The Stranger in Room Six

As I was reading this book, I was unsure of what it was supposed to be. Marketed as a thriller, this story only had a bit of mystery and a distinctly historical fiction vibe. 

The story is told in dual timelines, each with its own narrator. 

1940's - Mabel a teen who is sent to live with her aunt after her mother and sister are killed in a London bombing during WWII. 

Modern time - Belinda is a woman who was convicted of killing her husband but now works as a caregiver in a seniors home where she meets elderly Mabel.

This book had my attention in fits and spurts, but it had a slow pace and disjointed feel with less focus on the mystery and more on the backstories of Mabel and Belinda (with far too much time spent focusing on Belinda's time in jail). Mabel's story held my attention more (I do enjoy a good Historical Fiction tale), but Belinda's story bogged down what could have been a more focused story. Based on the book's suspenseful blurb, I expected more tension, but the only mystery is the identity of the 'stranger in room six' in the senior's home which we learn midway through.

The story soon becomes far-fetched with lots of happenstance requiring this reader to suspend disbelief in a few spots - including teenage Mabel's extreme naivieté when she didn't recognize one of the most prevalent symbols of hate in her era (and history).

This was my first book by Jane Corry and I was left wanting more suspense and less melodrama (and a book description that fits the story accurately). This just wasn't a good fit for me.  

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to DoubleDay for the complimentary digital advanced copy of this book that was given in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 2.5 stars

Author: Jane Corry

Genre: Suspense

Type and Source: ebook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: DoubleDay (PRHC)

First Published: Oct 7, 2025

Read: Sept 20-29, 2025

Book Description from GoodReads: New beginnings always come with old secrets.

It's been fifteen years since Belinda was convicted of her husband's murder. Now that she’s free, she’s ready for a fresh start. So, when she
gets a job at Sunnyside Home for the Young at Heart, she’s dead set
on making sure no one learns about her awful past.

Mabel has spent her life at Sunnyside—first as an evacuee during the
Blitz, and now as the home’s oldest resident. She’s held the secrets of
this house for as long as she can remember. Secrets that, in the wrong
hands, could kill.

But history won’t stay hidden forever, because someone is onto both
Belinda and Mabel, watching and listening from Room Six.

And they’ll stop at nothing to find out the truth.