Stranded

By Stuart James

Thriller | Psychological Thriller

My Review

⭐A 2020 Top Rated Read⭐

I thought Stranded by Stuart James was an excellent book and have no hesitation placing it among of my top reads of 2020. 

Ben, his wife Laura and daughter Milly are looking forward to their holiday in Barcelona. Excited, they set off for the airport. En route there's a man standing in the road who tells them they need to divert due to a fallen tree. He points them in the right direction. 

Farther along they come across a coach obstructing the road. Ben pulls over to investigate. To his utter horror he finds the passengers tightly gagged and tied to their seats with thick rope. Suddenly a mobile phone rings. The caller tells Ben if he contacts the police the passengers will die. The game has just begun. . .

Stranded was an unputdownable read. The suspense was intense and each tension-filled page had me gripped. With a highly original plot and some fantastic twist and turns, it was excellent. Dark and scary throughout with an ending I didn't see coming, it was thought-provoking and intelligently written. I quite simply loved it!         

Book Source: Purchased copy

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Paperback: 298 pages

Publisher: Bloodhound Books (12th Oct 2020)

The Blurb

What could be more innocent than going on a family holiday?

As a family drive along a quiet country lane on their way to the airport, they meet a stranger standing alone in the middle of the road.

Steering them along another path, he tells the driver, Ben, that a tree has fallen and there's no way through.

But as they make their way along the diverted route, they come across a coach blocking the road.

Getting out of the car Ben goes to investigate and is horrified to find the passengers tied to their seats.

Then a discarded phone starts to ring…

If Ben calls the police, everyone on board will die.

Let the horrific game begin…

The Author

"I've always been creative and loved writing. For over 20 years I fronted my own band singing, playing guitar and the tin whistle as well as writing my own songs.

I gave this up when my kids came along - far too exhausting - but more recently I decided to dive back into my passion for writing and love of all things scary to pen my first novel.

I self published my first thriller, The House On Rectory Lane in 2018 and received great reviews on Goodreads and Amazon.

To my great delight, it was shortlisted for Thriller of the Year 2018 on the Facebook group, "The Fiction Cafe" ending up in second place as voted by the members.

I’m 45 years old, have been happily married to my gorgeous wife (she'll read this y'know:) for 20 years and have two gloriously challenging teenage children. I also love reading, keeping fit and I am a keen amateur magician."

Author Links:

Website | Twitter