The Stranger in Room 

There's so many domestic thriller writers right now it's hard to keep track of them. I'm always discovering new ones (and by discovering, I mean book publicists pitching them to me, because I'm lazy), and I make an effort to read at least one book by each I'm introduced to, just in case I discover my next new favourite author this way. UK writer Jane Corry was one of those authors who I meant to try, so when I had an opening in my reading schedule, I picked up her latest release, The Stranger in Room Six. Surprisingly long, the advanced reading copy I was given was just shy of 430 pages, and it has three different timelines to keep track of. Despite this, I still found myself fully invested in the story, even though I would have preferred it to be about a hundred less pages.

Reviewed by Anne Logan

Sunnyside Home for the Young at Heart has many secrets. It is a grand old estate by the sea, and has been renovated to house seniors in the present day. Belinda has been hired as a caregiver there, and has begun a friendship with its most famous resident and owner, Mabel. The story alternates between the present day, and the pasts of both Mabel and Belinda, whom are telling each other the stories of their lives. Belinda slowly opens up to Mabel about her sordid past; she was released from prison earlier that year, now seeking revenge on the woman who stole her husband, which resulted in her years of incarceration. Mabel is also ashamed of her past actions; before the house became a refuge to grow old in she lived there with her aunt, who she unknowingly assisted in aiding the Germans during WWII. Even though Mabel and Belinda are growing closer, their pasts are still haunting them, preventing them from being truly honest with one another. Complications arise when another resident (whose identity is kept secret until about half way through the book) begins to blackmail Belinda, as the only person who knows she is a convicted felon. Corry does a thorough job of illustrating specific times in both women's lives: Mabel's struggles as young and naive girl in the days of WWII, and Belinda's years of terror in prison. Plot twists regularly appear to keep the storylines moving, and the suspense high. It's not a violent thriller, but certainly an emotional one.

The very beginning of the book leads with a short chapter that hints at a murder, which we don't revisit until almost the end of the book. Luckily, it's not a 'that day' type of scenario, so although this does build the suspense, I never felt the entire plot hinged on its reveal, which is a technique that more authors are relying on, and more readers are getting annoyed by. But like many books in the domestic thriller genre, one needs to suspend their disbelief at certain times. Personally I don't find this all that difficult because I want to enjoy the genre for what it is, but for those who question the circumstances of stories like these, you may have trouble swallowing some of the leaps one has to make. Lawyers in particular may find the storyline hard to believe when learning about Belinda's circumstances that lead to her jailing; luckily I have no legal experience so I was happy to just play along.

The characters themselves are there to play a role in the plot, rather than be fully formed individuals for us to empathize with. However, the somewhat tumultuous relationship between Mabel and Belinda is a realistic depiction of the challenges of befriending someone, and developing different feelings for them as you grow closer; their evolving friendship is one of the most interesting parts of this book, and based on the ending, I could tell Corry felt the same way about these two characters. The push and pull of their need to unburden themselves yet still hide their darkest secrets is something that humanizes them, which also prevents the story from turning into a ridiculous series of unbelievable plot devices. I didn't specifically care about these women, but I was invested in their friendship, which made me want to continue reading the book. It's not the best thriller I've ever read, but I certainly enjoyed it, and it scratched that itch for suspense that I was looking for.