Strangers at the Gate

By Catriona McPherson,

Book cover of Strangers at the Gate: A Novel

Book description

Who do you turn to, when everyone's a stranger and you stop believing what your own eyes see?

Finnie Doyle and Paddy Lamb are leaving city life in Edinburgh behind them and moving to the little town of Simmerton. Paddy has landed a partnership in a local solicitors and Finnie's…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Strangers at the Gate as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Ever been to a bad dinner party? I can bet it wasn’t as bad as the one in this book! I adored the spooky small-town insular setting in this book, and the mood contributes to the claustrophobic feel of the plot. As you read to try to figure out who did it, you realize that everyone has secrets—and no one can be trusted.

Knife Skills

By Wendy Church,

Book cover of Knife Skills

Wendy Church Author Of Knife Skills

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a thrill seeker when it comes to reading, and I want to be so immersed in a story that I have to read it in one sitting and then can be completely taken by surprise by a plot twist. It was extremely hard to pick only five titles, so to narrow it down, I 1) made an attempt to pick from a few different sub-genres and, 2) stipulated that Agatha Christie could populate the entire list. All of these titles blend wonderful writing with great twists, and I hope you enjoy them. I did my best to avoid spoilers in the descriptions, although by being on this list, it’s a little bit of a spoiler…

Wendy's book list on plot twists that nail the art of surprise

What is my book about?

"Dizzying . . . Audiences who wished the TV series The Bear had made room for Russian mobsters are in for a treat" - Kirkus Reviews Starred Review

Sagarine Pfister is a great cook but has been blacklisted by almost every restaurant in Chicago. She gets her chance at Louie's, a below-average restaurant, the only place that will give her a job. Things change when she finds head chef Louie Ferrar dead in the walk-in freezer of his restaurant. But instead of closing the place down, the owner, Russian gang boss Anatoly Morozov, offers not only her Louie's job but…

Knife Skills

By Wendy Church,

What is this book about?

"Dizzying . . . Audiences who wished the TV series The Bear had made room for Russian mobsters are in for a treat" Kirkus Reviews Starred Review

Sagarine Pfister is a great cook but has been blacklisted by almost every restaurant in Chicago. She gets her chance at Louie's, a below-average restaurant, the only place that will give her a job.

Things change when she finds head chef Louie Ferrar dead in the walk-in freezer of his restaurant. But instead of closing the place down, the owner, Russian gang boss Anatoly Morzov, not only offers her Louie's job, but also…


Want books like Strangers at the Gate?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 86 books like Strangers at the Gate.

Browse books like Strangers at the Gate

Book cover of I'm Thinking of Ending Things
Book cover of The Secret Place
Book cover of The Widow's House

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,365

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in murder, murder mystery, and secrets?

Murder 1,073 books
Murder Mystery 565 books
Secrets 275 books