Strange Sally Diamond

By: Liz Nugent

Narrated by: Jessica Regan, Stephen Hogan, Sara Lynam, Liz Nugent

“Shocking, disturbing, and utterly original.” —Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author

This “haunting and poignant tale, one that won’t be easy to forget any time soon” (Mystery and Suspense Magazine), follows an enigmatic woman confronting her unknown past—from internationally bestselling author Liz Nugent.

Reclusive Sally Diamond is thrust into the media spotlight when she tries to incinerate her dead father, causing widespread outrage. Now she’s the center of attention, not only from hungry reporters and police detectives, but also a sinister voice from a past she does not remember. As she begins to discover the repressed memories of her horrific early childhood, Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, big decisions, and learning that people don’t always mean what they say.

But who is the man observing Sally from the other side of the world, and why does he call her Mary? And why does her new neighbor seem to be obsessed with her? Sally’s trust issues are about to be severely challenged in this “truly incredible reading experience” (Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author).

Kept me listening.

I had high expectations with all the great reviews. Definitely had me hooked. But is not a feel good story in the least. If you are down or depressed in any way do not read this book. I did not like how I felt after finishing.

Great story - great narration

If you like psychological thrillers- you will love this!! Best narration I have heard in a long time. Couldn’t stop listening

Some profanity, but much less than other books, which I appreciated!

I really enjoyed this book! I felt the characters were well rounded, and I had a sense of who each of them were, which made me care about each of them. Yes, the topic is sensitive, but I felt the author did a commendable job of not becoming gratuitous. What I found most interesting, was how she took us deep into the inner workings of a survivor’s mind: both the one who tried desperately to assimilate into normalcy, and the other who seemed destined to repeat the sins of his father, though in a less horrific way. It showed the human side of monsters, which I found fascinating, since most of us have good and bad lurking deep within us. I also appreciated that the profanity that was present, did not seem to be gratuitous, but rather utterances that would normally occur from someone in distress, or someone who was just plain wired wrong. But like I say, it never became gratuitous. I despise lazy writing, and I find authors who rely on gratuitous sex, and vulgarity to be lazy and uninspired writers. So I appreciate, and really enjoyed this work , above and beyond her deeply intriguing and moving story! I highly recommend it!

Loved this!! Beautiful and tragic…

The characters were so well developed, narration was perfect. A sad story of generational trauma that was captivating with some good twists!

Dark story with a hint of humor

Excellent character development and story. I was very invested in seeing how things would turn out for sally and I loved her honesty along the way. Example- when told that she needs some fake tan cream for her legs, she says her legs are leg-colored, and she’s okay with that. She also declines church due to it being “too boring”. Great narration. The tape recordings were a nice touch.
Trigger warning/spoiler alert- kidnapping, rape, abuse. Portions of the story reminded me of the movie “Room”, similarly disturbing but very well-done.