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judithdcollins's review against another edition
4.0
A special thank you to Atria/Emily Bestler and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Louise Millar returns following Accidents Happen,
[b:The Hidden Girl|21968646|The Hidden Girl|Louise Millar|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1398162395s/21968646.jpg|41279067] and The Playdate, with CITY OF STRANGERS -a woman’s intense quest to solve a mystery with an ongoing theme of “identity.”
From a multi-level complex chilling domestic noir to an enthralling twisty international thriller-keeping you turning pages while globetrotting.
Four months ago, Grace Scott had never seen a dead body. Now she’d seen two.
Grace Scott has recently married Mac and they are returning from their two- week honeymoon in Thailand. Grace walks into their flat while her husband goes to the market for some shopping. Shocked she discovers a dead man’s body in their kitchen flat. At first, she thinks it a burglar who was set on stealing their wedding presents.
Grace is a freelance photographer and beings photographing the body. She is drawn to this man. Intrigued. She calls 999. They had purchased the flat from John.
Who was this dead man and why was he here? What about his family? The intruder was apparently in his forties and had been drinking heavily, and died from a suspected fall. Grace longs to get into cutting-edge news reporting. She is intrigued.
Little does she know the man hiding and eavesdropping on her—and on the police—in the space beneath her upstairs flat.
The old restlessness that Grace couldn’t name returned. She wanted answers. Her husband Mac does not seem as concerned. He wanted to have a housewarming party and this is the last thing she wants.
She would have to face the city again. Since her father had gone it had become nothing but a collection of shadows and echoes. A city of unfathomable thoughts and an uncharted future. The prospect of her wedding without him had been horror enough.
Her father had also died alone. Now this.
Three months later she is still going through the wedding presents, she finds an envelope tucked inside its white ribbon. Grace Scott’s name on the front. Odd, it did not have Mr. and Mrs. On the back the writing was fussy and looped. The cryptic words listed sideways and were difficult to read. “I am not that man", Lucian Grabole.
She had been so immersed in grief in the months before the wedding, she is baffled by the name. Her husband says he does not this person. DI Robertson was on the case and she continued to ring to inquire the status and update of the case. No match for DNA, fingerprints, or physical markings. No missing person reports. From prisons, hostels, social services, hospitals and immigration. All negative.
This man’s death is haunting her. She begins searching Google and calling homeless shelters in Edinburgh. From Glasgow, Stirling, and other towns within an hour of Edinburgh. She has no idea how deep this mystery goes. The evil and web of deceit surrounding the man, and her own life.
From clues to her sleuthing, she is traveling around Europe, obsessed with finding the identity of the man found in her apartment. Now it appears someone is following her and knows her every move. The closer she gets the more danger she is in. Someone attacked a journalist she was with in Paris and burned his boat in Amsterdam, and threatened her.
While this story unfolds, back home in Scotland, the police find two other bodies that are somehow linked to the dead man in Grace's flat.
We also are introduced to Grace’s friend, Ewan who works at the Scotts Today office, assisting ace crime reporter Sula McGregor, who is investigating a story where two men were found dead in a cave to the north of Edinburgh. Grace asks him the best way to go about finding her John Doe when she is unsuccessful.
To add plenty of intrigue and mystery, there is also Mr. Singh downstairs. A man holed up in the back room of a corner shop underneath Grace’s flat.
She sees missing person’s notices. She wonders about all these families not knowing if their loved ones were alive or dead. Lost in a city of strangers. In the meantime, Mac’s patience with her obsession with the dead man had run out at about the same time as DI Robertson’s. He is concerned she is spending her dad’s money on this foolishness.
Ewan is very helpful and facilitates a contact for Grace in Amsterdam with another photojournalist, Nicu, who becomes interested in what she is doing. With Nicu’s help, she comes face to face with answers. With her camera and passion, and now the support of Scotts Today she keeps moving forward, even though Mac is not supportive. Does she really know her husband?
Set in Edinburgh – from London, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Paris----Little do they know that evidence and answers could be hidden in their apartment building.
CITY OF STRANGERS is a gripping story of deception, lies, and corruption with a tenacious heroine you root for. Hope we see more of her in future books. Fans of Mark Edwards, Ruth Rendell, and Heather Gudenkauf will enjoy.
If you have read any of Louse Millar’s books, you know she is a "master" at penning suspenseful menacing and intriguing tales which involves complex crime, corruption, deceit, family, villages, home, relationships, and twisty connections—while building chilling, complex scenarios which are emotionally and psychologically compelling. Life changing moments for the characters involved.
Millar's psychological crime novels integrate themes of human misunderstandings and the unintended consequences of family secrets and hidden crimes.
CITY OF STRANGERS was my favorite of Millar's thus far. It starts slowly; however, the suspense and danger build; be patient and enjoy the mysterious ride.
JDCMustReadBooks
Louise Millar returns following Accidents Happen,
[b:The Hidden Girl|21968646|The Hidden Girl|Louise Millar|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1398162395s/21968646.jpg|41279067] and The Playdate, with CITY OF STRANGERS -a woman’s intense quest to solve a mystery with an ongoing theme of “identity.”
From a multi-level complex chilling domestic noir to an enthralling twisty international thriller-keeping you turning pages while globetrotting.
Four months ago, Grace Scott had never seen a dead body. Now she’d seen two.
Grace Scott has recently married Mac and they are returning from their two- week honeymoon in Thailand. Grace walks into their flat while her husband goes to the market for some shopping. Shocked she discovers a dead man’s body in their kitchen flat. At first, she thinks it a burglar who was set on stealing their wedding presents.
Grace is a freelance photographer and beings photographing the body. She is drawn to this man. Intrigued. She calls 999. They had purchased the flat from John.
Who was this dead man and why was he here? What about his family? The intruder was apparently in his forties and had been drinking heavily, and died from a suspected fall. Grace longs to get into cutting-edge news reporting. She is intrigued.
Little does she know the man hiding and eavesdropping on her—and on the police—in the space beneath her upstairs flat.
The old restlessness that Grace couldn’t name returned. She wanted answers. Her husband Mac does not seem as concerned. He wanted to have a housewarming party and this is the last thing she wants.
She would have to face the city again. Since her father had gone it had become nothing but a collection of shadows and echoes. A city of unfathomable thoughts and an uncharted future. The prospect of her wedding without him had been horror enough.
Her father had also died alone. Now this.
Three months later she is still going through the wedding presents, she finds an envelope tucked inside its white ribbon. Grace Scott’s name on the front. Odd, it did not have Mr. and Mrs. On the back the writing was fussy and looped. The cryptic words listed sideways and were difficult to read. “I am not that man", Lucian Grabole.
She had been so immersed in grief in the months before the wedding, she is baffled by the name. Her husband says he does not this person. DI Robertson was on the case and she continued to ring to inquire the status and update of the case. No match for DNA, fingerprints, or physical markings. No missing person reports. From prisons, hostels, social services, hospitals and immigration. All negative.
This man’s death is haunting her. She begins searching Google and calling homeless shelters in Edinburgh. From Glasgow, Stirling, and other towns within an hour of Edinburgh. She has no idea how deep this mystery goes. The evil and web of deceit surrounding the man, and her own life.
From clues to her sleuthing, she is traveling around Europe, obsessed with finding the identity of the man found in her apartment. Now it appears someone is following her and knows her every move. The closer she gets the more danger she is in. Someone attacked a journalist she was with in Paris and burned his boat in Amsterdam, and threatened her.
While this story unfolds, back home in Scotland, the police find two other bodies that are somehow linked to the dead man in Grace's flat.
We also are introduced to Grace’s friend, Ewan who works at the Scotts Today office, assisting ace crime reporter Sula McGregor, who is investigating a story where two men were found dead in a cave to the north of Edinburgh. Grace asks him the best way to go about finding her John Doe when she is unsuccessful.
To add plenty of intrigue and mystery, there is also Mr. Singh downstairs. A man holed up in the back room of a corner shop underneath Grace’s flat.
She sees missing person’s notices. She wonders about all these families not knowing if their loved ones were alive or dead. Lost in a city of strangers. In the meantime, Mac’s patience with her obsession with the dead man had run out at about the same time as DI Robertson’s. He is concerned she is spending her dad’s money on this foolishness.
Ewan is very helpful and facilitates a contact for Grace in Amsterdam with another photojournalist, Nicu, who becomes interested in what she is doing. With Nicu’s help, she comes face to face with answers. With her camera and passion, and now the support of Scotts Today she keeps moving forward, even though Mac is not supportive. Does she really know her husband?
Set in Edinburgh – from London, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Paris----Little do they know that evidence and answers could be hidden in their apartment building.
CITY OF STRANGERS is a gripping story of deception, lies, and corruption with a tenacious heroine you root for. Hope we see more of her in future books. Fans of Mark Edwards, Ruth Rendell, and Heather Gudenkauf will enjoy.
If you have read any of Louse Millar’s books, you know she is a "master" at penning suspenseful menacing and intriguing tales which involves complex crime, corruption, deceit, family, villages, home, relationships, and twisty connections—while building chilling, complex scenarios which are emotionally and psychologically compelling. Life changing moments for the characters involved.
Millar's psychological crime novels integrate themes of human misunderstandings and the unintended consequences of family secrets and hidden crimes.
CITY OF STRANGERS was my favorite of Millar's thus far. It starts slowly; however, the suspense and danger build; be patient and enjoy the mysterious ride.
JDCMustReadBooks
diannenah's review against another edition
3.0
The mystery was okay but it drags a little bit longer than necessary to get the 2nd clue.
debbiejane's review against another edition
3.0
AUDIO An interesting enough take of intrigue and travel and independence.
rubenstein's review against another edition
2.0
I'm baffled that City of Strangers is written by the same woman who wrote one of my favorite books. It doesn't help matters that I've been waiting for this book for nearly a year; the disappointment hits that much harder. The mystery here was so convoluted, the pace way too quick, there was a random affair that made me queasy and felt as though it was only added in to heighten the drama. In the end, the big reveal felt hokey: Ugh. I still highly, highly recommend Millar's other novels, but City of Strangers is one to avoid.
For the full review and more, head over to The Pretty Good Gatsby!
Spoiler
the dead man was an infamous Romanian gangster/assassin who had no less than four aliases, there was some shady real estate business going on that targeted the elderly, and Grace's husband? Turns out he wasn't being abusive and manipulative! He was caught in the middle of his boss's crime ring and if Grace continued to follow her leads it would have led back to John and Mac wanted to keep her safe and alive at home. Silly, reader!For the full review and more, head over to The Pretty Good Gatsby!
fictioncourt's review against another edition
5.0
5 stars!
Originally rated with 4 stars but this book is still on my mind, a month later, SO FREAKING GOOD!
OMG this book! Not my usual genre but I enjoyed this so much - more than I thought I would actually. The start was a little rough, after a captivating prologue it sort of slowed down a bit but by Chapter 10 I was so into the story I couldn't sleep until I finished it!
Grace returns home with he new husband to find a dead man inside her apartment, next to her unwrapped wedding gifts, months after her own father died in an apartment all alone. She is a photojournalist that does freelance work for magazines and she's not where she hoped to be in life. Naturally she is drawn to the dead man's case, even more so when the police are unable to identify him and no one comes forward to ID the body either. When she finds a note one day that says “I am not... that man... Lucian Grabole.” she is intrigued even further and decides to hunt down everyone that might have a clue who Lucian is and how did he end up dead in her apartment.
One clue takes hers to another, and another and another, and Grace finds herself traveling around Europe, asking strangers and trying to piece together this man's life. While this story unfolds, back home in Scotland, the police find two other bodies that are somehow linked to the dead man in Grace's apartment.
I won't spoil anything but OMG this story brought tears to my eyes with how amazing it was - and some sad parts at the end. There are so many characters and so many sub-plots happening at the same time, once you get a feeling of who is who and what they part in this story is, it blows your mind! Grace's husband, her liaison in Amsterdam, the people she meets during her journey, everyone that may have known Lucian and Lucian's past itself - I got chills and I could not stop reading. This story is alive and kicking. The characters are complex, well written, entertaining - especially Grace's former journalist co worker Ewan, he is by far the funniest of them all!
I can't recommend this book enough, YOU NEED THIS BOOK! Thriller fans or not, this book got me to love the genre again and it set a high standard, it's a pretty heavy book but you will not be able to put it down. The amount of detail put into this, to connect every dot and bring this world to life, the amazing characters I found myself saying, that's a classic thing to say/do for some of these characters from the first few chapters, I just connected with all of them!
Full of twists and it travels around the world beautifully, unraveling a story from town to town, person to person; Louise Millar crafted a psychological thriller with an unforgettable, chilling tone that intensifies until all the pieces come together in a shocking reveal! Not to be missed!
Originally rated with 4 stars but this book is still on my mind, a month later, SO FREAKING GOOD!
OMG this book! Not my usual genre but I enjoyed this so much - more than I thought I would actually. The start was a little rough, after a captivating prologue it sort of slowed down a bit but by Chapter 10 I was so into the story I couldn't sleep until I finished it!
Grace returns home with he new husband to find a dead man inside her apartment, next to her unwrapped wedding gifts, months after her own father died in an apartment all alone. She is a photojournalist that does freelance work for magazines and she's not where she hoped to be in life. Naturally she is drawn to the dead man's case, even more so when the police are unable to identify him and no one comes forward to ID the body either. When she finds a note one day that says “I am not... that man... Lucian Grabole.” she is intrigued even further and decides to hunt down everyone that might have a clue who Lucian is and how did he end up dead in her apartment.
One clue takes hers to another, and another and another, and Grace finds herself traveling around Europe, asking strangers and trying to piece together this man's life. While this story unfolds, back home in Scotland, the police find two other bodies that are somehow linked to the dead man in Grace's apartment.
I won't spoil anything but OMG this story brought tears to my eyes with how amazing it was - and some sad parts at the end. There are so many characters and so many sub-plots happening at the same time, once you get a feeling of who is who and what they part in this story is, it blows your mind! Grace's husband, her liaison in Amsterdam, the people she meets during her journey, everyone that may have known Lucian and Lucian's past itself - I got chills and I could not stop reading. This story is alive and kicking. The characters are complex, well written, entertaining - especially Grace's former journalist co worker Ewan, he is by far the funniest of them all!
I can't recommend this book enough, YOU NEED THIS BOOK! Thriller fans or not, this book got me to love the genre again and it set a high standard, it's a pretty heavy book but you will not be able to put it down. The amount of detail put into this, to connect every dot and bring this world to life, the amazing characters I found myself saying, that's a classic thing to say/do for some of these characters from the first few chapters, I just connected with all of them!
Full of twists and it travels around the world beautifully, unraveling a story from town to town, person to person; Louise Millar crafted a psychological thriller with an unforgettable, chilling tone that intensifies until all the pieces come together in a shocking reveal! Not to be missed!
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
4.0
A rather enjoyable read. The premise is interesting. If you like [b:The Cuckoo's Calling|16160797|The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike, #1)|Robert Galbraith|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1358716559s/16160797.jpg|22002305], you might want to check this out because Grace reminds one of Robin. I actually like Sula better.
jojreads's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent, enthralling read, the story quickly took up speed and I couldn’t put it down!
stephend81d5's review
4.0
this book took a little while to get going but as soon it did was a page turner and following grace scott through amsterdam, paris , copenhagen and scotland in search of the id of the man found dead in their flat kitchen while away on their honeymoon. takes many twists and turns and didn't disappoint in the end
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