Five Total Strangers: Book Review

Today, we will be reviewing the thriller Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards. Keep reading to find out what we thought of this novel and if you should read it next!

Five Total Strangers Summary

Mira is heading home for the holidays but the weather gets worse and her connecting flight is delayed. But her flight buddy Harper offers her a ride with three other travelers. But very soon, Mira realizes that something is wrong.

All five people in the car are strangers and not friends of Harper like Mira assumed. As the blizzard worsens, the crew has to navigate the dangerous weathers. But once people’s belongings start to go missing, Mira realizes that someone in the car is lying. 

Will Mira make it home or is somebody out to get her? Everyone in the car seems to be hiding something and someone is trying to prevent them from going home? The car ride gets more and more chaotic and Mira needs to find out who the threat is before it is too late.

Commentary

I chose this book at random and ended up reading it in one sitting. The novel is a great thriller and I love the way Richards sets the mystery up. So, what did I think of this 287 page mystery?

For most of the beginning, we don’t even know what the danger is. And there are a few questions that are unanswered. But slowly, we start learning that there is danger and we learn that before Mira does. But Richards makes a few characters look like the suspects and I have to say, I was a little irritated. 

I say that because she makes sure multiple characters can fill the role of the suspect and goes out of her way to make us suspect them. We get everything from Mira’s viewpoint and Mira is not always aware of her surroundings. There are small clues here and there but they are never enough and many characters could have done the said act. 

Near the end, it is pretty obvious who the suspect is and even then Richards has a plot twist that keeps the novel interesting. You don’t know what the ending will look like. I do think the severe blizzard was downplayed because characters are walking in this blizzard like a casual Tuesday.

Conclusion

This thriller was fun to read and it has all the elements of a great mystery. And while I do think that Richards doesn’t play fair, it was a great novel if not the best mystery. I do recommend this novel and enjoyed reading a book in one sitting, unable to put it down until the mystery was solved. 

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