A captivating psychological thriller set in the French Alps told in the form of a dual timeline. A man goes missing whilst skiing and 22 years later four people connected to this event take a holiday at the same resort, but someone has murderous intentions on their mind.

I really enjoyed this absorbing mystery. It’s well plotted with plenty of twists and turns and the odd red herring. There is a whole cast of mainly unlikeable characters and it’s a tale where no-one is as they seem. The setting is gloriously atmospheric, I could just picture it! I was gripped all the way through, right until I turned the last page. An exciting, edge of your seat type of story which will appeal to those who enjoy thrillers with more than a hint of suspense.

An interesting story that keeps you involved from the beginning right through until the final page. Definitely recommended to those readers who enjoy reading this type of book.

From the moment I received the email from Avon about The Chalet, I was so excited to dive in. The synopsis sounded so promising, and although I didn’t LOVE this book, I did still really enjoy it.

2 different time frames, 2 different stories, both set in the same place, 2 decades apart, and I was desperate to find out how the stories connected. The story is told from multiple POV, which along with the different time frames, did get confusing at times, but it still made the story a lot more interesting, especially when a section ended on a bit of a cliffhanger.

The characters were interesting, with very varied personalities, but I didn’t find myself getting particularly attached to any of them. Adam was an awful person, who I really didn’t like, but he was written quite well. Ria was a particular favourite though, with her couldn’t care less attitude.

This wasn’t as thrilling as I had hoped, but it definitely kept you guessing right up until the end, and the actual ending was brilliant. I didn’t see it coming at all!

There were some very interesting aspects to this book, and although I have a few issues with it, the positives definitely outweigh the negatives. As a debut, this is very good, and a promising start from Catherine Cooper. I will be giving her future books a read.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for my copy of the book, in exchange for an honest review.

I give The Chalet a 3 star rating.

This book is great!

The Chalet alternates between two different timelines both set in the French ski resort of La Madiére. It is snowy, atmospheric and the scene is set wonderfully.

In 1998, brothers Will and Adam go skiing off-piste with instructors Cameron and Andy and both brothers end up missing. Adam is later found but Will is presumed dead.

In 2020, Ria and her husband Hugo are in the same resort for business reasons with Simon, his wife Cass, baby Inigo and nanny Sarah. Hugo wants Simon to potentially invest in his business.

We meet a host of additional characters such as the brothers' girlfriends Louisa and Nell back in 1998 and chalet workers Millie and Matt in 2020.

Will's body turns up in 2020, but what does this mean for our group that are currently staying there? Not everything is as it seems and some people may even have a connection to him.

This book is full of surprises and really kept me guessing. I thought I had sussed it out but the twists kept coming. That very last sentence was wonderful!

Fantastic novel. Highly atmospheric and clever writing which meant that the reader was constantly guessing as to characters true intentions.

This novel was well written, but slightly spoiled by the rather obvious twist that was signposted beforehand. Such a shame, as otherwise it was quite enjoyable.

This is a very clever debut from novelist Catherine Cooper. The opening chapters introduce us to two brothers who have clearly trumped up their skiing prowess to their instructor and his sidekick. When they go off-piste, the weather turns and snow begins to heavily fall. Before long both brothers go missing and the ski instructors panic - delaying alerting the authorities to find them. Accordingly only one brother is ever discovered. Fast forward 20 years and two chichi couples arrive for a week's stay at an uber luxe chalet. On hand is a chalet girl to attend to their every need with holiday hosts to attend to their every whim. Over the week we learn just what happened to those brothers and exactly why one didn't return. The ramifications of that week 20 years ago sear through the week's stay. This was a gorgeous spine-tingly brilliant read. The description of the snow, the resort the skiing the chalet and the food (yum!) made me want to transport myself there toute suite! Looking forward to the next one. Bravo Catherine!

This book intrigued me, I was engrossed, the story was told in two time lines 1998 and the present day with both set in the French Alps.

In 1998, two brothers and their girlfriends go on a skiing trip to a chalet in the French Alps, but only one brother returns home. There were parts of the 1998 story that shocked me, the competition between the two brothers and the different personalities.

Present day and a group of people are staying in a luxury chalet, during their stay a body is discovered on the slopes! Is this linked to what happened in 1998?

This story is told from many point of views each giving their own account of their experience whilst there and the backstory of how they got there.

There were some twists along the way, some shocking, some I guessed but nevertheless I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Woah! How on earth is this a debut, and more importantly how long do we need to wait for another book, by this clear up and coming talent.

From the first few pages I was hooked, and I was making excuses to read this book at any opportunity I could over the past 24 hours.

There are many different view points, two timelines but because everything is labelled so well, at no point did I feel lost, plus all sections in the past were in italics which helped separate things in the mind.

There is the story from 1998, of the blizzard and just what happened on the mountain that day. And then the current day story which you wonder how it must connect (as after all multiple timelines with different characters to the present in books always connect to the present day story somehow).. and well things are drip fed to you at just the right pace to keep you hooked.

I felt as though I was this ski resort alongside all the characters, the descriptions were that vivid, and I really felt for some of the characters. Although I'm not sure how much I liked most of them, there was just something about them, that kept me reading, as I wanted to know what would happen, and they weren't horrible on the whole, just hard to like!

Although strictly speaking that isn't true, there was one voice that I really did connect with and I could understand their motivations as various revelations were made including as to just who they were!

Fairly quick paced, and ultimately very gripping, this is one impressive book that I am incredibly happy crossed my path. Just wow!

Thank you to Harper and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

There was a lot to love here, particularly the setting and the opulence of chalet holidays, which Cooper depicts well. The novel often feels like an Agatha Christie novel: rich arseholes trapped together, everyone with a secret.

The voice of the little girl was particularly strong, and it's clear Cooper is a talented writer.

A gripping and compelling read that I couldn't put down.
This thriller kept me on the edge till the end and even if I tried to guess what happened and who did it I wasn't able.
Excellent character development and storytelling.
A gripping novel that I strongly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book was told in two different timelines, 1998 to 20 years later, and told in multiple POV. In 1998, brothers Will and Adam take their girlfriends to the Alps for a skiing holiday, only one brother returns. Twenty years later at the same resort, a dead body is found are they connected.

I did struggle with this book with the different timelines and POV I got a little confused at times and it was quite slow-paced. Sadly the book did not hook me in as I hoped it would. Maybe it was because I have never been to the Alps, been skiing or live in that kind of circle, I don’t know.

The front cover for this book drew me in immediately! It looked so opulent and luxurious! The story has two storylines running alongside each other, one set in 1998 and the other in present day. Both timelines are based in the French ski resort of La Mediere. In 1998 we are introduced to two ski instructors who manage to lose their two clients during a blizzard on a ski run which is far too advanced for them. In the present day, 20 years later we meet couples Hugo and Ria who have invited Simon, Cass and their baby son to holiday with them, with a view to Simon investing in Hugo’s business. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character and, whilst the timelines switch effortlessly, I did initially wonder how the two timelines and stories were connected. Fear not though, all is explained as the book moves on!!

I have to admit, there was only a couple of characters which I liked. Hugo, I really felt sorry for – he definitely seemed the best of a bad bunch. I also liked the chalet maid’s story, and did sympathise with her for having to cook and clean for probably the most egotistical guests she’d ever had! The other characters were full of greed, vanity and selfishness, with each one of them vying to be better than the others. Whilst they were not very likeable at all, they were mesmerising and as I read, I just wanted more of them!!

The storylines unfolded at a great pace. There was lots of mystery and intrigue, and whilst I knew the stories would come together at some point, I just couldn’t work out how or why!! Switching between the two timelines didn’t complicate the story at all, and, whilst I usually do prefer one timeline to the other I didn’t with this book, and I found myself getting completely hooked into both storylines as they twisted and turned throughout. The storyline was further enhanced by the beauty of the location. I’ve never been skiing (and this book really doesn’t make me want to either!), but I could happily stay in a luxury chalet and eat and drink in some of the wonderful restaurants mentioned!!

This book to me struck me as a modern-day Agatha Christie novel, just much darker and not so cosy! There were lots of characters to suspect, they all had a motive to be guilty of something and you are given the job of Hercule Poirot to try and uncover the culprit!! I loved this book and, have to admit once started I couldn’t put it down and finished it in less than a day! This was also the first full length novel written by this author, and what a fantastic job she has done!! I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more by her!! Highly recommended!

This is an easy read that kept me wondering about what was going to happen and trying to piece it all together. As a debut novel it is an amazing start and I look forward to reading more from Catherine Cooper.

This book has so much more depth than I anticipated. Based on the cover, I expected some kind of Agatha Christie-esque cosy mystery set on the ski slopes. However, this is much darker than I first thought!

I started reading this through Netgalley, but then The Pigeonhole had it available as a serialisation across ten days and I opted in to read it that way, so that I could get involved in live discussions with fellow readers.

Across the ten days, Pigeonhole readers proposed so many different theories because the book is so cleverly plotted. Catherine Cooper offers us multiple narratives and timelines. In 2020 we have Hugo, a wealthy man in the ski hospitality industry; his wife Ria, a younger woman with some secrets; and Adam, brother of a man, Will, who disappeared in this French ski resort in 1998. Then in 1998 we have Cameron and Andy who are ski guides involved in the disappearance of Will; then we have an unknown woman who had a rough upbringing that is clearly related to the events now taking place in the chalet in 2020.

As the narrative shifts between 2020, 1998 and an unknown other time, we find out little bits about each of the main players. Some of the characters feature in both 1998 and 2020 but it is never quite clear who is who and who is involved in what way! The constant guessing was great fun and the author definitely kept me on my toes with various options and red herrings.

There are some difficult scenes of abuse and neglect. However, they are not gratuitous as they go to the core of the story. The revenge plot is a little outside the realms of believably but that's the case for pretty much all of the crime genre so you just need to suspend disbelief and enjoy the ride - and this one is certainly a looping rollercoaster of a ride!

Thanks to Harper Collins, Netgalley and The Pigeonhole for providing access to this fantastic debut!

1998, in La Madiere in the French Alps, two ski instructors lose a pair of brothers in poor weather. Only one of the brothers returns.

22 years later, in similarly bad weather, two couples stay in one of the resorts chalets, along with a baby, a nanny and employees of the chalet company. Each of these people have secrets; at least one of them is connected to the events of 1998.

THE CHALET is a claustrophobic thriller in a setting of which I know very little. I have never been skiing, or visited a resort such as La Madiere. It is to Catherine Cooper's credit that she uses her intimate knowledge of such resorts to take the reader there. It is even more impressive that she makes this group of pretty unlikeable characters compelling. Each of these individuals is hiding something; none of them are particularly sympathetic. And yet, we care what happens, as the truth is gradually revealed slowly through the first person, unreliable narration by several of the main characters and the judicious use of flashbacks.

I really enjoyed THE CHALET, a thrilling, and chilling, debut. Thanks to Harper Fiction for the review copy.

Well, what a great read that was! I can't say that I ever had any real desire to go skiing in the past but now I definitely don't want to go! I thoroughly enjoyed the many twists and turns the story took in the fabulous setting of the French Alps. I had the end figured out fairly early though which was a bit of a shame but a brilliant read nonetheless! I recommend this book but advise reading with a snuggly blanket and a hot chocolate as the chills are real

So compelling, so good, so perfect if you're looking for something to take your mind off the bleak winter that's looming at the moment! This is a great wintry read which is really fast-paced and completely unputdownable. I really enjoyed it, such a creative and interesting story.

Oh I couldn’t put this book down! I found it such an addictive read.
I’ve recently read another book with a similar setting, and I don’t know if that helped me get into this one a bit quicker but I was hooked straight away. There is a dual timeline between 1998 & the present day - both set in the French Alps - in a chalet (obviously).
What happened to the group of people who holidayed there in 1998 - and what will happen to the group holidaying there now?
This book has so many twists and turns I was kept guessing throughout - I loved it. Thanks so much to netgalley and harper collins for my copy of this book - in exchange for an honest review.

The story starts in 1998 when two brothers who don't really get on go on a skiing trip but sadly only one returns. The story then picks up in 2020 when a group of friends, four of them connected to the brothers, are holidaying in the same fateful resort. A snowstorm hits and after an avalanche a body is found. Is it linked to 1998, will the truth come out? One of the guests is determined to find the truth. Gripping.