The Strange in Room six by Jane CorrySynopsis: “You may not know the stranger in room six. But they know everything about you. It’s been fifteen years since Belinda was convicted of her husband’s murder. Now, she’s ready for her life to begin again, and she’s set on that happening at Sunnyside Home for the Young at Heart. The owner, Mabel, has spent her life here. First as an evacuee during the Blitz and now as the care home’s oldest resident, Mabel has held the secrets of this house for as long as she can remember. Secrets that could kill if in the wrong hands. But history won’t stay hidden forever and someone is onto them both. Watching and listening from room number six, they’ll stop at nothing to find out the truth. With a past this dark, is anyone as innocent as they seem?”

My Review

This was a really good dual timeline mystery/thriller, that hooked me from the prologue which I read as a sample, and then bought for 99p. 

It’s told from the points of view of Belinda and Mabel, with occasional chapters from the mysterious stranger in room six!

I loved Mabel, and particularly enjoyed her memories from when she was a young teen in World War Two. She tells them to Belinda who has recently got a job at Sunnyside Home for the Young at Heart after being released from prison for murdering her husband. They get to know each other by telling their life stories whenever Belinda happens to be working. They become close friends as they open up to each other about their pasts, and start revealing their deepest secrets.

I loved Mabel and particularly enjoyed hearing about her time in Devon during World War Two. Belinda’s story is also interesting and heartbreaking, but her character was annoying at times. The stranger in room six is a sinister character who I   desperately tried to find the connection between Belinda and Mabel. 

The I enjoyed the way the two timelines came together as more about the resident in room six is revealed.

Definitely recommended it you enjoy dual timeline mysteries full of secrets.  

Book 13 of 20 Books of Summer 2025