I went into this blindly and not knowing what to expect... and all I can say is WOW. I was immediately glued to the pages. This is one of the best books I've read this year. The characters were interesting and relatable. The authors did such a great job of describing the setting that I even felt like I was back in high school. The suspense and thrill was perfect with the added bonus of an unpredictable ending. This was the first book I've read by this author and I look forward to checking out the others. I highly recommend this one!

Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group | Orion for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The reunion - my worst nightmare, actually, so like Jennie, if I were to drag myself to attend a school reunion, it would be with extreme reluctance, but then I don’t have what Jennie had to give her that extra push - a missing best friend. Hannah didn’t arrive to meet Jennie on the night they planned to run away to London, 30 years ago, and has never been seen since.

Jennie, now a DI, is determined to stay on the case when a skeleton is discovered beneath the old school building, and so she has to hide her true feelings and not let on that Hannah was like a sister to her.

As the case progresses, Jennie realises there was a lot she didn’t know about Hannah and I really felt her emotional struggle. The character development, the writing and the pacing was spot on. I enjoyed the relationships between Jennie and her police colleagues, particularly when they sensed she had a deeper connection to the case than she was revealing.

There are a number of suspects and it’s really tricky to work out who the perp is, as the authors cleverly drop red herrings in to keep us guessing.

A fabulous read!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, M. J. Arlidge, Steph Broadribb and Orion for an ARC in return for an honest review.

It's the day of the demolition at White Cross Academy, and a crowd of former pupils and teachers have gathered to watch. But as the final charges are laid in the basement, the crew makes a shocking discovery - a human skull. Former student Jennie Whitmore is assigned to the case, her first big murder investigation, and one where there can be no room for mistakes. The remains are identified as Hannah Jennings, a popular, but troubled classmate who went missing during her lower Sixth year. As news of the body's discovery soon leaks, the small town erupts with intrigue, conspiracy and accusation. At the center of the investigation, is Hannah's five closest friends who used the basement as a base for the photography club.

Although I have read a couple of M.J. Arlidge books before, I have never read any by Step Boardribb. I was a bit unsure about requesting this book, as I'm not keen on books where authors pair up. But I'm happy to say I enjoyed this one. DI Jennie Whitmore had attended the Academy, where a skull had been found in the basement by the crew hired to demolish the school. In this twisted read, there are secrets, lies, and betrayal. The classmates are all hiding something. This is a cleverly crafted story.

Published 5th September 2024

I would like to thank #NetGalley #OrionPublishingGroup and the authors #MJArlidge and #SteptBroadribb for my ARC of #TheReunion in exchange for an honest review.



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Jennie Whitmore, a Detective Inspector with the local police force, attends a school reunion, reconnecting with the friendship group she hadn't seen for years. Shortly after the reunion she is called to the basement of the school, where a body has been discovered, soon identified as her best friend Hannah. As teenagers, both Jennie and Hannah had a difficult home life and planned to run away together, however Hannah never arrived at the bus station, Jennie assumed Hannah had left without her and still feels betrayed all these years later. Jennie knows she should exclude herself from the investigation however is intent on finding out who is responsible for her friend's murder. The pressure on her is immense, Concealing her connection to Hannah proves harder and harder as Jennie realises most of the witnesses in the original enquiry were less than trustworthy.

The Reunion is a great read, well thought out plot with twists, turns and deceits a plenty. Clever writing style, I felt part of Jennie's investigating team which I really like. Jennie is a very relatable character, her pain at realising her relationships with Hannah and the others isn't quite as she thought is eloquently described.

Satisfying ending, not just the reveal of who murdered Hannah, but how all the elements of the story were wrapped up.

With thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for allowing me to read this advanced reader copy in return for my honest and unbiased review.

This was a compelling read and I finished it in one sitting. Even though I knew it was written by two authors there was no hint to this it was so seamlessly done. Told from the POV of the main protagonist, DI Jennie Whitmore, and over an 8 day period it is a fairly short fast paced novel with a good plot. The remains of a body have been found at White Cross Academy where Jennie attended for her final school year and she wants this case!

Briefly, Jennie was a member of a gang of six at the Academy. Hannah was her closest friend and they had decided to runaway from home but although Jennie waited Hannah never turned up. She was missing. Police investigations at the time concluded she had runaway and Jennie was bereft that her friend had let her down. However, at the scene Jennie immediately recognises clothing and jewellery and although she should excuse herself from the case she has to find who killed Hannah. Her colleagues aren’t police officers for nothing and soon realise Jennie is hiding something. And Jennie’s investigations show that she didn’t know her friends at all.

Jennie is a good character who never got to follow her dreams following her friend’s disappearance and now 30 year’s later she is hoping that she can put her demons to rest. There are so many secrets and so many twists and turns that I was constantly changing my mind about what had happened and who was responsible and the solution was a complete shock. A good entertaining book.

I have a been a long-time fan of M J Aldridge and I noticed this collaboration with Steph Broadribb which I have not read but heard positive things about. So, I couldn’t wait to read this, and I wasn’t disappointed.
Jennie Whitmore is a Police Officer and decides to her school reunion. Even though nobody was ever nice to her except for one person who was her best friend Hannah until she disappeared.
Jennie is SIO for a new case. Her old school is being demolished but proceedings have stopped as they have found remains of a body in the basement where when she was attending White Cross academy this is where she and a group of mates hang out. When she sees the remains, she knows instantly by the necklace still on the neck of the skeleton is of her friend Hannah that went missing all of them years ago.
This is a fabulous read full of twists and turns that kept you guessing and guessing. I loved the character of Jennie. The is an excellent Police officer but she was torn between doing the right thing to get justice for Hannah even going against her friends and doing her job properly under the eye of her superiors. I enjoyed this so much I read it in 24 hours.
I was hoping there was more to this story (another Book). But sad it came to end with the story line concluded at the end. 5 stars from me.

Firstly, thank-you to @netgalley for allowing me this ARC! As most of you know, I am a massive MJ Arlidge fan, and have devoured pretty much most of his books! 😍 this is a first for me by Steph but overall it did not disappoint! 😍 this follows DI Jennie Whitmore as she initally visits a 30 year reunion with her high school friends. Soon after, her childhood best friend, who vanished in 1994) turns up dead in the school they once attended!
Honestly, this was such an easy read and at 292 pages, what's not to love! 😍 I didn't guess the ending and it was nice to see a different ending to other crimes I have read in the past! I definitely could relate to Jennie and how she felt around high school and her friendships and that came across so well in the book! 🥰

This book releases 5th September and I cannot wait for you all to read it! 😍

My thanks to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Reunion’ written by M J Arlidge & Steph Broadribb in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Thirty years ago Jennie Whitmore was a student at White Cross Academy where she met Hannah Jennings who helped her stand up to the bullies. Both were unhappy at home and planned to go to London but while Jennie was waiting for her at the bus stop Hannah didn’t make an appearance. Now a Detective Inspector in the Major Crimes Unit of Thames Valley Police, Jennie experiences her worst nightmare when the body of a female is found buried in the Academy basement as it’s about to be demolished.

I’ve been an avid reader of M J Arlidge for many years although I’ve not yet read anything by Steph Broadribb so I was keen to read this joint venture of ‘The Reunion’. The story is told by Jennie who recounts what happened thirty years ago when she and Hannah planned to run away to London, and the present time as she’s determined to find those responsible for her friend’s death. This is an involving police thriller with a complex plot that’s been well-thought-out and that has so many suspects Jennie and her team are finding it difficult to pin the crime on any one individual. It has drama, suspense and plenty of twists making it difficult to determine who could be responsible and why. This has been an enjoyable novel and I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone who likes a quick and easy read.

The book is told from Jennie’s point of view over the period of eight days with each day following on from the next so from a timeline perspective it’s very easy to follow and provides a nice natural flow to the story. Jennie provides us as the reader with insight throughout the book into her time she spent at the school which doesn’t always sound like it was a happy place for her to be, apart from the time she spent with Hannah. Jennie describes them as ‘like sisters’.

One thing that becomes clear as the story progresses is that Jennie didn’t know Hannah quite as well as she thought she did.

The author has a brilliant way throughout this book of just releasing a little bit of information at just the right times to keep the reader hooked. I felt compelled to keep flicking through the pages as I slowly but surely was given more information and background into what happened to Hannah in the days leading up to her death.

As Jennie is just as in the dark about what happened as we the readers are, I felt like I was investigating the case alongside her and was just as surprised as she was the more that becomes revealed.

It’s a slightly frustrating read for the second half of the book, but in a good way, as I could tell Jennie was getting close to figuring out what happened to Hannah but there was just a few pieces of the puzzle missing. The suspense was driving me crazy towards the end as I just wanted to know what had actually happened!

I did have a little chuckle to myself when Jennie visits Milton Keynes to conduct an interview as I’m familiar with the area and the amount of roundabouts Jennie had to endure while driving through there. Always a nice touch when as a reader you can personally relate to an area featured within the book.

Overall a great read, with the author doing a good job of giving away just enough information to keep the reader absolutely hooked throughout and is a book I would recommend for anyone a fan of the mystery, thriller genres.

This book both piqued my interest as it made me wary; two big names, but I never really liked Arlidges previous books. However… this seems to be a great match! The book was clearly very well written and kept me entertained until the end. I didn’t really like Jennie as a character, and I certainly didn’t agree with some of her actions and choices, but this didn’t affect my reading experience at all. I would describe this book as a classic murder mystery, a whodunnit. There’s many possible culprits but you really don’t know until the big reveal who’s the actual perpetrator. The only thing I thought was a bit unnecessary was the officer Wright storyline. Maybe it was supposed to be a build up to the actual ending, the last chapter, but still it felt so random to me. Is this cryptic for you? Good, go read the book to see what I‘m referring to and discuss with me then ;) overall this was a really fun read. I love a good whodunnit!

For Dutch readers: dit boek wordt vertaald als ‘de Laatste Steen’ en zal rond 15 oktober verschijnen in boekhandels!

Ohhh perfect time and so close to release date! I will most definitely be buying a physical copy for myself! I was so enamoured by this book! I felt the build up was perfect and all the character developments! A strong book! 4.5 stars out of 5

I’m on a roll with 5* reads at the moment! The Reunion is a gripping suspense story with twists and turns constantly throughout!

When Jennie, now a DI, is called to her old school because a body has been found, it becomes apparent that it is her old friend Hannah who supposedly ran away 30 years ago. Determined to find out what happened to Hannah, Jennie has to revisit her school years and friends. Could one of their old crew be responsible for Hannah’s death? Or a more obvious suspect like her abusive father or the teacher she was reportedly having an affair with?

This book has everything - secrets, dark history, complex relationships, and some home truths being revealed. The author gives us glimpses all the way through of possible suspects and motives, but keeps us guessing until the end. I did find Jennie slightly irritating as a main character in the way she spoke to some of her team and thought she was in the right a lot, but not enough to alter my enjoyment of the story.

Thank you to netgalley and Orion for an ARC of this in exchange for my own views.

I’m a huge MJ Arlidge and Stephanie Broadribb fan so I was very excited to get this collaboration. Well I loved it, a brilliant murder mystery that had me guessing as I powered through it in one sitting I just couldn’t put it down.

Not long after Jennie Whitmore attends a school reunion, she is called to the school she once attended after the discovery of a body in the basement. As soon as she sees some of the belongings, she knows exactly who it is, her best friend Hannah who she had assumed had left town without her over 30 years ago. This is a complex case as Jennie has background knowledge of the people centre stage in book, they are old school friends and she really shouldn’t be handling the case but she is determined to crack the case.

Fast paced and well written this book is a really enjoyable read. Highly recommend it, 5 stars!

When a body is found during the demolition of her old school, detective Jenny Whitmore is called to investigate. The body is her best friend Hannah who disappeared 30 years ago. Jenny has to interview her old school friends in search of the truth.
Highly recommended for those looking for an easy, enjoyable read with plenty of twists.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to @netgalley and @orionbooks for this ARC.

The story opens with a young teenager, Jennie, going to the bus stop to escape to London with her best friend Hannah. The future is so bright with possibility for the two girls. However, Jennie is crushed when she never arrives and vanishes into thin air. Flash forward to present day. Jennie is a detective in the same town where she went to school with Hannah. She is called to the site of that very school when a skeleton is found during demolition of the building. Could it be Hannah’s skeleton? Jennie is lead on the case and must unravel the secrets that harbor in the dark of the school basement and her old friend group.

What a fun, quick read full of so many twists and turns. Anyone who enjoys thrillers, crime, and detective tales should mark their calendars for this title’s September 5th pub day.

I have not read any books by M.J. Arlidge books bur I have read all of Steph Broadribb’s books so I was intrigued to see how this collaboration would work and I had to say I really enjoyed it devouring the whole book in a day.
Not long after Jennie Whitmore attends a school reunion, she is called to the school she once attended after the discovery of a body in the basement. As soon as she sees some of the belongings, she knows exactly who it is, her best friend Hannah who she had assumed had left town without her over 30 years ago. Whilst she is clearly happy to know that Hannah had not abandoned her without a word, she is determined to find out exactly what happened to her even if it means confronting her childhood something she has spent time trying to forget. Jennie knows she is skating on thin ice investigating the murder of her one-time best friend and she appears to be blinkered in her approach to potential suspects, something her DS points out to her. She has tried to keep it a secret just how well she knew the victim but secrets like that are never kept for long especially when you must question your old classmates. Added to this she is clearly being stalked by someone but what she doesn’t know is if the person is connected to the case or not.
Although this is quite a short book it does not skimp on pace or content. You can sense that Jennie is determined to do a good job and the more she confronts and questions her memories of that last year in school the more she realises that she may have been too narrow in her investigation. There is tension within her team that is also distracting her and when the reason why comes to light it is at the potential expense of her own safety. The characters all seem well rounded and believable, and you can well imagine old schoolfriends coming together after all that time with their own views on what happened 30 years ago differing yet wanting to pull on the exact same friendships when it is a benefit to them. What is clear is that none of them are where they expected to be and as the story progresses you see that none of them are who they are portraying to be either. If you like fast, pacy detective stories with secrets, lies and betrayal at the heart of them then you can’t go wrong with The Reunion

This is a very addictive read. I found the writing to be easy to read and follow. Plot wise it was refreshingly hard to guess who killed Hannah, and I enjoyed the Agatha Christie “Murder on the Orient Express” vibes that the ending gave me. Though I did think the side plot of Martin being obsessed with Jennie to be unnecessary. Overall this was a great read & I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys crime novels or who is interested in getting into the genre. I feel this could be a great entry point book.

I enjoyed this book. The ending was predictable but overall the twists and turns were surprising . I got a true feel for the characters and felt immersed in the story.

An ARC courtesy of Netgalley. Due out 5th Sept.
A group of schoolfriends mourning the disappearance of one of their friends 30 years before. They've all moved on, one has become a DI and investigates human remains buried under their old school. Is it their friend? Did they have something to do with her disappearance? Could one of them have murdered her? Or are sightings of her at the railway station 30 years ago proof that she ran away?
Good use of flashbacks and different characters retelling their past. I liked the finale with the truth unfolding.
A good thriller, well written and the conclusion was worth waiting for.

Jennie Whitmore is now a police officer but returning to her school reunion – and the people who didn’t necessarily help her teenage years go smoothly – she immediately regrets turning up. After all, the only person she’d wants to see if Hannah, her best friend who disappeared all those years ago. But as she’s ready for the school to be demolished, news reaches her that a teenage girl’s body has been found… and it’s murder. What becomes clear is that everyone has a reason to lie, and keep lying, and that memories have a habit of being rewritten depending to whom you’re speaking. Jennie needs to keep a cool head to found out the truth but when it’s so close to home, is that possible?