THE STRANGER DIARIES

Four narrators are featured as murder comes to a British seaside town in this contemporary gothic tale. Clare, portrayed by Esther Wane in a confessional tone, discovers a chilling note scrawled in her diary following the death of her friend and teaching colleague. Anjana Vasan portrays Harbinder, a lesbian Sikh detective who is skeptical of Clare. Moments of cheek aside, Vasan's delivery is briskly formal, like a police report. Georgia, Clare's teen daughter, is portrayed by Sarah Feathers in a youthful tone that is equal parts innocence and rash confidence as she dabbles in witchcraft and experiments with a hidden life. Repeating scenes from different perspectives make for a confusing timeline, but the tension is helped along by Andrew Wincott's intertwined narration of the gothic short story "The Stranger," which is dripping with menace and moments of terror. S.T.C. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2019]