Five Strangers

Five strangers witness a murder-suicide on Hampstead Heath, and Jen Hunter is compelled to find out what happened. She knows about the lies and the reason why Jen lost her job, and as the lives of the witnesses begin to unravel, she needs to find out the truth even at a cost.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 432 pages
Publication date: 13 May 2021
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Five strangers. One horrific event. What did they see?

"Assured and engrossing" – The Sunday Times

"Tightly-plotted, entertaining" – Louise Candlish

"Meticulously plotted with an ending I really didn't see coming" – Sarah Vaughan, author of Anatomy of a Scandal

A gripping new thriller about secrets, obsession, and lies.

When disgraced journalist Jen Hunter witnesses a horrific murder-suicide on Hampstead Heath one February alongside four strangers, she is compelled to find out what really happened that day. They all saw Daniel kill his girlfriend, Vicky – but can they trust their own memories?

Jen's best friend, Bex, is worried about her. She knows Jen hasn't always been the most stable of women. She knows about the lies. She knows why Jen lost her job at the paper.

As the lives of the Parliament Hill witnesses begin to unravel, one thing becomes clear: there is more to what happened that day on the heath.

And Jen needs to find out the truth – even at a cost.

The strangers gathered on Hampstead Heath that February day, each with their own secrets and motivations, had no idea what was about to unfold before their eyes. It was a sunny day, and the heath was bustling with people enjoying the winter sunshine. But as the day wore on, something strange began to happen.

A man in a suit appeared on the edge of the heath, carrying a large bag. He looked around nervously, as if he was expecting someone. Suddenly, he pulled out a gun and shot his girlfriend, Vicky, in the head. The crowd gasped in horror as the couple fell to the ground.

The man then turned the gun on himself and fired a single shot.

The strangers were stunned. They had seen a murder, but they didn't know what to do. Some tried to run, but the man had locked the gate to the heath, trapping them inside. Others called for help, but their calls went unanswered.

As the minutes ticked by, the strangers began to realize that they were in danger. They had seen the killer, and he was still on the loose. They knew that they had to work together to survive.

One of the strangers, a woman named Sarah, was a journalist. She knew that she had to find out what had happened. She started asking questions of the others, trying to piece together the events of the day.

At first, the others were hesitant to talk. They didn't trust anyone, and they were afraid of what might happen if they revealed their secrets. But Sarah was persistent. She knew that they had to work together to survive, and she was determined to find out the truth.

As Sarah interviewed the strangers, she began to notice that there were discrepancies in their stories. Some of them claimed to have seen the killer, while others said that they had only heard the gunshot. Some of them said that they had seen the man with the bag before the murder, while others said that they had only seen him after.

Sarah was confused. She didn't know who to trust. But she knew that she had to keep searching for answers.

One of the strangers, a man named Daniel, was particularly suspicious. He had a history of violence and had been seen arguing with Vicky before the murder. Sarah was determined to get to the bottom of it.

She started digging into Daniel's past, and what she found was shocking. Daniel had a history of mental illness, and he had been prescribed medication for his condition. But he had stopped taking his medication, and he had become unstable.

Sarah knew that she had to act fast. She contacted the police, and they began to investigate the murder. They found evidence that Daniel had been in possession of a gun, and they were able to track him down to his apartment.

When they entered Daniel's apartment, they found him lying on the floor, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Sarah was relieved. She knew that the killer had been caught, and that they had saved themselves. But she also knew that she had made a terrible mistake. She had put the lives of the strangers in danger, and she had been too quick to judge.

As the police continued to investigate the murder, they began to realize that there was more to the story than they had initially thought. They discovered that Vicky had been involved in a shady business deal, and that she had been blackmailing Daniel with information about it.

Sarah was devastated. She had lost her best friend, and she had been responsible for her death. She knew that she had to make amends, and she started to reach out to the strangers again.

Slowly but surely, the strangers began to trust Sarah again. They realized that she had been trying to help them, and that she had been honest about her mistakes. They started to share their secrets with her, and together, they were able to piece together the events of the day.

In the end, they were able to identify the real killer. It was a man named John, who had been working with Vicky to blackmail Daniel. John had been jealous of Daniel's success, and he had been willing to do anything to get rid of him.

Sarah was relieved that the truth had been revealed, but she also knew that she had learned a valuable lesson. She had learned that it was important to be careful when judging others, and that it was important to trust your instincts.

As the police closed in on John, the strangers were able to escape the heath. They were grateful to Sarah for her help, and they knew that they had made a new friend in her.

Years later, Sarah looked back on that day with a sense of sadness. She had lost her best friend, and she had been responsible for the death of another person. But she also knew that she had learned a valuable lesson, and that she had been able to help others in the process.

The strangers on Hampstead Heath that February day had no idea what was about to unfold before their eyes. But they were able to come together and survive, thanks to the determination of one woman who was willing to risk everything to find the truth.

Weight: 304g
Dimension: 129 x 198 x 30 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780008439262