The Secrets of Strangers
Paperback Published on: 07/05/2020
Price: £9.99
Synopsis
A regular weekday morning veers drastically off-course for a group of strangers whose paths cross in a London café - their lives never to be the same again when an apparently crazed gunman holds them hostage. But there is more to the situation than first meets the eye and as the captives grapple with their own inner demons, the line between right and wrong starts to blur. Will the secrets they keep stop them from escaping with their lives?
Publisher information
- Publisher: Atlantic Books
- ISBN: 9781911630418
- Number of pages: 352
- Dimensions: 198 x 131 x 25 mm
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
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Multi-Dimensional
I was very excited to read this multi-dimensional book. I love the way that the story follows each individual (Neil, Abi, Mutesi) so that you can get attac... READ MORE
Excellent read - food for thought
Wrong place, wrong time. I bet that's what the majority of the people who end up in the middle of hostage a situation think. Luck of the draw. Sam doesn't... READ MORE
Brilliant gripping read
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I particularly enjoyed how the story was told through the eyes of Sam, Abi, Neil, Eliza and Mutesi. I liked getting their p... READ MORE
Love all her books
Thank you very much to Charity for arranging this early review copy for me.
I think I have read all of Charity Norman's books...
Very much love the reads, ... READ MORE
Broke my heart.
This book absolutely destroyed me.
From the first look and the tagline, I believed this book was going to be a thriller. What it turned out to be was an in... READ MORE
A wonderful book
I absolutely loved this book - it was sensitive, thought provoking and moving.
A very simple, but well-executed plot, where a group of people are held hos... READ MORE
Heartbreaking
I loved this. It wasn't an easy read as it explores a lot of difficult topics. The story is about 3 strangers who are held hostage in a cafe after the owne... READ MORE
Amazing
I absolutely loved this book. I devoured it in one sitting being hooked from the very beginning. It took so long to arrive due to COVID and in the end I go... READ MORE
Loved this book
I have not read anything from this author before but l will definitely be looking out for other novels from her in the future ! This novel was a definate p... READ MORE
The Secrets of Strangers
I am a huge fan of Charity Norman, she is one of those authors who manages to bring each character to life in your mind with incredible detail and once aga... READ MORE
The secrets of strangers
What a fantastic book, the plot raced along at a good pace, the characters were believable and it had a lovely ending although not what I expected
Character-rich crime fiction! A fabulous book!
It is true that you never really know another person until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. After spending several hours in a small London café with th... READ MORE
Hugely gripping and unputdownable
Thank you so much to ReadersFirst for the copy in return for an honest review.
Hugely gripping and unputdownable. I read this in a single day, only pausin... READ MORE
Empathetic and compassionate
What a fascinating, different, insightful book. The multiple perspectives, the honesty of the characters, the introspection. Not many books could make you ... READ MORE
Gaslighting and it's consequences
I received a free copy of this book from Readers First in exchange for an honest review.
First off, i don't give full 5 stars out lightly, it tends to be ... READ MORE
Slow build, Big payoff
What I loved most about The Secrets of Strangers was the intricately woven slow build of the story - the gradual release of characters histories and motiva... READ MORE
Beautiful!
Thank you so much to ReadersFirst for the free copy of this book. The Secrets of Strangers really intrigued me from the get-go with a fresh sounding premis... READ MORE
Inside a hostage taking you’ll want to continue
I was in awe of this from the start. A group of lives brought together in the few seconds it takes for a gunman to open fire in a South London cafe during ... READ MORE
Tense and Moving
The Secrets of Strangers is the first book by Charity Norman that I have ever read, but looking at reviews her other books are well worth a read too.
The ... READ MORE
Breathtakingly brilliant
It’s a usual frantic and busy morning in a London cafe. But when a gunshot rings out, time stands still. For some of the customers, life will never be the ... READ MORE
Character-driven thriller
When a shooter opens fire inside a busy café, people scramble for safety but not everyone is able to escape. What secrets will these strangers share and ho... READ MORE
Thriller!
The Secret of Strangers is mostly set inside a café in London where a gunman has taken some customers hostage after an altercation with the owner. The stor... READ MORE
Off to a good start!
Sadly due to current events I have not yet received my advance copy, I contacted Readers First and received the following reply:
"Unfortunately the wareho... READ MORE
My read of the year so far!
'Tuckbox' a coffee shop in Balham is dealing with the usual morning routine of people coming in & out. A young man comes in & shouts about at the owner & s... READ MORE
Well written and emotional
WOW
This is such a well written book
with a nice pace
the characters are believable
and has the story unfolds you end up emotionally attached to them all... READ MORE
Recommended Read
Firstly, this is, for me, a five star read; it’s a deeply moving story of a group of people who find themselves in an appalling situation, and not of their... READ MORE
Facing demons
The owner of Tuckbox cafe is kind to his staff and popular with his customers so when a stranger gets agitated with him then returns and shoots at him befo... READ MORE
An interesting enough read....
I’ve been struggling with how to review Charity Norman’s latest novel “The Secrets of Strangers” as I wasn’t expecting it to be the book it was. I had conv... READ MORE
Brilliant book
Charity Norman is a new author to me so I was excited to read this book. Her writing style is beautiful and I was gripped from the first page.
Tuck box i... READ MORE
A well-paced and compelling story.
By page twenty-six of this compelling story the reader has not only been introduced to four of the key characters but also knows that the owner of the café... READ MORE
Secrets and Lies
When a crazed young man, armed with a shotgun bursts into a London cafe, the lives of strangers caught up in the attack will be forever changed.
The cafe ... READ MORE
A Brilliant Read
I absolutely loved this book it is gripping and fast paced ,set in the Tuckbox Cafe in Balham London, strangers pop in for a coffee one morning and suddenl... READ MORE
Read it and smile through tears
You know when you see an unassuming present under the tree on Christmas morning? Then you open it and there's a sparkly pair of earrings inside? Then you p... READ MORE
Beautifully heart-breaking
This book completely broke me. It takes a lot for a book to make me cry, but Charity Norman tells this story of a group of strangers caught together in a h... READ MORE
Excellent read
I thoroughly enjoyed The Secrets of Strangers, it's a tense and emotional story about a small disparate group of people who suddenly find themselves held h... READ MORE
Very emotional
Thank you to readers first for my advanced copy.
I dont even know where to start.
Could you imagine a normal day, going for a coffee. And that same should... READ MORE
Secrets
This story centres round a cafe near Balham station in London called, "The Tuckbox", each chapter is headed by a characters name and gives their story and ... READ MORE
Brilliant
The delivery of this book got delayed due to covid-19 but it was worth that wait!
Imagine going about your daily routine, popping into a cafe to grab a c... READ MORE
So so good
I finished this book a few days ago, but it's still on my mind, and I'm still talking about it!
I loved the main character Sam! I really felt that he was... READ MORE
Tense and compelling!
I really enjoyed this book! Having previously read one of Charity Norman's books I knew when I started on this that I was going to be in for a treat and I ... READ MORE
I wish there was more!!
I am so disappointed to have finished this book!! I just wanted to keep reading and see the characters' lives continue to unfold.
I'm normally not too keen... READ MORE
Simply stunning!
This is the best book I’ve read so far this year, and I’ve read a lot of books! This is just simply stunning, the descriptions of the characters, the tapes... READ MORE
Definitely recommend
I was slow to get into this book, but that was mostly external influences rather than the book being a slow starter. Once I was able to give it my full att... READ MORE
Brilliant, just brilliant
I’ve read a few books by Charity Norman and enjoyed them but I think this one is the best. This is a very moving and fast paced story that takes you in dir... READ MORE
Conflict and coffee
This a contemporary fiction that is mainly set in Tuckbox café in London. It features five main characters who are Sam, Abi, Neil, Eliza and Mutesi.
Norm... READ MORE
Taut & Gripping
My first novel by the award winning Charity Norman and wow, what a read it was!
The story begins with a staggering confrontation in the Tuckbox Cafe in Ba... READ MORE
An armed siege with unrealistically empathetic characters & cringeworthy social commentary.
I was expecting to be floored by the brilliance of Charity Norman’s novel given the compelling premise of an armed siege in a cafe uniting a group of stran... READ MORE
A Good Read.
Just another normal morning with people rushing to work. The cafe sits next to a London station and most of it's customers are regulars grabbing a morning ... READ MORE
great read
This was my first read by this author and I really don't know why as it was such a good book.
I spend a lot of time in coffee shops people watching and th... READ MORE