The Stranger Times: by C.K. McDonnellMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Hannah once had a superficial but very wealthy life in London. Then she found out her husband had cheated on her multiple times. She may have got a leetle angry and accidentally set the house on fire. It was an accident, she swears. Now she refuses to take any money from him and is trying to stand on her own two feet, but having dropped out of university to be a trophy wife there aren't many job openings. So she finds herself 'interviewing' for a job at a backstreet Manchester newspaper called The Stranger Times which, for the Brits amongst us, takes over where The News of the World and other sensationalist newspapers left off. Headlines usually feature Elvis, aliens, and/or ghosts. Her co-workers are an eclectic group of misfits, conspiracy theorists, broken hacks, and truculent teenagers who subsist on copious quantities of tea and biscuits. The editor is a alcoholic who likes to fire people multiple times a day.
When an aspiring reporter is found dead at the bottom of a tall building under construction the police are quick to classify it a suicide, but nothing seems to add up - could it be that one of the fantastical stories they print week-in, week-out might be true?
This has Rivers of London vibes, but less serious, maybe more like the Brentford Trilogy. It's funny and an interesting read. On to the next in the series.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
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