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.

Absolutely brilliant read. I wasn't sure I was going to get into it at first, wasn't sure where the story was going to go but it worked out brilliantly.

Plenty of twists and turns, genuinely good read and I'll be checking out more from this author

The Second Stranger is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out The Second Stranger now.

A fabulously exciting story from the very start to the end. One of those delicious books that keeps you asking yourself what you would do in that situation. With no suitable answer. I enjoyed the thrills and look forward to more from Martin Griffin as this was my first read of his.

Remie is the only employee on duty at the Mackinnon Hotel when she and two guests get snowed in.in the middle of the snowstorm, two guests arrive at the Hotel both claiming to be a policeman escorting a dangerous criminal down the mountains. But inly one of them can be telling the truth ...

This was a fairly atmospheric book, but I never really felt that it hit its stride. It should have been tense and thrilling, but never quite got there. The twists at the end were fairly good though, so it wasn't a complete loss.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

I read through the night to finish this thriller that turns into a nightmare. Spooky, tense, richly atmospheric and profoundly moving! This author turns the psychological thumbscrews with relish. This great read spirals towards its dark conclusion, wrong footing the increasingly uneasy reader at every turn. This twisty thriller is jam-packed with tense moments and a growing sense of unease…..

What a brilliant book, it has everything I need to enjoy it:
- A great wicked plot! What a brilliant story and so original! Two men claiming to be a police officer seeking refuge from the stormy weather outside.
- A great scenery: it is set in the amazing Scottish Highlands and the author makes the location very picturesque indeed! I want to go there (with no storm and villain of course ;))
- Great characters limited to a small number so you get to know them all... and suspect them all also!!!

All in all, an amazing plot, really original storyline that will get you glued to your kindle or book right till the end.

A good and entertaining story, that will grip you from the start. However, I do wish it would have a faster pace, as I found myself struggling a bit halfway.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I was hooked at the beginning. The first 50% was gripping and I flew through it. However then the tension just dropped and it felt way too long even though it was only 300 pages. I ended up skipping as so much felt repetitive and unnecessary. The ending was good but nothing memorable. .

Thank you for this Arc. Set in Scotland, you can imagine the scenery, very descriptive, The main character working last night shift at a hotel, then off to travel. However, the past lurks and somebody wants what’s theirs. A rollercoaster of a story, two policemen one is fake, a great story.

The second Stranger
Earc: NetGalley
Publisher: Little Brown Book Group Uk
Publication Date: 19th January 2023
Genre : General Fiction, Mystery and Thriller

Is surely the Scottish Highlands placing this is the big name of the display for me. The Mackinnon inn type of gave me The Shining vibes, with the inn being nearly empty in practise for a redesign beginning the following day. Add the far off placing, the terrible climate and the ominious environment, and it became nearly like travelling the little brother of the Overlook Hotel. Storm Ezra and the descriptions of the climate in standard helped growing the proper environment, and the hurricane became key withinside the plot due to the fact positive matters could have by no means occurred otherwise.

The concept of getting strangers flip up and each claiming to be the equal police officer could be very clever. Especially when you consider that each Gaines One and Gaines Two act a chunk shady at times, and it is largely nearly not possible to wager who's the actual Gaines and who's the prisoner. Remie Yorke made for an exciting primary man or woman and at the same time as I by no means absolutely favored her and I do not trust all of her choices, I do recognize her for by no means giving up. The flashbacks to her beyond and her brother did gradual down the tempo for me, however I do apprehend why they have been included as they assist explaining matters later on.

The Second Stranger begins offevolved out strong, and the complete thriller round who the actual Gaines is and the price of having it incorrect for the characters constantly hangs above your head. The atmospheric descriptions of the inn and its environment best brought to the ominous vibe, and it is surely what saved me studying. I do have to mention that when the identification of the actual Gaines is revealed, matters appear to gradual down a bit and the plot itself commenced to be much less and much less credible. Especially the very last chapters have been too over the pinnacle and well wrapped as much as be possible for me, and as a end result the finishing wasn't genuinely all that satisfying.

That said, in standard I did have a remarkable time studying The Second Stranger. If you revel in thrillers with a far off location, a creepy environment and risk lurking round each corner, this tale will in all likelihood be just right for you as well.

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Will Public reviews week on realise

I liked the sound of this book when I chose to read it, particularly as it is set in Scotland. However, that was not really relevant, it could be anywhere. Its premise is a lockdown mystery thriller with a small cast of characters. Apart from Remie, the main character, you become suspicious of EVERYONE! This is the greatest strength of the story and what keeps you reading. It is needed as overall I would say the writing is too long and drawn out. There is a lot going on in the book but too much detail is included. Reduce description and the back dtory by a third and you'll have a great novel.

I really enjoyed The Second Stranger by Martin Griffin, a fast paced thriller with twist and turns that kept me guessing until the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book was okay, but not as exciting as I hoped it would be. The sound of the book grabbed me, and I wouldn't put anyone off reading it, but I wish it had been faster paced.

"The book everyone's going to be talking about" - Karen Dionne.

Well, she was right about that. This had me hooked almost instantly, and it pained me to have to keep putting it down - it's definitely a book for a day you have nothing else planned, because believe me, once you start, you won't want to stop.

It's not your classic whodunnit mystery but it does take on some theme of one: the isolation of the location, the horrendous weather, the lies and the distrust, the small, seemingly trustworthy cast. And speaking of the weather, it really gives an atmospheric feeling to the book. Snow is dangerous, and yet we generally see it as a fun thing, but this book really makes the weather a character of its own, helping and hindering our cast.

I wasn't that keen on Remie as a main character at first, I felt she was a bit naïve, a bit too trusting, seemingly willing to go along with any plan, and I couldn't see how she would ever get to the bottom of it. But she quickly won me round and became the hero the story needed.

I think a lot of the genius comes from the small cast of characters. At most there's half a dozen, and at times there's only one or two. It heightens the panic, the claustrophobia and the feeling of helplessness. My only quibble here is I think I would have liked more about the background of the other characters, not just Remie. Find out more about Jai, the police and the criminal. I would say the joy of having such a small cast is that you have the time to fully develop them all. I wouldn't go as far as to say they were undeveloped, I didn't feel short changed at all, but from my point of view, I'd like to have known even more about them.

The fun for me was reading the two 'PC Don Gaines' and how they played off each other. You're journeying along at the same time as the characters, trying to decipher clues at the same time, which adds to the rapid, tense, frenzied feel of it. It is a proper locked-in mystery thriller.

There's so many good twists and turns, stories merging into others, and so many layers. You're never completely sure who or what to trust. It's heart-racing and heart-stopping, it's fast paced and never slows down. Even the waiting feels frenzied and tense.

If this is his debut, I can't wait to see what else he's got to offer. I would most definitely recommend this as a thrilling, fast-paced, heart-racing mystery, perfect for those long cold winter nights.

This book is what I like to read when I need something that is like a mystery that you can go along with a character and find this out with them. I did feel as though it could have been a bit shorter in parts though.

Just one more shift… one more shift for Remie Yorke to complete in the Mackinnon Hotel in the Scottish Highlands before she can leave the country for somewhere hot and miles and miles away from her life. However, she could not have predicted the arrival, and onslaught, of Storm Ezra which batters the hotel. Not that there’s many inside: herself, and two guests. But when the phone lines go down, and an injured man wants access to warmth and safety, he’s got a problem. PC Gaines was in a terrible accident and the only other survivor was the prisoner he was transporting… so, er, where is he? Then a second stranger arrives, claiming to also be PC Gaines, Remie’s got a problem. Because in the hotel, there’s definitely one murderer, and she doesn’t know who it is. Gulp. Basically, she needs to figure it out pretty sharpish: either she’ll be claimed by the cold or one of the policemen will. A neat read that will keep you guessing.