This story gets off to a bit of a slow start and takes a while setting the scene as this is one of those books where the setting is almost a character in its own right. The setting is Eris, a remote Scottish tidal island accessible for only 12 hours a day. The present day inhabitant is Grace, a retired doctor and custodian/executor for the estate of Vanessa Chapman, the previous inhabitant of the island and a renowned artist. Becker is the curator employed by the foundation that inherited Vanessa Chapman’s art works and has been despatched to Eris to locate some missing art items. There, he encounters Grace and they start working through Vanessa’s journals and correspondence. Meanwhile, a piece of sculpture being exhibited has been found to contain a human bone.

The Blue Hour has a great plot but the characters are unreadable and unlikeable, which along with the slow start makes it less compelling than it could have been. Very reminiscent of Daphne DuMaurier in the way it conveys an atmosphere of foreboding however.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this advance copy.

Thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for ARC.

From the beginning, this tale builds the atmosphere. The remote tidal island setting, the inhospitable climate and the fragmented nature of the uncovered narrative (partly told through snippets of diaries and letters that seem to have been pulled from storage at random), all build the sense of foreboding, foreshadowing.

Becker is an art curator, employed by the aristocratic family who became heir to the artistic estate of Vanessa Chapman. He's felt a connection with her work since childhood, and this is in many ways his dream job. When under difficult circumstances he needs to travel north to Chapman's former home, to visit Grace, her other heir, he is beside himself with anticipation and trepidation. What he finds is of course darker and more complex than he could imagine. He's drawn back to the island again and again before he realises that there is a guiding hand behind the flow of information and the intent is not what he first thought.

It begins slowly, and I wasn't as fascinated by some of the characters as I needed to be. The last third of the book will have you reading long into the night and the ending is breathtaking...

I have enjoyed everything by this author and this doesn't disappoint. She sets up a situation which you have to work to understand and it gradually emerges as a world for you to understand without being hit over the head with exposition.
Its easily accessible but not too easy and obvious. I LIKE that slight challenge which this genre doesnt always offer.
Enjoyable and engaging.

A slow burner which is worth the wait.

Becker visits an isolated island to get answers from Grace, the friend of deceased artist Vanessa Chapman when a human bone is found amongst one of her sculptures.

It took me a while to sort who the characters were in my head and where they fit into the story, once I did I settled in and enjoyed the way the plot unfolded.
Grace is a really interesting character and how she fits into the plot is very clever. The island itself is atmospheric and I could imagine being stuck on the island which adds to the tension.

This started off strong, with the intriguing story of artist Vanessa who lived all alone on a Scottish island and the bone that's showed up in one of her works of art. I was more than ready for what this book had to offer. It had me intrigued for the first 80 pages or so. It slowed down a bit then and I did find myself struggling for a storyline or character to grip onto. But I need not have worried. It really ramps up in the back half and becomes a book you can't put down. The final section had me shocked, thrilled and horrified in equal measure. Definitely glad I read it.

4.5 Stars

The Blue Hour is a twisty, gripping read about love, jealousy and obsession. I’ve read all of this author’s books and I think this is her best yet!  

Firstly, I thought there were some really fascinating and complex characters in this book which I enjoyed getting to know throughout the story.  All of them seem normal and likeable when we first meet them but we discover some of the secrets that they are hiding then we start to see a whole different side to their personalities.  I loved this part of the story and it was fascinating to see the different relationships the characters had with each other as well as finding out more about their past.  My favourite character was Becker who I felt was actually a good guy put in a difficult situation and I found I wanted to keep reading to see how things worked out for him.  

This book has a bit of a locked room element to it as most of the action takes place on an isolated island that is cut off from the coast for several hours due to the tides.  Through events on the island we learn how this isolation both helps and hinders the inhabitants at different times though their lives.  Making them feel free of restraints and distractions sometimes while at others making them feel lonely or ignored. At times the island seemed like another character with its rather tempestuous weather, being stormy at times or misty to trap the character’s further on the island.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be recommending it to others.  The book had a great pace to it, and I soon found myself glued to the page as I was so intrigued by the character’s lives.  There were lots of twists that kept me guessing and I loved the slow reveal of what had happened on the island that took me completely by surprise which I always love. I do wish the book had ended slightly differently then it did, but I felt it was appropriate for the story and what had transpired.  

Huge thanks to Alison from Doubleday for my copy of this book.  If you are a fan of thrillers or locked room type mysteries or just want to read a great book, then I highly recommend this one!

This was a very atmospheric and creepy thriller, perfect to read at this time of year. The island of Eris provides the perfect setting for this tale of isolation and mystery. I was reminded of Burgh Island, a location which inspired some of Agatha Christie’s books. It evoked the same feelings of loneliness, claustrophobia and desperation.

I enjoyed the mixed media format with some of the story told to us through diary entries and letters, this helped to separate the different timelines and also allowed the story to flow.

Aside from the mystery aspect the theme of women and their art is explored. It asks the questions; what are the consequences for women who choose their art over everything else and can they be sustained by their art alone? How does society view and judge women who prioritise their art?

It’s a story of passion and obsession and the dark extremes that they can lead to. The tension is slowly built, you’re not sure who you can trust, who is genuine, who is just misunderstood? It culminates in the chilling realisation of what this story is all about.

A brilliant atmospheric thriller, perfect reading for the dark nights ahead.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even though is feels very different to her previous works. I like the unique style and you're told the story through journal entries, news articles, and multiple POVs & timelines, The Blue Hour leads you on a unique journey..

The way this was written fully immersed me into the world of Vanessa Chapman, a recently deceased artist on an isolated island in Scotland. While a couple of the twists in this were a little predictable for anyone that reads thrillers regularly, I found that I liked the story and the journey enough to make up for it. I would also consider this more of a mystery book than a thriller, as it slowly unraveled over the course of the story making it a satisfying slow burn.

I love Paula Hawkins' writing so was very keen to read The Blue Hour and I'm so happy to say that I loved it! It's a very slow-burn mystery novel that creeps up on you and soon becomes very claustrophobic. It's set on a remote Scottish Island that becomes a character in its own right, but it was formerly the home of artist Vanessa. She died and left her works to a curator but some pieces are missing so Becker goes to investigate. What follows is a slow unravelling and reveal of what has happened on the island and why. It's so good and so tense, it's one of those edge of seat novels that you just don't want to put down. I loved this and I definitely recommend it!

For me it wasn’t a jaw dropping thriller that I was hoping for however I did still enjoy the read overall. I liked the characters and how it gave a good backstory for all of them:
Thank you Netgalley & Random house Uk for allowing me to read the book before publication.

I am sorry to say that I have laboured mightily to complete this book but have had to admit defeat. I have spent more than double the time reading this book, to get two thirds of the way through, than I would expect to complete a book of this length.

Enjoyed the writing style and the descriptive language. Sadly, the plot did not manage to grab me and keep me enthralled.

Can definitely see that this book would appeal to a lot of people, as it did to me. However, mea culpa, personally, I made a wrong decision. My 3 Star rating is meant to be a neutral vote and it should not put you off reading it.

A claustrophobic thriller in which Becker, lifelong fan of artist Vanessa, is tasked with visiting the island where she lived much of her life to retrieve outstanding work for an art collection.

How much you enjoy this novel will depend on your tolerance for storylines that run out of road and a very slow path to what has become the inevitable conclusion.

It’s well-written in many respects and there is a definite building of tension and foreboding, it’s simply that I lost interest 2/3 of the way through.

With thanks to NetGalley, Paula Hawkins and the publisher for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved The Girl on the Train and so of course will compare anything the author writes to her debut. The Blue Hour is a very different novel , more slow paced and atmospheric and it took a while for me to become immersed in it.
I loved the island setting of Eris in Scotland , once the home of deceased artist Vanessa Chapman. Art historian Becker visits the island and Vanessa’s friend Grace to investigate claims that one of Chapman’s sculptures contains a human bone.
I found the novel atmospheric, immersive and intriguing. I enjoyed the island sections more than those based around the art foundation that Becker works for as I felt these took me away from the main focus of the novel.
I did find it to be a slow read but I’m glad I persevered.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.
3.5 stars.

The ending is known at the start but then the excitement is the why and how. What is the origin of a bone in the sculpture by Vanessa Chapman, currently on display in a renowned gallery?
It felt like there were two mysteries going on. Firstly the art critic Becker and the intrigues going on in the foundation that hold the art work belonging to the artist and sculptor Vanessa Chapman. A lot of family resentments bubbling under the surface.
Secondly whatever happened on the Isle of Eris, accessible by a causeway only at low tide. These include the possible death of Vanessa’s husband and the death of Vanessa. Grace, Vanessa’s friend, enabler and self-appointed protector.
The final twist almost predictable.

A slower, more literary mystery than, eg The Girl on the Train, but all the better for that in my opinion. The settings are gorgeous with a hint of threat - an islet cut off by tide twice a day, a vertiginous drop, an isolated house - all shown against the changeable seas and skies. The lack of a phone signal, a woman alone, the potential for unwanted visitors - all these things quietly build up the sense of uneasiness that pervades the place. The islet is the perfect place for an art studio - you might think.

But a mysterious bone turns up in a work of art created there - can it be human? Is it connected with the, now deceased, artist's missing husband? Or are there others who may have quietly disappeared after visiting Eris? The gradual unravelling of the mystery and the possibly unresolved ending make this book something other than a straightforward thriller.

Recommended.

I am not sure where to start with this review as I was so looking forward to reading this as her last book was such a success. I did find it very hard to get into but I did persevere through the whole book. I don’t think I actually got what was going on until about three quarters of the way through. It all seemed a bit jumbled to me and couldn’t make out what the actual plot of the story was, but is this because it was so well written? I am really not sure and was glad when it all became clear to me so I enjoyed the ending and finding out but no real closure. I have never had so many questions about a story.

I’m usually obsessed with everything that Paula Hawkins writes, sadly though this one just didn’t really do it for me, it was kind of slow moving and I could tell where it was going from quite early on. Still a fine enough read but not the usual suspenseful page turner that I was expecting.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars.
Ooooh, what a deliciously creepy novel, quite fitting for the dark, dreary rain we've been enjoying lately. I was wholly absorbed by the Rebecca-esque vibe of small, remote island off Scotland and the intriguing women who live there. Vanessa the beautiful, reclusive artist and Grace her solid, faithful companion. In parallel we have Beck, an expert on Vanessa's art and his peculiar living arrangements. The three of them weave together into the solid core at the heart of this story as we dip in and out of past events that inform happenings and the mysteries that orbit just out of reach. Yeah, I'm struggling to give context without revealing anything of note. Failing miserably, I am sorry.

This story feels ominous in the build up to twists that change the entire narrative. I found it shocking yet satisfying. Not what I expected but enjoyed the uneven journey to get there. The end felt mildly disconnected from the previous text but in a way that made sense. A lovely roller coaster ride, a gut punch I didn't see coming. Hope you agree.

This book was okay. Unfortunately it wasn't the fast paced thriller I was hoping for. The setting is fabulous and very atmospheric. I just struggled with the pace of the story.

A wonderful force of a claustrophobic thriller, and even better psychological thriller. I love me a book that will keep me thinking and locked in my mind for hours, and this one did that! Yes, the ending meant i dropped a star, but also delivering an ending is the hardest part of any good novel and the rest of the book isn’t damaged by it, I just felt I still had a few questions unanswered, BUT the rest was still outstandingly gripping!
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Thank you to the publisher for the early read