Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards

Five Total Strangers is an exceptionally different type of psychological thriller. The plot, which is really unknown to the reader, makes for more creative and imaginative images in your mind as you try and figure out what is happening and where the story is going.

Mira is coming home to spend Christmas with her mother. Her parents are divorced, and she has been living with her father in California in order to go to high school where her focus is on art. But she is also heading home to comfort her mother whose sister passed away at this time last year. She knows her mother needs her even though she is remarried.

But a threatening blizzard seems to be making the visit impossible. She finds out her next flight has been cancelled and she has no way of making it back home. But then she bumps into her seatmate, Harper, who has rented a car with a person she met in line, Brecken, and they are making the journey from New Jersey to Pittsburgh. Along with them are two other strangers they seem to have picked up along the way, Josh who is on crutches and Kayla who just seems very quiet.

Mira must make a quick decision and although her gut tells her this doesn’t feel right, something is off with this group, she decides to accept the ride with these strangers. She needs to see her mother, especially when she discovers she’s been keeping secrets from her.

What starts out as a normal car ride, soon turns into a nightmare. With the deteriorating road conditions, they get pushed off the highway. They make the decision to go another route which Mira knows is even more dangerous.

Then they stop for gas, and everything turns even worse. First Mira sees a strange man near the vending machines. The station insists they pay cash only and Harper discovers her wallet is missing. Brecken makes a quick decision which will spiral the group into an even worse mess.

Suddenly more personal items begin to go missing. It’s clearly one of them, but who? They are total strangers…aren’t they? Someone is lying!

But for what purpose?

Five Total Strangers will keep you not only guessing, but speed-reading to the end, and what an incredible ending to this thrilling story! One takeaway…never, ever accept a ride from a stranger! Your life could depend on it!