The Stranger

By Kate Riordan

Published Mar 2018

Cornwall, 1940.

 

For decades, Penhallow Hall has stood frozen in time, sheltering the secrets of its isolated inhabitants. But war has come to Cornwall, and Penhallow must open its doors to strangers.

 

Some adjust easily to the routine – nightly blackouts, the threat of invasion – but one of them is not there by choice. Diana Devlin’s troubles run deeper than anyone’s. Impatient with the sleepy village and stifling summer heat, she can’t resist the temptation to force other people’s secrets out into the open.

 

Diana’s hypnotic allure soon coaxes dark truths out of those around her. But her reckless disregard for the past will have consequences for them all, when, in the hushed hours of deepest night, a young woman is taken by the sea.

 

Was it simply a tragic accident? Or did a hunger for mischief end in murder?