Strangers

By: C.L. Taylor

Narrated by: Clare Corbett

Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's Summary

The Sunday Times best seller and Richard & Judy Book Club author of Sleep returns with her most gripping book yet.  

Three strangers. Three secrets. And one big lie.

First there’s Ursula. Unable to face up to the tragedy that consumes her, her world has shrunk to an almost unrecognisable state. But a string of missing people—and her housemate’s permanently locked basement door—set off a chain of events that she soon has no control over.

Then Alice, who’s in the first flush of her relationship with Simon, a man she met by chance, and who seems perfectly normal—except that he flinches at the slightest touch.

And Gareth, who lives a humdrum life as he struggles to cope with his mum’s increasing dementia. She can’t remember much about her days—not even when a postcard from his long-dead father comes through the door.

None of these three strangers have ever met, but their worlds will soon collide in the most dramatic way possible, as the lie that has been told is finally answered for....

The master of suspense is back! Prepare yourself for the latest nail-shredding, heart-in-mouth roller coaster ride from the Sunday Times best seller.

©2020 C.L. Taylor (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic Reviews

"I was glued from start to finish!" (Shari Lapena)

"Shocking, compelling and entertaining." (Liz Nugent)

"This masterfully woven story comes together in a thrilling and unexpected climax." (Fiona Cummins)

Clare Corbett brings story to life!

I loved the story, kept me hooked! The narration was brilliant as usual. I didn’t want it to end. I’d love another book, Strangers part 2 ?

Strangers

So glad I got this book, loved it from beginning to end. Loved the characters, loved the solving of the murders and the suspense. The narration was excellent. Will definitely be reading more from this author.

Very disappointing

I usually place a lot of trust on reviews which is why I went for this book. Lots of good reviews! That trust is gone. The plot was awful and I found myself shouting at the characters for being utter idiots with no likeable traits whatsoever.

Exciting thriller

I've listened to nearly all of C.L. Taylor's audio books on Audible and this is up there with the best. An exciting listen all the way through. There's so much going on, I found myself having to pause at the end of every chapter to take it all in before proceeding with the next.

Set in Bristol, we hear three completely separate characters telling their story in turn chapter by chapter, and it only gradually becomes apparent what they have in common.

Against these stories is the background chatter in Social Media of what appears to be a local serial killer- the Harbour-side Murderer.

There are multiple crimes going on. One small criticism perhaps is that the author does not give us any clues at the time as to who the culprit(s) might be. It almost feels that she just decided on the guilty at the end of the book and made up a motive for them at that time.

There's an interesting interview at the end of the book, C.L. Taylor asking Clare Corbett about her reading technique and how she gets all the voices right. Well worth listening to that.

My 1st C.L. Taylor, and it won’t be my last!

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. It is well narrated and well paced (please don’t be put off by the review about the accents...the accents are not OTT at all, and if you listen to the Author & Narrator bit at the end of the book, it turns out that the narrator is actually from Bristol.). I found myself trying to link all the strangers together, but wasn’t able to do so, and the ending was satisfying. There is a lot of normal life packed into this book, the characters feel genuine and relatable to. If this book is anything to go by, I’ll certainly be listening to more by C.L. Taylor. Enjoy!

intriguing

loved the three separate stories and characters Easy to follow. Kept your interest right until the end.

This was listened to in one sitting!

When you have a combination of C.L. Taylor and Clare Corbett, you are pretty much guaranteed a winner. Strangers did not disappoint! I loved everything about about this book, so much so that I did it in one sitting
You know its a good read when you feel that you know the characters personally. Ursula, in particular, will stay in my mind for a long time.

Very very clever

This is such a clever, clever book which was much hyped on it's release, and rightly so. It's amazing! We meet three strangers, Alice, Ursula and Gareth. Their paths have never crossed and the only thing they seem to have in common is a shopping centre in Bristol where Alice is a store manager, Gareth is a security guard and it's Ursula's favourite place to shoplift! Little by little we learn about their lives until the collide very spectacularly towards the end of the book.

I honestly had no idea where this book was going. All three stories were interesting but didn't seem to have any connection. And then when the connection was revealed everything made perfect sense. All of the characters are well developed, even the minor ones, but my favourite was definitely Ursula, the kleptomaniac delivery driver who's story once revealed was heartbreaking. And I loved the ending!

The audiobook is narrated by Claire Corbett who does an amazing job. I really enjoyed Cally Taylor's interview with the narrator at the end of the book.

C L Taylor & C Corbett = perfect

Enjoyed all of C L Taylor’s books but made all the better for me because I love Clare Corbett’s narration. She brings together characters so well. The different accents tones etc
The end had a great little twist that made me smile

Excellent listen

Loved this from start to finish, well narrated. I found all characters believable, I especially identified with Ursula. Very clever how they are linked at the end

Wow, Excellent book

This book was actually amazing, so much going on, apart from the 3 main characters there were so many more, the story just kept unfolding, the end was not I expected...brilliant. Will definitely be reading more of C L Taylor. Read really well to.

Excellent!

I loved the characters and the way their stories came together. The best C L Taylor novel so far!