A gripping crime thriller that’s just eight episodes long should be added to your watchlist list right now. Adapted from a novel published in 2015, the show boasts a brilliant cast including Richard Armitage, Jennifer Saunders and Siobhan Finneran.
Created by Harlan Coben, The Stranger made its Netflix debut in early 2020. Viewers describe it as ‘packed with twists and turns’ throughout each episode, so you genuinely can’t predict where it’s going to go after each instalment.
Coben has built his reputation on delivering nail-biting psychological murder mysteries, and this particular one left audiences reeling.
The Stranger follows the journey of Adam Price, played by Richard Armitage, a happily married father of two. A mysterious stranger confronts him at the beginning, revealing a devastating secret. Shortly afterwards, his cherished wife Corinne (brought to life by Dervla Kirwan) disappears.
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Richard Armitage stars as Adam Price whose life changes forever after meeting The Stranger(Image: Netflix)
Left doubting everything about his marriage, Adam descends into turmoil, becoming obsessed with discovering the true identity of this strange woman, reports the Express.
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However, he starts unravelling a sinister network of interconnected secrets and scandals, with the stranger delivering bombshell after bombshell to her unwitting targets.
True to form with most Harlan Coben adaptations, there are several different storylines, leaving audiences to think about how they’ll eventually all come together. The Stranger, played by Hannah John-Kamen, causes chaos in so many lives, exposing murky pasts and hidden truths that were thought to be buried forever.
Also swept up in the mayhem are Adam’s young sons and police detective Johanna Griffin (Siobhan Finneran) who’s busy cracking the murder case of her closest friend. And as the suspense ratchets up with each instalment, she discovers exactly how the stranger connects to other puzzles she’s been tackling.
The series received mixed reviews, but the general view is that it grips you from start to finish, with heart-stopping moments and an escalating atmosphere of dread throughout.
Taking to IMDb, one viewer wrote: “Binge-watched the full series today, and happy to report that it was well worth it. Certainly keeps you on the edge of your seat and unlike so many series nowadays, it doesn’t leave you waiting for another series – it actually has an ending! Great acting throughout, a good story and definately worth a watch.”
Another commented: “This [eight] part series will surprise and entertain you. You’ll reach the half way point and feel that a solution to the events is virtually impossible, there truly are so many plot threads in the first few episodes. Stick with it, as it is worth your time, the best episode is Part 7, which had me on the edge of my seat, the conclusion will be divisive, though personally I liked it.”
The Stranger is available on Netflix.
