"I'm sorry you've had to co-operate with an impostor for so long alone, it must have been confusing and stressful. But I'm here now and we need to work together. You have to trust me."

It's Remie Yorke's last shift as night manager at a lodge in the Scottish Highlands. While Storm Ezra and its blizzard conditions set in, she's thinking about how she's about to leave for Chile, in tribute to her late younger brother, who died during a riot in a nearby prison.

As she's about to start her shift, she hears a siren from the detention facility - trouble again. And just a couple of hours in, someone buzzes the intercom at the hotel: a man claiming to be a police officer says he's been in a vehicle accident while transporting a prisoner. He needs her help. Initially, Remie is hesitant. She's the only employee at the lodge with two sole guests to keep her company. But after Officer Gaines flashes his badge, she lets him in, treats his injuries and sets about helping him secure the property against the prisoner who escaped. She even lends him a rifle.

A couple of hours later, the officer is on the top floor trying to make radio contact with his colleagues to ask for help, when someone else buzzes: a man, claiming to need help after a road accident transporting a prisoner. A man who says he's Officer Gaines. He, too, has identification. And he claims the first man is the very prisoner who escaped, a murderer and known arms trafficker. So, who's who?

With the help of one of the guests (a man who appears to have secrets of his own), Remie must decided who is telling the truth, and who to help. Her life depends on it.

I went into this book with fairly low expectations. Quite a few thrillers have been a hit-and-miss for me of late but I really enjoyed this one. I could FEEL the iciness of the weather, the razor-sharp tension while Remie tries to keep her wits about her, and loved the fast pace of what I think could make for a pretty great action-thriller. I gobbled it up in one sitting.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an advance copy of The Second Stranger, a stand-alone thriller set in a remote hotel in the Scottish Highlands.

Remie Yorke is on her last night shift at the Mackinnon hotel before taking off on her travels. It’s quiet with only two guests, but then storm Ezra hits, communications fail and an injured man stumbles into the hotel. He says he is PC Don Gaines and that the prisoner he was escorting from the nearby prison has escaped after an accident. An hour later another man enters the hotel, also claiming to be PC Don Gaines. Who is the real PC Don Gaines? It could be a matter of life or death for Remie if she doesn’t find out.

I wasn’t quite sure if The Second Stranger would be my kind of reading, but I decided to give it a go and am glad I did as I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is told entirely from Remie’s point of view in the first person and this gives the novel a sense of immediacy and almost intimacy as the reader follows her in her dilemmas and decision making. It also makes it easy to identify with and root for her.

I was immediately taken with the concept of the novel as it’s quite unusual and was then taken by surprise at some of the twists. I found myself quickly turning the pages to see what was coming next and then amazed at what did unfold. It is a clever novel that doesn’t quite fit into any particular niche. It is a thriller with some fantastical pursuit scenes, but it is also a bit of a detective novel as Remie and Jai, one of the guests, attempt to work out which of the Dons to trust. Then there’s Remie and there’s rather more to her than meets the eye, least of which, her skill with a hockey stick.

This is not a long novel and that works in its favour as it is an action packed read with not a lot of waste or padding. It felt quite atmospheric with the remote location, atrocious weather and a pervading sense of danger, although I’m not always the best judge, so that is simply my impression. I liked The Second Stranger as a short, sharp punch of a novel and have no hesitation in recommending it as a good read.

Remie Yorke is doing her last shift at the Mackinnon hotel in the Scottish Highlands when a storm hits. An injured man appears at the hotel doors claiming to be a police officer who was transporting a dangerous prisoner when their vehicle crashed in the storm. Worryingly, the prisoner has escaped.

Then another man appears, and he’s also claiming to be the police officer with the same name as the first man. Which one is the real police officer and which one the dangerous criminal?

An absolutely gripping storyline.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

I’ve never heard of this author before, so didn’t know what to expect from The Second Stranger, but the premise intrigued me. I wasn’t disappointed as the story was atmospheric and suspenseful, with plenty of action and a satisfying ending. I think it could make a great movie.

It's off season in the Scottish Highlands and Remie is the only member of staff on shift at the MacKinnon Hotel.

Remie has her bag packed as it's her last shift before she leaves for warmer climes. Then a storm hits, and there is a bad accident on a local road through the mountains.

An injured man limps into the reception area. He declares himself to be PC Don Gaines and that he's one of 2 survivors. The other being a dangerous prisoner that he was transporting.

A 2nd man turns up at the hotel - also claiming to be Don Gaines. Who is telling the truth and who can Remie trust?

It took me a couple of chapters to get into this book. But once the 2nd stranger arrived my reading sped up. The interlinking of events was clever and parts were a surprise.

What on the outset felt like a formulaic plot ended up being anything but.

The story centres on Rene a night shift manager of a highland Scottish hotel. Having spent all her life as elder sister failing to save her wayward brother from a life of crime ending up with him in prison in the remote highlands wih her obtaining a post at a nearby hotel so as to keep an eye on him. He finally gets killed in prison but not before informing her of his secret legacy for her if something happens to him. Now at the end of season with only two guests who will leave in the morning as the hotel closes for the season, she is packed ready to leave and fly off with her legacy. The hotel and surrounding terrain under a fiece snow storm is render impassable and treacherous. When strangers come seeking refuge, events unfols in which she is unwittingly in the centre of a complex web of deceit instigated by enemies triggered by her brother death. Bewildered and cofused with all odds against her, when the penny finally drops she finds the courage to be ruthless and making use of her intimate knowledge of the snow covered terrain as her only advantage to win though makes a unusual story.

Remie Yorke is leaving the hotel in the Scottish Highlands for a new life. She has one shift left when Storm Ezra hits.
A prisoner is being transferred from the local prison when an accident happens. Suddenly at the hotel door is a policeman. Later a second policeman appears with the same name. Which one is lying and which one is the prisoner?
What is Remie's connection to the incident and who will get out alive?

I was really unsure as to who was the true Officer Gaines. The plot was intriguing throughout and an enjoyable read. As Remie Yorke is working her final shift in an isolated Hotel in Scotland unexpected events occur. A prisoner escapes from nearby prison, but who is the prisoner and who is the police officer. Unexpected events heightened the tension. A really good suspense read

Ahhh, where do I even begin?! This is one of my favourite books I’ve read in a long time. Lately I’ve been in such a slump and every book I’ve read has just been meh. Not bad but nothing special.

As soon as I started reading it, I was hooked. I genuinely binged this and finished it in 2 days and it was all I could talk about to my boyfriend.
It’s a fast paced mystery thriller, full of twists and turns and it’s genuinely the best thriller I’ve read in months.

The ending was maybe a little far fetched when it comes to real life, but I was so sucked into the book and the whole storyline that I didn’t really care.
It’s definitely one I can see being turned into a movie at some point. I’d totally watch it!

A full, well deserved 5 star book. Tense as hell and superbly written. I absolutely loved it.
The official release date is the 19th January 2023 and I strongly urge all of you thriller lovers to read it! You won’t be disappointed.

I enjoyed this book. Remie Yorke is doing her last shift at the Mackinnon hotel in the Scottish highlands. Then a storm hits. Remie is manning reception when an injured man arrives at the door. He says he is a police officer who has just been involved in a crash while transporting a dangerous inmate from the local prison. The prisoner has escaped. Later, another man arrives at the hotel and gives the same name as the first man. So, who is the real police officer and who is the escaped prisoner? This is a scary and exciting thriller which will keep you ontheedge of your seat to the end. Thanks to NetGalleyfor a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

A familiar plot with this one, a woman isolated in a blizzard, remote hotel in the Scottish Highlands, and she is the only member of staff working. An escaped prisoner, a crashed police vehicle and an injured officer all coming together with no means of communication. I loved the setting, the characterisation, especially Remie, and the plotting. It moved along at a steady pace which kept me interested, the unexpected finale was pretty good too! I would recommend this book to cosy up with on a cold, winter's night. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Not as tense or an edge of seat read unfortunately for me that other reviewers found it but it was well written.

I did find the storyline dragged a bit at times and not really the fast paced thriller that I was expecting.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group for this ARC.

The description and other reviews had read drew me to this book but for me it was kinda slow,now that doesnt mean bad as it was well written and atmospheric but at times I skimmed bits to get the story to move on

Dark, creepy and beautifully written. I thought the narrator was fantastic, did all the different voices really well.

Gripping from the very first page! Totally Unputdownable and it will be THE book of 2023. Treat yourself to a story that will have you second guessing every character. And the ending??? BOOM - I did not see that coming.

This is an exceptional book from Martin Griffin.

Remie Yorke is about to begin her final evening as a night steward at the Mackintosh Guest House in the remote Highlands of Scotland. As Storm Ezra batters the hotel and its surroundings, a stranded and injured police officer, PC Gaines, arrives asking for shelter and help following a crash during a prisoner movement from one prison to another. Dangerous and having escaped, the AWOL prisioner needs to be detained. But after helping the police officer to secure the site and arm himself, another figure arrives at the hotel seeking shelter from the storm. He also identifies himself as PC Gaines on the hunt for an escaped prisioner....Remie finds herself in an impossible situation. Who is the real police officer and who is the escaped prisioner? One of them is lying. Finding out who may be life or death...

The synopsis of the story immediately intrigued me and I was quickly gripped by the difficulty of the situation and the seeming impossibility of separating lies from truth. The main protagonist Remie is a strong and brave character and I immediately warmed to her and found her to be truly convincing and believable. Her past impacts on her life and decisions and the reader roots for her as her secrets are revealed to us but concealed from others.

The book has so many twists and turns, and truly keeps you gripped and engaged. The title of Second Stranger is clever because each character in the book is an unknown and Remie has a difficult task in working out who she can trust.

I haven't read a book by this author before and I thoroughly enjoyed the clever unraveling of the narrative and the believability of the characters. An easy 5 stars from me.

Thank you to the author, Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC.

The Second Stranger Martin Griffin


4 stars

Remie Yorke has been trying to help her younger brother, Cameron ever since she was a teenager. He got in with the wrong crowd at an early age moving from petty crime to full scale drugs and arms dealing eventually ending up in Porterfee Prison in the Scottish Highlands on a long sentence. About a year before the book starts he has been killed by another prisoner Troy Foley.

Renee had taken a job at the MacKinnon Hotel working the reception desk at night just to be near Cameron. Finally at the age of 33, she is planning to leave and fly off to Chile to start a whole new life for herself. One of Cameron’s few redeeming features was his love of astrology and Chile was his dream destination for an amazing view of the night sky.

The day before her departure, Storm Ezra arrives and threatens to stop Remie making her dream trip. Whilst she is at her desk in a practically deserted hotel a person arrives in the storm desperate to be admitted. He is PC Don Gaines, he has been injured in a crash whilst moving a prisoner, Troy Foley, the prisoner has escaped and he needs to find him. Renee lets him in and gives him access to the hotel and the gunroom. An hour later another person turns up at the entrance to the hotel he is also injured having been in a crash and his name is PC Don Gaines!

Remee has no idea which is the real policeman and which is the escaped prisoner. She also realises that somehow the escaped prisoner is aware of a storage box that Cameron has left her which only she can access.

This was an interesting plot line as Remee has to try and find out the truth, knowing that if she makes the wrong decision she will be killed. One of the main characters is Storm Ezra, I thought the description of the terrible havoc caused was very well described and added to the tension.

The ending was also impressive and the whole book was enjoyable to read.

Karen Deborah
Reviewer for Net Galley

It took me a little while to get into this book but I’m so glad I persevered! It was an atmospheric, claustrophobic, action packed thriller. Just what I needed. The twists were cleverly done and I did not see them coming. I thought the storyline with Remie and her Brother, Cameron was beautifully done and it all tied together with everything that was going on.

I didn’t trust any of the supporting characters in this. I did question some of Remies decision making in this but then if I was in his situation I probably would have done the same! I trust too easily. I don’t want to say too much without giving anything away.

100% recommend reading this book!!

A stormy night at a mountain hotel closing up for the season, when an injured stranger appears asking for help, saying he is a police officer. Later another stranger appears with the same story.

A fast paced novel with conflicting truths and lies. A dangerous prisoner has escaped and could be in the hotel. Who will survive the night?

Enjoy the twists and turns as we find out who is who and what is really going on.

What an intense read!! Locked room mystery lovers are going to devour this book. It is the perfect setting for an action packed and dark thriller and I loved it

Remie is the only employee working at the Mackinnon Hotel. She just has to get through the night and then she will be off to warmer climates for a new start. But then a severe snowstorm hits and they are locked in. The phone lines go down and there is no wifi connection. They think they are all good until 2 men knock on the door, hours apart, wanting to be let in. Both claim to be PC Gaines, looking for and escaped prisoner.

It really is a case of who to believe, and who to trust. Along with the one guest of the hotel, Remie has to try to survive long enough to make her getaway. There is plenty of danger and it will keep you turning those pages.

Thanks to Little Brown Book Group and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. Publishes on January 19th.