I feel like there was a better book in this somewhere but i struggled to find it. It had so many elements i liked or that was interesting but it just didn't hold me enough. I felt as if the cast of characters needed to be fleshed out a little more as they were fine but there was a little something lacking overall. This book wasn't bad by any means but it was very average and it didn't fulfil what i wanted from it.

I love Chris Brookmyre's books and this one is a fun read that tips its hat to And Then There Were None. It is well-structured, with fully rounded characters, and full of secrets and twists. I can't wait for his next one.

I enjoyed The Cliff House as a light weight murder mystery; I’d had the impression that it was going to be similar to Agatha Christie’s And Then There was None. However, for me it was a little bit disappointing, as it’s the first Chris Brookmyre book I’ve read and I expected it to be grittier, darker.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review the book.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Little, Brown Book Group UK, in exchange for an honest review.
I adore thrillers centered around 'bunch of people go to a house somewhere and something creepy happens', but it is an admittedly saturated market. The Cliff House delivers solidly on this premise but it's difficult for me to say it particularly stands out.

The Cliff House is the story of Jen's bachelorette party, a chance for old friends and old enemies to reunite in an isolated house on an island. Among the guests are rockstar Michelle and her ex-bandmate/best friend Helena, Jen's ex husband's sister, her new husband's sister and two other friends. Among all this chaos and classic social awkwardness, disaster strikes when someone is found dead and yet another person goes missing. With the guests threatened from an unclear source, someone must reveal a secret to prevent another death.

To be honest, I actually read this book twice before reviewing it. The first time I didn't think much of it and couldn't remember it very well, whilst the second time I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed it a lot more. There are a ton of characters and interactions between those characters, and I think it was a little easier to keep them separate in the audiobook. It was also easier to follow who was who on the second read.

Overall, this book is a reasonably enjoyable thriller. It has a good cast of characters, a lot going on (which is better than a book that drags) and a decent pace. I feel like a lot of the individual elements are nothing unique, but if you like thrillers with this premise then there's no reason not to read this

Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

One hen weekend, seven secrets... but only one worth killing for!

The psychological thriller is set on Clachan Geal, a small remote Scottish island on the edge of the Atlantic, a beautiful, windswept place on which is located an exclusive, luxurious and expensive mansion for hire.
Jen is a successful business woman who has recently sold Muffin Finer, although she remains the head of the company, leaving her an extremely wealthy woman. She is engaged to be married for the second time to her fiance, Zaki Hussain.
She has booked the island mansion from the owner, and single mother Lauren, for the celebration of her hen night with a group of female friends, each of whom it is trailed from the beginning. These are women with closely guarded secrets.

And therein things get even more interesting. This is a well crafted thriller that delivered a very satisfying story.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A dark twisted thriller set in Scotland, told from the perspectives of the characters/guests on the island. It was well paced and had me gripped. My first read of this author and I hop not my last!

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC copy.

Jen is getting married. Although after a previous abusive marriage she's still unsure if she truly trusts her new husband to be. A fabulous hen do on a remote, isolated, stunning island will surely help calm her nerves and get her ready for her big day.

The trouble is when her and her hens, a pop star, a pop star has been, previous sister in law, new sister in law that's she's never met, a fashionista and their new mysterious tennis coach friend arrive they all have a secret to hide. That's when things go wrong. One of them is missing, there's no way off the island, and to help their missing friend stay alive they have to confess their deepest secrets.

Will they all survive and just who is behind it all?

I really enjoyed this. The history and relationships between the ladies were executed perfectly and the twists and turns kept coming. I changed my mind a couple of times over "who did it". Would definitely recommend.

Secrets galore from beginning to end, and absolutely nothing is as it seems. Just as soon as you think you have something figured out, you get hit in the head with another twist! Recommended for anyone who loves a good read that will keep you entertained.

I want really feeling this when I first picked it up, but it was next in my netgalley list so I went with it. Wow, I'm so glad I did. It was getting, it was thrilling and I didn't want to put it down. The way it all unfolded was very well written. I would definitely recommend this

When Jen decided to book a luxury getaway for her hen ‘do’ she could not have imagined the consequences. She had booked a private island which they will have to themselves for 3 days, or so they think….
They are all settling in & have already had to much to drink which makes for a very unstable atmosphere. Then one of the ‘hens’ disappears and they receive a message that she will be killed unless someone confesses their secret. Unfortunately, everyone on the island has a secret and no one wants to confess.
I found this book a bit slow to start with but once it got its hooks in the pages kept turning. The multiple layers of secrecy and deception help conceal the identity of the assassin right to the end.

Chris Brookmyre is one of my all-time favourite, absolute auto-buy authors, and I feel so lucky to have received an ARC of this book. He sets up the most fantastic, unhinged locked-room-style thrillers where every single character has skeletons in their closets, with richly described Scottish settings that only make their appeal stronger - and this book was no exception. I feel like this was a more serious book than some of Brookmyre's other offerings, with less of the dark humour I adore threaded through it, but nevertheless I found it a gripping read with an intriguing cast of characters, and I loved the remote island setting.

This is the perfect book for when you know you can dedicate some solid reading time and get it down in one or two days - whether it's a rainy day weekend, lazing by the pool, laid up, off-sick - immerse yourself in the tale.

It sounds like a nightmare from the get-go doesn't it, a hen weekend on a remote island, miles from civilisation, with no real chance of communicating with the outside world. So it was obvious that things would be taking a sinister turn and take a sinister turn they sure did!

The group of 'friends' mainly only had the hen, Jen, as their common connection. Although they try to make the most of it to begin with, it is very obvious that they are all hiding something and that by and large most of them aren't there in the best of spirits and soon frictions become impossible to ignore. Frankly, that's recipe enough for a nightmare weekend in my book believe it or not things get worse as it starts to become clear that they are being targeted by someone on the Island. And as they are the only ones there...

The author reveals teasing backstories bit by bit and layers up the tension as some classic cliches are played out. An uncomfortable vibe already sets the tone and a few careful nudges soon send this in a downward spiral for the group who begrudgingly attend the hen party.

Overall, it's a brilliant mix of cleverly curated and unlikeable characters, a 'locked room' style mystery and damn fine example of why I like cosy hotels with good wifi ;)

I really enjoy books with multiple perspectives and unreliable narrators. Knowing that each of the characters may have something to hide made this book unputdownable.

I read this one in 2 sittings and loved the way each of the women's storylines intertwined and overlapped. I really enjoyed the writing style and would definitely pick up more from this author.

We really get a good sense of who these characters are as more and more secrets are unveiled as the story become darker. The tension becomes stronger as the story goes along with a great twist

This book has all the elements for a great story, isolated house on an island, a group of women with dark secrets and a possible murder. It took me a little while to get into this one and whilst it was entertaining I found the characters a bit dull and towards the end all the revelations became a bit overkill for me.. I found I didn’t really care what happened to the women in the end and the plot was a bit silly.
I had read some great reviews so I was disappointed, but, of course we all enjoy different things!

Chris Brookmyre’s 2022 island thriller, ‘The Cliff House,’ is written in quite an accessible way. I am not suggesting that this novel is written simplistically, but rather that it is written in a very familiar way, so one can connect with the narrative easily, although it concerns subject matters that I hope most people wouldn’t have had to endure (such as missing husbands, domestic violence and finding dead bodies in the kitchen). To say I think this book might have deserved a trigger warning for some of the content would be an understatement, Brookmyre writes in a familiar but blugeoningly unapologetic way, handling complex subjects and sensitive details skilfully, but occasionally the content could be at risk of upsetting some people.

Jen has rented a luxury getaway for her hen do, an entire island off the Scottish coast, a location that influencers scramble for invites to and celebrities pay thousands and thousands to host elaborate parties and weddings at the large lavish mansion that resides on the Island of Calchan Geal. Luckily for Jen, there was a cancelation. So, she booked the island for her big weekend, inviting her nearest and dearest to join her.

‘I want you to feel the one true essence of the Clachan Geal experience: Splendid Isolation’

Little did they know that within hours of arriving on the island and being greeted by the host and owner, Lauren, that they would find a dead body in the kitchen, and they would realise how very alone they really are.

‘The Reaper: All for one and one for all. Six downloads short.”

FULL REVIEW COMING ON THE FANTASY HIVE @TheFantasyHive

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the advance review copy.

Whilst I enjoyed this, and if I’m being honest it did keep me turning the pages given there were so many cliffhanger endings to chapters, I did find it hard to get into and follow. Having reached the end I’m still not sure I could tell you how Jen knew each of the women invited on her hen do, and in places this made it hard to understand or sympathise. Several characters were pretty unlikeable anyway but I get that that’s the point to an extent!

It was fast paced and I did want to reach the end to find out the truth and the culprit, but I’ve definitely read better ‘closed set’ style murder/crime mysteries lately.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for approving me for this book.

I felt the writing was done well in this book but there was just something missing for me and I couldn't get into it and enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.

I enjoy Brookmyre’s books and am usually kept very engaged throughout them, with this book being no exception to that rule. I did need some time to get to grips with the characters but as an audiobook, it was kept very clear who is who in each new chapter. I enjoyed the unraveling of the mystery and can fully believe the realism of how they dealt with their situation.

I also enjoy the name-dropping of locations in Glasgow as it feels like a home comfort and building a bit more relatability of the characters. Overall, a very enjoyable read.

For the most of the novel, I was enjoying it very much. After all, what is not to love when mysterious killer targets a bunch of female acquaintances on an isolated island and wants them to spill their secrets? The secrets are explosive, the issues are real and the women and the tensions between them are believable (my favourites were frenemies Michelle and Helena).
But unfortunately the ending is a killjoy here - you have such an interesting game and you destroy it with such an unbelievable, clichey perpetrator? The ending also makes you think WHY do you need so many people present to execute such a plan. All is smoke and mirrors, yes, but when the smoke drifts away, you simply have too many bodies there.