Many thanks as always to Netgalley, Little and Brown Book Group UK for my ARC for free in exchange for an honest review.

Back drop of snowy secluded Scottish hotel, a detective and an escaped murderer but who really is who they say they are?

Full of twists and turns until the very end! Highly recommend to anyone who considers themselves a detective at heart you will be guessing until the very end!

My first read of Martin Griffin and it will not be my last!

3/5 Good,

The Second Stranger was ok. I enjoyed the premise and was really quite engrossed through 100 pages but somewhere for me it then slowed down a bit, and at times it seemed to repeat itself to fill pages.

The characters are alright, Remi and Jai are ok. The bad guy twist is decent and well hidden until the end and the location is drawn well, with the storm adding a layer of tension to proceedings.

essentially it’s a good read that I’d happily recommend.

It's the last night before a hotel in the Scottish Highlands closes for refurbishment, in the middle of a raging snowstorm, Phone lines are down and roads are impassable. One staff member is there with the last two remaining guests when a police officer arrives, claiming he was transporting a prisoner who got away. Then another man arrives, also claiming to be that police officer. Which is which? I loved this claustrophobic, tense setting and for a novel with so few characters, there was a lot of suspense and twists.

Quite liked this. I found the premise (man turns up at isolated hotel saying he’s a police officer and there is a dangerous criminal on the loose, then another man turns up, claiming to be the same policeman, one hotel barmaid and the last remaining guest need to figure out who’s who, chaos ensues) - interesting. Something of the Christie about it.

The setting was gorgeous and interesting. The characters were ok. I did find out crime solving duo a bit naive and too ready to trust the latest person they’d spoken to. I’d have liked a bit more psychologically. And it would be nice if it had been worked out rather than revealed rather suddenly.

There was a lot of backplot and other stuff going on, which meant there were a lot of loose ends to tie up at the end - which consequently felt a bit rushed.

Entertaining and diverting, but not mind blowingly good. Probably wouldn’t re-read.

I would struggle to be able to review this book due to issues with the file/download. The issues stopped the flow of the book. The issues are:
- Missing words in the middle of sentences
- Stop/start sentences on different lines
- No clear definition of chapters.

I’m not sure if it was a file/download issue but there were lots of gaps and stops/starts which really ruined the flow. I would love the chance to read a better version as the description of the book appeals to me. I would be more than happy to re-read the book with a better file.

Fantastic read . Full of suspense . Twists and turns with every chapter. Would definitely recommend. Beautifully descriptive .

The Second Stranger takes us on an increasingly audacious journey, set in a remote location and featuring a small cast of characters that all seem to be hiding something.
Our main character Remie is the sole worker at the McKinnon Hotel on its last night before winter closing. There are only two guests, and she is counting down the hours until she can leave the next day. Unfortunately, things don’t go quite to plan.
The Hotel is close to a high security prison. With a storm approaching, the news of a disturbance doesn’t bode well. When Remie hears police officer Gaines at the door asking for assistance she lets him in. Though the situation is tense, it ramps up in drama when a second man arrives at the hotel claiming to be Gaines.
Suddenly we have a very different situation. One of the men is Gaines, but which one? And how can Remie work it out?
From start to finish we are placed centre-stage in an increasingly tense scenario. There was a sense of disconnect throughout, which is linked to Remie’s secret, and though this seems rather implausible once we’re given all the details it made for a rather satisfying diversion.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this prior to publication in exchange for my honest review.

I have a weak spot for stories with a remote location, and especially if there is a healthy dose of danger thrown in. That's probably why it's no surprise that I simply HAD to add The Second Stranger to my shelves straight away. I mean, have you seen the blurb?! The remote Scottish Highlands hotel setting, the storm and bad weather, the two strangers both claiming to be a police officer, the escaped prisoner... There was no way on earth I was going to be able to resist all that. And as a whole, this story turned out to be quite entertaining indeed, although it starts off stronger than it finishes.

It is without doubt the Scottish Highlands setting that is the star of the show for me. The Mackinnon hotel kind of gave me The Shining vibes, with the hotel being almost empty in preparation for a remodel starting the next day. Add the remote setting, the bad weather and the ominious atmosphere, and it was almost like visiting the little brother of the Overlook Hotel. Storm Ezra and the descriptions of the weather in general helped creating the right atmosphere, and the storm was key in the plot because certain things would have never happened otherwise.

The idea of having two strangers turn up and both claiming to be the same police officer is very clever. Especially since both Gaines One and Gaines Two act a bit shady at times, and it is basically almost impossible to guess who is the real Gaines and who is the prisoner. Remie Yorke made for an interesting main character and while I never completely liked her and I don't agree with all of her choices, I do admire her for never giving up. The flashbacks to her past and her brother did slow down the pace for me, but I do understand why they were incorporated as they help explaining things later on.

The Second Stranger starts out strong, and the whole mystery around who the real Gaines is and the cost of getting it wrong for the characters always hangs above your head. The atmospheric descriptions of the hotel and its surroundings only added to the ominous vibe, and it's definitely what kept me reading. I do have to say that once the identity of the real Gaines is revealed, things seem to slow down a little and the plot itself started to be less and less credible. Especially the final chapters were too over the top and neatly wrapped up to be plausible for me, and as a result the ending wasn't really all that satisfying.

That said, in general I did have a great time reading The Second Stranger. If you enjoy thrillers with a remote location, a creepy atmosphere and danger lurking around every corner, this story will probably work for you as well.

Who is the real PC Don Gaines? Who is the murderous escaped prisoner? Remie's last day before she leaves Scotland to fulfill and live the dream her deceased brother had. Treacherous avalanches, wild weather and a killer on the loose. Will she make it?

A very interesting and fast moving novel full of suspense and drama. Well written with very descriptive narrative of the Scottish Highlands at its very worst - a snow storm in winter. What could be worse, a killer masquerading as a policeman? Start reading and you won’t want to put the book down.

An atmospheric thriller that set a great tone throughout. It captivated me throughout and the characters were interesting.

A cosy hotel in the Scottish highlands welcomes a visitor in the middle of a snowstorm. PC Gaines, has stumbled upon the hotel after escaping from a road accident in which the prisoner he was transporting has gone missing.
Everything is seemingly okay, until another visitor arrives… and he claims to be the real Officer Gaines.

I thought this was really fun. I would’ve loved if the mystery as to who the real Gaines is went on a bit longer, but I still loved how it was written. I also loved not knowing who else to trust at the hotel, that kept me on my toes. Very thrilling and engaging, a great read for those winter nights!

Fantastic! Set in Scotland in a remote hotel, a police convoy crashes and so brings two strangers to the hotel both claiming to be PC Gaines. Which one is telling the truth and which is a murderer?
This was a really compelling read for me I really enjoyed trying to guess which guy was the real PC Gaines. ( I guessed correctly🥳) Loved the setting as well could definitely picture it all in my head.
Once we discovered who was who it did then start to become a little less believable I just thought the main charecters motivation did not match up to the risk. However there was a little twist at the end which I never antisapated which was good and the ending did seem mostly satisfying.
Thanks to Netgalley for the Arc.

Overall a pretty solid read. The beginning was good, set the scene nicely. Very atmospheric. In the middle it felt as though it lost its way a bit. Some very odd phrases at times- gel in my joints humming?? The ending I really liked although the first part of the ending was a bit far fetched. The characters were generally well crafted and I particularly liked Jai.
I will certainly read more books by this author and hopefully in the next one he will settle in to his style more

Two people turn up at your door telling you the same story, who do you believe? This book explores that question perfectly! I was never sure who was telling the truth. Highly recommended!

I very much enjoyed the first part of The Second Stranger, but when Remie found out which was the real police officer I found the story lost my interest a bit. It was still ok, I wanted to reach the end to find out what happened to Remie but I just wasn’t particularly invested anymore.

A fast-paced story with a menacing plot. The excellent descriptions of the eerie emptiness of a hotel in the off-season with a storm coming in made me feel every gust of wind and jump at every slammed door. I’m not always a fan of men writing as women but this writer carried it off. Full of twists and turns with a great ending. Highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an unbiased review.
Set over the course of one night in the midst of a horrendous storm in the Scottish highlands, it tells the story of an escaped prisoner, a police officer and the manageress of a local hotel.

At the height of the storm someone claiming to be a police officer turns up at the hotel seeking help after the prisoner escape. Shortly after another male turns up also claiming he is the police officer. Obviously one is not telling the truth but which one and how is all of this connected to the deceased brother of the hotel manageress ?

A race against time, the elements and the bad guys ensues.

Although an ok read, to me there was something lacking in this book for me, but can't really put my finger on it

THE SECOND STRANGER by Martin Griffin
Format: BOOK
Published date - 19 January 2023

I enjoyed this fast paced, atmospheric thriller with more twists and turns than a Curly Wurly! I was right there in the Highlands of Scotland. I can't decide whether I like/dislike the protagonist, Remie Yorke. The character, Jaival Parik - Jai, I did like. I really enjoyed the suspense of the second stranger and wondering who was who throughout the story. Great suspense writing! The writing style was descriptive and I could ''feel'' the cold and the snow.

QUOTE I LIKE '' The sash window beyond was open, humming in its runners like a wasp in a jar''

I would recommend this novel and give a 4-star rating.

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNTY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK N RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

I loved the build up and suspense in this book. Someone tapped me on the shoulder at a really pivotal point in the story and I literally jumped out of my skin.
Highly recommend this read if you enjoy a thriller!