Claire and her ghostly companion, Sophie, are persuaded to join their close friends on a relaxing break at a wellness spa retreat on a small island just off the Irish coast. The retreat has only just opened and the owner exclusively invited a small group of old university friends. However an error is made and Claire and her friends are also booked in at the same time. There is immediate friction between the members of the two groups. There is then a murder and tensions and suspicions increase.

The island is also home to a several ghostly factions with the pirates trying to invade the fort held by the Irish soldiers whilst also tying to recover some lost treasure. There is a nice balance of humour throughout as Claire stumbles her way through solving the murder and also unraveling the mystery of the missing pirate treasure.

A strong point of this book is that the scenery and details of the island, the weather and tides are very carefully described and gives a good sense of place.

This is the second book in this series and having thoroughly enjoyed the first I had high expectations. However, although it presents some quirky characters this story did not hold my attention as much as the first book did and I finished it feeling a little disappointed. The dialogue in places felt rushed and the amount of swearing I felt was excessive and detracted from the story.

This is the second book in the ‘Grave Expectations’ series. I enjoyed the first book last year and was keen to rejoin the characters on a new adventure.

Claire is in her 30’s and a medium, helped by her best friend Sophie - a ghost who is perpetually 17 years old. Claire, Sophie along with their friends Basher and Alex decide to holiday on Spike Island, of the West Coast of Ireland. Things don’t quite go to plan when it turns out the hotel is unfinished and has been double-booked alongside a private visit of the owner’s university friends. Add in a pirate ghost and several other local ghosts in conflict over treasure lost hundreds of years ago plus a murder and it’s all set up for Claire to start investigating and trying to clear her name after becoming a suspect.

I really enjoyed being back with the characters from the first book again and meeting some new ones too although it did take me a little while to get clear with who was who. I liked the further exploration in this book of the relationship between Claire and Sophie and the impact this has had on Claire over the years they have been bonded. The book also has good humour and dialogue between the characters. I felt it was easy and enjoyable to read. I think I maybe preferred the setting of the first book more and I did guess some of the ‘reveals’ quite early but was still surprised by others and this did not take away from my enjoyment. I also really like the paranormal aspect to this mystery series.

I am looking forward to more books in this series and I would love to explore further what happened to Sophie and to make steps towards solving that mystery.

I am rating this book 3.75 stars (rounded up to 4 stars).

Thank you to the publisher, Atlantic Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

It was great to catch up with the characters after leaving them in Grave Expectations, one of my top reads of last year.
In this instalment Claire, Sophie, Alex and Basher are on holiday in Ireland when they are asked by a pirate ghost to investigate the theft of treasure. Theres another murder and some more ghosts in this instalment - what’s not to love 👻

'Displeasure Island' is the second novel from Alice Bell, following the hugely successful 'Grave Expectations'. In this book, we rejoin C, Sophie, Alex and Uncle Basher as they take a holiday at a retreat on an isolated Irish island. With undertones of a Christie 'locked room' mystery, this modern mystery has a well-balanced ensemble cast, excellent dialogue with good comic timing, and a good pace that encourages the reader to keep turning the pages.

The only thing that distracted me was that I guessed some of the ending very early on. Bell plays fair with the clues, dropping them into the plot with an often delicate touch, and sewing plenty of red herrings along the way, but I like to be kept guessing right to the last minute.

What I absolutely loved about this book is how much more we saw of Sophie and her own subplots - having Sophie, C and their relationship is what differentiates this book from a lot of others and makes it stand out in both paranormal and mystery genres. Genuinely cannot wait for book three, as I'll be first in line!

This second book in the series about 30 something Claire and her best friend, 17 year old Sophie (who happens to be a ghost) is a fast paced murder mystery. This time it is set on a remote Irish island haunted by lots of ghosts (pirates, Irish soldiers and long dead prisoners). When Claire, Sophie, Basher and Alex get trapped on this island with a party of strangers, someone is murdered and everyone is a suspect! Great fun ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Grave Expectations, the first in this series about a 30-something medium and the ghost of her teenage best friend who is her constant companion, was one of my top reads of 2023. I loved the strong vein of humour running through it, which was accompanied by strong characterisation and a gripping plot which didn't ever feel too far-fetched (or, as much as is possible in a book where the main character talks to ghosts).

I was therefore really excited to read Displeasure Island, but unfortunately this fell a bit flat to me. While the first book felt well developed, I had a constant feeling of being rushed through the action this time around, with some characters barely developed and even sometimes a feeling that the ends of paragraphs had been cut off, because a conversation or description would just stop without really making sense. This might be an issue with the e-galley or it might be that this second book has had less time spent on it, but it feels a shame as there's still a lot to enjoy. Main character Claire and the ghost of Sophie remain good company (although I got annoyed with Claire a number of times - and her getting the hump with Basher and Alex seemed crow-barred in to provide some conflict rather than something genuinely convincing).

As with the first book, the ghosts - this time of pirates and Irish soldiers - had a lot of the good lines (in this respect it shares something in common with the TV show Ghosts) and the humour was still strong. I just didn't love it like I did the first book.

It was a very exciting read to delve into the world of Spike Island for relaxation only to end up entwined with treasure, murder and mystery.