“What pure pleasure to discover Emma Garman’s irresistible debut. Reading this ingeniously plotted, diabolically clever story of human deception and connection was like discovering a 1950s classic that was written with a surprisingly modern sensibility. Smart, original, darkly funny, and moving, it’s everything I want in a mystery. I adored it.”—KAREN DUKESS, USA Today bestselling author of Welcome to Murder Week
London, 1953. Jimmy Sullivan lies dying on the drawing room floor while his housemates look on, their lives about to change forever.
One foggy night in the dead of February, a young man arrives at 42 Tregunter Road in Chelsea. Self-styled bohemian Mrs. Honor Wilson—who runs a minor literary journal and lodgings from this timeworn Victorian house—introduces him to her “dear house guests”: Robbie, the writer; Mina, the teenage sleuth; George, the debutante; and Saul, the haunted refugee. Jimmy Sullivan is a family friend, Honor says—yet clearly, something is not right. Despite everyone’s misgivings, she lets the stranger move into the attic.
As they each try to disprove Jimmy’s account of himself, secrets, jealousies, and disturbing schemes come to light, fracturing the household’s delicate allegiances and setting in motion, unstoppably, a tale of perilous self-invention, complicated love, and murderous revenge.
In a house built on lies, the truth will get you killed.
“THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS drew me in immediately with its distinctive, singular voice. From there, an intricate, compelling plot developed, driven by a cast of characters so intriguing I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to discover what they’d do next or what secrets lurked in their pasts. Here is sublime storytelling and I couldn’t have been more delighted to be taken along for the ride. I had a riotously good time at 42 Tregunter Road. The ending was simply perfect and made me want to start reading from the beginning all over again ... a triumph of a debut novel.”—KATE KEMP, author of The Grapevine: Winner of the Stylist Prize for Feminist Fiction
“I couldn’t put down this intricately woven debut by the talented Emma Garman. Set in perfectly-drawn 1950s London, THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS is a tantalizing historical mystery that revolves around a house full of boarders—all of whom have something to hide—and the mysterious death of a man who has recently moved into their home. Twisty, fast-paced, brilliantly plotted and deliciously entertaining … an absolute must-read!”—KRISTIN HARMEL, New York Times bestselling author
“A wholly delightful novel brimming with unpredictable characters and prose as elegant as it is sharp. With a true nod to Christie-esque tradition, Emma Garman whisks readers through fog-shrouded London, delivering every ingredient of a classic whodunnit with a wit and flair entirely her own. Fans of golden-age mysteries, buckle in for a thrill ride through this literary house of mirrors!”—SARAH CROUCH, USA Today bestselling author of Middletide