Description
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(as of Mar 21, 2025 12:42:42 UTC – Details)
Photographer Isla Wilson is thrilled she’s landed her dream job, but the clients who hired her are getting stranger by the day.
It sounded so perfect—a month’s assignment at the lush Scottish Highlands property of architect Alban McGregor, and his wife, Jessica.
But in the woods, there’s a playhouse with a chilling history.
Two years ago, the McGregors’ daughter Elodie was abducted and then died in that playhouse. The townspeople insist her abductor had to be a stranger in their town. Alban refuses to knock the playhouse down, even keeping a picture of it on his wall.
Sensing the McGregors and townspeople are keeping terrible secrets, Isla plans to discover the truth.
But the closer Isla comes to uncovering answers, the more the danger mounts. And with a dense cover of snow now blanketing the town, all chance of escape might already be gone.
ANNI TAYLOR lives on The Central Coast, north of Sydney, Australia, with her partner and four boys. Her thriller novels include The Game You Played, Birds in Flight and Poison Orchids.
Customers say
Customers find the story well-plotted and suspenseful. They enjoy the book and find it enjoyable. The characters are well-developed and interesting. Readers praise the writing quality as well-presented, with vivid descriptions of the scenery. They describe the narrative style as lifelike, relatable, and creative. Customers praise the author’s talent and skill as a New York best-selling author.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
margaret brooks –
Great book
Best book I have read in a while. It kept me guessing all the way through. The kind of book you are sad to finish because you enjoyed it so much.
CarlaB –
Well written & suspenseful
Though the story started out slow I actually didn’t mind. The author wrote so eloquently and with such vivid descriptions it was relaxing to read her descriptions of Austrslia and the beautiful Scottish countryside. It was so absorbing that I was slightly caught off guard when an actual plot started taking form. This format allowed the reader time to really get to know and connect with the characters making the story that much more real. As the plot started taking shape we realize things are very different than how they first appeared. It was intriguing, small bits & pieces were slowly revealed like pieces of a puzzle that made little sense. Gradually we begin to see a larger picture emerge which kept getting bigger & bigger at a faster pace. As the story unfolded the connections between the characters were knitted together and more in depth. The character flaws surfaced and the suspicion grew until it became a big tangled web. As we are drawn further in it becomes apparent that one or more of the characters is extremely deranged and is responsible for the death of a child and many more heinous acts towards others. In the last several chapters all is revealed at a breakneck pace and we realize just how broken this family really is and the part that Isla (main char) plays in this most disjointed fractured family.It was easy to read, flowed nicely and was definitely suspenseful………Isla finds herself in frightening situations where she doesn’t know who to trust- the tension is palpable and I found myself imagining all sorts of scenarios of how this will play out.The reason I gave it 4âs instead of 5 is the sheer number of characters involved and in the end it seemed too rushed and way over the top. Too many secrets, too many victims, a little too unrealistic that Isla had no memories at all for over 2 years straight. The fact that she’d forgotten absolutely everything that happened without some major physical/mental repercussions as a result. It doesn’t ring true. And how she ended up in that particular place to work is never addressed- unless I missed it.So overall it was enjoyable & kept you in suspense but the overwhelming reveal went a little overboard. I would have liked a more even pace throughout the book w/story introduced earlier instead of everything thrown at you at once. Would have been better if the storyline was tighter & plot a little more realistic.
Amybkuhl –
Amazing!
What a mystery! Just when you think you have it figured out, you have no idea! I would highly recommend for lovers of suspense.
Micky P. –
Stranger in the Woods
3rd book I read from Anni Taylor and 2nd 5 star rating (The Game You Played) that I gave Anni Taylor. The “A Tense Psychological Thriller” is exactly what it is. Once again excellent writing style, really enjoy her style, story was top notch with excellent characters and multiple twists in the book. One of the best books I read in 2024. Really enjoyed this book and recommend highly.
Buzy_reading –
Photographer investigates the abduction of a young girl
Isla has quite the introduction to Scotland. Her presence has shakin Greenmire, Scottish Highlands up. She was hired to shoot a portfolio for Alban McGregor. Instead she found herself captivated by the abduction of there eight year old daughter Elodie. The ghost of Elodie silently threaded herself through Islaâs time at Braithnoch from the moment she arrived. She was everywhere, in the McGregorâs house, in the wood, on the moor and even inside the cottage. She couldnât stop herself from thinking about the little girl who once lived there.Braithnoch Square was separated into four properties. The McGregors and Keenans and Chandlishes had known each other for generations. The families were distantly related. The mentioning of property owners threw me off course. Of course, I got hung up on this thinking it was relevant to the abduction which it wasnât.Stranger in the Woods was set in Greenmire, Scotland at the Braithnoch cottage where the McGregor family resided. Isla was a twenty-six year old photographer from Sydney, Australia. Sheâs a complete stranger to these families, yet she managed to wheedle her way into there personal lives.Anni Taylor casted suspicion on many of the characters throwing readers off course. The art of trickery was Anni Taylorâs greatest skill. The shocking revelation of truths, secrets, and lies was splendidly done. It was a good proper twist. There were some unexpected twists with explanations that Iâm not sure are plausible. This was a very busy story with tons of activity. While I appreciated the grand finale of this book. I found there were long drawn out scenes leading up to this moment that fell flat and short for me.Audiobook:Harriet Gordon-Anderson was the solo female performer of The Stranger in the Woods. I listened using the audible app at 2.1x the speed. I enjoyed her Scottish accent. Harriet brought life to the characters and the story. The sound used for the phone calls conversations was a nice touch. This was a revisit of a book that was read a few years ago. My initial reading experience wasnât very good. Iâm here to reevaluate Stranger in the Woods with the audiobook. I got to say listening to Harriet Gordon-Anderson has been a wonderful experience. She helped change my opinion of this story with her brilliant voice acting skills. This experience has been better.
M. Victor –
Great Twists
Great story, with a great plot. Didnât see all the twists coming. Some of the coincidences happened a little too perfectly, but other than that I was hooked!
kim n. –
Gripping
A real page turner with an incredible twist! Clean, well written and very exciting! Will be reading more by Anni!
Darlene Iskra –
Many twists and turns
This was a quick but exciting read. The author had an interesting story line that kept you guessing. Even at the end, when it seemed to come together, she gave a twisted and surprising ending. Kept me interest until the end.
Amazon Customer –
loved the book
michelle smith –
Great book. This book keeps you hooked and has an ending that i wouldn’t have guessed. It’s definitely a must-read .
AKASH RAJAWAT –
I haven’t considered the fact that a book could that much full of suspense . The moment you stick your mind to one thing thinking it could be true and now story settles, we’ll grab your head the stroy turns and its keep turning .
Angie67 –
What a brilliant story… I read it in one breath and just couldn’t put it down.I pride myself in finding the culprit in most thrillers midway through the book. I mostly know where the story is leading by the time I’ve reached 50% of the novel… But in this case it was one red herring and a couple of twists later that I finally was starting to see what was going to happen. And I still got a shock in the end. So bravo to you Mrs Taylor for crafting such a riveting story. Could easily become a movie! I’m going to read everything else she’s ever written now!
Kate –
Good story line, easy to read, with enough mystery to keep the reader interested to the end. I enjoyed the characters and would definitely read more my this author.