The Kindness of Strangers
Represented by Cara Lee Simpson
A rollicking history mystery for fans of Kate Atkinson and The Housekeepers, about a boarding house thrown into chaos when a stranger arrives and threatens to expose the truth about their landlady.
Honor Wilson, self-styled Bohemian woman of means, runs a small literary journal and lodgings out of her Chelsea rooming house on Tregunter Road, where she lives alongside her ‘dear houseguests;’ poet Robbie, aspiring socialite Mina, artists’ model George, and writer and widower Saul. When a man arrives at Tregunter Road looking for lodgings, the housemates sense something is amiss. Despite their protestations, Honor lets Jimmy move in.
As they try to figure out if there really is something rotten about Jimmy, secrets, jealousies, and vengeful fantasies come to light, disrupting the careful balance of allegiances at the house, leading, ultimately, to a murder that will implicate everyone…
Reviews
“Superbly plotted…pure escapism and utterly joyful.”—Joanna Cannon
“Vivid and entertaining, and powered by such a wonderfully dry wit.”—The Times
“Not only an excellent mystery, but an evocative portrayal of a group of people displaced socially and geographically by war and its aftermath, with the moral and topographical landscape of 1950s London superbly rendered.”—The Guardian
“Garman’s character portraits…are as affecting as they are amusing. […] Honor herself comes through as a formidable heroine who triumphs over the forces of class privilege that Ms. Garman, through this engaging debut novel, so brilliantly depicts.”—The Wall Street Journal
“An intriguingly tricksy story.”—Daily Mail
“Agatha Christie fans, gather ’round….If you like history with your mystery, look no further.”—Bookpage
“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, The Kindness of Strangers is an absolute must-read!”—Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author
“A skillfully constructed mystery full of sly twists, dark wit and rich period detail.”—Malcolm Forbes, The Economist’s Eight of the Best New Novels to Read this Summer
“An ingeniously plotted, diabolically clever story of human deception and connection.”—Karen Dukess, author of Welcome to Murder Week
“While the morals are as grubby as the underwear in this gritty tale of secrets, lies and sexual shame, Garman’s evocation of the period is impressive.”—Financial Times