A serviceable, if forgettable murder mystery, The Stranger Diaries has a great setting (a school that used to be the manor of a gothic writer surrounded by mysteries) and intriguing literature-related elements (literary research, professors in literature, murders following the fictitious scenarios, etc.), but the story overall isn't as punchy as what I would've liked—it has the style and readability akin to Lisa Jewell, but only cozy mystery safe at best.

The multiple POVs provides the much-needed layer of intrigues, but the redundancy in treading over the same event without additional insight can become monotonous (on the flip-side, I can see this being helpful recap if you're reading 1 book across multiple months). Lastly, I find the culprit reveal (along with the reasoning) and conclusion to some of its mysteries quite cliche and anti-climatic (not to mention completely out of left field and unrelated to the thematic undertone of the book).

As mentioned, The Stranger Diaries is extremely readable, and the bookish elements throughout keep me engaged (I appreciate the level of detail the author has gone through to actually write out a complete gothic short story—easily the best part!), but the murder plot/characterization are very middle of the road. Probably won't be continuing the series anytime soon.