Ben is 18 years old and is bludgeoned to death, the third murder in a small town in a year. His mother wants to see justice done but the police don't seem to be chasing up the information that she has given them, the link between the three victims. Mia has something to hide but she is not the only person who knows more than they are saying about these deaths.
I have read so many positive reviews about Veste's work so I know he is well-regarded within the genre and I was looking forward to reading this book. It's a psychological thriller but the answers were flagged up from early on, the twist is not much of a twist and I found the characters annoying rather than sympathetic. OK, this is a very personal opinion, and I'm not a great fan of the domestic psychological thriller but it really didn't excite me.

Eighteen year old Ben Lennon was on his way home from a night out in the early hours of the morning when he was brutally murdered. The police believe it was a random mugging gone wrong, due to his phone and watch being stolen, but his wallet wasn't taken. When his parents are informed their world falls apart, but Alison is certain this wasn't random because he isn't the first victim, there have been three deaths in the last eighteen months and each of the victims were close to Mia, Ben's girlfriend and Alison is convinced that Mia killed her son. Was it her or is someone else involved, Alison is determined to get to the truth.

The Stranger in the Room is told from multiple perspectives but concentrates mainly on Alison's grief over losing her son and Mia's secretive nature over what she knows about the deaths of her teacher, Mr Fulton, Becky and Ben. It's a compelling read, with some great twists along the way and, with Alison going all vigilante trying to find the person responsible, portrays how far a parent will go to find justice for their child when they don't feel the police are doing enough. It's an intriguing read with some characters that didn't endear themselves to me at all throughout the book. I kind of guessed who the perpetrator was but the author still brought a twist to the final reveal which I wasn't expecting. Another great read from Veste.

I'd like to thank Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Amazon and Goodreads.

I discovered this author's books approximately 10 years ago now, and devoured the Detective Murphy & Rossi series. His subsequent books haven't grabbed me quite so much, but this one felt like a move back to those early crime detective tales so suited me very well.

The story covers the emotions felt by the family of teenage murder victim Ben Lennon who was killed a short distance from his home after an evening with friends. A recent split from girlfriend Mia is front and centre in mum Alison's mind, especially as the young girl was featured in local rumours surrounding two previous killings in the preceding months - but why aren't the police investigating her? In Alison's mind it's obvious they need to be arresting her as prime suspect, so when this doesn't figure as even a strong line of questioning Alison decides to take things into her own hands.

The reader is privy to insights from various characters some of which help clarify events, others purely following the rumours that are rife in the local area. The growing rift between Ben's parents is explored and the extra strain Ben's death puts on this fractured relationship does nothing to bring the two of them together. Ben's sister is very much left to deal with her grief alone as the parents battle rages on. But they would do well to take some time to listen to their daughter, because siblings often know far more about each other's lives than the parents would ever imagine.

The whole book felt very real, the emotions raw, and frustrations with how long the police were taking to make any progress came across strongly - and how the different individuals coped with the whole situation was extremely well delivered.

I feel the author has returned to what he writes best with this book. More of the same please, Mr Veste!

i was so intrigued by this. thinking what would you do if you had someone you loved die. or rather murdered? i think you could easily so how as a mother youd simply become obsessed. how would you leave it to the police?
i know id be asking questions at all times. and id be trying to find out anything i could. especially if i had my own ideas of who the culprit was. but you can see how much training goes into these things when you see someone without it trying to investigate. but then weve also seen the darker sie of when police investigate these things and dont listen to others telling them vital info. its so hard! and that is what leant me to being addicted to this book and needing to know what happens. i never look at a crime book and really try to solve it? im given clues from the author and i bite and wonder of course. but as far as really doing some cludo work to figure it out i know ill only fail. im far to emotive,ha.
a great book. the different character angels helped build the story well. as there is never really one side to every story and more not always one CORRECT version of events.

The Stranger In The Room by Luca Best, it seems everyone who has an issue with Mia, winds up dead. The last one to die was Anna’s son and she is determined to learn the truth about what happened to Ben. I enjoyed this book. I liked the writing style was surprised by the ending, but there were a few things in the story that threw me. For example, maybe I’m wrong, but I thought Anna‘s husband seemed like he cared about her and was just doing what he knew to do and thought Anna accusing him of being weak really was wrong with her, not to mention her outright obsession over Mia. Also, how can the neighbors say things like that didn’t happen in the neighborhood when hello what about Rebecca? I mean I get that the teacher was in the next town over but still? Clearly it did happen in their neck of the woods. I did think Anna’s investigation was written very well in the book and turned out just like as if someone really tried to investigate a murder despite they had no training. I do want to know why the book had the title it did what room and what stranger? Either way if you like good mysteries, then you may like this book. I thought I was going to love it and I didn’t but I did like it a lot. #NetGalley, #LucaVest, #TheStrangerInTheRoom,#HodderAndStoughton,

Alison receives the news that her son Ben has been murdered. Mia, Ben’s girlfriend, should be enjoying life but realises that her boyfriend is the third person close to her who has been killed. Alison believes that Mia had something to do with the murder. Is someone trying to hide the truth?

This was an interesting read with an intriguing mystery at the centre. The story was told in different points of view, which although helped build the story, could sometimes be hard to differentiate between. I could understand the character’s anguish and this added an intensity to the story.

The overall mystery is tightly plotted, however I did find the majority of the story overly slow with too much focus on the small details. It starts to pick up toward the end and there were some surprises, however I found that I had to suspend disbelief at times. This was a good story overall, however not one I will remember. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

I have loved reading Luca Veste's other books and I enjoyed this one just as much, it kept my attention all the way through.

Luca Veste is one of my favourite authors and I think this is now one of my favourite of his releases.

When Ben is killed on his way home from a night out, at first it looks like a random attack. It was late, it was dark, and he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Ben's Mother Alison thinks that there is more to it.

She thinks that Mia, Ben's ex-girlfriend is responsible for his death. It seems like too much of a coincidence after other recent murders in the previously quiet and relatively crime free town where they reside.

The Police urge Alison to let them do their thing, they have a number of lines of enquiry and don't need a grieving Mother meddling in the investigation.

But Alison can't help herself and is in danger of jeopardising the entire investigation with her fixation on her son's ex-girlfriend.

Is Mia really a killer, or it someone even closer to home?

As further evidence is found, Alison must question everything that she thought she knew in order to find the truth.

The reality will be devastating, but at least she will have closure for Ben.

I don't want to say too much more, and this review I'm aware isn't as detailed as some as I have written, but I really don't want to give anything away, and need you to discover this gem for yourselves!

3.5 stars
This is a good crime/psychological thriller but is not as fast paced as some of this author’s other books.
Alison is devastated when she’s told her son has been killed. She immediately suspects his on/off girlfriend Mia but the Police don’t seem interested in her.
Alison starts asking her own questions but this leads her closer and closer to danger.
There’s quite a lot of chapters where it’s more about the characters thoughts, than any action but the story picks up the pace towards the end.
Overall a good read but you need to stick with it.
Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read this book.

Alison’s son is murdered on his way home one night. She is sure it’s his ex girlfriend. While the ending was a shock, I did not think this book was interesting. Kind of slow and nothing to hold my attention

Very slow going and a bit confusing as I did not know who was talking in each chapter.
Alison`s son Ben is murdered after a night out, his mother is determined it`s his ex girlfriend Mia but detectives don`t seem to listen to her so she starts to investigate herself.
A good twist to the end.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review.

Wow! What a book to start the year on. This has everything you could want from a thriller. It's so well written that I was completely invested and couldn't wait to see what happened next. The story is well plotted out and builds up gradually to an amazing climax. There are some really good twists I didn't see coming and I was kept on my toes. It's written from kultiple povs and is actually pretty creepy in parts. It definitely gets under you skin and I couldnt wait to see how it all ended. Really good read

When Alison's son Ben is attacked and killed on his way home from a night out, she is determined to find out who is responsible and fixes her sights on his ex-girlfriend Mia. If the rumours are to be believed she is responsible for two other deaths in the area with the last couple of years.
When Alison does find out the truth, will she be able to handle it? Wil she be able to face the truth about her son?
A good pacey read.

This is one of the best Psychological Thrillers ive read for a long time. I found it a very strong and powerful book and storyline, quite scary in places.
The characters were very strong and emotional. Found it hard to put down, read quickly and enjoyed the ending but left wanting more.

When Alison Lennon’s son, Ben, is killed in what first appears to have been a random attack, thoughts soon emerge of two other recent murders. In a place where crime is minimal, why have no links been made between the three deaths? Alison thinks she knows the link – Mia Johnstone – Ben’s girlfriend. Determined to find out the truth, much to the despair of the detectives investigating her son’s death, Alison makes it her mission to uncover what really happened. Mia, on the other hand, needs to try to convince everyone that she had nothing to do with any of it…

The Stranger in the Room is a psychological thriller from the author of The Bone Keeper, The Six and the fantastic Murphy & Rossi series. Told mainly from the points of view of the victim’s mother and girlfriend, we see how the tragic event has affected those closest to him and how their responses couldn’t be more different. Alison is a grieving mother, hellbent on finding out the truth no matter what the consequences of her actions may be whereas Mia has totally different motives. Has she been totally honest about what happened that night and why do people she has connections to keep dying? Mia has a different truth she wants to uncover.

Luca Veste has done a great job in creating a tense plot, leaving the reader to try to work out whether Mia is the killer or whether there is something else at play. He throws in plenty of curveballs along the way including an ending that I did not see coming. While this is not an action-packed plot, it does not need to be. The focus is on the storytelling and how grief affects actions, something the other has done successfully.

Another great read from Luca Veste – highly recommended.

Thank you to the author, publishers Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley UK for access to this as an advance reader’s ebook. This is an honest and voluntary review.

When the third person who 18-year-old Mia has wished dead is murdered, it’s not just her who sees the possible connection. The mother of the latest victim suspects that Mia is responsible and doesn’t want to wait for the police investigation to reach a conclusion.

There are three, really four, perspectives this story is told from. The first person narrator is Alison, mother of Ben who is murdered in the opening pages. Alison is unhappy in her marriage, distraught at her son’s violent death, and unwilling to sit back and wait for the investigation to conclude. She turns amateur detective, and while she’s sometimes frustrating in what she ignores that doesn’t fit her narrative, the author delivers that aspect of her character in a way which is believable and easy to sympathise with.

The second main perspective we see is that of Mia. From the start she’s clearly an unreliable narrator. Told in third person she nevertheless is clear that she’s keeping secrets, but she’s also going through a difficult time as suspicions and gossip fall on her and she remains largely sympathetic.

Thirdly we have the lead detective. This is where the splitting of the narrative attention starts to work against the story. There are interesting elements of the detective who doesn’t see the police as more than a job, but remains committed and professional. Even when the actions of the victim’s mother tread impact on the investigation. It would have been nice to have seem her character developed more and to have a bugger influence on the plot than some occasional pieces of marriage guidance advice to the victim’s mother.

Then there’s ‘them’ the perspective of the assumed and unidentified at that stage killer. From memory there’s only one chapter from their perspective, and I’m not entirely sure what that contributed to the plot.

Plot-wise there is a lot to like here, and there’s a reasonable build up to the conclusion. It’s both surprising enough and guessable enough to make a satisfying conclusion to a whodunnit. And with a more focussed middle to the narrative it would have been even better.

After meeting Luca at a book event I’ve wanted to read more of his books.
This one, about a number of deaths in a small area, had me intrigued.
When Ben is killed in the street, his mother is desperate for answers. His on/off girlfriend, Mia, is left reeling and comes under suspicion.
This book had a number of twists and turns and kept me hooked til the end.
Will be looking for Luca’s back catalogue now!

Luca Veste has written many excellent crime novels and “Stranger in the Room” is no exception.
Told from the point of view of Alison, a murdered teenager’s mother and then shifting to the mind of the dead boy’s girlfriend Mia who is a prime suspect, this is an extremely twisty thriller in every sense of the term!
The police don’t know where to look, despite Alison’s conviction that Mia is the culprit. Another teenager, Becky has also died as well as a teacher at their school. All have connections to Mia but is she the perpetrator?
This was such a clever book with such a twisty plot that I really didn’t know who to suspect. Was it the obvious answer or was there someone else.
I don’t want to reveal too much as it will spoil the enjoyment of the story but suffice it to say the tension never lets up until the very last page.
The characters are extremely well drawn- you could feel Alison’s frustration and Mia’s possible confusion but it is clear she is holding something back. Beware of unreliable narrators- there are several in this book!
However none of the characters seem to have much empathy including Alison who shows little regard for the rest of her family as her quest to find the killer takes over her life.
This is definitely a five star read which I highly recommend. It certainly kept me engrossed on a holiday flight!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

I really enjoy books by the author but not so much this one. It is told from multiple points of view, which worked up to a point but the pacing was very slow and irritated me at times. There was a lot of emotion throughout, especially from Alison whose son Ben was murdered and the plotting is quite intricate. I didn't like the ending but overall, it is a good read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Told manly by Alison’s POV with others included as the story progresses
As the story unfolds, you can feel every emotion generating from the characters as they mourned the loss of their loved ones.
As the author always does, you are pulled into everyone’s secrets and lies and truly left wondering just who is guilty. Alison is a strong but at times complex character who will fight with all she has to find the person responsible for her son’s murder.
I found this read to be a more emotional one compared to the authors' other books but written perfectly.
The revelation was totally unexpected for me, and the extra twist was a brilliant bonus.
RECOMMEND
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the ARC.