A Stranger on the Beach is a psychological thriller that centres around two main characters, a wealthy woman named Caroline Stark and an ex-convict turned bartender called Aidan Callahan. The story is largely told through an alternating narrative from the points of view of both Caroline and Aidan. However, neither characters felt likeable and their differing accounts of certain events left me feeling frustrated rather than engaged. The story felt a bit long-winded at times, particularly towards the end, when there were too many theories as to what had happened and who had done what. The ending was unpredictable but not particularly impacting or memorable, leaving me to conclude that this book was no better than the average thriller.