Sadly I didn’t get to finish this audiobook as it was archived but I was enjoying what I did hear and the narrator was excellent too!

An enjoyable listen although it did start to drag abit towards the middle. I was invested thought and eager to see how it would all come together. I thought the narration was good and helped bring the story to life.

This is the audiobook that just keeps giving! It's brilliantly paced and is full of twists and turns. I loved the narrator's voice and found it immersive, and engaging. By the end the tension was excrutiating and utterly satisfying. Superb.

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 listen too. The narrator Tamsin Kennard keeps the pace of the story swift and really gives you the atmosphere of this remote location.
Thank you NetGalley and (publisher, Hachette UK Audio) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

A heart stopping, nail biting thriller. When Storm Ezra hits the remote Mackinnon Hotel everything stops. Phone lines are down, roads are impassable and staff and guests are stranded. But that is only the beginning.. My advice? Do not read after dark!

A fun thriller with a nice sense of uncertainty. The Scottish setting is atmospheric and the deeper story is engaging, if a teeny bit far-fetched. Overall very enjoyable however.

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.

Thank you for the opportunity to advance review this book.

The Second Stranger has an enjoyable concept with two strangers arriving in the middle of the night both claiming to be the same person in the middle of an isolating snowstorm. The guessing game and trying to identify the imposter was fantastic, I wish it could have gone on longer in the story, but once it ended the cat and mouse game began we moved into the second phase of the book.

Overall, I loved the book especially, since I was reading the book while a snowstorm raged outside, it added to the atmosphere. I cannot wait till your next book!

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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Immediately arresting, this thriller starts when a prisoner escapes during transit from a local prison, in a remote area of Scotland.



This is a classic murder-mystery style plot, written in a contemporary way. It begins with a similar storyline to a famous Agatha Christie book/play. Brilliantly executed and shown from the viewpoint of Remie Yorke, a member of the Mackinnon Hotel staff, with historical links to Porterfell prison. An interesting delve into Remie’s backstory as well as the suspense of being unable to trust anyone around her, makes for a captivating and tense read.

The narrator was excellent, she made it easy to tell between characters and elevated the book with her reading style.

The Second Stranger written by Martin Griffin is set in the snowy Scottish Highlands in a remote hunting hotel. The last night of the season sees the night manager Reme Yorke as the only member of staff on site, as a police officer, Don Gaines comes calling. There's a terrible storm and a accident with prison transport which means there's wounded officers and a prisoner on the loose. Don helps Reme secure the building and arm themselves until a second knock at the door, it's police officer Don Gaines.

A nice little plot not knowing who the real Gaines is until much later so building the tension. There is a meaningful backstory to give the plot some depth.
A very small cast of characters should allow for some further development but we only find out about Reme and her brother. The two guest are unknowns with no real clues as to who they are until the end.
I listened to the audio book read by Tamsin Kennard who was easy to listen to and her northern accents weren't too bad.

Overall, a good read with enough going on to keep my interest and a creepy atmosphere was certainly created. 3.5*
Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette UK Audio for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this thriller. I love a good isolation winter thriller and this had the addition of confused identity. I didn't call who was who and the twist towards the end was great. Very quick read and very atmospheric. Would definitely recommend

As the title implies, key to the story is The Second Stranger who also claims the identity of the first stranger. This is a device beloved in film and television, frequently employing an actor playing both roles so that they appear identical or having a time lag of years and the second person assumes the identity of the first. In this novel though they both appear during the same blizzard blown evening and look completely different and claim to be the same police officer. Both individuals initially appear plausible enough, but neither is totally convincing in what are testing conditions and a dangerous situation. This provides the critical issue for Remie who is the night manager the hotel, who to put her trust in, one is a policeman the other could be a killer. The most difficult of choices.

The story very much revolves around Remie and Tamsin Kennard does a great job in expressing her fears and anxiety whilst also capturing the steely determination she possesses to get away that evening. Remie has an appointment she intends to keep.

At the very start we discover that it is Remie’s last night at the Mackinnon hotel, for tomorrow she is flying from Aberdeen to London, then on to Madrid with an ultimate destination of Chile. A bit random on the face of it but there is a reason for the journey which had been planted by her brother Cameron. This provides her motivation throughout and as the story unfolds it becomes if not her salvation a starting point for a new beginning.
It is the relationship between Remie and her brother Cameron which is the emotional core of the storyline, and it runs much deeper than it initially appears. It is clear from the onset that Remie took the job to be near to Cameron who was sent to the local prison and that he was murdered whilst inside. It is this that leaves Remie unanchored and provides her desire to move on. She doesn’t realise it but there is more to his murder than appears and it will have a significant impact on the night’s events and her future.

The characterisation here is particularly strong as we discover how different the siblings were. Remie is studious and went to university, Cameron wanted an easy life, was a bit of a Ned and drifted into a life of crime. Remie looked out for him more than any big sister should, but it was her actions, such as breaking one of his friends’ hand with a hockey stick, which were forcing deeper into this.

The plot is a variation on the classic jailbreak but in this case hampered by the weather. The question of why try to break out on such a night becomes apparent much later in the story. Although there are few characters to work with the author does an excellent job of keeping the reader guessing who is friend and who is foe and which of the strangers is actually the police officer. The setting is also skilfully used, avoiding some obvious cliches, the hotel providing a big setting for the few characters to move around in ‘get lost’ or disappear for a while only to reappear when not expected. The snowstorm also ensuring all the action is compact.

The pacing varies throughout, slow and steady most of the time but speeding up in times of jeopardy. Some may find it a little too slow at times, but I thought it helped to add to the tension. Referring to Gainies 1 and 2 is a little clunky and at times you need to concentrate carefully on what is happening consequently but overall, it was easy enough to follow.

The motivation behind the trip is a curious one. Cameron it turns out was not irredeemable and it his attempt to ‘balance the scales’ which led to his death. Just before this he told Remie of a rare astronomical event taking place with an alignment of planets that is best seen from Chile. Cameron loved astronomy and passed on this desire to Remie asking her to make it there when he couldn’t.

The light relief from all the tension is provided by Jai, the crime blogger come want-to-be journalist, who ends up getting the scoop of a lifetime and ends up winning the British Podcast of the year award for A Question of Guilt. This is part of a nicely judged ending which ties the story up perfectly but also leads options open for a follow up to keep the reader guessing.

Remie Yorke is only one shift away from freedom, a flight to South America and a new life, when disaster strikes. A power cut darkens the night and an injured man appears at the door, he introduces himself as PC Gaines. Then the second stranger arrives, who also declares he is Don Gaines.
I loved the concept of this thriller, which stranger can Remie believe? The setting is very atmospheric: a hotel in the Highlands, an isolated prison, the middle of winter, cold and desolate. There are twists and turns, a guest who acts suspiciously and one guest who’s missing. The drama unfolds at a fair pace and Griffin keeps you guessing all the way to the end. The audio book was well narrated and produced. A great thriller for a winters night.

Really enjoyed this audiobook. Full of twists, enjoyed the narration and loved the way it all tore up at the end. Brilliant story.

This book is a pulse pounding thriller, that has a creepy atmosphere to match the isolated setting. The twists in this book made it one hell of a rollercoaster. I found myself doubting every single character and their motives. If you like a thriller that will grip you and not let you go then this is perfect. Definately one of my favourite reads of 2022 and a complete must read.

With all the key ingredients for a great murder mystery, The Second Stranger is a suspenseful, gripping and atmospheric story set in a remote hotel in the Scottish Highlands. Remie is working her last day at The McKinnon Hotel as night manager, and all other members of staff have left for the night, when a storms cuts all power and outside communication. A stranger arrives explaining he's a police officer whose vehicle crashed whilst transporting a dangerous prisoner and the prisoner escaped after the crash. Things get tricky when a second stranger arrives also claiming to be the police officer. Remie is left trying to work out who she can trust, who is telling the truth and how to resolve this predicament. Great narration and a wonderful plot. Thank you to Net Galley for an audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking forward to listening to this book as I like a good thriller. It started off well, it had me gripped but then it just seemed to get a little too far fetched and unbelievable for me which really ruined it.
The narrator was good and did a good job of being each character to life.

Remie Yorke is working her last shift at the Mackinnon Hotel set in the remote Scottish Highlands before she leaves for pastures new and she can't wait , her case is packed there are only 2 guests at the hotel but then Storm Ezra hits bringing power cuts and horrendous driving conditions.

An injured man stumbles into the reception area says he is PC Don Gaines and was in a terrible accident on the mountain road his colleagues are dead and the dangerous prisoner they were escorting has escaped and is possibly heading this way.

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.

Who do you believe? Remie and the other guests are now obviously in danger

Great Audio book with plenty of twists and turns just how I like them

Remie is finishing up her last night shift at the hotel during an awful storm she is hoping will clear in time for her flight to South America the next day. Then a police officer knocks at the door asking to be let in to call the station as a criminal in now on the run due to a road accident, as he goes off to find signal and hopefully reach his team, a second police officer knocks at the door with the same name, same police number and Remie needs to figure out what to do next,

This book had me hooked! I couldn’t stop listening to it, the thrill of trying to figure out who was the real police officer and why neither of them were trying to kill them was so captivating. This book is written so so well. It isn’t quite a 5 star read for me, it lost me a bit at the end, and I think you need a killer ending to get a 5 star on any thriller but it was written so well, the characters so well thought out and developed and the way you are constantly guessing at who is really who they say they are is so well done,

Highly recommend.