An electric, locked-room suspense thriller set in the remote Scottish Highlands, where icy temperatures and a terrible blizzard prevent any ideas of escape—from a brilliant new voice in crime fiction.
One bitterly cold February night at the remote MacKinnon Hotel, Remie Yorke begins her last shift at the front desk as the snow begins to fall. She has booked a one-way flight for the next day—and she's never coming back to Scotland. Or so she thinks.
As the storm quickly invades the surrounding Highlands, the roads become impassable and the phone lines fall dead. When the icy temperatures plummet further, an injured man stumbles into the hotel lobby from the blizzard. Police Constable Don Gaines has been in a car accident on the mountain road, and Remie welcomes him to safety. Gaines tells her that the other survivor of the accident is a dangerous prisoner who is now at-large; and Gaines is sure he is heading their way.
Then a second injured visitor arrives—also introducing himself as Constable Don Gaines. Both claim to want to protect Remie and the hotel's remaining guests. Both are convincing. Remie doesn't know who to trust.
But she must endure a deadly night before dawn breaks, and if she doesn't succumb to the cold, one of these men will surely kill her first. And she has no idea why they have chosen to come to the MacKinnon Hotel . . .
Genre: Mystery
One bitterly cold February night at the remote MacKinnon Hotel, Remie Yorke begins her last shift at the front desk as the snow begins to fall. She has booked a one-way flight for the next day—and she's never coming back to Scotland. Or so she thinks.
As the storm quickly invades the surrounding Highlands, the roads become impassable and the phone lines fall dead. When the icy temperatures plummet further, an injured man stumbles into the hotel lobby from the blizzard. Police Constable Don Gaines has been in a car accident on the mountain road, and Remie welcomes him to safety. Gaines tells her that the other survivor of the accident is a dangerous prisoner who is now at-large; and Gaines is sure he is heading their way.
Then a second injured visitor arrives—also introducing himself as Constable Don Gaines. Both claim to want to protect Remie and the hotel's remaining guests. Both are convincing. Remie doesn't know who to trust.
But she must endure a deadly night before dawn breaks, and if she doesn't succumb to the cold, one of these men will surely kill her first. And she has no idea why they have chosen to come to the MacKinnon Hotel . . .
Genre: Mystery
Praise for this book
"Break out the superlatives! The Second Stranger absolutely blew me away. This superb thriller is the book everyone's going to be talking about, a brilliant, tense, twisty, atmospheric, and utterly compelling debut from a major new voice in crime fiction. Just read it." - Karen Dionne
"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." - Lisa Gardner
"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!" - Allie Reynolds
"An impressive debut thriller shot through with a menace that makes its Highlands hotel setting feel like a house of cards. The tension winds ever tighter as the storm strengthens its grip and the cracks start to show - in the illusion of warmth and safety, the mask of the murderer, and the frozen landscape itself." - Emma Styles
"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." - Lisa Gardner
"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!" - Allie Reynolds
"An impressive debut thriller shot through with a menace that makes its Highlands hotel setting feel like a house of cards. The tension winds ever tighter as the storm strengthens its grip and the cracks start to show - in the illusion of warmth and safety, the mask of the murderer, and the frozen landscape itself." - Emma Styles
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Used availability for Martin Griffin's The Second Stranger