My book reviews for The Stranger Times series by C.K. McDonnell!  Please be aware that reviews for books later in the series contain spoilers.

There are dark forces at work in our world (and in Manchester in particular), so thank God The Stranger Times is on hand to report them . . .

A weekly newspaper dedicated to the weird and the wonderful (but mostly the weird), it is the go-to publication for the unexplained and inexplicable.

At least that's their pitch. The reality is rather less auspicious. Their editor is a drunken, foul-tempered and foul-mouthed husk of a man who thinks little of the publication he edits. His staff are a ragtag group of misfits. And as for the assistant editor . . . well, that job is a revolving door - and it has just revolved to reveal Hannah Willis, who's got problems of her own.

When tragedy strikes in her first week on the job The Stranger Times is forced to do some serious investigating. What they discover leads to a shocking realisation: some of the stories they'd previously dismissed as nonsense are in fact terrifyingly real. Soon they come face-to-face with darker forces than they could ever have imagined.

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.

This book was provided for free by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book!

Content Warnings:

Please note
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Desperate to escape the horror show of her former relationship, Hannah Willis moves to Manchester. Finding a new job on her own without any connections to her previous life isn’t easy, and eventually, she finds employment as an editor for The Stranger Times. Hannah has no idea what she has let herself in for. From the weird stories the newspaper covers to the rudest boss ever and a strange selection of staff who put up with him, Hannah’s not sure if she can do the job.

When tragedy strikes close to home during her first week, Hannah decides to investigate further and ends up going down a rabbit hole that uncovers the shocking truth: not all the stories the paper has covered are fictional. Hannah and her co-workers find themselves mixed up with supernatural forces that they only just found out exist, and they’re not the fun and friendly kind.

The Stranger Times is one of those books that is hard to explain. It is one of the most chaotic and random books that I have ever read. It’s very reminiscent of British comedies like Red Dwarf, complete with an awful character that, if you ever met them in real life, you would avoid at all costs. In this case, that’s Bancroft, the editor of the paper, who is one of the most repulsive characters I’ve ever come across without being pure evil. He’s a chain-smoking alcoholic, has been banned from cursing too often in the office by one of the staff as he does it so much, and throws insults around like they are candy. The question is, why does everyone put up with him, and that’s something Hannah and readers have to discover.

For me personally, characters like Bancroft would normally have me running from a book; however, The Stranger Times is as much a comedy as it is an urban fantasy. This is a book that doesn’t take itself seriously, and it’s not for readers who get offended easily, especially by curse words. Fantastic world-building is mixed with mystery and perfect comedic timing to create a world and characters that you will fall in love with. I loved it so much, I gobbled the second book up immediately afterwards!

To give you a feel of what to expect in the book, check out The Stranger Times website. Between each chapter in The Stranger Times are stories like these from the fictional newspaper, and they’re fabulous. I really can’t recommend this book enough!

Vampires do not exist. Everyone knows this. So it's particularly annoying when they start popping up around Manchester . . .

Nobody is pleased about it. Not the Founders, the secret organisation for whom vampires were invented as an allegory, nor the Folk, the magical people hidden in plain sight who only want a quiet life. And definitely not the people of Manchester, because there is nothing more irksome than being murdered by an allegory run amok. Somebody needs to sort this out fast before all Hell really breaks loose - step forward the staff of The Stranger Times.

It's not like they don't have enough to be dealing with. Assistant Editor Hannah has come back from getting messily divorced to discover that someone is trying to kidnap a member of their staff and while editor Vincent Banecroft would be delighted to see the back of any of his team, he doesn't like people touching his stuff - it's the principle of the thing.

Throw in a precarious plumbing situation, gambling debts, an entirely new way of swearing, and a certain detective inspector with what could be kindly referred to as 'a lot of baggage' and it all adds up to another hectic week in the life of the newspaper committed to reporting the truth that nobody else will touch.

This Charming Man is the second book in the critically acclaimed The Stranger Times series.

This book was provided for free by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book!

Content Warnings:

This Charming Man continues the adventures of The Stranger Times staff and leads on from the massive cliffhanger at the end of the first book, where we find out that Simon is haunting the office as a ghost. There were a couple of other reveals in the book, namely that there is an unknown powerful entity that shares a body with Manny, their intern Stella is very powerful and people are going to be very interested in exactly what she is/she can do, and there’s a large eyeball on a stalk that lives inside DI Tom Sturgess’ head and if he ever finds out about it, it will kill him.

That was Hannah’s first week on the job, and if anything, it just made her even more determined to work at the paper. When she comes back from sorting out her messy divorce, the last thing she wants to deal with is her pain-in-the-ass editor, Bancroft, rudely firing the builders she hired to fix the bathrooms. She’s prepared to weather that storm when he reveals to her why he fired them; he found hidden cameras and a hidden trapdoor in the half-installed bathroom. Vincent Bancroft is a horrible, barely functioning addict since the death of his wife, but he hasn’t lost his edge, and when it comes to protecting his people, he’s all in. There’s only one person who has suddenly become that interesting, and neither Bancroft nor Hannah likes where that thought takes them.

While Hannah is prepared to jump right in and start investigating, Bancroft insists that she work on a new case that has come in due to her relationship with DI Sturgess. Instead, poor Ox soon finds himself in the paper’s newly formed “special operations department” to find out who hired the builders to try and kidnap Stella and why. Of course, in natural Bancroft style, he tells Ox nothing until they’re sitting in a pub with a dirty tabloid journalist he once fired. Stanley wants help proving that the supernatural is real to get his wife back, and Bancroft needs someone with investigative experience and connections to find out who hired the buildings. Unfortunately for Ox, he’s stuck with Stanley whether he wants him or not.

Meanwhile, Hannah and Reggie are following up on a rumour about a vampire and finding out that vampires don’t exist. That’s all well and good, apart from the fact that a vampire seems to exist, and it becomes even more confusing when one actually turns up at the office. Throw in an immortal who can only tell the truth and who lives on a boat with a talking dog, and This Charming Man is a delightfully chaotic sequel that builds on the world we were introduced to in the first book.

McDonnell once again brings his wonderful sense of humour to a book that addresses some serious subjects. He had me laughing out loud so many times as he captured Manchurian residents perfectly. Using humour and fantastic storytelling, he builds on the foundation of the first book, fleshing out the characters further and developing their relationships as a team. In particular, it was great to see how Stella deals with learning everything and what that means for her.

I can’t wait to read the next book!

Marriages are tricky at the best of times, especially when one of you is dead.

Vincent Banecroft, the irascible editor of The Stranger Times, has never believed his wife died despite emphatic evidence to the contrary. Now, against all odds, it seems he may actually be proved right; but what lengths will he go to in an attempt to rescue her?

With Banecroft distracted, the shock resignation of assistant editor, Hannah Willis, couldn't have come at a worse time. It speaks volumes that her decision to reconcile with her philandering ex-husband is only marginally less surprising than Banecroft and his wife getting back together. In this time of crisis, is her decision to swan off to a fancy new-age retreat run by a celebrity cult really the best thing for anyone?

As if that wasn't enough, one of the paper's ex-columnists has disappeared, a particularly impressive trick seeing as he never existed in the first place.

Floating statues, hijacked ghosts, homicidal cherubs, irate starlings, Reliant Robins and quite possibly several deeply sinister conspiracies; all-in-all, a typical week for the staff of The Stranger Times.

Content Warnings:

The start of Love Will Tear Us Apart comes as a bit of a shock as Hannah has resigned suddenly with the intent of restarting her marriage with her cheating husband. It’s a pretty flimsy excuse and normally one that the rest of the Stranger Times team would probably question – if they didn’t have more going on. Not only is Bancroft acting stranger than normal, but one of their guest columnists has disappeared randomly.

The problem is that the columnist never actually existed, nor did the stories that they wrote; they were both a fabrication of Stranger Times journalist Ox. Yet someone has kidnapped a very real person…. did one of Ox’s wild stories actually hit on a truth, and can the Stranger Times team save the poor chap before it’s too late?

Meanwhile, what are Hannah and Bancroft up to and is Hannah’s replacement a spy or an ally in disguise?

Delivering another book full of chaos and hilarity, in Love Will Tear Us Apart, C.K. McDonnell brings the subplot of Bancroft’s wife to a close. Is she alive or dead? I’m not going to spoil that for you. I will say that it is a satisfying conclusion that kept me on the edge of my seat. There is so much happening in this third instalment of the Stranger Times series that it may seem as though it’s too much; however, as usual, McDonnell has a plan that comes together very nicely. 

It was wonderful to see Hannah off on her own, offering her a chance to shine solo and gain some much-needed confidence. McDonnell introduces a great range of secondary characters in Love Will Tear Us Apart, and his aptitude for writing colourful characters is particularly notable with Moira who Hannah notes “was a great big dollop of Glaswegian perspective, unafraid to point out that not only was the emperor not wearing any clothes but he was also aggressively waving his genitalia about”. I laughed out loud so many times during Moira’s scenes.

Betty and Cathy were equally fabulous, and I adored the scenes with Betty and Stella. I hope we have not seen the last of those two formidable ladies. We also get to see a lot more of the mysterious Mrs Hawnforth and learn more about her, which was great.

While the Stranger Times series has never shied away from difficult topics or dark material, this is a much darker book compared to the previous two, so please check the content warnings before reading. With a deft hand, McDonnell uses humour to navigate these topics with care, proving that comedy can be used effectively without the need to be nasty.

Stella is enjoying life as an almost student, or at least she is until a man falls from the sky right in front of her, leaving a big old hole in the pavement for Manchester Council to fill. The obvious question of how he ended up in the sky in the first place has no obvious answers, which is where The Stranger Times come in. This isn't just the hunt for another story though. Dark powers think Stella might have been involved and the only way she and the team can prove her innocence is to find out what the hell is really going on. What have dodgy gear, disturbed graves and a decommissioned rock star got to do with all this?

Vincent Banecroft has problems of his own in the form of a tall, dark but-definitely-not-handsome man dressed like a one-man funeral who has been sent to make the paper's editor atone for his sins. Once he finds out exactly what that entails, Banecroft is not keen. 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 . . .

All that plus territorial ghouls, homicidal felines, eternal (and seemingly unstoppable) gnomes and a celebrity 'Who's Who' that'd put a royal wedding to shame, and you're looking at a wild few days for The Stranger Times.

Relight My Fire is the fourth adventure in the acclaimed and brilliantly funny Stranger Times series.

This book was provided for free by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book!

Content Warnings:

In the previous book, the Stranger Times team had a lot of close calls, and as they attempt to put it all behind them the universe has other ideas. As Stella tries to get to grips with University, her place on a journalism course courtesy of Bancroft’s guilt, a man falls from the sky in front of her. Moments before his death, he was seen floating, which is odd even for the Stranger Times team. As the newspaper of weird news, they’re already on the case, but it becomes even more important that they find out what happened when The Founders think that Stella was involved. After everything that has happened, they’re just itching for an excuse to get their hands on her, and no one will let that happen.

Of course, nothing ever goes smoothly for the gang, and Bancroft’s past has come back to haunt him quite literally. While Simon forgave the editor for his role in the desecration of his spirit, it seems that other powers are less than charitable. Those who watch over the dead have decided to give him one more chance to atone. With just a name to go on and very little time to identify the problem and fix it, Bancroft sets the team on it, with only Hannah knowing how dire the situation truly is.

As the title suggests, Relight My Fire has a healthy dish of musical nostalgia as C.K. McDonnell also throws in an indie rock singer from Hannah’s teenage years. He perfectly captures the embarrassing moment of coming face to face with the idol of teenage adoration that was postered all over her bedroom wall and used more than once to practise kissing on. I’m sure I won’t be the only one who felt seen when Hannah word-vomited spectacularly.

I wasn’t sure how this book would be, considering a lot happened in the last one to wrap up various sub-plots. It didn’t just see us finding out the truth about Bancroft’s wife; it also, in a roundabout way, finally settled Hannah in as assistant editor. Up until that point, she wasn’t quite sure if the Stranger Times was where she belonged, and her secret mission with Mrs Hawnforth gave her a much-needed boost of confidence. There was a noticeable change in her in this book, and while she had her normal flustered moments, it was great to see her talking to Stella about university in a big sisterly way without needlessly putting herself down.

Compared to the previous books, this one is a four-star for me, and that’s not to say it was bad in any way; it just didn’t quite hit all the points that the others have. In a way, Love Will Tear Us Apart felt like the equivalent of a TV mid-season finale and in Relight My Fire McDonnell starts to lay the ground for new sub-plots. There’s still plenty of chaos and action, including an incredible battle scene that I won’t ever forget; however, I felt that character development was more the aim of the game here. Again, not a bad thing, it was just slightly different and promises wonderful chaos and danger for the team in the next book.

Once again, McDonnell introduced some wonderful new characters, and I am hoping that they reappear again. Toni is too glorious not to be seen ever again. I adored her, and the dressing down she gave to the complaining customer was one of my favourite scenes in the book. Plus, how could I not love a character who introduces themselves as “That’s Toni with an I […] because I will insist on making a disability into a brand.”? I loved that McDonnell created a character that used their trauma and resulting disability in such a positive way.

It seems as though one of them at least looks to be a new permanent fixture, and I can’t wait to see more of Brian. He is exactly the type of character I would expect to find in a Stranger Times novel.

I realised while reading Relight My Fire that the Stranger Times series has become a comfort read for me. Sadly, I read so quickly that the new novel is done, and I’m stuck waiting for the next one all over again. With the way this one ended, I’ve got a lot to think about between now and the next book!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas . . .

For most people, that means a time of celebration, relaxation and inebriation, but not for the staff of The Stranger Times. While a book club meeting ending in a triple murder isn’t unprecedented, it is at least noteworthy. It quickly emerges that this is no ordinary book-club-triple-murder either, as it features a librarian possessed by a chaotic entity who has broken through from another dimension and is hellbent on vengeance. He’s made a list, but he’s not checking it twice as the whole of humanity is on it. Who would want to summon such a thing? And how is anyone going to be able to send it back?

As if that wasn’t enough to be dealing with, a shocking revelation about a member of The Stranger Times team’s past brings family together, but not in a way that’s ever going to make it into a Hallmark movie.

Featuring demonically possessed Santas, blood-thirsty books and the ghost of a legendary nightclub, it’s beginning to look a lot like a Christmas apocalypse . . .

Ring the Bells is the fifth book in the award-winning, critically acclaimed and laugh-out-loud funny The Stranger Times series.

The reviewers loved Relight My Fire:

'McDonnell's world is transgressively hilarious, grimly banal and beguilingly warm. Of course there's a story that the intrepid journalists of The Stranger Times have to tease out: grave-robbing, cryogenics, a very angry witch, and a washed-up indie legend looking for a lost album, but the real joy lies in the pitfalls and pratfalls of getting there.' DAILY MAIL

'An absolute riot of a read.' DAILY EXPRESS

'Laugh-out-loud funny and full of colourful characters.' DAILY MIRROR

'It’s no secret that here at SciFi Towers we’re massive fans of the Stranger Times series by C. K. McDonnell.' SciFiNOW

'I loved the dry and embedded humour of this book, it's the stuff of life . . . the whole thing is great fun.' SFCROSWNEST

'Relight My Fire is perhaps the best since the original.' STARBURST

Review to come in the future!

Thank you for reading my book reviews for the Stranger Times series by C.K. McDonnell!

Don’t forget to check out the rest of my reviews if you’re looking for some more book recommendations 🙂 You can also now sign up for my newsletter to get an email each month with a list of my new reviews!

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