The Chronicles of St Mary's series author JODI TAYLOR declared 'I loved this . . . great premise - great story - great characters . . . hugely enjoyable.' I'd like to start this off with a huge thank you to Netgalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and C.K McConnell.

Being banished to a Hellscape for all eternity looks like being no fun at all, not least because he has that pale Irish skin that burns really easily . . . I haven’t read anything by Caimh McDonnell before and, to be honest, found some of the dialogue a little stilted, which meant I took a while to get into it. However, by the middle, I was totally engrossed. For, while, “The Stranger Times,” has been seen as a publication full of odd stories and run by some crazy characters, there may be more fact than fiction in the bizarre events that seem to be occurring in the city. When a homeless man is killed in strange circumstances, and the unpopular and ambitious D I Tom Sturgess insists on investigating, the scene is set for the bizarre to need to be believed. Though Hannah doesn’t believe in the litany of the strange and unbelievable that The Stranger Times reports on that’s all about to change when, after Simon is found dead at the base of a construction tower, the staff of The Stranger Times becomes the target of a killer, who has a vicious beast at his command. I don't normally read science fiction/fantasy genres as I struggle to really immerse myself and believe in the scenarios created. However, this had me completely believing in the reality I was reading. It was so well written. My other challenge comes from the plot implications in the decision to include the antagonist-team and the perspectives of those they murder. Since we're privy to the steadily increasing number of victims, we're more aware of the potential danger than any of the characters in the book. Using their viewpoints makes for a strange emotional conflict between humor and the increasing body count. It was also uncomfortable to be so concerned about the people being kidnapped and killed, even if some of them were jerks.This was an entertaining read with well defined characters. Hannah is a young woman just discovering that she has opinions. And a spine. Grace is the house mother who takes care of them all. And there’s definitely more to Banecroft, a man who pisses people off like it’s his job. This is the kind of novel for those who enjoy Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman on a humorous day, T.J. Klune's sense of good prevailing over evil, and a smattering of Seanan McGuire's blend of the absolutely horrifying with the absolutely pragmatic belief in the magic structure.

The story follows the misadventures of a group of misfits who work for The Stranger Times, a newspaper that reports on the weird and wonderful happenings around the world. Led by the eccentric and charismatic Vincent Banecroft, the team includes a lovelorn reporter, a snarky barmaid, a hapless intern, and a host of other colorful characters. That is their pitch, anyway. The reality is much less auspicious. Their editor is a foul-tempered, drunken, and foul-mouthed husk of a man that thinks rather little of the publication that he edits. His staff is this ragtag bunch of misfits. And as for the assistant editor, well, that job is more of a revolving door, and it’s just revolved to reveal a woman named Hannah Willis, who’s got a bunch of problems of her own. While I was introduced to various ‘Types’ and magical bits and pieces, I don’t really have my head around this part of the world yet. I’m hoping the gaps in my knowledge will be filled in more when I read the sequel. In alternate chapters, we follow a strange man named Moretti (or, as I referred to him in my head, “creepy weasel guy”). He’s a man on a mission & if some unfortunate souls happen to get in the way….well, sometimes life is messy.

Publication Order of Stranger Times Books

I am very much planning to reread this again, and I look forward to the later two books in the series. Welcome to The Stranger Times.... Enjoyable and entertaining throughout, this is a book that will demand consumption in the fewest possible sittings. Vincent Banecroft, The Stranger Times’ irascible editor, never has believed his wife died for a minute, despite emphatic evidence to the contrary. Now, against all odds, it would seem that he might actually get proved right, however what lengths is he going to go in an effort to rescue her? I did know this author from his Dublin Trilogy (of at least 5 books…) which I also enjoyed. That's a humourous crime series - another "difficult" genre - however I would probably say this might be a better series. I could go on however my thoughts on this are actually quite simple. I really enjoyed reading this. The story was better than half decent. The characters were great (and far better than those in some "normal" books I've read. The pace was good. For entertainment that pretty much covers what I want in a story. At the time of writing this I've started on the next book in the series simply because I wanted to. I really hope that this is the beginning of a whole series of books as it is so unique and entertaining!

The Stranger Times is the first novel from C.K. McDonnell, the pen name of Caimh McDonnell. It combines his distinctive dark wit with his love of the weird and wonderful to deliver a joyous celebration of how truth really can be stranger than fiction. Then there’s Simon, who desperately wants to work for The Stranger Times but is having trouble getting past their No Simon policy. The book gets off to a good start. McDonnell introduces his fair-sized cast skilfully while establishing the plot: a homeless person is murdered in grisly circumstances closely followed by a supporting character loosely connected to the paper. And then... things stagnate for quite a bit of time with characters slowly realising what we already know: that there’s a bad guy going around a-killing. The pacing never really recovers after that and the final act is an uninspired and neatly-forgettable Hollywood-esque conclusion. When the weekly The Stranger Times offers her the job as assistant editor, she takes it, even when editor Vincent Banecroft seems to be the rudest and most callous person she's ever met.

A weekly newspaper called Stranger Times and based in Manchester. The team there are very diverse. It solely reports on "unexplained phenomena" such as haunted toilets, UFOs and the like. Hannah, after an initially unrevealed major life change, finds herself being interviewed for a rather unspecified role at the paper to be the "new Tina" there. A series of other "Tinas" have left usually after short periods. This is fantasy with humour (a difficult genre). Would it be for me?