This debut thriller does just that, thrills the reader from start to finish!
Set in La Madiere in the French Alps, on the ski slopes of the winter resort, past and present come together in The Chalet to right a wrong in the most vengeful of ways.
Twenty odd years ago two brothers decided to hire a guide to take them off piste in the most appalling of weather conditions. In fact, two guides from Skitastic end up on the Couloir Noir with Adam and Will but only three people out of the four ever return.
In this chilling and snow swept tale, the reader is taunted with plenty of misleading hints, suspicion is cast far and wide, and you are left with the uneasy sense that some of the guests gathered in the luxury chalet know more about the area and what happened decades ago, and that their presence might not be coincidental.
The characters are mostly easy to dislike, motivated by greed, deceit, ego and vanity and yet even though they would fail to make your Christmas card list, there is something very appealing in the way Cooper has written these people into being that makes the reader enjoy not liking them!
There are some great interludes where we meet an unknown narrator in childhood. These recollections of a traumatic time do everything, and then some, to make the reader scrabble about for purchase on what is a very slippery foundation, eager to understand who might be connected to who. The change in tone brings about a depth to the story that is fascinating and sad but gives context to actions we learn about much later.
Guilt can do much damage and there are plenty of occupants in The Chalet trying to live a life built on the shaky after effects. Not everyone suffers negatively from the guilt though which is why it is so easy to hope Fate intervenes and delivers the ultimate pay-back. But who should receive it?
This is a story that keeps you guessing, chills you to the bone without you having to step a foot outside and makes you wonder whether revenge really is a dish best served cold...
Definitely a book to lose yourself in this winter!

The Chalet is Catherine Cooper’s mesmerising debut crime thriller, set in the picturesque French Alps and is perfect escapism in a time when our movement and ability to holiday is restricted. It's 1998 and brothers Adam and Will Cassiobury and their girlfriends are on holiday at La Madière ski resort in the scenic Puylaurens region of Southern France. Unfortunately, the brothers’ relationship is fraught and always has been; they argue constantly. When one day the brothers, having no ski experience, hire a guide to go skiing in poor weather conditions, only one brother comes back alive. Fast forward to 2020, 22 years later, and Hugo and his wife, Ria, have booked themselves a break in a luxury chalet in the same resort. They invite friends Simon and his wife, Cass, to join them, with their young child, Inigo, in the hope that Hugo can persuade Simon to invest in his business. There is trouble brewing between the members of the group and what should be a holiday of rest and relaxation turns into a nightmare when, after an avalanche, the body of the deceased Cassiobury brother is discovered.

This is a riveting thriller and one I read from start to finish in a single gulp. It was completely unputdownable and had me guessing until the last few pages, as not everyone is quite what they initially appear to be. Most of the characters are highly unlikeable, pompous, pampered and sometimes annoying, but I enjoyed the fact that many of them were wolves in sheep's clothing. With it's twisted and sinister dual storyline and short, snappy chapters it keeps you turning the pages more and more anxiously to get to the truth. Cooper has penned an extraordinary debut with all the ingredients for a superb crime thriller; it's suspenseful with a tension that simmers just below the surface for most of the book before it explodes outwards towards the end. The location, though, is the star of the whole story as it's so remote and atmospheric that you can almost feel the frigid conditions as you read. I can't wait to pick up her next book coming in 2021. A highly recommended and entertaining thriller. A real treat. Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC.

The chalet by Catherine Cooper is an intriguing mystery story that I enjoyed.

A missing person, twenty years forward, two brothers, one truth. That’s what this story is about, an interesting mystery with intriguing characters and told in dual pov as well in then and now chapters, I found myself was captivated by the characters and their views of the events, especially after so many years and was doubting their truth or lies, as i always do when i come across these kinds of stories.

I must admit that I was quite confused at the beginning, but after a certain point everything started to make more sense and was looking up to see if my predictions were right, and they were.
The descriptions of the settings is so vividly pictured that I felt like i was right there with the characters at all times and that's a great achievement to draw my attention even more in a book.
It’s full of twists, some unexpected, some not so much, but overall it’s a great story that many readers will enjoy.

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy through NetGalley

This is a great read.
In 1998 two brothers are ski-ing in the French alps but only one of them makes it home alive. We follow events leading up to the incident in flash back chapters and get an insight into the brother’s relationship.
We’re then in 2020 at the same resort, in a luxury chalet and at first it’s hard to see the connection but it all becomes clear later in the book.
There’s also chapters from a young girl’s perspective and again the significance of these events become clearer near the end of the book.
The people staying in the chalet are not the most likeable group of people and even more so when it becomes clear one or more of them know about what happened in 1998.
The story is tied up well and brought to a gripping conclusion which I really enjoyed.
Thanks to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

French Alps, 1998: Two young men ski into a blizzard, but only one returns.

Twenty five years later: Four people connected to the missing men find themselves at the same ski resort. They all have a secret. Two might have blood on their hands. One is a killer in waiting.

Two brothers and their girlfriends go to the French Alps but only one brother came back. Twenty years later, Rita and Hugo are entertaining potential investors in their business in a chalet at the same ski resort. 5hensetting and the luxury chalet are beautifully described. The chapters are told alternately from Rita and Hugo's perspectives. The story is well written and it will keep you guessing. I loved this murder mystery.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #HarperCollinsUK #HarperFiction and the author #CatherineCooper for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If this is Catherine Cooper’s debut book I cannot wait to read what she writes next.

I literally could not put this book down. Even my husband commented that it must be a good book as I walked around the kitchen holding on to it and reading while trying to prepare breakfast, lunch make cups of tea and everything else in between.

At several times in the book there are 3 stories being told set in different times and with different characters which I thought would confuse me but the twists and turns in this are intriguing, heartbreaking and compelling.

Definitely 5 stars from me. Thank you for the opportunity to read an advance copy from Netgalley and Harpercollins in return for my honest review.

The book starts in the French Alps in 1998 when two young men ski into a blizzard… but only one returns.
Now 20 years later four people connected to the missing man find themselves in that same resort. Each has a secret. Two may have blood on their hands. One is a killer-in-waiting.
Someone knows what really happened that day.
A well written book that had me at the edge of my seat with the twists & suspense. Strong, well fleshed characters & a glorious setting all added to this engrossing read. I didn’t warm to any of the characters but I didn’t think I was supposed to. The multiple narratives took some getting used to & I’m not a lover of dual time frames but in this book it worked. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed it
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

This was a nice enjoyable winter read. The two time lines were a little confusing at the start however half way through the book this all becomes clear. There were any real likeable characters but that was all apart of the plot. Overall a pleasant easy read

If you are looking for a easy read with plenty of twists to curl up with on a winter's afternoon and dream of being somewhere else (or if you are lucky enough to get the chance to go skiing this year and are looking for a book to take with you), then this is the book for you!
Set in a French ski resort, this twisty thriller is told from multiple points of view and spreads across dual time lines. In 1998 two brothers and their girlfriends are holidaying in the resort and when the boys go out skiing together in poor conditions, only one returns. Fast forward to 2020 and two couples have arrived for a holiday in a luxury chalet in the same resort. What is the link between the two groups? As secrets and lies are revealed, it all becomes clearer.

This is an excellent debut novel - the setting was beautifully described and made me long to be on a skiing holiday again, and the changing weather conditions that happen so frequently in ski resorts add to the tension that builds up in the course of the book. None of the characters are particularly likeable, but have interesting backstories, with many hidden secrets coming to the fore as the story develops. I raced through the book as the twists kept coming and was gripped until the very last page. I look forward to reading more from Cooper.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Set on two timelines, twenty years apart the story begins at the same ski resort in the French Alps. in 1998 two brothers leave their girlfriends back at the hostel they are staying in and meet up with a skiing guide. The weather has taken a turn for the worse and soon the competitive brothers are annoying their guide. The guide behaves unprofessionally, which results in one brother being rescued unconscious and the other brother never being found and presumed dead.

Twenty years later circumstances bring some of the people involved back together, then there is news of a body being found. The past is about to catch up with some unsuspecting people.

There aren’t really many if any, likeable characters in this story in the past or in the present day, who are staying in a chalet including a chalet maid to attend to their every whim and keep them all happy. The guests are money-oriented and simply playing their parts to line their own pockets.

The backdrop story then goes more into detail of the brothers' relationship with each other and as couples. I felt the most interesting was of a child, it is disturbing but gripping too.

I enjoyed the story, even if there were a lot of coincidences’ that came together a little conveniently. A good ending.

I wish to thank the publisher and NetGalley for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

A first class novel by Catherine. It details an accident that happened in a French ski resort in 1998 and how it affects circumstances in 2020.
Expertly written and an addicted read- I stayed up to read it during the night.

This story follows two different timelines: 1998 and 2020.
I really enjoyed the kind of locked room mystery in a fantastic ski resort.

During the read I felt the cold, the darkness, the confinement! With the fantastic descriptions it just felt as I was there as the whole book was quite atmospheric.

I absolutely hated the characters as they were all really self-centred and egotistical but that didn’t make me enjoy the read less.

The plot was really well imagined and I really enjoyed reading from both timelines until all my questions were answered. I enjoyed the little pieces of information that would end up helping to complete the final puzzle.

Overall I would recommend this book to any fans of mystery murder books with a locked room element.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

I found this title a little confusing at first, It is set over two time periods - 1998 and 2020 and it takes some time for the relationship between the two time periods and the characters to become apparent. Unfortunately, most of the characters are extremely unpleasant with no redeeming features which makes the story difficult to like. The story is quite well written and the descriptions of the weather and the snowy conditions are good.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Catherine Cooper/Harper Collins for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I was hooked from the first page. Even though the story was split between 1998 and 2020 it was very easy to follow, and I must admit I found it hard to put this book down, I needed to know what happened.
Of the characters who meet in a chalet in France, some have a past that is linked to a body found in the mountains, a man who went missing in 1998.
A great story and a great read.

Brilliant! This book had me racing to the finish. So easy to read and so intriguing. At first it seemed the parts of the story were not connected, but as time went on it became clear just how intertwined everyone is!

It is hard to write a review without giving anything away! The characters are strong and I like the portrayal of foster care within the book.

The end is interesting, I am not sure if it is leaving things open for a sequel or if it is meant to be infuriating? How can the answer be so close at hand but missed?

My only slight dislike with the book was the character of the undiscovered ski instructor.... from the past she appears to have been callous and yet in the present she gets a kinder end than the other. Sorry to be cryptic but it will make sense if you know the book!

Thanks to Harper Collins for a review copy.
The Chalet tells the story of a tragedy unfolding over three separate time periods. Twenty years ago a skier disappears whilst undertaking an off piste route in bad weather and becoming separated from his guides. In the present a group of people meet at a luxury chalet in the same resort, one is Hugo, boss of his own successful travel company who is trying to persuade Simon, another guest, to invest in the business. With them are wives Ria and Cass, a nanny, a young baby and the chalet staff. It is not too long before a body is discovered and the past comes back to haunt the present.
We also hear of another character, a little girl who tells her tragic and utterly heart breaking story How and when this story fits into the larger narrative slowly becomes clear and we learn how the dreadful consequences of a single thoughtless act shape this child’s life as the tragedy which consumes her echoes and re-echoes throughout the narrative.
To say more about the plot would be to give away too much but the style is very similar to Lucy Foley’s ‘The Guest List’ and similar novels. The story is told, predominantly in the first person and in the present tense, by multiple characters with the same incident often being visited more than once from differing points of view. It is always clear who is narrating and the time period involved though we frequently jump between the different strands of the tale which are very intertwined.
I enjoyed the book and the story was interesting though I felt that all of the characters (with the exception of the little girl) ‘sounded’ very similar to me and so seemed a little less believable to me. It would have been nice if their voices could have been differentiated more as, without the chapter headings making it clear who was speaking, it would have been very easy to lose track.
As so often with books of this type, virtually all the characters are very unpleasant, perhaps this is intentional as bad things always seem to happen to them! This story was no exception and I was looking forward to the inevitable visit of the avenging angel to bring justice crashing down on those who deserved it and, if I’m honest, even most of those who didn’t!
The theme of revenge is at the centre of the story and the grievance is justified and thoroughly palpable. I was firmly with the wronged party and hoped that closure would follow at the denouement however there was a lovely neat little twist at the end and I suspect there may be a sequel.
In short this is a relatively predictable psychological thriller (even I spotted the reveal after a very short time) but it is an exciting way to while away a couple of hours. There are some nice Christie style word games, especially with names which I didn’t see coming and the descriptions are enough to bring the resort to life so I would happily recommend it as a fun way to spend a chilly afternoon.
And for what it’s worth my hero of the book was Teddy, the little girl’s faithful bear – as someone who lives with over a thousand cuddly bears I was happy to read that the one in the book was always there for his person and looked after her all the time – he was there when she needed him as bears always are 😊

I liked this. I loved the alpine setting and the storytelling which covers dual timelines and multiple points of view. But, I wanted more - perhaps because it turned out to be more of a revenge story than a ‘whodunnit'. By the time it reaches the 'climax' it's a bit of an anticlimax as from the backstories you're able to work it all out sooner than necessary and so it's no longer a surprise. There were also too many coincidences and irrelevancies for my liking. Most of the characters were pretty unlikeable and others purely there as red herrings - even one of the main characters turned out to be pretty irrelevant as whilst connected nobody else knew.

Wow...... The Chalet is unputdownable! I loved it. We hear from different people at different times - 1998 and 2020, telling us what's happening and being remembered. Not everything is as it seems. Can you work it out? I worked some out but not all. Will there be a sequel? I hope so.....

This book reads like you're watching a glossy TV drama. You can just imagine the snowy scenery, the claustrophobic chalet and the cast of characters, all with their own hidden skeletons. Add in flashbacks to twenty years before, when two skiers go missing on the mountain, and you're all set for a thrilling ride. It's not all glossy though, and some of the secrets that are revealed are far from it. This all adds to the appeal of the book, which you'll want to gobble up in one sitting.

A brilliant debut novel!

The Chalet is the type of book to curl up with on a wet Sunday afternoon. It didn’t wow me, didn’t grip me and I found it difficult to connect to the characters. But I wanted to see it through, and it threw me off more than once, coming to a satisfying conclusion.

The premise is straightforward: years after a man goes missing, presumed dead in treacherous conditions on a mountain, a group of people come together at the same place for a holiday. But as events unfold, it becomes clear there are connections to the deceased – and more secrets than any one character knows what to do with.

The mis-direction and split between timelines could have made this an engaging read. But I didn’t like any of the characters. Ria is shallow, over-emotional and self-centred. Although you learn why, it’s hard to like her when she dismisses anyone who tries to get close to her. Her emotions are fake, and being privy to that means she becomes annoying.

While Hugo has feelings and a personality, none of the other men have redeeming qualities. Cameron, Simon and Adam are all egotistic and treat the women around them with disdain. You didn’t care what happened to any of them and any mishaps that befell them felt well deserved.

A final character – unnamed to avoid any spoilers – has the most depth. But it’s initially unclear how they fit into the main story, again making it hard to feel any attachment to someone when you’re not sure who they are. There’s no connection!

Three plots make up the timeline: the past from 20 years ago, the past catching up to the present, and events as they unfold. It helped keep the pace moving as events slot together, and makes you question if everyone is who they say they are.

There were certain things I guessed. But there is a clever mis-direction that meant I was on the wrong track for most of it. It’s the reveal that stopped me from getting bored – it’s enough of a hook at the right moment to keep you reading. You want to know what happens, but not because you care.

The Chalet lacked tension. The difficulty connecting to characters undermined any attempts to increase the stakes because it didn’t matter what the outcome was. Individual incidents scattered throughout – the wife monetarily disappearing, for example – didn’t work to heighten either the mystery or the sense something was wrong.

I’m struggling writing this review. This is not a bad book: it’s relatively short and it intrigued me about how events would play out. It’s a solid escape for a while if you want to pass the time. It just didn’t touch me on an emotional level – either good or bad – which makes it difficult to sum up how I feel. I’d recommend The Chalet if you need a quick book to read. The intrigue is there but the characters and tension is flat. As mysteries go, it falls short.