“You may not know the stranger in room six. But they know everything about you.
It’s been fifteen years since Belinda was convicted of her husband’s murder. Now, she’s ready for her life to begin again, and she’s set on that happening at Sunnyside Home for the Young at Heart.
The owner, Mabel, has spent her life here. First as an evacuee during the Blitz and now as the care home’s oldest resident, Mabel has held the secrets of this house for as long as she can remember. Secrets that could kill if in the wrong hands.
But history won’t stay hidden forever and someone is onto them both. Watching and listening from room number six, they’ll stop at nothing to find out the truth.
With a past this dark, is anyone as innocent as they seem?”
Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of The Stranger in Room Six by Jane Corry. The Stranger in Room Six was published by Penguin Books on 19th June 2025 and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats. I chose to read a free ARC of The Stranger in Room Six but that has in no way influenced my review. My grateful thanks to Jane at Penguin Books for sending me a proof copy.
I have a confession. Until I picked up The Stranger in Room Six, I hadn’t read a Jane Corry novel. I know, I am thoroughly ashamed of myself. In my defence, I do have several of Corry’s books on my shelves. I just hadn’t found an opportunity to read them (I tend to prioritise review copies ahead of my own books). So I was delighted when a copy of The Stranger in Room Six arrived at damppebbles HQ.
Belinda lives a boring but safe life with her plain husband, Gerald and their two daughters. It’s a loveless marriage, but it works, for now. So when Belinda discovers her dull husband has been having an affair, her world is shattered. Confronting hapless Gerald in the street, she gives him a shove, he falls, hits his head and dies instantly. Fifteen years later, Belinda is released from prison a changed woman. Keen to rebuild her relationship with her daughters and get back to living some semblance of life, she takes a carer’s role at Sunnyside Home for the Young at Heart, where she meets Mabel Marchmont. Mabel has lived most of her life at Sunnyside, having been evacuated to the coast to live with her Aunt during the war. Both Mabel and Belinda have secrets of their own, secrets some people would happily kill for. Secrets the stranger in room six is keen to uncover, no matter the cost…
The Stranger in Room Six is an emotional dual timeline thriller. A bond is formed between elderly Mabel and her new carer, Belinda. Mabel shares her experience of living during WWII and her sudden move to the coast following the death of her mother and young sister. In return, Belinda shares her experiences of prison with Mabel. Detailing the characters she met, the horrors she saw and the constant fear she lived under. But what Mabel doesn’t realise is that Belinda’s interest in her life isn’t purely personal. A third hidden party is loitering, wanting information that it seems only Belinda will be able to extract. What a compelling tale this was. Mabel is desperately lonely and wants someone to talk to. Someone to tell her story to, a story she has never really shared before. Belinda enjoys spending time with Mabel but knows that the pressure is on. Failure to complete her mission could have disastrous consequences for her family.
Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. The Stranger in Room Six is an engaging historical thriller with a lot of heart. The two female lead characters are well-written and I believed in their stories. I really looked forward to the chapters where Belinda would share the horrors of prison life. How flimsy friendships really were and how destructive they could ultimately be. Throughout her time inside, Belinda doesn’t really lose her identity. She still cares, she still wants to help, no matter how many times her fellow inmates try to break her will. Mabel’s flashbacks to WWII were also very interesting. I found young Mabel to be very naïve, but that helped move the story along. I did feel a lot of sympathy for the character, having lost her mother and sister, not knowing whether her father was still alive and having been taken in by her cold, rather hostile Aunt. But the frustration at her complete lack of awareness unfortunately overruled that sympathy at times. All in all, I enjoyed the time I spent reading The Stranger in Room Six and won’t hesitate to pick up a book by Jane Corry in the future. An engaging, well-written tale with plenty of heart amongst the horrors of war and prison. Twisty, suspenseful, and really draws the reader into the lives of these two characters. Recommended.
I chose to read and review a free ARC of The Stranger in Room Six. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.
The Stranger in Room Six by Jane Corry was published in the UK by Penguin Books on 19th June 2025 and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |
Jane Corry is a Sunday Times and Washington Post best-seller. After working as a journalist for many years, she took a job as a writer in residence of a high-security male prison out of financial necessity. But she became hooked.
Novels include MY HUSBAND’S WIFE, BLOOD SISTERS, THE DEAD EX, I MADE A MISTAKE, I LOOKED AWAY, THE LIES WE TELL, WE ALL HAVE OUR SECRETS,COMING TO FIND YOU and I DIED ON A TUESDAY. Her next novel will come out in June 2025.
She is published by Penguin in the UK and Doubleday in Canada and the US.
