FIVE STRANGERS

SYNOPSIS

‘It’s Valentine’s Day. What is it that first alerts me to the fact that something is wrong?’

 

When disgraced journalist Jen Hunter witnesses a horrific murder-suicide on Hampstead Heath one February alongside four strangers, she is compelled to find out what really happened that day. They all saw Daniel kill his girlfriend, Vicky – but can they trust their own memories?

 

Jen’s best friend, Bex, is worried about her. She knows Jen hasn’t always been the most stable of women. She knows about the lies. She knows why Jen lost her job at the paper.

 

As the lives of the Parliament Hill witnesses begin to unravel, one thing becomes clear: there is more to what happened that day on the heath.

 

And Jen needs to find out the truth – even at a cost.

Title: Five strangers

Author: E.V. Adamson

Publisher: Harper Collins UK

Publication date: April 30, 2021

REVIEW

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

When I first read the synopsis of Five strangers on NetGalley I thought "mmm, I want to read this, it's totally up my alley". Then I learnt that the author is Andrew Wilson written under a pen name and thought "mmm, I NEED to read this!". He has written some books I've thoroughly enjoyed in the past (I love his Agatha Christie series) so I knew I was in for a treat.

Five strangers is an absolutely gripping story. It takes off with one of the most powerful first scenes I've read lately when journalist Jen Hunter and four other people witness a murder/suicide. When she starts questioning what she saw, Jen enters into an obsessive spiral that will threaten her own sanity.

The premise was fantastic. How is it possible for the killer not to be guilty when they all saw him commit the murder? The dual POVs worked really well, making me doubt everyone. Is Jen saying all the truth? Is she an unreliable narrator? I found her a bit too gullible at times and could not understand how she took everything she was told at face value.

Once things started to unravel the reading turned into a rollercoaster. Although the culprit was not a surprise it was so much fun learning about their backstory at the same time all the puzzle pieces fell into place.

I didn't see the ending coming at all! Although it did not leave any loose ends I think it required too many coincidences for all those things to happen. 

Really enjoyable read with interesting characters and a very well constructed plot that will make it nearly impossible for you to stop reading until you've reached the last page.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.