As a busy working mom, I found The Island by Mary Grand to be a riveting and emotionally intense read that kept me on the edge of my seat. The story follows Juliet as her father lies dying, delivering a chilling warning: a killer is on the loose, and the threat may be closer than she realizes. With the weight of a family secret hanging over her, revealed to her husband, Rhys, Juliet must unravel the truth before it’s too late.

Grand’s writing is suspenseful and engaging, effectively building tension as Juliet navigates her grief while uncovering dark secrets that threaten her life and those she loves. The characters are complex and relatable, each grappling with their own fears and vulnerabilities, which added depth to the story.

Final Thoughts:
The Island is a captivating thriller that perfectly blends family drama with a chilling mystery, making it an ideal read for moms looking for a page-turner. It serves as a powerful reminder of how secrets can shape our lives and the importance of trust, making it a must-read for anyone seeking a gripping escape!

Creepy, claustrophobic and oh so chilling, Mary Grand’s The Island is a tense and terrifying thriller best read with the lights on and the doors and windows bolted shut.

Having been abroad for years, Juliet has returned to the Isle of Wight to visit her father and her three sisters: Cassie, a professional musician who is currently direction less and purpose less, Mira, who is profoundly deaf and married to the local vicar and glamorous Rosalind. Her three sisters have got their own demons to battle, but with their father seriously ill, they decide to put his health and well-being first and to care for him during the last days of his life. As Juliet sits by her father’s beside, he shocks her with a warning that sends fear coursing through her: there is a killer on the loose who is far too close for comfort. Juliet’s father concludes by saying that he confided a family secret to his son-in-law Rhys which he now regrets. Why is her father doubting his son in law? Who is the killer waiting in the shadows and what is his connection to her family?

Days later, when the clocks strike one am, a man walks out of Rhys’ church and is run down by a car driven by an unidentified driver. Juliet is shocked by this turn of events, but even more shocking is the fact that finger of suspicion is pointing squarely in her direction. With her neck on the line, Juliet knows that if she wants to exonerate herself, then she might need to uncover scandalous family secrets that have lain hidden for years and years. Yet, Juliet needs to be extremely careful because the killer is watching her and with each passing day draws closer and closer…

Readers are going to devour Mary Grand’s The Island in one sitting! A tightly-plotted rollercoaster ride with plenty of shocking twists and revelations, The Island is an eerie and disturbing tale about old sins, present dangers and persistent terrors that grabs the reader from page one and will have them chewing their nails to the elbow until the last heart-stopping twist.

Mary Grand’s The Island is a pulse-pounding thriller perfect for Lucy Foley fans!

This book was everything I look for in a book. It was so exciting. The plot was fantastic. It really had me on the edge of my seat, and my heart racing. It was very well written and flowed well.

Nothing is as it seems from the beginning of this gripping book. Just as soon as you think you have it figured out, the author surprises you again. Recommended for anyone who loves a great read.

This book frustrated me in parts. It was still unpredictable, but I just couldnt connect with the characters. I expected alot more. It lacked suspense and mystery.

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2.5 Hearts Ok I had a hard time with this book. The story follows Juliet who is trying to find out what her father was trying to tell her on his death bed since she suspects his “accident” was intentional and when her brother-in-law dies as well she is even more suspicious.

The problem comes with the writing. It is so all over the place. It never felt like any conversation gave us any clues or answers. Juliet is a bit irritating. I never really cared if she found out any information and found myself skipping parts of the book and reading just the dialogue to see what was going on.

Just not my cup of tea.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Juliet returned home as her father was dying, but he warned both her and her sisters about a killer on the loose.
This story was a whodunit which had twists and thrilling scenes to keep me engrossed.
The prose could have been sharper to keep the tension high
Overall, a good read.

A great story with lots of twists set in my favourite place on earth Isle of Wight. It had me gripped from the start. I look forward to reading more by Mary

I liked this story but I found the main character a little off. She was bossy and a little pushy but she did get the job done of figuring out who was the killer. Juliet has returned home to the Isle of Wright for the death of her father. She arrives before he dies and he talks very candidly of not trusting many of the family friends and neighbors. Now the police think he might have been killed and when her sister's husband is murdered she starts questioning everyone including her family about motives. Family secrets play a role and the story was a very good one. I received copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I thought that the book, was such a page turner. A great read. I loved the book. The plot was very well written and I cannot wait to read another book by this author.
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A gripping thriller. Great characters and believable plot. Explores the theme of secrets and how the truth always wants to come to the fore. A murder mystery set in the Isle of Wight. Juliets determination to keep digging for the truth leads to a nail biting finish.

Wow - a brilliant "who - dunnit", which right from the beginning pulls in the reader. Juliet has returned to the Isle of Wight to see her ill father after years travelling and is once again reunited with her threee sisters, Cassie a professional musican who seems to be very troubles, Mina who is profoundly deaf and married to the local Vicar but whose relationship seems to be coming apart and finally young Rosalind a glamourous and charming personality but who is leading a secret life. As her Father dies he warns her that there is a killer is on the loose and that a secret he has been keeping has been shared with his son-in - law Rhys. Then as a man leaves Rhys's church at one in the morning he is mown down. Juliet finds that suspicion is falling on her and she endeavours to unravel the secret and find the killer. the setting of the Isle of Wight brings to the story that insular and claustohic heart-stopping feeling of a good physological thriller. Add to the mix a brother who died 20 years before and her childhood friend and you have a tale that grips the reader to the end.

The Island is an absolute page-turner, that you think you have figured out but you really don't so you keep turning the pages to see if you are right and found out what happens next.

What a fabulous book, great characters, a wonderful setting and a plot that keeps you thinking.
Well done to Mary Grand on another 5 star story.!!

3.75 stars for this book that I received for free from Netgalley.

This was my first book by this author and I didn’t quite know what to expect but what I found was a well worked plot that made me doubt my powers of deductions until the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.
I liked that the characters had some depth even in their shallowness, for some, but found some bits of the secondary story to be a tad useless to the bigger picture and Juliet, the main character, had a tendency to think of herself as the great detective but overall, this was a great read and I have already recommended it to a friend.

A great read with lots of twists.

The book is set on the Isle of Wight and is about a family with 4 daughters. Juliet one of the daughters has just arrived back from working in China as her Dad had a car accident. The story then explores all the sisters life’s as well as the parents There are many secrets and Juliet plays at being a detective to find out what really happened to her father the night he crashed and died. The characters are all perfectly described and you can vision them.

I was gripped by the book and when I thought I knew who did it, the story reveled it might not be them. It’s fast paced and you want to keep turning the page to find out more.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book for an honest review.

When her father is having an accident, Juliet is coming home. Before he dies he is telling Juliet that there is a secret in the family. What is the secret? Can she ask her mom or her three sisters? Then her brother in law is murdered.
Definitely 5 stars, I loved all the characters and the plot was nice. I love the idea of murders on an island. The killer is close.
Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and the author for this beautiful adventure with Juliet''s family.

Claustrophobic, Atmospheric, Unpredictable Suspense…
The island - it’s an accepted fact of life that everyone knows everyone else’s business. Secrets just cannot be kept. What is also true, however, is that one can never really know anyone else, not really. Claustrophobic, atmospheric and often entirely unpredictable suspense with a perfect insular setting adding much to the well plotted storyline. Tense, gripping and satisfying reading.

After her father has a fatal accident, Juliet returns home to the island where her family lives, to see him one last time. He says some disturbing things that leave her unsettled, and when her brother-in-law is killed after planning to reveal family secrets, she begins to suspect her entire family. This was really good even though I was not surprised by really any of the secrets or twists. 4 stars.

I normally read books fairly quickly. This one took me longer. The story did not really engage me until the last part of the book . Lots of discussion, Juliet the main character starts suspecting everyone with very little evidence and the story was a little contrived. The interactions within the family did not ring true for me either , though the possible reasons for some of this came out later in the book. There are also lots of irrelevant bits and pieces which do not add much to the story and which pad the book out too much
The setting is the Isle of Wight , the descriptions in the book are Ok, but more could have been made of it
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest reviw. Not a bad book but I have read better

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4091344168