Second Stranger

ONE DETECTIVE. ONE MURDERER. BUT WHICH IS WHICH?'Fresh, gripping and addictive! An absolute gem' ALLIE REYNOLDS'If there is a finer crime debut this year, it will be a surprise' DAILY MAIL'Clever and bold' LISA GARDNER'The book everyone's going to be talking about' KAREN DIONNE'A brilliant debut from an excellent new voice ' MY WEEKLYRemie Yorke has one shift left at the Mackinnon Hotel in the remote Scottish Highlands before she leaves for good. Then Storm Ezra hits. As temperatures plummet and phone lines go down, an injured man stumbles inside. PC Don Gaines was in a terrible accident on the mountain road. The only other survivor: the prisoner his team was transporting. 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. 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 . . .What real readers are saying about The Second Stranger'Plenty of heart-stopping moments, twists and turns. A fast-paced story, atmospheric, intriguing, with a great ending. I loved it' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'I enjoyed the excellent descriptions of the hotel, weather and conditions . . . I felt every gust of wind and slammed door' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'A swiftly moving and menacing plot. The remote, atmospheric and unsettling backdrop make this eerie, chilling and unpredictable suspense' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'The suspense and drama build throughout . . . Very clever and unexpected' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'I could not put it down. Would definitely recommend!' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

If there is a finer crime debut this year, it will be a surprise, for this story set in a remote hotel in the remote Scottish Highlands during a blizzard is stunning . . . There are shades of the great 1948 American film Key Largo as the serpentine story unfolds, and this is not only every bit as gripping, it also boasts a heroine whose resilience warms the blood, The Second Stranger has an incredibly fun concept: two strangers both claiming to be the same person. This original and enticing premise kept me glued to the pages, trying to guess which of the men was who they said they were, and what would happen when the two finally met. I loved the setting of a remote hotel in the Scottish highlands during a winter storm with the phonelines down, the road blocked and the threat of an avalanche imminent. The main character, Remie Yorke, is a strong female, resourceful and determined. She was likeable and sympathetic and I rooted for her! The story is fast-paced and action-packed. The surprises kept coming and I could not predict the ending. Fresh, gripping and addictive! An absolute gem of a crime novel!, You'll wonder what the hell's going on in this tense thriller, Clever and bold. The Second Stranger starts with a shiver of dangerous uncertainty before exploding into full on murder and mayhem. Anything you think you know, you don't, From the evocative setting to the clever plot, this locked room mystery is a brilliant debut from an excellent new voice in the world of crime fiction

Martin Griffin is an exciting new voice in the crime genre. Before turning his hand to writing, he was a deputy headteacher and a doomed singer who was once asked to support The Fall on tour, a gig he had to decline having only composed two good songs. Martin lives in Manchester with his wife and daughter.