Another fantastic and unputdownable book from the talented C.L Taylor! ‘Strangers’ tells the story of Alice, Gareth and Ursula all dealing with their separate issues before coming together in a suspenseful and twisty ending. As a fan of puzzling psychological novels I absolutely devoured this book! Fantastic storytelling, richly developed characters and out of the ballpark twists and turns.. what more could you ask for in a psychological thriller!

Strangers is a novel that starts out strong and interesting, but unfortunately, it ends predictable.

Each character was interesting and brought something to the story, however. I felt that the final conclusion seemed like a cheap escape from the story.

Another strong story from C.L.Taylor and it was my final book for 2019. I really enjoyed the way three characters worlds came together; it was like watching a jigsaw puzzle being put together in front of you.
The seemingly separate perspectives of characters, Alice, Gareth and Ursula are the focus of the story, each one dealing with their own problems and issues. Without revealing any of the plot, these three characters finally come together in a dramatic and dangerous climax.
If you enjoy psychological puzzle reads, then this may be the book for you. Recommended read.

Really enjoyed this book, so many fantastic twists and turns, and a brilliant ending! Definitely worth a Read!

I recently read Sleep and this is yet another unputdownable thriller by CL Taylor! I was hooked on this book from the first page and raced through to the end. The three strangers all have their own stories which are all full of suspense, and I thought it was brilliant the way CL Taylor brought them together. I found the characters really likeable and their motives for acting the way they do has a lot of emotional depth. Loved everything about this book and what a great ending.

Ok, so first off I'll admit it.... I'm an avid fan of C.L.Taylor books!.

When I saw "Strangers" had been released on Netgalley a few days before Christmas, I literally thought Christmas had come early!,
What more could I want with having a few days off over Christmas, but a gripping Physcological Thriller to keep me entertained!
Strangers did not dissapoint, it was page turning at its finest, I was sad to see i had finished the book so quickly!.

First off I was glad the author had gone back to setting this latest thriller in Bristol. Being a fellow Bristolian, I love that I can picture the locations exactly as they are, though saying that, i love the fictional names or locations just as much.

The story follows the 3 main characters,
Alice- A retail store manager at The Meads Shopping centre.
Gareth- a security guard at The Meads Shopping Centre.
Ursula- An overly tall (6ft+) courier driver/Shoplifter.

We follow each of them as they are facing trials and tribulations in their own day to day lives, we find out more of their backstory and start to like them and then we realise that even though they might be living sad existences, having troubles, and life might not be going the way they might like it to at that moment, they are all equally trying to be their best self.
All 3 of them are connected through a mutual place "The Meads Shopping Centre", but what they don't know is they are all going to face a life or death situation together and it will either be a case of "what doesn't kill them will build a beautiful friendship!! "
(Yes I made up that quote myself!)- I feel it's appropriate as the closing of the book was beautifully wrapped up, brought a tear to my eye, and makes you realise life isn't all that bad!

Another well written Physcological Thriller from .C.L.Taylor with just enough gripping twists to keep you turning page after page to the final chapter.
5 stars from me.

Wow, what a book to end the year on. I’m glad I saved this for my final read of 2019 and also happy that I didn’t wait until closer to the April release date to read it.
I knew it would be great, C.L. Taylor hasn’t let me down yet, and this is no exception. It is of a very high calibre writing style. There is enough intrigue to keep you reading, and the characters are likeable enough to keep you interested.
We are following three main characters. Alice, a single mum who is dipping her toe back into the dating world again. She expects the odd lousy date, but she doesn’t expect her whole life to become a nightmare. Ursula, a larger than life character that is a bit down on her luck. She is overcoming a sorrowful past and trying to get on with life but is making some questionable decisions. Finally, Gareth, a security guard, happily plodding on with life and looking after his sick mum. He knows he can have more out of life but is he content as he is?
These characters have nothing in common and only slightly infringe on each other’s lives, so how do they come to be standing over a dead body at the beginning of the book? The prologue sees them all having to work together after someone is dead. We then skip back a week and follow their lives individually to see how they all become integrated and what is happening to them to lead up to such dramatic events.
I really didn’t know how this book would end or what we were really working our way up to, all we have to go on is the very small prologue. However, up to 80% in and we are still none the wiser of how these three characters will come together. The book is brilliantly written, and I was utterly gripped.
I have a terrible feeling that C.L. Taylor only releases one book a year and this was my lot! Luckily I think I still have a few of her back catalogue to keep me going as she truly is a spectacular writer and knows how to give us the perfect Psychological Thriller. This is easily a five-star read!

thank you @netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review. I was excited to read this one, after reading a few by this author I was very happy. It was a really slow burner for me, with a busy time with work and home it made it a little more difficult to pick up but I didn’t really connect with any of the characters. It swaps between characters and I found it hard to keep up at times, I did enjoy the second half of the book and the ending wasn’t one I was expecting. Would I recommend it? I don’t think so, I feel a little disappointed I wasn’t gripped more in the first half

Another huge hit for the author. I just loved this book. It was fast paced. Exciting. Hard to put down. I love the authors style of writing

C.lTaylor never fails.This is a tense chilling thriller that is told from three different points of view that finally blend.Together.A book that kept me guessing .#netgalley#avonbooksuk,

This was a clever read especially how we build up to the ending. The characters were real and their paths cleverly interwoven. It was a book that you just didn't want to put down.

I have read all of C L Taylor’s previous novels and love reading her carefully crafted stories. This one is no exception.

Ursula, Alice and Gareth are the three main characters and there is no clear connection between them at the beginning of the story. The story is told from each of their viewpoints.

Alice is manager of a clothes store in the fictional shopping centre known as Meads in Bristol. She goes on a date which turns nasty and bumps into Simon who assists her at the time. Ursula is a delivery driver who has a compulsion for shoplifting from stores and flatmates which needless to say gets her into trouble. Gareth is a security guard at the Meads shopping centre and is caring for his mother who is suffering from dementia.

In addition to the turmoil of the three main characters, men keep going missing along the riverbank. Well-rounded individuals with differing lives find that their worlds collide in an intricately plotted story which kept me turning those kindle pages at a fast pace.

This is a deep, dark novel addressing some serious issues in society and a brilliant ending which I absolutely loved.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and C. L. Taylor for my ARC in return for my hones review.

Excellent Read. Recommended.

Strangers is a well constructed story which follows three unconnected individuals - Alice, Gareth and Ursula - whose lives ultimately collide. Alice, divorced with an adult daughter, manages a clothing shop in a shopping centre; Gareth is a security guard at the same centre and cares for his mother, Joan, who has dementia; six foot three Ursula, perhaps the most interesting of the three (Alice is definitely the least), works as a delivery driver and appears to be a bit of a mess, compulsively stealing from shops and flatmates and, unsurprisingly, getting herself into trouble as a result.

All these various people have issues, problems and strange events to contend with, at home and at work, but how and why they will ultimately connect keeps the reader guessing.

Strangers was an enjoyable read. There’s a lot going on and I did at times find it slightly hard to keep track, but it all comes together in the end. I really had no idea where the story was going or how it would all end up and the author does a good job of keeping us on our toes and weaving the disparate elements together.

There’s a kind of subplot with one of the people Ursula regularly delivers to, and this story is tense and engaging, but feels a bit wasted as we see so little of it. There’s also a storyline with Joan, Gareth’s mother, and I found this a refreshing change from the now ubiquitous missing-child stories, although I do have an issue with how it ended.

A very good, skilfully written, escapist read.

When strangers lives intertwine what will happen? The book is told from three different people's perspectives. Ursula is a grieving widow with a stealing habit. Alice is a shop manager, single, desperate for love and convinced she has a stalker. Gareth is a security guard who looks after his Mum who has dementia.
Each of their lives are unravelling independently, but who is behind the mysterious happenings in each of their lives.
I was impressed at the fast paced twists and turns, and how everything is tied together to give answers. There's also a good little twist at the end. The book is definitely not a disappointment.

This is my first book by this author and what an amazing book it was. Plenty of twists and turns to keep me gripped and I thought I had guessed the ending more than once but I was wrong. I didn’t want to put it down and that’s the sign of a good book to me. I will definitely look to read more by this author. How have I missed such a good author!!

Let me tell you, C.L. Taylor is scary. Scarily good at twisting life as if it were a dishes towel to get those drops of reality and dilute them with her magical writing to create an intense and nail-biting novel.


Three strangers, two secrets, one terrifying evening.
Three slices of cake, two sittings, one terrified reader!

Ursula, Gareth, and Alice. Three people who couldn’t be more different. Three characters with enough layers to last the winter and keep you enthralled by the events happening to them. It can be difficult to juggle so many storylines and manage to spark an equal interest from the reader. Not for Cally Taylor.

Ursula was a mystery to me. I could picture her clearly but had the feeling the image was somehow askew. Why was she acting this way?
Gareth? I felt sorry for him. I immediately saw him as a good man doing his best for his ill mother.
Alice… I was not so kind to. I found myself tutting at her reactions and shaking my head at her teenager-like behavior. If a man acts a certain way with you, don’t be that needy and obsessed woman. Thankfully, she redeemed herself later and I found her development satisfying enough to forgive!

The problem with books like Strangers is that if I give you details about the strains and stresses of those people’s everyday life, part of the magic will be gone. Magic, well, bad magic. Black magic causing goosebumps, making you turn around in the middle of the street to check if you’re being followed. The story is laced with personal dramas which link all the protagonists in a way that I never saw coming. I know, I know “the twist I did not see coming” I hear you complain about how many times you’ve read that and actually saw the thing coming! But there is a real surprise here, among the pain and the fear. And between this twist and you, there are characters created to make you shiver, react, and swear.

The drama never lets up without ever feeling too much. The tension is palpable, without choking you at every page. You get to meet Alice, Gareth, and Ursula through their present and get to understand them better through their past. Actions speak loudly, and C.L. Taylor cleverly reminds us even the smallest actions have consequences… I was unable to tear myself away from the pages that unraveled different but interconnected lives.

Strangers is suspenseful and dramatic, a pure thriller!

Really loved this novel, as I did the same by this amazing author. She weaves a twisted net and the reader immediately gets wrapped up in it. Can’t recommend it enough!

Thank you to NetGalley for a Kindle ARC of Strangers.

I've never read this author before so I went into this with an open mind.

** Minor spoilers ahead **

Three strangers with no connection to one another will be brought together in a dramatic finale when their lives are in danger.

The writing was good, but I had a hard time connecting to any character, especially with Alice. I found her and her daughter to be too meek, too much of a doormat to sympathize or care about their plight.

Gareth wasn't a bad character; there were aspects of his personality I understood and could relate to.

Ursula was the biggest surprise; at first, I found her character kind of wimpy, and I didn't like her, but she owned up to her mistakes and took responsibility for them.

I had a hard time suspending disbelief in how the characters came together because it relied too much on coincidence.

I did like the ending, and the explanation about the disappearances of three men.

Well that was great. And satisfying. And suspenseful. And beautifully written. Three different people I cared about. Three stories I loved. All came together in the end. And what an ending. Fabulous book - thoroughly recommended. This was my first book by this author and I’m pumped there are plenty more..

I’ve read a few books by CL Taylor and loved them, so I couldn’t wait to get stuck into her latest thriller “Strangers.”

Alice is a single mum and the manager of a fashion store inside a shopping centre. She’s recently started dating again with the encouragement of her adult daughter.
Gareth is a security officer at the same shopping centre. He cares for his mum who has dementia and tries to protect her from someone he believes is trying to take advantage of her.
Ursula blames herself for the death of her partner a few years earlier. She has a job working as a courier and is living with friends. Until they discover she’s been stealing from them. Desperate for somewhere to live, she agrees to rent a room from an odd stranger who insists the radio is kept on at all times and seems to be hiding something in the basement.

Meanwhile, several men in the local area have gone missing, and rumours are suggesting it may be the work of a serial killer.

Eventually, the three seemingly unrelated stories collide in a nail-biting conclusion...

I debated between giving this book 3 or a 4-stars. I enjoyed it, however, I felt like the first half was a bit of a slow burn. I don't think it builds suspense as well as the other books I've read by the same author.

However, I thought it was really clever how the various storylines came together. The chapters alternate between the perspectives of the three main characters, so you easily get to know each of them.

If you fancy reading a psychological thriller with an ending that's hard to guess, I recommend giving this a go (and pick up the rest of C.L Taylor's books straight after!)