The Stranger's Companion

Welcome, Stranger, to Sark, the wildest and most neglected of the Channel Islands, and once you see it you’ll understand why.

It is surrounded on all sides by sheer, steep cliffs, but if you navigate the northernmost tip, you will come to a harbour, the smallest in the world. Leave your boat and head for that hole in the rock. Yes, to enter Sark you must literally let her swallow you. You will find yourself on a winding path shrouded by trees, then you reach an open plateau and breathe a sigh of relief.

Here is the Avenue, a grandly inappropriate name for what is basically a dirt track. Note the quality of silence. There are no motor-cars on Sark, which explains the roads that are not really roads and we hope your shoes are sensible. To your left is the Bel Air Hotel. On another day we’d recommend you rest here and sample Dolly Bihet’s excellent scones. Maybe that’s what they did.

But it is Monday, 2nd October 1933 and their clothes have only just been found. Two people are missing, so you’d better hurry up. The investigation is about to begin…

THE STRANGER’S COMPANION is a beguiling historical mystery inspired by a real-life crime, which remains unsolved to this day. Perfect for readers of Kate Atkinson and the coastal gothic of Daphne du Maurier.

October 1933

With a population of 500 souls, isolated Sark has a reputation for being 'the island where nothing ever happens'. Until, one day, the neatly folded clothes of an unknown man and woman are discovered abandoned at a coastal beauty spot. As the search for the missing couple catches the attention of first the local and then national newspapers, Sark finds itself front page news.

When young islander Phyllis Carey returns to Sark from England she throws herself into solving the mystery. As Phyll digs through swirls of gossip in search of the truth she crosses paths with Everard Hyde, a surprise visitor from her past. As press coverage builds to fever pitch, long suppressed secrets from Phyll and Everard's shared, shadowy history begin to surface.