I’m still working through my 2024 TBR list of thrillers and this one is number three! I’ve already crossed The Island and This Wretched Valley off the list earlier this year and now I’ve finished The Second Stranger by Martin Griffin. Going into this book, based on its premise, I was anticipating a very claustrophobic thriller; since most of it takes place during a snowstorm in February — or more specifically, inside a nearly-empty hotel during this snowstorm in remote Scotland — I was immediately drawn to the idea of being stuck in a certain place where there is very little contact with other people or police. I think that idea I had at the start still rings true through the end of the book, but with more twists and turns.
Book Review: The Second Stranger by Martin Griffin
You can see what I mean by reading the premise of this book. The Second Stranger is all about this young woman (Remie Yorke) who is on her last night shift at the MacKinnon Hotel in the Scottish Highlands before basically flying off to start a new life and fulfill a life-long dream. But that’s where it gets interesting:
“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.”
The Second Stranger. Martin Griffin. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Second-Stranger/Martin-Griffin/9781639364879
This book gave me a lot of Clue vibes, in that the characters are in this big location (the hotel and surrounding woods) but everyone is in different areas of the hotel (Remie, the few guests still staying there, and the two supposed cops) and there is this looming threat that one of them is a known murderer. We just have no idea who. That is the main focus of the story and I think the mystery and tension is enough to carry a reader throughout the whole story.
You as the reader are already feeling the stress of being isolated in this big storm, welcoming in this man who is supposedly a cop, and trying to lock down the hotel from a loose criminal. But as soon as that other shoe drops and the namesake second stranger arrives, then you’re thrown into a situation where our main characters could be in danger every single second. There is also this through-line of Remie having a mysterious past and her brother having been killed by the loose murderer, Troy Foley, years prior which adds another level of intrigue about why all of this is happening on this one specific night. And once the question of possible accomplices starts coming up, and Remie having to take a trek through the wilderness with a man who could be a murderer, you really start to question if everyone really is who they say they are.
The first half of The Second Stranger is mainly focused on that identity mystery and our characters trying to take the right steps and figure out what to do without tipping off Foley. But the second half very much turns into a true survival thriller as we find out more and more truth about everyone mentioned in the book so far. The chapters are short, moving at a very good pace, with the first real climax happening right at that half-way point. But even after that first big reveal, there’s still interest throughout the rest of the book.
Even after the antagonist(s) seem to “show their hand,” there’s still more twists and questions as to if everyone is who they say they are. There’s the urgency of Remie trying to get out alive and figure things out and triumphantly trying to make it to her planned flight — because remember, all of this takes place over less than 24 hours. This isn’t a book that dies down or slows down after we know who is the real cop and who is not; it still holds your attention, the pace does not let up, and there’s still a whole lot more plot to be revealed as we try to find out who the real Foley is.
I very much enjoyed this one by Martin Griffin. Clue is one of my favorite movies, and this book’s first half is very reminiscent of that film; you’re on pins and needles the whole time waiting to see if the fake-cop is going to strike, if your first guess on who’s the real cop is correct or not, and how Remie and her companion, Jay, try to stay alive. But it’s the continuous questioning and suspense and action and reveals that carry you through to the end of the story. I love the isolated setting of a remote hotel and I think it all comes together perfectly. I love the premise, I love the mystery and thriller and outdoor survival elements, and I love how the strength, resilience, and motivation of our main character drives the book.
I think this is my second 10/10 rating for 2024; it’s another one where you’d want to re-listen to the first few chapters after you finish it to get the full effect after so much is revealed by the end. If you’re a fan of identity mysteries where there’s an imposter, a fan of remote location thrillers, or just want a story that makes you question things up to the very end, give The Second Stranger a try.
My Rating: 5/5 Stars
