact, both good and bad.
This is a very powerful book and one that you won’t want to put down. So before beginning, makes sure you have a good chunk of time to read it as the waiting is awful!

When you take a coffee in a coffee shop, you can either sit and relax or get your daily doses of caffeine needed to start your work.. no matter which was the choice of our main characters in this story, their lives will change forever after their meeting in a London Cafè. How can something so peaceful could end so bad?
I was shocked with this story since the first moment, how something so banal as going for a coffee could have this ending/beginning? I don’t think I ever thought about it, maybe because I am not used to see guns or dangerous situations like the US, but it made me think how something not related to you can affect you so directly. Don’t expect a happy story, this is a sad story, full of secrets and half truths, something that we sometimes tell without being totally aware of how it can change someone’s life.
I really don’t want to spoil anyone with too much information about the plot, but the story is so strong and real, with detailed characters and a difficult situation that no matter if anyone will die in the end, they will be hurt forever. Because, if you really think about it, when a gunman enters a place it puts everyone’s life in danger, if you survive the situation, your life will always turn back to that moment. There will be a connection with the other survivors that will be much stronger than any other you had previously, you were strangers in the beginning but you’ll know their secrets forever.
Ready?