This was an intense read full of action and lots of twists that added to the mystery. The characters ere so well described that I could envisage them very easily and all of them were full of such idiosyncrasies .his was a thrilling book that kept me reading halfway through the night as I could not put it down until the end.

Wow ! What an excellent book !
I read this authors first novel last year and was really looking forward to the next book. Well let me tell you the second book was not a disappointment, I loved it !
Edge of the seat stuff with a brilliant twist.
5⭐️‘S

This is Sarah Pearse's second novel and I was wondering how it would fare following the success of The Sanatorium. Basically it's another success! Sarah is brilliant in creating a tense and creepy atmosphere in another perfect location for a thriller.
This is the second book in the Detective Elin Warner series and I definitely warmed to her a lot more than in The Sanatorium but I did begin to like Will less!
The plot was full of action and mystery and I really enjoyed the way in all unfolded. I knew there would be some twists somewhere along the way but I'm pleased to say I didn't manage to figure them out.
I'll be looking forward to book number 3 from Sarah!

I gobbled up The Sanatorium and I so excited to be approved for this one. But, what a let down it was no a patch on her first one. I felt it was written in a rush and it didn’t flow as well. The story seemed to just drift along in fits and starts and didn’t really excite me at all. Hoping for better next time. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

‘Most are here to recharge and refresh. 
But someone's here for revenge.’

My thanks to Random House U.K. Transworld Publishers for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Retreat’ by Sarah Pearse.

Detective Elin Warner was introduced in ‘The Sanatorium’, Pearse’s 2021 debut. In it Elin was staying at the isolated luxury hotel, high up in the Swiss Alps, and making up her mind if she was going to return to the MCIT (Major Crime Investigation Team) following medical leave. Pearse provided some background, though I felt that ‘The Retreat’ worked fine as a standalone.

Elin is now easing back into her police duties and is assigned to work with DC Steed. When there is the report of a body found at the Lumen luxury resort on Cary Island off the South Devon coast, as she and Steed are already in the area they travel out there by police boat to assess the situation and report back to their boss.

Things are complicated by the fact that Will, Erin’s partner, was the architect for the Lumen resort. It was his passion project and has been nominated for an important industry award. Any bad publicity could jeopardise the resort; especially as the island already has a dark history with the locals. Oh and Will’s sister, Farrah, is the current manager of Lumen.

In order to avoid spoilers I won’t reveal who has died at Lumen though will say that it is one of a group there on holiday that are introduced in Chapter 2. As there were a fair few I made myself a list of characters so that I could keep straight who was who.

Elin’s investigation leads down some twisty paths and the body count rises. Oh, and a major storm is on the way that will cut off access to the mainland. This ‘one thing piled on top of another’ was very much the style of ‘The Sanatorium’.

I was glad that Elin was more focused this time round though she still did get herself into some rather sticky situations. In the Epilogue there was a bit of a teaser for the next book.

Overall, I found ‘The Retreat’ a bit cluttered though still an entertaining whodunnit.

Despite a formulaic plot, it is a really good read. It stands alone but, as always, it's worth reading the first volume. The plot never drags and speeds up towards the end with many twists. A very enjoyable read.

The Retreat is book number two in this series and I think would be ok to read as a stand-alone.
I really loved the sanatorium which is the first book in this series but for me I just couldn’t get into this one. I found it had a lot of characters and was very slow going. It was an effort to pick this up, I don’t think the storyline is bad as it had a lot going on, I think it’s probably me as I am in the minority with my view.
The retreat is on an island off Devon, it is an eco wellness retreat, there for you to come and relax and recharge but someone isn’t there to relax someone is there for revenge. Reapers rock has history though and as much as people want to forget about it the murders that are happening now isn’t going to make that happen anytime soon. D.I Elin Warner must work out what is happening and fast before more lives are lost.
I would like to thank Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great second novel and a follow-on with the same police force.
The twists are insane, every time they try to gain evidence to solve the murder it complicates the narrative.
There are no solid alibis and the motives are complicated, I love how the strands of the storyline are confusing and full of red herrings that are genuinely baffling.
The ending is jaw-dropping and you won't see it coming at all.
#netgalley #TheRetreat

I wasn’t so keen on The Sanatorium but I loved the premise and liked the authors writing style. Hearing it would be a series, I was intrigued! The second book was definitely better than the first, but it still didn’t quite have the spark I wanted, or needed from the story.

A brilliant read. So deserving of 5 stars to me. The setting was just perfect and I’d absolutely want to visit, aside from the who murder aspect.
Really thrilling story, the author is getting better and better!

I read and reviewed The Retreat on Netgalley in exchange for providing honest feedback. Sarah’s book is thrilling, exciting, unputdownable and a perfect ‘who has done it’ story. I would go as far as to say that The Retreat might quite possible be one of my favourite thrillers that I’ve read.
I know for sure that after reading this book on Netgalley I want to buy a print copy so that I can read this action-packed novel again. It had everything that I want from a thriller, a clever plot, brilliant writing style and character development, complex characters, a serial killer element, police solving the crimes, spooky, and remote location.
I loved the location but I would not be in a rush to book a villa in this luxury resort. The book felt modern and in with the times as it mentioned social media and influencers, but it cleverly jumped back and forth in the storyline.
I would have given this book 6 stars if I could, 5 stars do not feel enough for this fast paced, mysterious novel. I loved this thriller and recommend it to everybody!

I couldn't wait to read this follow on from The Sanctuary which I really enjoyed. The book begins by us meeting Elin a few months after the Hayler case where she is now living with her partner on the west coast. He has just designed a new 'Retreat' which has been shortlisted for rewards for its design - although it has been built on a nearby secluded island with a murky past,

We realise something sinister has happened on the island previously when it was a school and activities camp. When Hana, her sister Jo and cousin Maya arrive for a break away something terrible happens and Elin gets called across to investigate to see if this is linked to anything that happened back in the past.

Through out the book we find out from each character past of their past catching up with them.

I loved how descriptive the island was as well with all the wildlife and nature.

This was a great page turner and I will be recommending to others.

After the superb The Sanatorium I was looking forward to discovering where Sarah Pearse would go next. The Retreat is just as good, and it is interesting to meet Elin Warner again, in a different setting. Once again we are in a closed room situation, but on an island dedicated to wellness and recreation. When deaths start to occur, Elin must work out who is responsible and why. There are some fascinating revelations and various interesting revelations. Excellent stuff!

Ooh, another belter from Sarah Pearse. her second book has the same flawed detective Elin and her partner Will.

A wellness retreat has opened on a creepy island off the coast of Devon. The island has a past, a serial killer loomed back in the day. Are they back? How can they be if they're in prison? One by one, guests are found murdered. So what links the island now to the island then?

A real page turner.

Recharge. Refresh. REVENGE !
A wellness retreat opens on an island on the Devon Coast. The Retreat offers rest and relaxation but the Island known as Reapers Rock has a dark past and when a body is found on the rocks history begins to repeat itself.

I found this a little slow at the start but once the pace picked up I just couldn't stop reading. Loved the Creepy isolation Vibes
The twists just kept coming ! Elin character development in this book flowed perfectly from The Sanitorium I can't wait to read more in this series !!

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House UK and Sarah Pearse for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest Review

I recently read the sanatorium and highly highly recommend this. Having finished the sanatorium and having a new favourite female detective - I was so glad to have the second one to hand.
Thank you so much for the publisher and tour organiser for sending this to me
The author delivers another great crime book. I really do hope this is the beginning of a long series featuring Elin
From the very first chapter, the action begins.
The author tells the story in short, snappy chapters, leaving each chapter on a cliffhanger, leaving the reader just wanting one more chapter, until suddenly the book is finished
Elin is one of my favourite detectives. She is not without flaws and I can relate to her in so many ways.
From book 1, I didn’t like her boyfriend Will and more so in this book. I loved the way the two books linked together
In this book we are introduced to a group of sisters, a cousin and their boyfriends, all lying to each other and harbouring their own secrets. When one of them is found dead, Elin cancels her holiday and immediately starts to solve the case
Is the killer closer than she thinks??

An outstanding detective novel! I just want more!

This is fictional detective Elin Warner’s second outing, but it is to Pearse’s credit that this novel also works as a stand-alone. This time, Elin and her partner Steed are called to Cary Island in Devon, an eco-retreat where an extended family reports the sudden death of a young woman. What should be an idyllic setting is transformed into a claustrophobic, inhospitable setting when a storm cuts the island off from the mainland. And what should be a thorough investigation for Elin is made even more complex when a second person, also from the family group, dies in mysterious circumstances. With its switches between different points of view and packing in several backstories, there is a lot going on in this thriller but readers who disappear will be rewarded with the most incredible of endings. Highly recommended! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for granting me the free ARC that made this honest book review possible.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the gifted early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Read this if you:

✔Believe that a place can be cursed
✔Like a novel where everyone is a suspect
✔Want a suspenseful book
✔Are new to thrillers and want to try out this genre

My Thoughts:

This is Sarah Pearse’s second novel, but the first one that I read. I heard awesome things about The Sanatorium, her first book, but I never got around to reading it. My expectations going into The Retreat were pretty high given all the hype on her previous novel.

I was a bit disappointed because the twists were not very hard to guess and I wasn’t impressed. Maybe it’s because after reading a lot of thrillers, there are very few things that could still surprise me.

Despite not having blown my mind, I still enjoyed the book because it was suspenseful from beginning to end and it kept me curious.

I also loved that the characters were well built. I enjoyed getting to know them and seeing their personalities come more and more to the surface throughout the book.

Overall, this was a pleasant read but I expected a bit more mind-blowing twists. I think this could be perfect for readers who are just trying out this genre.

Detective Elin Warner is back and, once again, she finds herself in a remote location, with bad weather conditions, murder to solve, and a killer on the loose (and I loved it!). This time, the murder scene is a bit a closer to home, a recently opened hotel on a island just off the coast which her boyfriend Will designed and where his sister Farrah works as a manager. A few years earlier, the island had been the setting of another crime scene when a group of teenagers camping there had been murdered. Now, the victim is a young woman who wasn’t supposed to be on the island, and then someone else is found dead…

While I enjoyed The Sanatorium and The Retreat both in the same way, I have to say that I liked more the Elin Warner that we see in The Retreat. She has a new working partner, while her relationship with her boyfriend Will becomes a bit strained during the investigation. She is surer of herself and tougher working her first murder case since leaving the Major Crimes Investigation Team.

The plot is suspenseful and chilling. Secrets, lies, resentment, revenge, and jealousy start a series of murders while the island, renamed Reaper’s Rock, is itself a protagonist of the story. Once it housed a school that burnt down, then became an Outward Bound center where a group of teenagers was brutally murdered, and now people are being killed in the newly built retreat while a storm outside prevents people from leaving the island. As the storm raged I was on the edge of my seat to see what would happen. And once the killer is found, the twists don’t end with a final shocking surprise that I didn’t see coming.

I was completely immersed in The Retreat and I am already hoping for more adventures and cases for Detective Elin Warner.

I loved ‘The Sanatorium’ and was keen to read this one. However, I found there were too many characters to keep up with and it was a very slow read. I stopped at 50%. Hopefully I enjoy the next one as much as I did the first one.