The Kindness of Strangers: 'Part historical fiction, part murder-mystery . . . vivid and entertaining' THE TIMES - Softcover

Garman, Emma

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0349020191 ISBN 13: 9780349020198

Publisher: Virago, 2026

Synopsis

'Superbly plotted...pure escapism and utterly joyful' JOANNA CANNON

'Vivid and entertaining, and powered by such a wonderfully dry wit' THE TIMES

'An excellent mystery...superbly rendered' GUARDIAN

'A beautifully woven debut full of escalating secrets...hugely enjoyable' AJ PEARCE

'An intriguingly tricksy story' DAILY MAIL

'Intricate, compelling and intriguing . . . I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. A triumph' KATE KEMP, author of The Grapevine

IN A HOUSE BUILT ON LIES, THE TRUTH WILL GET YOU KILLED.

London, 1953. One foggy night, in the dead of February, a diffident young man arrives unannounced 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 aspiring socialite; George, the debutante; and Saul, the refugee poet. Jimmy Sullivan is a family friend, Honor says - yet clearly, something is very amiss. Despite everyone's suspicions, she lets the stranger move into the attic.

As they each try to disprove Jimmy's dubious 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.

'An exquisite debut mystery' SAINSBURYS magazine

'Twisty, fast-paced, brilliantly plotted and deliciously entertaining . . . an absolute must-read!' KRISTIN HARMEL, New York Times bestselling author

'A rich labyrinth of a story filled with deeply real, flawed, fabulous characters. Good luck putting it down' STEPHEN SPOTSWOOD, author of DEAD IN THE FRAME

'A wholly delightful novel brimming with unpredictable characters and delivering every ingredient of a classic whodunnit with wit and flair' SARAH CROUCH, author of Middletide

'An ingeniously plotted, diabolically clever story of human deception and connection' KAREN DUKESS, author of Welcome to Murder Week

About this title

About the Author

Emma Garman is a writer living by the sea in Brighton. Her journalism has appeared in Literary Review, The Daily Beast and History News Network, and she wrote 'Feminize Your Canon', a column for The Paris Review about brilliant and undersung women authors. Emma has an MA in creative writing from the City College of New York and an MA in literature from Queen Mary University of London. The Kindness of Strangers is her debut novel.

From the Back Cover

'Intricate, compelling and intriguing . . . I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. A triumph of a debut novel' Kate Kemp, author of The Grapevine

'Twisty, fast-paced, brilliantly plotted and deliciously entertaining...an absolute must-read!' Kristin Harmel HARMEL, New York Times bestselling author

'Wholly delightful...a literary house of mirrors' SARAH CROUCH

'An irresistible debut. Smart, original, darkly funny and moving' KAREN DUKESS

From the Inside Flap

London, 1953.


One foggy night, in the dead of February, a diffident young man arrives unannounced 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 aspiring socialite; George, the debutante; and Saul, the refugee poet. Jimmy Sullivan is a family friend, Honor says - yet clearly, something is very amiss. Despite everyone's suspicions, she lets the stranger move into the attic.


As they each try to disprove Jimmy's dubious 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.

Edition details

• Publisher: Virago
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0349020191
• ISBN 13: 9780349020198
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336