"An eco-wellness retreat has opened on an island off the English coast, promising rest and relaxation--but the island itself, once the playground of a serial killer, is rumored to be cursed. Detective Elin Warner is called to the retreat when a young woman's body is found on the rocks below the yoga pavilion in what seems to be a tragic fall. But the victim wasn't a guest--she wasn't meant to be on the island at all. When a guest drowns in a diving incident the following day, Elin starts to suspect that there's nothing ...
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"An eco-wellness retreat has opened on an island off the English coast, promising rest and relaxation--but the island itself, once the playground of a serial killer, is rumored to be cursed. Detective Elin Warner is called to the retreat when a young woman's body is found on the rocks below the yoga pavilion in what seems to be a tragic fall. But the victim wasn't a guest--she wasn't meant to be on the island at all. When a guest drowns in a diving incident the following day, Elin starts to suspect that there's nothing accidental about these deaths. Elin must find the killer--before the island's history starts to repeat itself"--
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Seller's Description:
Fine. Library binding. Cloth over boards. 557 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. Library binding. Cloth over boards. 557 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
I loved Sarah Pearse's debut book 'The Sanatorium'and was so excited to receive a copy of the ARC for her next thriller - The Retreat. The Retreat continues to follow main character Detective Elin Warner as she finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation whilst on a remote location.
What I loved so much about The Sanatorium was its setting - Sarah does a great job of painting atmospheric locations that really stick with you and The Retreat is no different. The eco-wellness retreat on a remote island underneath 'Reaper's Rock'on the site of an old school with a dubious past was a great choice for this particular story. My only note was that I personally struggled to picture 'Reaper's Rock' and I wish the cover illustration gave an idea of what it looked like.
The plot itself is nice and twisty with a large cast of characters, there's Hana and her sister Jo who's a social media influencer, Jo's partner Seth who has a dark past, quiet sister Maya and absent sister Bea's partner Callum. The murders are centred around this party and you are left guessing with some red herrings and interesting reveals. I did guess who the perpetrator was quite early on though as an off-hand comment was made about their past that made it a little too obvious!
My only niggle would be that there is an over-use of cliff-hanger endings to chapters. This can sometimes be a great narrative device but is frustrating when used for every chapter. When you read 'when she saw what was in the bag her blood ran cold' only to be instantly followed up by what was in the bag in the next sentence (only separated by chapter headings) it began to grate.
I'm not really sure how I feel about Erin, she doesn't seem to be a very experienced Detective and whilst I enjoyed her flaws in the first book, I found her a little irritating in this one. I also really didn't like her husband Will and their dynamic felt very off in this book. This is certainly a series I'l keep reading because of the interesting locations and good twisty plots but I am less convinced by the main characters.
Overall, The Retreat is a twisty thriller in an atmospheric location which is fast becoming Sarah Pearse's trademark. Thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and Bantam Press for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
