The Stranger’s Companion is the second novel by Australian-born British art curator and author, Mary Horlock. Twenty-two-year-old Phyll Carey has mysteriously given up a job with a Southampton publishing company to return to Sark, where she says she’ll concentrate on writing, determined to make it on her own.

When, in late September 1933, Everard Hyde, also recently returned for unstated reasons, comes across two neatly-folded piles of good quality clothing just above the tide line, he brings them to Sark’s tiny prison, where the island’s policeman, Chief Constable John de Carteret encourages all islanders to view them.

With residents and visitors all accounted for, an appeal for information is made in the Guernsey Evening Press, but it is intriguing enough to eventually make the national press, The Times and The Daily Mail, no less. Having already typed up a detailed description of the clothing for the local press, Phyll begins to investigate, and sends her reports to the press under P. Carey, hoping they will assume her a male correspondent and print. They do.

There’s lots of speculation amongst islanders, but Phyll has her own theory of thwarted lovers faking their suicides. But the presence of Everard, after a ten-year absence and a humiliating lack of reply to her steadfast correspondence, is distracting, reminding her of the mischief the two, as pre-teens, ravaged on the island back in 1923, and its aftermath.

Over the following days and weeks, various islanders report seeing, or encountering an unknown couple on various parts of the island in the days preceding the discovery of the clothing. Scant trace is found at a certain location, but the truth remains a mystery. Even when, eventually, bodies are pulled from the sea, exactly what happened to the pair remains unresolved.

In this close community where privacy may be difficult to achieve, other island truths are, however, coming to light: affairs, domestic violence, possible suicides, sexual predation, cruelty, and murder. Gossip, grief, guilt, petty jealousies, and quite a few secrets feature. Women whom some might refer to as witches play a role, and there are ghosts, both real and fake.

Horlock gives the reader a diverse cast of islanders who are perhaps more interesting that the main protagonists: an ageing midwife with extensive knowledge of natural remedies; a bombastic retired major; artists, both bohemian and traditional; a once-psychic postmistress who now relies on other means to keep her finger on the pulse; an excitable constable’s daughter who shares her theories with her inquisitive some-time playmate.

Her prose can be charming: “Word has spread. It has also jostled, nudged, skipped and elbowed” but also perceptive “it is very easy for a routine to become a ritual, and from there it is only a hop and a skip and you have a superstition. If it helps, where is the harm? When life is hard, we all need a few rules to tame the randomness of fate.” Each chapter is prefaced by a passage about some feature of Sark that reads like a tourist brochure, addressed to the reader as if a visitor to the island. A pertinent press article also precedes the narrative in many chapters.

That narrative is from the perspective of certain group of Sark islanders who know all, and the tone of whose commentary is chatty, often irreverent and humorous or tongue-in-cheek: “Many islanders have more than one job. Frederick de Carteret, for example, is schoolteacher and island magistrate, both posts secured through the sole qualification of legible handwriting” and “Paul was handsome and witty and popular with women, which was useful as there were a lot of spare women since the War” are examples.

Horlock takes inspiration from a real event, giving the reader a mix of reality and imagination, interweaving fact with fiction, all of it rich in descriptive detail about the island. Enhancing this brilliantly-plotted, captivating page-turner is a wonderfully evocative cover. More of Mary Horlock will be eagerly anticipated.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and John Murray Press/Baskerville.

Although I have some lovely memories of being on Sark this book gave me none.
A very academic tale and historical depiction of one of the Channel Islands. Probably very true in some of the facts.
I found the writing extremely dry and hard to follow. There was no flow for me. I was hoping for atmospheric and interesting.
Thank you NetGalley for the early read, this one wasn’t for me.

Unfortunately this wasn't for me although I'm sure a lot of people will enjoy it. I didn't like the writing style and also found jumping between time periods not always clear. The author had given a list of characters at the beginning of the book rather allow the reader to get to know them as they read.

I enjoyed this quirky read, which told the story of the mysterious loss of two tourists on the island of Sark in 1933, woven together with the story of a childhood friendship ten years earlier and its repercussions in later years. There's an engaging first person plural tone to the narrative that keeps you guessing who is this 'we' that's telling us the story? There's a hint of the supernatural too. All in all an unusual book that kept me reading to find out how it was all going to end.

This is a lovely read. I especially like the narration that describes what we could see and if we walk along here, then we will see this - the guidebook voice. Beautiful.

Nothing happens on Sark until two people go missing, difficult to do on the island. Journalists descend and residents try to work it out. In the meantime we flit back to the past to revisit old friendships, island life, and naughty children.

This is a beautiful story, everything is intertwined, and I just loved everyone.

Wonderful.

My thanks to Netgalley and John Murray Press for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Strangers Companion first caught my eye due to the familiar landscape on the cover. Not my usual genre of choice, but the fact it was inspired by true events and I know the Island was why I wanted to read it.

At the start there is a cast of characters list, you may find useful; overall book a good read. Authors Notes, if you don’t generally read them, these are definite should read for this book. Gives you information on the actual mystery, how it inspired this story. Very interesting read.

I remember over 25 years ago taking a holiday in Guernsey and a day trip to Sark, a quaint island that has stayed in my memory and one that I thought would form a good basis for a book. I was unaware of the two people who went missing in October 1933 but that true fact makes a good basis for a story. A quick read of a beautifully told story. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

The Stranger's Companion is a beautifully written book based in the island of Sark. Although I did enjoy this book, overall I wasn't blown away by this mystery. However I do think anyone who loves cosy mysteries will enjoy reading this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

This is a great read. It is set in 1923 and 1933 on the small Channel Island of Sark and uses a real event as part of the story.

The characters are well drawn, easily distinguished and interesting and their dialogue and interactions seem authentic. The descriptions of Sark are so vivid that I could imagine it all and it sounds a fascinating place although no doubt much changed nowadays. The mysteries are intriguing and the hints of the supernatural are something a bit different. There is a real feeling of connection among the inhabitants, especially all the women, old and young.

What I particularly liked is the narrative voice. It is written in the second person plural "we" and is in a breezy, direct, unsentimental, amusing and almost flippant style with asides to the reader. It reminds me of how Annabel and Emilie, the Midult columnists, write. I found this to be something different in a book and I liked it a lot.

The book ends very satisfactorily too, which is always a bonus and we find out who the "we" narrator is. . I might very well read this book again, for the enjoyment and sense of place and also just to be sure I didn't miss anything.

The island of Sark is pretty isolated and given its remoteness, is a place where nothing ever happens. Until clothes are found at a beauty spot and a search for a missing couple commences. An islander returns home and falls headfirst into the mystery that’s making front page news.

The Stranger's Companion is an historical mystery set on the island of Sark, and is based on true events on the island in the same time period. The year is 1933, the month is October. Two sets of clothes, belonging to a man and a woman, are found on a clifftop. Of their owners, there is no sign.
The story has two timelines, 10 years apart. The narrative contains newspaper headlines from the real life Sark mystery, and excerpts from a guidebook of Sark. It is written in the first person, but we never learn the identity of the narrator.
What I loved about this book was the sense of foreboding throughout the story, and the superstitions that seemed to abound on the island, not to mention the possibility of witchcraft. Who doesn't love superstitions and witchcraft? I also loved the expert weaving of fact and fiction.
I devoured this book. It was an engaging and easy read. It has made me very curious about Sark and its history, something I hope to look up at a later date.
Thanks to John Murray Press and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

A decent but not compelling mystery that vaciliates between two timelines a decade apart, The Stranger's Companion has the necessary ingredients and mostly succeeds in a coastal crime tale about community.

Thanks to John Murray Press and NetGalley for ARC.

The island of Sark is wild, rugged, remote and rooted in tradition. One wild day in 1933, locals find two sets of clothing on a cliff top and the islanders begin the search for a couple, presumed missing. Locals and press start to speculate about the identity and fate of the couple, and memories inevitably turn to other island mysteries and tragedies. Pasts are uncovered - but are they best left buried? The timeline shifts between the present, and ten years in the past. The characters are many and varied and take a little bit of knowing, but patience is rewarded.

Part gothic horror, ghost story, mystery, always firmly rooted in place, this book has a wildness to it, and some incredibly dark themes. Its mood has stayed with me for days.

The story is a dual timeline novel, which I always adore! The 1923 events in the book are based on the true story of the unsolved mystery of how a woman and man, visitors to the small island of Sark, came to die. Initially it was only their clothes, which were found but their bodies soon washed up, albeit with some time apart. Was it murder? Suicide? A terrible accident? The events shook the small island but alongside this unusual occurrence, other forces were at large too. This is how the 1933 storyline links in, as we follow the residents, ten years later.

The writing style of this book is unusual. The 1923 chapters are in past tense, the 1933 in the present. Also you’ll find the author talking to you, the reader, as if she is sat across the table from you: “readers might be interested; we already know; let us eavesdrop; we agree” - these kinds of expressions. At first, it irritated me and I couldn’t immerse myself in the story but once I got used to it, about half way through, I actually found that I enjoyed it all, especially as the threads came together. I thought the ending was very satisfying.

What I did absolutely love about the book was all the information woven in there about the island itself: the traditions, the folklore, the myths, the herbal concoctions as well as the ghost stories and the beautiful descriptions of the island itself! So overall, I have to say I am glad I persevered and in the end I was very happy to have read this book.

My favourite quote from the book explains that even though ten years pass between the two storylines, things will always resurface later and can have huge impact even then: “If we could walk backwards through our lives we’d see the inevitable connections. Nothing exists on its own and there are always repercussions.”

If you fancy an atmospheric read, written in a slightly different style, with some supernatural elements set in a beautiful landscape, then make sure you pick this one up!

I am sure that a lot of readers will really enjoy this book but sadly it wasn't for me.
It was a fictional story based on some facts and set on the remote island of Sark.
I am glad that the author included a character list at the beginning because I found myself constantly referring back to it.
The story is set over two timelines and sometimes I found it confusing as to which timeline we were on. The island of Sark is portrayed as one with myths, legends, ghosts, witchcraft and superstitions, in 1922 Two children, Phyll and Everand were able to fake " happenings" and put even more fear into the small community.
Phyll and Everard are back on the island ten years later when two bundles of clothes are found neatly folded with no trace of the owners........have they drowned whilst swimming in the sea ?, have they fallen onto the rocks and been swept away ?, no one was missing from the small community, it had to be a visitor, but who ?
This had the bones of a great story but the format didn't do it for me, it flittered between the 1920s and the 1930s, I love a good mystery but this one didn't have me eagerly waiting for the outcome and I really didn't warm to the characters.
As stated previously, there are readers out there who will love this story, especially people who have visited Sark but it wasn't for me.
I received a free copy of this book and my review is voluntary

The Stranger’s Companion is set on the beautiful island of Sark. The descriptions of this little island are wonderful but the idyllic setting hides many secrets and things are not as quiet and peaceful as one might expect.
The story, set over two timelines was intriguing if slightly confusing at times . Set between the two world wars it features Phyllis and Everard both as teenagers and ten years later as adults. There is a sense of golden age mystery surrounding the story and it kept me interested throughout. There are ghostly goings on which maybe real or imagined and the two main characters have several things to work out when they meet up again.
All in all an interesting and enjoyable read.

A flowing story with a gothic touch. This, interwoven with points in the history of Sark, definitely creates a desire to visit the island and the locations described. Additionally the eeriness of the narrative makes the book a delight to read.

This book had a wonderful setting. I felt like the island of Sark was brought to life so well. I could so clearly picture the sea, the cliff side paths, the houses and the wind wrapping around the characters. For setting and atmosphere this book was excellent. The isolated island of Sark where everyone knows each other and has history was the perfect setting for this mystery where the clothing of a man and a woman are found upon the rocks. A local journalist recently returned from Southampton decides to write about it to help her career. This leads her to investigate the mysterious disappearance of the clothings’ owners, rekindle former relationships and uncover historical mysteries.

This book had some interesting exploration of the local folklore and superstition. There are elements of the supernatural. Ghost sightings feature frequently in this book, in different ways for different characters. This was quite fascinating and really added richness to the book.

Everybody knows everybody on Sark and there is little crime on this little island. So when the clothes of two people, a man and a woman, were found in the 1930s on the top of a cliff, and there bodies subsequently washed up, it sent shockwaves through the community. Our narrator is Phyll, a young woman in her twenties who wants to be a writer, and is told in two timelines, the 1930s timeline and ten years earlier, plus via some newspaper articles.
I actually love a historical mystery and have ready many. However, this novel (based on true events) is also written in a historical style. Unfortunately, it was not to my taste. I did persevere to the end (I hate to leave a book half way through), but I found its slow pace and blousy writing style was not for me.

The stunning cover for this book immediately harks back to the golden era of crime fiction. However, this is far from being the gentle read one might expect. Sark might be the place where nothing happens, but there is plenty of action packed in the pages of this novel. Phyll has returned from England with secrets to hide, but it is the secrets that are still waiting for her at home which begin to unravel the seemingly idyllic life of the islanders. Events from her childhood cast long shadows and seeing them through the lens of adulthood doesn't necessarily make them any clearer, until the people concerned start being honest with each other. Once this happens, the drama unfolds to reveal the truth of what happened between her and Everard Hyde.

However, this is not the only mystery to absorb the attentions of the islanders. Clothes found on the beach suggest foul play, or at the very least, a tragic accident. As the search begins for the unfortunate couple, it brings to the fore memories of previous tragic deaths on Sark. The role of the island's women in every aspect of the island's history begins to be told and events become clearer as the links are forged together.

The two stories are revealed in parallel and it becomes clear that far from being two separate strands, they are in fact as closely intertwined as it is possible to be.

Part crime novel, part ghost story, every aspect of human nature and social interaction is explored. Relationships mature and develop, past sins are uncovered and misunderstandings explained. This is a wonderful examination of the intricacies of life in a small community, all wrapped up in an intriguing package with a mystery right at its core. The fact this is inspired by a real life event just makes it all the more attractive as a concept.