I preferred the audio book to the written version! I felt I could connect to the characters better. I enjoyed the start but it did start to drag abit towards the middle.

burner which at times irritated me a little. I thought I got it right but, it turns out I didn’t. Very atmospheric and creepy at times. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I have to be honest from the blurb and the cover I had a slight fear this was going to be a And Then There Were None style mystery. I had recently read a few books that had taken that trope and ran with in and I was getting a little bored with them. I was pleasantly surprised that this book went in a completely different direction.

It is filled with suspicious characters and completely manages to gaslight the reader all the way through. I found myself second guessing everything and loved it. Remie our narrator character is extremely unreliable and just on the wrong side of the law yet I found myself routing for her 100%. Her story was so interesting, as we got to know her and about her brother. Following her as she watches her hopes of escaping her humdrum life slipping further and further away as the world around her gets more and more dramatic was just so well done.

The tension of not knowing which of the PC Don Gaines was the right Gaines was just so well written and had me guessing and double guessing and completely unsure all at once. The style just really kept me on my toes and I really enjoyed it.

I loved the ending, how it all played out. I was glad I couldn’t really predict how it was going to end. It felt like a style of mystery I hadn’t read before.

Remie Yorke has one shift left at the Mackinnon Hotel in the remote Scottish Highlands before she leaves for good. Then Storm Ezra hits.
As temperatures plummet and phone lines go down, an injured man stumbles inside. PC Don Gaines was in a terrible accident on the mountain road. The only other survivor: the prisoner his team was transporting.
When a second stranger arrives, Remie reluctantly lets him in from the blizzard. He, too, is hurt. He claims to be a police officer. His name is also Don Gaines.
Someone is lying and, with no means of escape, Remie must work out who. If the cold doesn't kill her, one of these men will get there first . . .

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.

This story mainly unravels over the course of one tense night. A large part of this centring around who is who and who can you trust. Flash backs to the past build up a picture of Remie's past and how she has come to be where she is. These flashbacks cleverly also interconnect with the story being told in the present. A few very surprise twists to the story that I enjoyed.

Remie Yorke is doing her last shift as night manager in a remote Scottish hotel. There are just two guests & tomorrow the hotel closes for winter refurbishments & Remie goes off on a trip of a lifetime to star gaze in the Atacama Desert. Storm Ezra blows in bringing blizzards & the loss of phone lines. Out of the storm someone appears at the door. He says he is PC Gaines & he was escorting a dangerous prisoner from the nearby prison when there was an accident on the road. The prisoner escaped & is very violent. As he goes to try & get a mobile signal up the top of the hotel another person appears at the door who also claims to be PC Gaines- but who is the real one? Together with one of the remaining guests (the other having disappeared) they have to work this out & to survive the night.

This was a fast paced story that kept me guessing. The setting was spooky & I really felt part of that cold snowy night. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Remie Yorke is on her last shift before the Mackinnon Hotel in the Scottish Highlands closes for the season, all other staff have already left. An injured Policeman who has been transporting a prisoner stumbles into the hotel. This is the start of the most twisting red herrings mystery you will read this year. Read in one sitting.
Thank you NetGalley and (publisher, Little Brown Books) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I got to 40% on this book and had to put it down. I couldn't read it on my own. I NEEDED to talk to someone about it. Luckily my reading buddy is very open to suggestion and I only had to put it down for a couple of hours.
I loved this book. I had a fear that it would be similar to so many others but it really wasn't, it stood out on it's own. I loved the twists, I loved the ending and I didn't know who to trust the whole way through.
There was no soft start, this book jumped straight into it. Knowing that it was Remie's last night at the hotel, which is almost deserted and that there's a major storm coming in, Griffin has set up the atmosphere for something major to happen. You know it's going to be dramatic and your initial thoughts are - will she survive?
You not only have the dilemma throughout of which of the two strangers (if any) are PC Don Gaines? But you also have the question of which of the 2 remaining guests can be trusted - and just where is Shelley - has she disappeared as she's plotting or has someone/the storm taken her?
This book had short, snappy chapters that I raced through really quickly

The Second Stranger by Martin Griffin and Narrated by Tamsin Kennard was Soooo Good and I found it hard to put this audiobook down. WoW, What an excellent book I loved it and it had me sitting in the edge of my seat. It was fast paced throughout with great twists and turns especially as it had me guessing till the very end of the book.

With One detective. and One murderer. But which is which? ooooooohhhhhh This sounds So good and it was!

When Remie Yorke had only one shift left at the Mackinnon Hotel which is in the remote Scottish Highlands before she leaves for good. She is so excited to leave this place and start the next chapter of her life..............But, then Storm Ezra hits.

She is the only person working tonight, as the hotel is closing for a refit for the next few weeks. she has only two guest to look after,
But, as temperatures plummet quickly, the phone lines go down..........an injured man stumbles inside. PC Don Gaines was in a terrible accident on the mountain road, and the only other survivor: the prisoner his team was transporting.

Then, a second stranger arrives, Remie reluctantly lets him in from the blizzard. He, too, is hurt. He claims to be a police officer. His name is also Don Gaines.

Someone is lying and, with no means of escape, Remie must work out who!!!!

If the cold doesn't kill her, one of these men will get there first . . .

I highly recommend this book and audio book. Tamsin Kennard the narrator was excellent!

Big Thank you to Little Brown Book Group and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this creepy thriller. Very well plotted with an interesting twist. The location of a Scottish hotel beside a look affected by a huge storm really sets the scene for a brilliant story.
Very good book, loved it

Remie York is working her last shift at a hotel in the remote Scottish Highlands when a storm Ezra hits. As temperatures plummet and phone lines go down, an injured man PC Don Gaines stumbles inside explaining he was in a terrible car accident and the only other survivor was a prisoner he was transporting. When a second injured stranger arrives, he too claims he is PC Don Gaines - Someone is lying, Remi must work out who!

Ooof!! Talk about a claustrophobic locked door thriller. This wonderful debut smashed it out of the park - Twisty, heart pounding stuff. While I might have screamed at Remies very poor decision making - Yes, I did yell out loud - the plot and very clever writing, kept me wholly wrapped and entertained. So much so, I finished reading it in one sitting.

Tense, creepy, intriguing with a brilliant ending.
Well deserved ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️

Thanks to @netgalley @littlebrownbookgroup_uk @martingriffin for an advanced reading copy.

An enjoyable,read, 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.
The setting for this book is the Scottish Highlands in the middle of a storm. It is atmospheric and the icy conditions are well described.
The story line was intriguing and in no way predictable, it kept the reader on the edge of their seat trying to anticipate what would happen next and just who was telling the truth.
Well worth a read.

A slow burn crime thriller set in the Scottish Highlands. Well written characters, an icy setting and a satisfying denouement made it an enjoyable read.

Remie is working her last night shift at the hotel before going abroad. It is snowing, and only two guests remain. She worked there to visit her brother in prison, but he was killed. Two people arrive, both claiming to be policemen, searching for an escaped prisoner. Her and another guest must work out the truth whilst trying to survive in adverse weather conditions.
Great thriller, fast-paced, and enjoyable read. Totally hooked!

The Scottish Highlands is a perfect place to set a thriller, the pace in this book however was very slow, hanging on until the end was difficult at times but worthwhile.

If you love a very slow burn you will love this.

As a reader, I felt uneasy reading this which is testament to the skill of Martin Griffin. The main character is set to leave the hotel she works in during quiet season. Only one guest remains and will be leaving soon. Then Storm Ezra hits. She hears a knocking at the hotel door and helps in a stranger from the heavy snow. Communication with the outside is down and she's on her own with two virtual strangers. Is she safe? Are they?

An engaging, tense thriller. I loved it.

I really enjoyed this thriller set in the scottish highlands. It did take a while for the pace to pick up but i soon got into it. Written well and very descriptive.

A snowy, escape room thriller. Do you have what it takes to figure out who is the real cop and who isn't?

Just when you think you know how the story is going to go, there's a twist that knocks you back! A girl's worst nightmare, to be left alone in charge of a place in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of a storm. If you weren't scared of the dark before, you would be after having strangers ring your hotel intercom at night. My heart was hammering for Remie the whole way through this story.

Trying to keep up with the storyline of the prisioner was a bit of a mindf#&k but in a good way. As the reader, I felt like I got to play detective, but I was always 1 step behind.

The ending was perfect and left me feeling so satisfied. This is an incredible Winter thriller. I can't wait to see what the author does next.

REVIEW

The Second Stranger
by Martin Griffin

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book 6/60 2023

Finished 19.01.23

The Good

🏔 This was a great quick mystery to read in the snow this week - very suspenseful and atmospheric. The claustrophobia of the setting, storm Ezra and the surrounding woods and hills all added to the narrative tension.

🏔 The story kept me guessing and I didn't see the plot twists coming. I didn't work out which PC Gaines was the true PC Gaines either!

🏔 I enjoyed the flashbacks to Remie's past with her brother and would have enjoyed learning even more about his story and his time at the prison.

The Bad

❄️ I expected the whole novel to revolve around who the true police officer was, and I felt the narrative tension lessened once this was revealed part way through.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel.

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Excellent debut! The cover tagline caught my attention and wow did it deliver!

The premise seems fairly straight forward and while it may seem that way I loved that the question over which officer was the real one left my head spinning! Remi asked all the applicable questions trying to narrow down which one was real by excluding the other. The author brilliantly worked in all the psychological labels for bias and perceptions! Absolutely loved this one! I'd been craving a snowy, locked- room thriller and this hit the spot plus some!

Highly recommend!