The stranger - Kate Riordan

Cornwall, 1940.

For decades, Penhallow Hall has stood frozen in time, sheltering the secrets of its isolated inhabitants. But the far corners of England are no shelter from the war, and Penhallow must finally open its doors to strangers.

Three newcomers arrive, each looking to escape their past and start afresh. They adjust easily to the routine – nightly blackouts, the threat of invasion – but tensions mount and secrets are forced into the open. For one of them it is not there by choice. And then, in the hushed hours of deepest night, a young woman is found washed up on the rocks.

Was it simply a tragic accident? Or should the inhabitants of Penhallow have been more careful about whom they invited in?