An Intense and Unputdownable Thrill-Fest: Read Our Review for The Stranger at the Table by Cassie Hamer

Poisonous lies, family secrets, addiction and revenge – always a dish best served cold – are all on the menu.

Maz Antonio has spent the last two years in prison so is determined to make the first major family gathering in their new home deep in Australian suburbia as perfect as possible. She owes it to everyone after the terrible mistakes she’s made … mistakes for which she will always be trying to atone. This special lunch is her chance to make things right for her husband and children, to show everyone that she can maintain her sobriety, that things can go back to normal. (Whatever normal looks like when you have traumatic, confusing flashbacks of that fateful day where two innocent lives were lost.)

Her sister, Elli, is in. So is her husband’s brother. Her distant father-in-law is gracing them with his presence and her mum Margaret is on the way from Newcastle, bringing a colleague – a virtual stranger she impulsively invited.

But is this man really a stranger? Or could it be that he is intimately connected to the past that Maz has so desperately been trying to put behind her – a past that’s about to explode across the dinner table in the deadliest of ways…

Cassie Hamer has a professional background in journalism and PR, but now much prefers the world of fiction over fact. She is the author of three novels, including the Australian bestseller After the Party, and her stories focus on ordinary characters who find themselves in extraordinary situations. Hamer lives on Gadigal Country in Sydney with her terrific husband, three mostly terrific daughters, and a labradoodle, Charlie, who is the least demanding family member. In between ferrying kids about and walking the dog, Hamer is working on her next novel.

From the very first page, I had chills when reading Hamer’s newest book, The Stranger at the Table. The dynamic between Maz, her past and her family has been expertly crafted with shocking detail and depth. Each aspect of Maz’s life, her past crime, her life in prison, her atonement, and, without spoiling anything, her relationship with ‘the stranger’, are like pieces of a puzzle. As you fill in each piece, the story gets more and more intense. I could not put it down!

Hamer, with finesse and style, does a phenomenal job at individualizing each of the characters in the story from Elli, Maz’s sister, to the in-laws, to, and most importantly, ‘the stranger’. The dialogue is fun and well-paced, and within each line, you can feel each of the character’s complex pasts and relationships. Some talk down to Maz, others are secretive and many are glad she’s back and ready to move on from her past.

The first act perfectly sets everything in motion, and once the ball starts rolling, I can assure you the pages will start turning themselves. Hamer is the master at both atmosphere and keeping the story quick and to-the-point. My blood was pumping. My heart was pounding. I needed to know what was going to happen next. If you start The Stranger at the Table, you’ll be up ‘til the early hours of the morning. It is a non-stop thrill-fest! We can’t get enough!

Buy a copy of The Stranger at the Table here.