A good read. The plot shows how life can turn on a sixpence in so many ways. The main characters were easy to relate to and had good story lines throughout.
The writing brought the people and their environment to life.
I will definitely read more by this author.

The Stranger in Room Six by Jane Corry is a compelling and atmospheric psychological thriller that grips the reader from the very first page. Fifteen years have passed since Belinda was convicted of her husband's murder, but she is now ready to rebuild her life. Her journey brings her to Sunnyside Home for the Young at Heart, a care home with an unsettling history.

Mabel, the home's oldest resident, has spent much of her life there, first as an evacuee during the Blitz and later as a keeper of its darkest secrets. These secrets, hidden for years, are now on the verge of being uncovered by a mysterious figure residing in room six. With the past lurking in the shadows, the tension steadily rises as secrets threaten to unravel.

The book cleverly weaves between past and present, offering the perspectives of both Belinda and Mabel. This dual timeline, combined with the multiple viewpoints, creates an immersive and intricate narrative. Corry expertly keeps readers on edge, blurring the lines between innocence and guilt, and making us question how much anyone can truly be trusted.

For fans of suspenseful, twist-filled stories, The Stranger in Room Six delivers a highly satisfying and thought-provoking experience. It is a book that keeps you guessing until the very last page, with its perfectly executed tension and richly developed characters.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

A fantastic read I loved the dual timeline. The book was well written and it really engaged me all the way through. It kept me guessing all the way through

This book follows two female characters, the first is Mable, we meet Mable when she is an evacuee child during the Blitz and we are taken all the way through her life. The second female character is Belinda who seems to be in a loveless marriage and a mother to two daughters.

Belinda is confronted with a secret about her husband and in an altercation and within a split second her husband dies. After serving 15 years for murder, she is ready for her life to begin but can she leave her past behind or will the need for answers to the secrets that came to the surface 15 years ago pull her back.

Mable first lived in Sunnyside Home for the Young At Heart during the Blitz and now is the owner and the eldest resident within the care home.

Belinda becomes a carer at Sunnyside Home for the Young At Heart and embarks on a friendship with Mable whereby they tell each other their past stories of love and heartache, both holding onto their secrets tightly but Mable’s could be deadly.

There is a stranger in room number six who is watching and listening and they will stop at nothing to uncover the truth.

I love characters where you get to span their entire life, it gives you a real sense of connection to Mable and you understand where she has been, the heartache she has endured and the pain in the secrets she holds. The references to the Second World War completely fascinated me and gripped my attention. I don’t read historical fiction and I found it eye opening and captivating.

Following Belinda’s imprisonment and the struggles she had to overcome you cant help but feel that she is paying the price for sacrificing her own happiness for what she felt was the greater good of her children.

This book flicked from 1944 to the present day effortlessly. A story of friendship, the gift of listening and that some secrets we are willing to bury at all costs. Get pre-ordering!

I really enjoyed reading about Mabel and Belinda. Each had suffered throughout their younger lives and come together at Sunnyside where Mabel lives and Belinda starts work as a carer. They become firm friends and share their life stories with each other. Through the telling of the stories we find out exactly what happened to each of them.

Jane Corry has done it again what a book it drew me in from the very first page about 2 women Mabel and Belinda their stories are fascinating Belinda who finds her husband has an affair and ruins her life and Mabel who is 98 years old and has suffered such trauma in her life they come to meet at Sunny Side Care home and they both have such stories to tell I just loved reading about their lives and how it all comes together. I felt quite sad when I finished it and wanted to read more.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin General U.K for an ARC

I have mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed the parts where Belinda and Mabel were sharing memories and the relationship between them was so touching. I liked finding out about Mabel's past experiences and how she had come to be at Sunnyside still. It was easy to empathise with her when we learnt about her mother and sister, and then how she was treated by her aunt and the Colonel. Belinda's story was interesting as well, and how she came to serve time and how she coped inside. But, I found the inclusion of Mouse unsettling, and not sure that her story was needed or how believable it even was. It took away from a pleasant story for me.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

This book tells the story of two strong women in their own rights, one recently released from prison and the other a survivor of the blitz.

I did enjoy this story, however it felt a little disjointed at times and although I usually don’t have an issue following dual pov’s/timelines, this one did sometimes feel a little difficult to follow.

I did however enjoy the conclusion to this book and overall it was a good read - and I would definitely read more of Jane’s work.

I was so pleased to read this early thanks to the publishers and Netgalley. There are 2 main characters Belinda and Mabel. Melinda is now working in a care home after spending time in prison for accidentally killing her husband. And Mabel who lives there but is actually the owner. The 2 stories, although different fit together nicely. The story is written really well and I had to keep reading to find out what happened to them both. I really enjoyed this.

Incredibly lucky to be able to have another ARC of Jane Corry which is released in June. Well what can I say….. firstly had been hooked from the start and I couldn’t wait to hear the stories of Mabel and Belinda. Beautifully written as always and this is definitely a read for all you Jane Corry fans!

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, although I did find it a little overwritten and slow in places.

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin publishers for a copy of “ The Stranger In Room Six” for an honest review.

Another gripping and addictive read from Jane Corry..This storyline is mainly set in a care home with Belinda caring for the elderly Mabel..They tell each other their life stories and the secrets they have needed to keep
The characters are really well written , and it’s not hard to empathise with the horrendous situations they have lived through.Heartbreaking at times but the book had a very satisfying ending.
Highly recommended

As a girl Mabel loses her mother and baby sister in an air raid.Her father is abroad in the army so she is sent to live with her aunty Clarissa, who lives in a large house near the sea. Clarissa is friends with a near neighbour known as the Colonel ,who Clarissa calls Jonty .There are rumours that these 2 are linked to a fascist group whilst the war is ongoing. Mabel is not happy living with her aunt but tries to ingratiate herself with her and Jonty , putting notes in letters etc. Jonty is eventually arrested for being a member of an illegal organisation.
On a separate timeline Belinda finds out her husband is having an affair with a woman called Karen ,Belinda sees them together in town and pushes her husband who falls , hits his head and dies, She is arrested for murder and ends up in prison for 15 years which causes difficulties with her daughters. Her one wish is that when she is freed she can track down Karen.
Belinda tracks down Karen to the Old Rectory Care Home where she has been placed because she has Dementia . This is where Mabel was brought up and she is now the owner and at 94 is also a patient there.Belinda gets a job there as a carer and an unlikely friendship ensues between them, Mabel telling stories from the war years and Belinda admitting being in prison and tells Mabel tales from her time there.
However Belinda;s past comes back to haunt her and threats are made to her family if she does not find information from Mabel about her aunt and Jonty to help discredit Mabel;s younger half brother who is trying to enter Parliament.
Various family truths come out as the story unfolds., A compelling read.

What a page turner! Fabulous read.

Two timelines, two main characters. How could their paths possibly cross?

Mabel, as a young girl, loses her mother and sister in a London air-raid. She is sent to live in a large house with her wealthy aunt on the south. coast. As a naive young girl, she is embroiled in activities she doesn't understand, but which later she knows she must keep secret

Fast forward many years and Belinda, an ex-convicted murderer, is working in a retirement home where she befriends Mabel. They both have secrets, but can they trust each other to tell their stories? What would the consequences be?

I absolutely loved the writing and felt so connected with the characters. It had me engrossed from the beginning.

I've not read anything by this author, but I'll definitely be looking to read more.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy for my honest review.

This is essentially the story of two very different women. Mabel is 98 and has a story and dark secrets going back to the war. She was placed in care and her path crosses with Belinda, a care home worker. She’s had a chequered past after a troubled marriage. She too has secrets and the narrative is complex, full of surprises and although occasionally I had to check back to see how the two plot lines were pulling together, it cleverly drew to a surprising conclusion.

I like Jane Corry stories. Her characters are complicated but feel real. She takes an ordinary situation and places real people within that situation making everything feel so plausible. They’re domestic noir with tension, human interest and tight plotting. I enjoyed the dual timelines and the slow reveal of two very different individuals. I was lost the tale and enjoyed it so another 5* winner for me.

This was a very unusual read for me and at times I found the story quite hard to follow as it jumped from the two main characters and also dealt with the past and present. I found it a bit slow in parts but at least it came to a steady conclusion.

Mabel and Belinda both have a story to tell. We meet Mabel at the beginning of the Second World War when she loses her family. Sent to live with her aunt she gets caught up in secrets and crimes. Fast forward to the present day Mabel is now 98 years old and wanting to share her past secrets.

There is a woman who is trying to uncover those secrets for another gain however.

Belinda is in a stagnant marriage when she finds out her husband has been having an affair and has another child. She pushes him and he dies. Belinda serves her time in prison and now she has a job as a carer in the nursing home where Mabel is.

Their lives intertwine and we learn about the past and the present as the ladies share their stories.

I enjoyed this book and it had a nice little twist at the end

Absolutely loved this book it was a master class in weaving time history and the complicated lives of very deep people. I really loved Mabel and Belinda wow what a life thankyou

I really enjoyed the novel but at around the 95% mark it lost me a little bit. It came to a bit of an abrupt halt, we had this long story and a very quick ending. I don't feel that the over explanation of what happened after" brought much to the story. In fact I feel like more attention could've been given to the story of Belinda, her children and Imran.

3.5 rounded down

Sunnyside Home is for the young at heart, some are there for respite, others for long-term care, some work there but one person is there for an entirely different motive. Who is the stranger in room six?

This is the home that 98 year-old Mabel Marchmont owns, lives in and is cared for especially by Belinda. Mabel goes to live in the seaside house with her aunt Clarissa during the war, when tragedy strikes her family and she has lived there ever since. As for Belinda, fifteen years ago she’s bored in her marriage to dull Gerald, who it transpires, isn’t quite as dull as he seems. Belinda pays a high price for her astonishing discovery and the subsequent fury she inevitably feels. Now, as Belinda chats to elderly Mabel, the pair decide to tell each other their stories and as trust builds it appears that both have quite the tale to tell.

I like the premise of the novel very much and it’s worth reading the authors afterword about the wartime narrative. Mabel is fantastic, her story for me is the standout of the book as she has some very difficult waters to navigate especially via her aunt Clarissa. Belinda is harder to get a handle on which is probably understandable as life throws a lot at her. I like that both main characters are strong women who have coped admirably with difficult obstacles and tragedy. The mystery of the stranger is good up to a point, giving a tantalising air of mystery, until the identity is revealed!

However, although I can genuinely say that I enjoy a lot of it, the two narratives do not always meld together smoothly and there’s a disjointed feel to the storytelling. I can understand why the author does this but I think Mabel story would probably have been enough as it is packed full of drama, danger as well as much unhappiness. It’s poignant and emotional in places.

As the conclusion of the story arrives, it gets a bit melodramatic for my taste and also a far-fetched stretch.

Overall, it’s well worth a read and although I’m a fan of the author, I sadly don’t think this is her best book.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin General UK for the much appreciated EPUB in return for an honest review.